Day 43: Learning to Pedal

Being a mom of three children has enabled me to see the variation in child development firsthand. A lot is taken for granted while parenting a child with typical development— babbling, making eye contact, using pronouns, initiating play with peers, back-and-forth conversations, even learning to ride a bike.

When designed appropriately, a special education program breaks down developmental milestones into much smaller parts. On an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, these smaller components may be referred to as ‘objectives’ that support a larger goal. A comprehensive set of evaluations will pinpoint exactly where the deficits lie so that those deficits can be remediated incrementally.

The same concept can be applied outside of a school setting. For weeks now, I’ve pondered about the obstacles to teaching my preschooler how to ride a bike. Does she have sufficient muscle tone in her legs? Does she have the visual-spatial ability, coordination, or body awareness? It’s not as easy as tapping her training wheels, patting her helmet, and sending her down the sidewalk. So today’s outdoor crisis schooling lesson focused on one skill— the concept of pedaling. It look a great deal of one-to-one attention and physical support. Once the skill of pedaling is well on its way to mastery, I’ll probably introduce the next skill of steering the handle bars. It takes time, patience, and commitment to teach a child with learning or developmental differences—and there are no shortcuts. You have to begin exactly where your child is— that’s your starting point. That’s why it’s so important to have the right evaluations, program, curriculum, and providers in place as soon as possible.

To discuss how your child’s IEP goals support your child’s development, book a virtual consultation on my website, https://www.MSRLegal.ORG/Book-Your-Consultation. Follow @MSRLegalConsulting on Instagram as I post about the evolving landscape of special education in the wake of Covid-19.

Until tomorrow, stay safe and healthy,

Oroma

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Legal ServicesOroma Mpi-Reynolds, Esq.supported cycling, physical therapy, occupational therapy, adapted physical education, adaptive physical education, autism, momtrepreneuer, girlmom, advocate like a mother, Special Education Lawyer, Special Education Law Firm, therapeutic recreation, leisure education, mother of daughters, mom of three, IEP, annual goals, short-term objectives, long-term objectives, mixed developmental disorder, speech disorder, coordination disorder, aba therapy, Crisis Schooling