This is a post in the weekly Autism Hopes series by Lisa Quinones-Fontanez, a mom who blogs over at AutismWonderland.
If you have a school-age child with special needs you know about IEP goals. IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan; the goals are created to meet the specific educational needs of the child. My son, Norrin, has an IEP and I’m satisfied with his educational goals. But there are some other things that I know I need work. And not everything can be taught during the school day.
Norrin will be eight years old next month. In many ways, he’s a “typical” boy but in other ways, it’s tough. And the things that come easily for other kids and parents, requires more for us. These are three of things we’ll pay extra attention to this year.
Playdates. We don’t do many playdates. There just isn’t enough time but I really need to make more time to fit this in our schedule. Norrin doesn’t have many friends but he has an interest in other children and he wants to play. Play and forming friendships doesn’t come naturally to him. They are skills that need to be cultivated. I know they work on play skills at schools but I want to teach him how to work on friendships outside of the classroom.
How to Get Dressed. Norrin still requires a lot of help with self-help skills like dressing and bathing. He understands what needs to be done but he doesn’t always understand the sequence of steps. This year I want to work on helping Norrin pick out his clothes and putting items on the right way.
Night Time Potty Training. It took us a few years to potty train Norrin during the day. But at night, he still wears a pull-up. I really would love to get him night time potty trained. I know it will take time. I know it will take work and dedication. A few months ago, I received the book 7 Steps to Nighttime Dryness; I plan on following the steps and using a nighttime alarm to help us achieve our goal.
What goals would you like your child to work on this new year?