An Engineered Environment for Students with Autism

Don't forget the key to a great school year is great classroom management.  Setting up the classroom space to help students know what to do, where to be and how to interact can increase appropriate behaviors in a large way.

An Effective Classroom Set Up Which is Engineered for Students with Autism 

An engineered environment in which the teacher and classroom team specifically create will benefit your students.  To start with, think about the physical space you have available in your classroom. How can you use the space most effectively?  Will having a teacher desk, or two or three, take up much needed space for the student work areas?  Or can they be placed in some non-conspicuous manner?  For example, in a way that will allow them to be used as a support for a partition or divider. So that a work-station can be placed in front of or to the side of the desk.  Also, think about the physical boundaries that are not there but can be manufactured using furniture, carpets, tables, tape lines etc.

When setting up, it is equally important to give thought to the visual supports that will be available throughout the classroom.  Schedules, of course are most useful for students who may have a difficult time remembering information or who may need visual supports to understand information.  Posters with the picture and name of the area are useful for students who are not yet reading.  It helps them to see where to go, even if they cannot read it.

Landing pages are helpful because students can take their schedules cards and match them up to the pictures on the landing pages to know where to go to next.

 

Also, the landing pages give them a place to put the schedule card when it is not being used.

 More Details About The Landing Pages Here

Communication supports are important as well.  Be sure to give students ample opportunities  to share their thoughts and feelings as well as opportunities to make choices.

Visual supports, in general,  cannot be over emphasized.  From morning routines, to hand-washing, to countdown boards for helping students give up a turn, engineering the environment is a much needed skill in an autism or special education classroom.

How to Set Up a Classroom for Students with Autism (ebook version)

Setting Up the Special Education Classroom for Success

It is that time of year to start slowly and calmly start thinking about what you want your classroom to look like when school begins...but no pressure here.  It is still summer.  However, it's probably time for me to do a slightly detailed exploration of the book How to Set Up a Classroom for Students with Autism-Second Edition. I say this because, this is the type of information you want to take in a little at a time.

                                                      Click for More Information


The book begins with some information about autism, strengths of individuals with autism, and implications for teaching. This beginning chapter also outlines the 10 main strategies that will be discussed in the book.

What else does it talk about?

First Things First - You need to know that this is a process and will take time. Also, you will need to gather materials and check with your school to see if they have some of those materials.  Most importantly, the First Things First chapter gives about 15 ideas (if you need ideas) for para-professionals on what to do those first few days of school to get the classroom ready.

Why is it unique?

There is a set of discussion questions at the end of each chapter to help if you are using the book for professional development or if you just want to better analyze what you read. Additionally, there is a list on the first page of each chapter that teachers and administrators can use to identify key elements in the classroom.  And, how can I forget, there is a "GAME PLAN" at the end of each chapter to tell you exactly what to do to get started implementing what you have learned.

Want more?

The assessment chapter, of course, describes some assessments that are important for students with significant special needs. The schedules chapter, of course, talks about a variety of schedules. But more importantly, it tells you why to use them. And,  it gives ideas for creating them. The classroom environment chapter provides a detailed checklist and TONS of information about setting up the various area of the classroom. This is my favorite chapter!

Data collection is always a hot topic and it is addressed with a few samples. Those looking for ideas for how to motivate a classroom team, will find it in this book too.  With a behavior support chapter, a sensory chapter and sample templates for routines and lessons, this book always lives up to its nickname "a mentor teacher in a book."  It is available through purchase order at discounted bulk prices at AutismClassroom.com. It is also available online in paperback and electronically at any major book seller, through AutismClassroom.com or through Teachers Pay Teachers- Autism Classroom Store.

Autism and Special Education Back to School MEGA BUNDLE

Calling all planners and organizers!!!

I am so pleased to announce that it is MEGA BUNDLE time! This Autism &

Special Education Back to School MEGA bundle is a PDF compressed zip file

with 900+ pages. This product contains awesome bundles and products that can help jump start the learning for the school year for students in the early elementary years or students in special education classrooms. All of this in one easy to use product. 

It is only offered aas a mega bundle for a very limited time. After that, the items

will still be offered in the Autism Classroom Store. 

