Sensory Box

Children need to learn quietness and stillness. Most Sunday school teachers would certainly agree and even admit to saying, "You need to be quiet" or "You need to sit still" more than once on any given Sunday. However for many special needs children as well as more typically-abled children, being quiet and sitting still are incredibly difficult tasks to master. God created children to move. Children learn best by engaging their whole bodies in the learning experience. An excellent Sunday school lesson includes both periods of more-active and less-active learning. Most children cannot learn effectively by sitting in their chairs for one hour. If children sit for too long, their bodies get tired, and their attentions are distracted by their brains telling them to move. Even a transition from a sitting table activity to a sitting large group time is not enough movement. What are some ways that you can teach while children are moving? A game? A drama? A song with motions? A sensory box?  A prayer walk? A nature walk? A visit to the sanctuary? Remember we are not moving just for the sake of moving...we are moving with a purpose. How can you take the Central Bible Truth of the day and incorporate an active learning approach to teach that truth?

For those times when children do need to sit quietly (like during a large group time), how can you provide less-active opportunities for movement? Consider using a sensory box. Amy Fenton Lee at http://theinclusivechurch.wordpress.com shares about a sensory box.

Awhile back I had the opportunity to interview a pediatric occupational therapist with our local children’s hospital. I asked the therapist for pointers on handling disruptive children – those who struggle with constructive group participation or who exhibit hyperactive behaviors. She suggested that I collect a shoebox full of squeeze balls that were fun to feel and other toys easy to manipulate. She insisted that these sensory type toys would help the more challenging children stay focused during instructional teaching. Manipulative toys, she explained, can fulfill the “sensory diet” of some children and serve as a constant occupier for all students when they are required to sit still.

One of our classrooms uses a sensory box. At Dollar Tree, I bought various squishy or prickly colored balls to place in the box. Each child can choose a ball to hold during large group time. Children are amazing multi-taskers. Even while they are playing with their ball, they can still learn the Bible story. Having something to do with their hands allows them to listen better with their ears.

Teaching with excellence is teaching how children learn, not just how we like to teach.  Would a sensory box create a greater level of learning in your classroom?

Teaching Children with ADHD

This article by Carlton McDaniel was originally posted at www.lifeway.com in 2007.  It is a fantastic summary of the characteristics of children with ADHD and teaching strategies for helping these kids achieve long term success in learning at church. We have numerous children in both preschool and elementary ministries who struggle with varying degrees of ADHD. Take about 10 minutes to read the article below. Ask yourself, "What do I need to do differently this Sunday to make my classroom and my teaching more accessible to ADHD students?"

How to Teach Children with ADHD

Talk with any group of leaders who work with children and invariably the subject of a hyperactive child will arise. The issue can have a negative impact on both the individual child and the classroom as a whole. In some instances, the ability of the church to enlist volunteers for a particular class can be hindered. Many factors influence the success of a learning environment. But, all too often leaders attribute the problem to a medical condition called ADHD. The result of a non-professional diagnosis is usually an unwanted label that follows the child for years.

A child with ADHD will have problems in two major areas: 1) inattentiveness and 2) hyperactive- impulsive behavior. The American Psychiatric Association has proposed three subtypes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). These subtypes are (a) predominately inattentive, (b) predominately hyperactive-impulsive, and (c) combined types. Remember, a child that has ADHD will behave inconsistently with his developmental age and his behavior will consistently impair daily life.

It is also important for leaders to understand how controversial ADHD has become. For some, this condition is over-diagnosed and has more to do with diet and environmental influences on the child. For others, medication and the long-term effects on the child has become a point of controversy. Another unresolved discussion is whether a child with ADHD has the ability to grow out of this condition. Some children's leaders openly state that hyperactive or inattentive behavior is due to poor parenting. For some parents, even a professional diagnosis of ADHD is considered a negative label for the entire family.

