Implementing Accommodations
The prospect of providing accommodations for a student with unique needs—along with the other 20 students who clamor for your attention—might seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.
With some upfront planning—and support from the team—providing accommodations to a student with chronic illnesses can work seamlessly into your day.
- Worried about attendance? Assign a weekly homework buddy to collect an extra set of handouts for the student with a chronic illness.
- Does the student’s chronic illness affect cognitive abilities? Extended test-taking time could help.
- Worried about an upcoming field trip? Check out virtual field trips for the entire class.
- What about recess? Give permission to one or two friends to stay inside and do indoor activities with the student with chronic illness.
With the worksheets below, you can keep track of and evaluate different accommodations for the student.
As teacher Angie Kretschmar says: “If you’re willing to kind of bend and flex and mold things from what you’re used to doing,” your job will be easier and the entire class will benefit.
In this video, hear more from other teachers about how they provided accommodations to students with chronic conditions in their classroom.
And as always, keep the lines of communication open with parents.
Videos
Three teachers of elementary school students with chronic illnesses talk about implementing educational accommodations that address the students’ particular needs.
Supporting a student with a chronic illness requires adjustments. Three teachers talk about the challenges they faced at first.
Learn how you can work together with hospital and homebound instructors to support a student outside of the classroom.
