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5 IEP Accommodations That Could Help Your OT Student Succeed!

Students with disabilities may qualify for special education and related services to support student success in the school environment. Special education is specifically designed to meet the needs of the student. Therefore, the student’s strength and weaknesses are taken into account during an evaluation. Based on the results of the evaluation, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) may be developed. This IEP modifies the curriculum and approach to which the content is delivered in order for the student to access the general curriculum.

An IEP is developed by a team approach. The team includes the student, parents, school psychologist, physical therapist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, etc. This team develops goals for the student and implements accommodations across the school environment. Accommodations support the student by helping to reduce/eliminate the disability of the student to ensure equal access to educational materials.

5 Occupational Therapy IEP Accommodation Ideas for Your Student:

 

1. Using Technology

Utilizing technology to replace handwriting is an important accommodation for students who have difficulty writing due to difficulty forming letters, poor fine motor skills, visual processing deficits, etc. A student may benefit from utilizing a Chromebook or iPad in the classroom by typing, using speech-to-text software and various apps, such as Snap Type, to complete classroom assignments. This technology can reduce/replace the student’s weakness, in this case handwriting, in order to increase participation and completion of classroom tasks.

2. Sensory Breaks

Sensory Breaks are important for students who demonstrate sensory processing deficits. Sensory breaks are tailored to the student’s need in order to provide appropriate input the body requires. This input will assist in calming or arousing the student to an expected state that is necessary for learning.

3. Classroom Seating

Preferential seating for a student is an important accommodation for students who may present with visual deficits, become easily distracted, and for students who are under-responsive or over-responsive to the environmental stimuli. Depending on the needs of the student he/she may benefit from sitting in the front of the room and away from windows by decreasing visual and auditory distractions. Sometimes a student may need to fidget or stand at their desk in order to learn, which may distract other students. Therefore, the student may benefit from sitting in the back of the room to reduce the risk of distracting other students.

4. Visual Help

Implementing visual friendly aids/devices as an IEP accommodation may support students with visual impairments succeed in the classroom. A student with visual impairments may experience difficulty reading from class papers, textbooks, Smart Boards, keyboards, and even a computer monitor. Implementing visual aids in the classroom may benefit the student by ensuring large font papers, textbooks, and keyboards are readily available to him/her. Other visual friendly aids may include visual filters to reduce unnecessary items on tests/papers, magnifying devices (i.e. bars, glasses, highlighted lined paper), or highlighting important information on classroom papers to emphasize important information.

5. Schedules and Organizers

Use of visual schedule and organizers work well when implemented in the classroom for students with anxiety, autism, and for students who are easily distractible. When correctly utilized, visual templates help students know their daily schedule and understand what is expected of them that day. These assist students to easily transition between classes and activities. The student can also easily recognize work that needs to be completed before earning a break.

Team Considerations

Depending on the needs of the student, some of these IEP accommodations may be beneficial to your student in order to access the general education curriculum. Be sure to contact the student’s IEP team to ensure your student has the appropriate IEP accommodations to support their individualized needs based on their strengths and weaknesses of their disability.

 

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LLA Therapy

Patient Reviews

Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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