Re: dealing with the schools

February 7, 2001

Have you tried other reinforcers besides primary food ones ? How about

stickers and paper, stamps and paper, mini toys such as a party favor

blower, etc. ? But keep these items just to be used for reinforcers and

not to play at home with so that they remain special and wanted to be

worked for. Hope this helps.

in New York

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February 8, 2001

For us, it was easy. He returned to his old school, but with a new teacher.

The old teacher was flabbergasted at the change over the summer. I

explained in an IEP meeting that the diet must be strictly adhered to.

There was no argument. I was prepared to put it as an accomodation in his

IEP which would make it legally binding. You need to deal with the vice

principal, or whoever is the administrator, if you can convince one person

at the top of the chain, the others will fall in line. If you can't get

your local administrator, then you may have to go to your supervisor. Have

the supervisor at a meeting so that he or she can make this happen for your

child.

Does your child like smarties or starbursts or jolly ranchers? They are

gfcf. I would not allow the gummies unless I knew they were gfcf. Also,

depending on his age, you can look at it as once he gets to be a certain age

primary reinforcers of food are not socially appropriate or age appropriate,

and they may have to find other ways to reward him than with candy.

So, I hope you can find a candy that they can use for the times they want to

give primaries.

I think that when someone said " not everything can be replaced " it was meant

that if you can't find a substitute for something, sometimes you just have

to not have that something. I don't think it was meant that you continue to

give something with gluten just because there isn't a good sub for it.

My son does not get anything that either i didn't send in or that wasn't

cleared for his diet before hand. His teacher is wonderful about it.

good luck

Alice

dealing with the schools

> My son is on the GFCF diet, plus no corn or soy. How do you all approach

the

> school?

February 8, 2001

" Apparently no

> > " allowed " edible at school is serving as reinforcement and they

feel that

> > the gummy candy that they used to give him for good behavior

during group

> > activites and for walking quietly really helped them, and they

have

> reminded

> > me a few times that an alternative is needed. I am trying... But

what if I

> > do not find anything. "

A friend and I were just looking for reinforcers for her young son.

She's going to use blueberry waffles, cut in little squares; gfcf

pretzels; stickers; fancy pencils and collecter's cards. For the

bigger items, he can earn tokens and save up for the prizes.

Interesting, isn't it, that schools so often use " reinforcers " that

negatively effect the kid's bodies and brains? I just had a meeting

with the social skills teacher yesterday because she was using fruit

roll-ups for good work. Phenol party! She didn't see a problem with

it, because she then sends the kids back to their regular classroom

(pity that poor teacher). The teacher was stumped for anything else

to use and was just going to exclude my child from a reward. I find

I usually have to be the " expert " and work things out for the

school. In this case, I gave her reward cards that Ian can save up

and cash in with me.

February 8, 2001