Special needs accommodations. Speaking as a former teacher, I can attest to the fact that those words can send shivers up the spines of educators grappling with teaching duties that exceed the time required to complete them. So it’s always fun to read about simple accommodations with a lot of bang for the buck—the kinds that make a big difference for students and are easy for teachers to implement.

Special Needs Accommodations at KIT Blog: The Inclusion Potluck

I recently ran across KIT Blog: The Inclusion Potluck, a site is packed with special needs accommodation tips and advice. The post that led me to the site was by a long-term substitute teacher working with a sophomore who couldn’t sit still. He moved his chair constantly, scraping the tile so noisily it distracted everyone in the classroom. Her repeated requests for him to sit still frustrated him so much, he threw the chair. For awhile she let him sit in the teacher’s roller chair. That stopped the noise, but resulted in him rolling the chair in a distracting manner.

Special Needs Accommodation by Tennis Balls

Thankfully, she was reading a book by inclusion specialist Paula Kluth at the time. The substitute said the book gave her “the opportunity to reflect on this situation, assess and adapt the environment to my need to stop the screeching of a metal chair on the tile, and to help Fernando resolve this problem of needing to move his chair so frequently.”

So, she went to the store and bought 4 tennis balls. Here’s what happened the next time the student asked if he could sit in the teacher’s chair:

I told him that I have something better that he can use in his other classes and gave him four tennis balls. He gave me the cutest smirk in an attempt to hide his confusion. I put the balls on the legs of the chair and demonstrated how quiet the chair became. He was so relieved and this completely eliminated all problems associated with that chair. He used the balls in the other classes and, after school, two of his other teachers thanked me profusely. I learned that he has been sent to the office several times by teachers who could not tolerate this behavior. This is the perfect example of how well assessing and adapting the environment helps students and teachers alike.

Simple Special Needs Accommodations You Love?

How about you, teachers and parents? What accommodations have you used or seen used that are easy to implement and effectively meet student needs? Leave a comment if you like.

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