The first day of school is full of excitement, teachers and students, new clothes, fresh faces, AND Fear & Anxiety for some.

It can be difficult to navigate, and can be quite chaotic.

If you are a student in Special Ed all of this can lead to over-stimulation, dysregulation, and even a meltdown.

A few years ago, I came across a posting about a First Day Info Sheet that can be provided to teachers that can help make the first day/week less stressful.

(Here is an example of the original image)

If you have a child in Special Ed or on an IEP this could be helpful for you.

——————————————————————————————
I can’t find the original post I saw on this info sheet, so I decided to write my own.  I encourage you to make one for your child.
We will have used it for 3 years now, and it has made a world of difference.   Teachers and Staff are very busy, and the First day of school is chaotic, so even verbally telling my child’s teacher all this info may not work because that same teacher is being spoken to by 30 other parents, students, staff, etc…
They are also being handed tons of other papers, SO These are some tips to make your Info Sheet stand out:

1.)  Make it BRIEF

• The info sheet should fit on one page
• Limit what info you include: 1-4 items, ONLY what they Need to know to help for the 1st day. (I tell them the 4 most important needs my child has.)

2.) INCLUDE A PHOTO

• There are many students that the teacher has to get familiar with, and some may have the same name as your child

3.) INCLUDE whether your child has an IEP

•      I know this sounds weird, but the 1st year we didn’t write this down, and it just looked like nice info we were providing.  Teachers don’t ALWAYS get to review each child’s IEP before school starts.  Some students get switched to a new class on the 1st day.  If the teacher doesn’t realize that this is a child with an IEP, then they also don’t know how important it is to look over it.  (REMEMBER, they get handed a LOT of papers on the first day.)

4.) PROVIDE YOUR CONTACT NUMBER

• Make it easy for the teacher to get a hold of you if they have any questions.  I usually stay longer on the first day, so I can be available to answer anything, but I am a SAHM (Stay at Home Mom) and I know many parents can’t d this.

5.) Make sure your child  has it in-hand

• One year I put it in my child’s backpack, but nobody checks that.  He didn’t remember to give it to his teacher, And…the day went not so well..

——————————————————————————————

Here is a blurred-out image of the info sheet that I make:

1. He has a medical condition that may need response – so that is my number one item.
2. He also has 2 items that discuss sensory issues and the tools/modifications we use to help him.
3. Lastly, he has a different schedule at school, so I write out what that is for them to be aware.

—————————————————————————————–

It is a simple sheet to make on any document program.  I’m sorry I don’t have a template for you.  I’m not that skilled with form making. 

Maybe in the future I can create one and attach it to this post.

I hope this will help you and your child have a good & successful 1st day of school.

Tags: 1st day of school, All about me, first day, IEP, info sheet, school, Special Ed, Special Education
Filed under: Health & Fitness, Micah, School