How do you accommodate classroom behaviors that are linked to unmet self-care needs like eating and using the potty? You can’t make a student eat or use the potty, so what do you do?
That’s what we’re talking about today on part 3 of Ty’s story.
The objective: Help Ty feel safe at school so his nervous system’s alert system could turn off and his interoception cues can turn on.
The kind of safety I’m referring to here is not the explicit feeling of being safe, but the nervous system’s inherent sense of safety and security—something that Ty didn’t feel in the noisy cafeteria or the constant transitions between specialty classes and the excitement of the kindergarten classroom. Even if he had trusted caregivers and playful peers, the sensory triggers of it all were sending cues of danger instead of safety to his nervous system.
Accommodations for the bathroom
Ty’s low registration for potty cues and his avoidance of the bathroom because of the sensory input from the fluorescent lights, the loud vent and flushing toilet meant that he would hold it in all day long. This can definitely contribute to disruptive behaviors. Luckily, Ty’s kindergarten classroom already had a single room stall, which made it easier. Other accommodations to consider:
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Allowing open access to the bathroom. He should not have to raise his hand, use a potty code or ask permission to use the bathroom. If the door was open, he should be able to use it.
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Keeping noise reducing headphones readily accessible
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Adding alternative lights (not overhead fluorescent) to the bathroom
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Building bathroom breaks consistently throughout his day, during times where there would be no rush for a transition
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Creating a basket of calming sensory tools and books to use in the bathroom
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Allowing a routine of mom or dad to take him in the bathroom in the morning before school starts
