Dia 3 - Proyectos a camino nuevo

Today was another great day spent at Camino Nuevo! We immediately split into our three focus groups to get started on implementing our projects in the classrooms. In the preschool room, Katie, Becca and our CI Bridget worked with the students on fine motor skills and other classroom activities. We also continued to assess individual and group needs to determine potential areas of intervention. We implemented a “brain walk” along with Jennifer’s team, which will hopefully be used by the entire school. This activity was very popular with the children who got to use it at recess today, and the teachers were very excited and supportive of the idea.

We finished the day by chatting with the preschool teachers about our recommendations for classroom and schedule adaptations. We recommended they limit sitting time to about 45 min, with 5 minute breaks for the kids to go outside or use the brain walk, along with a few ideas for limiting classroom noise and stimulation for the students with autism.

In the significant disabilities classroom, Olivia, Kiera, Savannah and our CI Heidi spent time observing how teachers assisted the five children through learning activities, feeding, transfers, and recess time. After, we gave recommendations on how to further support each of the children, including utilizing the therapy “motor room” for regular classroom activities to create a group learning environment where all students are included. We gave the teachers tips on how to better position the children to stretch their muscles and prevent further contractures, appropriate body mechanics for the students’ and teachers’ safety, and ideas on how to create a more interactive play environment for the students. The smiles on all of the kiddos faces and their laughs were very rewarding and we could see we had made an impact on their day.

The recreation team; Stacey, Hork, Diana, and our CI Jennifer spent the day observing the two autism classrooms to understand how their schedule flows. Each classroom has 6-8 students, a teacher, and one paraeducator. The teacher and para work with each student one on one practicing their alphabet, numbers, and other skills. During this time, the students who are not working with an instructor are doing independent work. This worked well for some students and was challenging for others. One suggestion our group has for these classes is to offer movement breaks. These can be simple 5 minute breaks that will give the students a chance to increase their blood flow, respiration, stretch and change positions.

After observing the classroom, we spent time outside at recess and doing the brain walk with Bridget's group. Some students really enjoy recess and play well independently. Other students need more encouragement to move and participate in physical activity. We played soccer, volleyball, rode bikes, and got most of the students engaged. Another suggestion our team has for the teachers is to offer more opportunities for play during recess by bringing out all of the equipment (bikes, balls, etc).