tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644538309673050572.post5229609014548870920..comments2024-03-28T05:52:50.399-04:00Comments on Autism with a side of fries : LockdownEileen Shaklee http://www.blogger.com/profile/04658354442888448425noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644538309673050572.post-73656616151865532082015-10-11T07:12:16.305-04:002015-10-11T07:12:16.305-04:00I think its important to "forewarn" our ...I think its important to "forewarn" our students who will have difficulties with this drill. As a special educator, I have had to work through this with several kiddos. We talk for a few days before we actually do it, and practice the small steps without the wait time. For students who have sensory issues, we can walk them out of the building before the actual fire drill, so they don't have to hear the loud bell and commotion. We don't need to practice the anxiety, just the exit routes. As for the quiet lockdown, that is just going to be difficult, but it can be practiced too. It sometimes helps to say, "put a bubble in your mouth" they can focus on holding that without breaking it, or giving them a specific job to do, such as holding the "attendance book" or listening for the all-clear signal, incase we miss it, or giving them a goal of beating the time that they can keep quiet from the last time..... every time we have a drill I have to giggle.... the first one we did, when we turned off the lights, we realized the emergency light was not working, so it was pitch black..... the kids were surprised and so was I. I said, "It's ok, I will find my laptop and open it for a little light, and as I walked to my desk to get it, I heard one of my students very quietly singing, "Scooby Dooby doo... where are you?" lol Hang in there, its only a drill this time, and for this, we are thankful. :) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644538309673050572.post-73246373294953501882015-10-07T14:10:47.836-04:002015-10-07T14:10:47.836-04:00I get phone calls from my son's teacher about ...I get phone calls from my son's teacher about the fire drills and lock down drills too. My little boy has autism and sensory processing disorder. He has a hard time with the alarm. He usually ends up being out sorts for the rest of the day when there is a fire drill. <br />The teacher called me one day when they had a lock down drill. My son was so afraid. The classroom doors were locked and blinds were closed. The teachers sat in a corner of the room huddled with the children. My little boy sat on the lap of one of the para educators. <br />He was shaking like a leaf and crying. "If...if...if you call my mama, she will come and get me, ifnyou call my mama she will get me, she come mama will come. If you call my mama she will come and get and I will be safe."<br />I am not sure if he understood that it was just a drill. It broke my heart that he was soooo afraid. <br />I think that part of his anxiety was he was scared that the fire alarm would go off at any time. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644538309673050572.post-27248259638651813682015-10-06T14:42:30.959-04:002015-10-06T14:42:30.959-04:00Our ASD children are in danger everyday in many di...Our ASD children are in danger everyday in many different ways. Children with autism wandering and eloping is a huge issue. Many children with autism can't swim. They will wander and drown in nearby body of water. Remember Avonte Oquendo from Queens, NY? Children with autism have many serious health issues such as seizures, injuring themselves/others, gastro-intestinal problems, etc. Children with autism can be abused, molested or bullied and they won't be able to tell us what happened. Yes, living with autism is very, very dangerous, but most people don't think of autism as a serious disability. The main media protrays autism as just kids being quirky and smart. It's makes me mad that the media and the US government down plays how serious autism is. "It's all better diagnosis" according to the stupid CDC! Somehow our parents/grandparents generation didn't notice 1 in 50 children couldn't talk and injuried themselves! DUH!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2644538309673050572.post-59018603480466994422015-10-06T14:17:08.776-04:002015-10-06T14:17:08.776-04:00Like duck and cover when I was a kid, to protect u...Like duck and cover when I was a kid, to protect us from the bombs that were always threatening to fall. Ugh. :-(Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04970758459195770397noreply@blogger.com