Brain Breaks

[JBall]

Question:
What do your kids do during their brain breaks from the classroom?

Background:
I have an AuDHD 10 yo.  She has an IEP with service time each day for resource room time.  This resource room time has been used for 20-40 minutes of breaktime a day.
My child's biggest challenges at school are focus and impulsivity.  These breaks have been scheduled to break up long chunks of classroom instruction.  Her TOR has found this to be helpful for my daughter the past year +.

This year, I have found out that my kiddo is being allowed to play on her Chromebook during her breaktimes.  We have a statement in her IEP accommodations to minimize computer usage for non essential academic tasks.  (Bc this leads to overstimulation and negative behaviors.) I wrote our TOR to ask about the structure of the breaktimes this  year and ask for the reasoning for using the Chromebook.  The answer back was not fully conclusive but did state that it is up to me as the parent to decide if I want to have (or not have)  my child using the Chromebook during these breaks.

Of course, I feel like...let's nix the Chromebook time and maybe only do it once a week or as a reward.  However my REAL thought is that I want to trust my child's SPED team to make purposeful and well thought out decisions about what strategies they use to support my child. Not just wait for a parent to pop up out of the wood work to say 'uhmmm what's really happening with the IEP....why is this happening? and can we do this...or NOT do this?

As many of you can relate I feel like a full time project manager keeping up with supporting my kiddo.  I wouldn't trade it for anything...just frustrated that school doesn't always make decisions I agree with.  I love our district...and believe there are many good people in my child's corner.  However...I still get frustrated!

[JSD24]

I would write a parent letter of concern.

Dear School-

What I see at home is my child, XX, will get overstimulated where behaviors get bad when she's allowed to use electronics.  I'm not sure that allowing her to use her Chromebook during 'brain breaks' at school does the same thing.  I do feel that allowing her to use her Chromebook at school for " non essential academic tasks", as stated in her IEP, does not follow her IEP.  I would rather see her looking at a book, playing cards, playing with a fidget, punching a punching bag or other heavy physical activities rather than allowing her to use electronics would work better to reset her ability to stay on task when she returns to the classroom after taking a break.

Can we try these activities and see if they work better than having her on her Chromebook?

Thanks,

[Elemeno]

Honestly, I think just assuming the special education team would limit Chromebook use is a rather big assumption akin to mind-reading, no offense. 

The fact is a lot of parents highly promote screens and computer use, with the best of intentions (it's soothing, a great way for their child to interact, etc.)

So I wouldn't read too much into it and just go forward with a notice you want limited Chromebook time.