Nathan can't eat; lunch room is too loud

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-13-2006
Nathan can't eat; lunch room is too loud
8
Fri, 02-09-2007 - 3:49pm

Nathan is my kindergartner, and while he doesn't have AS, he does have some sensory issues.

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Registered: 12-22-2003
Fri, 02-09-2007 - 6:13pm

We've dealt with this exact issue. The only difference is our daughter is Dx'd. Claire can't handle the lunch room environment, and it was obvious to all of the staff members. (She'd sit with her hands over her ears, rock back and forth and cry.) So about a week into the school year she started eating outside of the lunchroom with her 1:1.

Recently they've started using this as an opportunity for social skills training. Now the 1:1 picks a different classmate every day to eat lunch with Claire. This was at the suggestion of the 1:1. HOW COOL IS THAT?

I'm not sure how you should go about getting this type of a modification for Nathan, but you're right...it needs to be addressed.

Amy

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-13-2006
Fri, 02-09-2007 - 8:06pm

I'm not really looking for a modification for him.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-28-2006
Sat, 02-10-2007 - 1:06am

Evelyn, I'm not really sure what you can do, except bring it up with the principle and see if she can help with this matter, but in the mean time, can you give him some ear plugs to take to school with him? It might help drown out some of the sounds that bother him.

I do this with Chris, as he will pick all sorts of sounds he hates, that we just gotta do. He couldn't stand the sound of the tile saw tony had to use (were putting a tile floor in our masterbath), and in the car he can't stand the choice of music Tony picks in the car (alternative), so I give him earplugs and it does help a bit.

The ear plugs are really soft and squishy, and work with most ear sizes.

You might want to try it in the meantime.....

Lainie

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Sat, 02-10-2007 - 7:38am

The ear plugs sound like a good idea. I have friends with a daughter in Kindy. She does have ASD. They gave her earplugs to use for when the bell is going ring and any other time the noise is too loud.

In our district, at least in elementary, they do make the kids be quiet in the lunch room. They are rewarded for good behaviour as a class, including using inside voices, and loose recess for bad. They go back to their classes before recess so they can stay in their class for as long as called for. The upper elementary school even has a Talk Light for volume control. http://www.talklight.ws/index-2.html

Evelyn, does your town have a noise ordinance? Maybe the police could come over and check the decible levels! jk Seriously, I hope you can get through to them. It would benefit all of the children.

Samantha

Samantha
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-11-2007
Sun, 02-11-2007 - 4:02pm
My son was diagnosed with Ausperger's in 1st grade (he is now in 5th grade). Lunchtime was always a problem when he initially started school in kindergarten. It was noisy, the sound verbed off of the walls, the food was different, etc. In first grade we were lucky enough to have Eli diagnosed, we developed an IEP with his school and Eli was given a full time one-on-one para-educator. As part of his IEP, Eli was allowed to enter the lunchroom first in line, he was allowed to pick the foods he wanted to eat off of the menu and to disregard the foods that he did not like, he was set at a table nearest the closest entrance with all of his friends. Initially, they put tape down on the table so that Eli and all of his schoolmates would know what "Eli's space" meant and Eli could not go out of his personal space zone and other kids were not permitted to enter his personal space zone. Eli learn to cope with this system very well and at times, when it got to be too much, Eli would be removed from the lunchroom and taken to the library, bathroom or hallway where he would wait until it was time for lunchtime recess to start. His para would have him do jumping jacks or some type of physical activity to work out the sensory stuff. I am very proud to say that Eli is now in fifth grade, still has an IEP, still is mainstream, still has the same para (god bless Patti!!!) and lunch time is now just a blip on the screen. We still have to read the school menu everyday to check what's for lunch and sometimes I have to pack a cold lunch if the food is not to his liking, but over all the tape has been removed, the para gets to take a break at lunchtime and Eli does quite well in the lunchroom socializing with his classmates! All of us agree that Eli was able to overcome the lunchtime issues after a couple of years and after setting up boundaries with him and his classmates. It took a team effort for sure! Good luck - I hope that I have given some tips to help you out!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sun, 02-11-2007 - 6:16pm

When i was in Elementary school we had the stop light system-We would start with the green light -if we got too loud they would put it on yellow and we would have to talk quietly, if we got too loud on yellow it would goto red and if you were cought talking you would lose recess and have to help clean up the lunch room after lunch. They would always put it on the red light about the last 10 minutes of lunch so we could finish eating. You woul have to got th the principal on this one but it would help with the noise in the lunch room.

Liza

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 02-11-2007 - 7:18pm


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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 02-11-2007 - 9:23pm

I haven't read the other posts so don't know what anyone else has said but this is what our school does (works pretty well). Much of this is new in the last 2 years (Weston couldn't eat because it was so loud 3 yrs ago) and some of it has to do w/ his (and other kids) sensory issues. They are also using this model as part of their "healthy" living part of character developemnt. Whatever the reason it's working for Weston (tho when he's having a bad day he still doesn't eat).

The classes must sit together at their table. Their teacher brings them into the lunch room and stays w/ them until they go into the actual cafeteria line (then one of the lunch ladies is in charge). This way the kids know exactly who they are to be looking at and getting instructions from. They go through the line or go sit at their table. Once sitting at the table they can't talk for 10 min. They are expected to EAT at this time. They have 3 lunch room monitors and the assistant principal and the "expectations coach" are also there during lunch. The kids are given verbal and picture cue reminders to be quiet and eat during that time. Then they are allowed to talk quietly for the next 10-15 min. They also seem to have enough room. Weston is allowed to have more elbow room if necessary.

Betsy