Forgotten Students – A resource for parents and teachers

Students with complex needs and other significant developmental disabilities, more so than other students, have limited opportunities for learning in this age of the on-line school of COVID-19. This is because their Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are usually more customized, making it uniquely difficult to provide meaningful instruction, aligning with IEP goals and services. I don’t know how to solve this problem systemically. Smarter teachers, who have more experience in this field than I have, may have ideas. I encourage them to reach out and let us know how they have solved the logistics.

But, while the logistics are being sorted out, Dr. Candice Styer, in collaboration with SDES Works, has provided parents and teachers with activities, at no cost, that might be helpful.  She is the author with Suzanne Fitzgerald of a program for students with complex needs that has been implemented in schools across the country. 

These activities can be downloaded and used to support IEP goals and objectives. There is a bank of over 300 free activities that are appropriate and span from elementary through high school. These activities include, but are not limited to, the content areas of the following: sight words, time telling, colors, shapes, calendars, and writing. Activities can be done by the student independently or with support by the parent, the paraprofessional, and/or the teacher. The resources provide opportunities for students with complex needs to learn and practice functional skills. Thank you, Dr. Styer, for your assistance during this very challenging time, especially for students and their support teams. You, as parents or teachers, can access these materials at www.sdesworks.com. You will need to create a log-in. But it is free. 

I invite comments, suggestions, ideas.


If you have questions that I might be able to answer generally, please email me. Please keep in mind that this blog is for suggestions that may or may not work. Here is the disclaimer, professional advice requires much more in-depth information and contact and is beyond the scope of this blog.  email: gail.coulter@outlook.com