When virtual school began in August, Brandi McPherson initially followed the remote-learning guidelines from her 13-year-old daughter’s school. “They told the kids to sit at a desk or table and leave the cameras on all day,” she said. “Classes are taught from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in 45-minute blocks with five-minute breaks.”

It was too much for Tanner, a seventh-grader in the Northridge area of Los Angeles, who is twice exceptional — she is gifted and struggles with ADHD and generalized anxiety disorder.

“She couldn’t take it. We had to make changes,” McPherson said. Now Tanner sits in a sensory swing in her room and bounces on an exercise ball for breaks. When she grows overwhelmed by the noise of the whole class, her teachers move her into a Zoom breakout room by herself. “She can push a button to ask for help. This works well to block out the sensory overload.”