Children with ADHD often experience difficulty with

• Following detailed instruction that involves multiple steps
• Staying focused, being easily distracted
• Sharing or taking turns with other children in the class
• Emotional issues, depression, and relationships with other children
• Tasks that require a sustained mental effort
• Remembering things
• Restating sentences or paragraphs in their own words
• Remaining still without fidgeting, tapping, or squirming
• Finishing tasks
• Llistening even when being talked to directly

To create a classroom environment where every child feels welcome

• Don't allow your frustrations to carry over from week to week. The first thing every child should feel when entering the room is that you are glad she has come.
• Plan independent times for all children to interact with each other. This will help teach the child with ADHD how to interact and build relationships with other children.
• Identify resources that can be put away instead of causing the child to get in trouble.
• Work closely with parents. Plan to meet with them as needed to discuss common strategies that will be consistent at home and at church.
• Look for positive and affirming comments when the child is successful.
• Keep rewards tangible.
• Provide a place for a child to go in cases of inappropriate behavior that requires removal from an inappropriate situation.

To manage classroom activities successfully

• Provide a consistent class schedule from week to week.
• Make sure you have the attention of the child before giving important directions. If needed, ask the child to repeat the directions back to you.
• Post simple rules that are easily understood.
• Keep transition times to a minimum. Or provide an activity as you move to another activity.
• Enlist an additional helper or give someone in the class the responsibility of helping the child with ADHD when needed.
• Evaluate discipline measures with other leaders and the child's parents. Ineffective discipline should be changed using a "team mentality." Be positive and sensitive to everyone involved.
• Become an organizer for the child. Plan lessons and activities with a plan for step by step instructions as well as a plan for organizing the finished work.
• Plan work that is difficult or requires greater attention early in the class schedule.

To plan for the long-term success of the child and team cooperation

• Maintain a positive attitude and encourage patience from everyone. Some children will improve dramatically with a small amount of support while other children may improve more slowly.
• Common rewards, language, and reinforcement strategies are important for success. Cue in on key words, phrases, and strategies that have proven successful at home, church, or school.
• Communicate strategies and progress to new leaders as students are promoted to the next class. Many times, the greatest change is in leadership and classroom location. The strategies that have been established at home and church can usually remain the same.
• If needed, identify a person that is willing to remain on the team to maintain consistency and guide progress. This will also prevent parents from having to start from scratch each year with new leaders.
• Be an advocate for the child and the parents. During the initial time children are being diagnosed or new intervention strategies are being tried, parents are put under a great deal of stress. Recognize these critical times when parents and their child will need more patience and understanding.

Intervention approaches for children with ADHD include behavioral strategies and pharmacological treatment. Often, if the sole intervention is behavioral, it is usually because parents do not want to medicate their child. For children who are taking medication, it is very important to continue taking the medication at prescribed dosage and times whether at home or at church. But research done by the U.S. Department of Education found that using a "multimodal approach" which incorporated elements from several intervention approaches proved to be the most effective.

Leaders who work with children will inevitably face the challenge of an inattentive or hyperactive child. Some children will be diagnosed by a professional as having ADHD. Some will have parents that are proactive and engaged in finding successful intervention strategies. Some parents will choose to do nothing. Some children will be wrongly labeled by church leaders. Regardless of the diagnosis, any leader can create a learning environment that encourages all children to learn and feel accepted.

Teaching Children with Autism

Welcome back from our summer break!

We are so blessed that the Lord has chosen our church as a safe place for young families with special needs children. These precious little ones are in both our preschool and children's ministries. It is important for all of us to become aware of the challenges that these families face each day so that we can make our church and our classrooms more accomodating, inviting and comfortable. This fall, Transforming Teachers blog will focus on teaching children with special needs. Let's learn all we can so that we can serve these children and their parents with excellence.

I found the following blog at an excellent site called The Inclusive Church: Helping Churches Successfully Include Children with Special Needs by Amy Fenton Lee. I encourage you to visit http://theinclusivechurch.wordpress.com/ and to explore her insights on special needs ministry.

 

Teaching Children with Autism – The Intangibles

September 30, 2010

This post is Part I of a two-part series written by Christine Hoover, a friend of this

blog. Today’s post addresses the valuable intangibles the children’s ministry team can instill and offer when seeking to successfully include a child with autism. Part 2 will give specific examples of the tangible ways a church can adjust its classroom and lesson plans to enable successful inclusion.

Teaching Children with Autism – The Intangibles

As parents of a son with autism, my husband and I are actively involved in the social, educational and spiritual development of our son. And we delight in the skill and love of a children’s ministry team member who reinforces our work. God has placed incredible school teachers and church volunteers in Will’s path. They have not only impacted our son, but they’ve also ministered the Gospel to our entire family. Reflecting on the teachers and volunteers who have successfully taught my son, the following steps will help capture the heart, attention, and mind of a participating student with autism:

• Gain a biblical perspective about disability. Good children’s ministry teachers know that children with autism are made in God’s image. Children with differences are not to be feared, ignored, or excluded. This understanding pervades everything a ministry volunteer can do inside the classroom.
• Learn about autism and about the individual child. The volunteers inside our church’s preschool ministry had no prior experience working with children with autism. But they accepted Will and they educated themselves. Read books about the disability, about teaching children with autism, and about the family’s experience and needs. Most importantly, study the individual child. How does he learn? What helps her engage in the story or the craft? What frightens him? How does she need help socializing appropriately in the classroom? Asking open questions of parents with a tone of love and acceptance will nearly always reveal invaluable information. Ultimately, the families of participating children with special needs are the best resource.
• Have high expectations, but accommodate for needs. My experience has been that when people don’t know my son personally the autism label hinders their expectations of him. If a teacher lacks a full understanding for my son’s capabilities, he or she may permit substandard class participation or behavior. Children with autism can and want to engage, but often need help knowing how. A little grace (and creativity!) can go a long way when a child needs minor adjustments in order to successfully participate. For example, when Will was four, he self-stimulated by holding toy trains in his hands. Though other children were not permitted to hold toys during the Bible lesson, Will’s teacher allowed him to hold a train so that he could sit quietly for story time.
• Help other children value the child with autism. Nothing makes me happier as a parent than to see a children’s ministry worker instilling a team mind-set among all classroom participants. With the right leadership, other teachers and students will follow by accepting and protecting the child with special needs. Do not underestimate the positive effect of allowing the child to assist (even if it takes extra time), praising their skills in front of other children, and encouraging interaction between typical children and those with special needs.
• Communicate with the parents. Children with autism may struggle with communication skills. As a result, parents may not learn of their child’s experiences inside the church environment without being told by the children’s ministry team. Sending a parent email or offering a handout that outlines the day’s Bible lesson and activities is a valuable takeaway. In addition, it may be particularly helpful for the dismissing childcare worker to offer one or two positive anecdotes about the child’s experience during that day’s programming.
• Structure the classroom. Children with autism thrive on routine and structure. Setting a firm classroom schedule, teaching it to the child, and displaying the schedule in words and pictures will minimize distress. Posting class rules and referring to them often is also helpful for visual learners who need reminders. Children with autism and other special needs may also participate more constructively when prepared for transitions. Giving a transition warning using a musical instrument (e.g. quick shake of a tambourine) is a good way to signal the upcoming need for change. Lastly, keeping noise and chaos to a minimum can be especially important to a child who struggles with self regulation and sensory overload. Oftentimes children misbehave as a way of expressing their desire to leave a “chaotic” environment.
• Engage the child using his/her interests. Most children with autism have special interests and skills. My son can easily remember anything he’s seen. As a result, my child is especially good at memorizing Bible verses. Oftentimes children with learning differences have strengths and interests that can be channeled for communicating or learning Biblical truths.
• Use concrete language and visual aids. Abstract concepts are difficult to grasp for most young children, but especially for children with autism. Although the Bible is full of abstract ideas, think creatively about how a story can be taught in concrete terms and through pictures. Cover a clean heart with mud as you talk about sin. Role play (and model) as you talk about honoring parents. Make sure every story has visual aids or pictures to compliment the teaching. Tie the craft to the story and devote craft construction time to re-telling the story as the children are constructing their own creation. Children with autism connect with visual pictures much easier than just sitting in a circle and listening to a story.
• Working with children with autism is rewarding, but also challenging. It requires creativity, understanding, and persistence. Children’s ministry workers, be persistent! Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
• Christine Hoover is a church pastor’s wife and mother of a son diagnosed with high-functioning autism. For more on Christine Hoover and her writing, see one of the blogs, FindingHopeinAutism or HooverHousehold.