The long list of fabulous items included in the bundle:

Fine Motor Bundle Practice
Morning Work for Students with Autism BUNDLE
Match Rhyming Words Using Pictures
Teens with Autism: Matching, Sorting, Classifying and Identifying
 
Special Education & Autism Interactive Notebook – Play Skills (Part 1)
IEP Work Bin Tasks- Bundle
Same - Different Task Cards Bundle
Autism and ID Communication Support Bundle
Colorful Quantities
CVC Word Identification and Word Work Printables
My Color Book
Nursery Rhyme Scramble 

Click on the images to see more.

Periscope is the New Go-To Tool for Teachers Who are Special Educators and General Educators

Peri-what? Peri-who? Oh, Periscope.  

So, when I looked it up for a formal definition, this is what I got:

1.) an optical instrument for viewing objects that are above the level of direct sight or in an otherwise obstructed field of vision, consisting essentially of a tube with an arrangement of prisms or mirrors and, usually, lenses: used especially in submarines.

2.) a periscopic lens.

I have a really good feeling that is about to change.  Sort of like our image of a tweet.

Periscope is a new and fast-rising app founded by Kayvon Beykpour and Joseph Bernstein in 2014.  It’s live-streaming and live broadcast videos have special education teachers, general education teachers and others in the education field going ballistic.  Anyone can stream a live broadcast with their followers in real time.  It has been interesting to say the least to literally watch this grow overnight.  Once you have the app, you can connect through Twitter.  You will be alerted when someone you follow is about to stream live and when someone you follow on Twitter has joined on Persiscope. 

If you have not joined yet, consider it.  Here are a few recommendations for what to do once you join:

~Use hashtags to find people with similar interests.
~Provide original content.  Speak from the heart to share the message you have for the world.
~ Mentor other educators. Veteran teachers can use this tool to help mentor and provide advice to new teachers.
~Visit other’s classrooms and get to see the décor and instructional ideas. This is a terrific opportunity to share ideas and answer questions as the broadcast airs.
~Bring out your inner Oprah. Obviously,  you are the host.  Jazz up the broadcast with an interview or two.  Or, be like the one of the teachers I saw early who had a “give-away” Oprah style. 

     
What every you choose to do-- have fun!

21 Job Interview Questions for Autism Teachers and Other Special Education Teachers

It will be here before you know it...interviewing season. There are the standard questions and expectations like please list your strengths and your weaknesses. Although it is important to know what a potential teacher feels about themselves, those are not the bits of information that stand out to me. The things I want to know are:

            
What do you know about setting up the classroom for students with autism?

How is that classroom going to look different from the typical classroom?

What supports are you going to have a place in that classroom?

What materials are you going to have in the classroom?

How will the staff members be utilized in that classroom?

Those are some of the things that I think really pinpoint if somebody has an idea of how to organize their classroom.   Even if they have not yet had a their own classroom, it is nice to find out if they have a sense of how they're going to make that happen.

Additionally I would like to know a few other important items like:

Do you know the IEP process? 

How you work with others?

Are you able to provide a leadership role in the classroom?

Are you able to give clear instructions related to what needs to happen for the students?

Are you able to work with other people and take constructive criticism if something needs to be changed? 

Most importantly, I want to know:

How do you deal with disruptive behaviors that may be displayed by students with autism in the classroom? (Which may look different from disruptions in a typical classroom.)

What preventative strategies will you use?

Do you know the principles of applied behavior analysis?

If you do not, do you know at least a little bit about it?

Can you discuss the link between reinforcement and behavior?

Do you know about planned ignoring?

How do you use preventative materials & supports so that the behaviors don't occur?

If you are hired, you may notice that you may be called on to be knowledgeable about behavior.  So, it won't hurt to start learning some of those principles of applied behavior analysis so that you can respond to behaviors in a systematic way and not just act on a whim. So, that brings to mind:

Are you someone who knows how to de-escalate situations?

Do you know some key strategies to de-escalate the situation with the child with autism?

So, even if these questions are not asked directly, somewhere in the interview process these questions to be addressed.

In this day and age, you will need to have some background in the Common Core State Standards and how that Common Core can be linked or aligned to your classroom programming.

Where will it fit in?

How do the student’s individual needs get balanced in with the structure of the Common Core?

That is about all I can think of for now. Even if these questions do not come up in your interview, they are critical to think about before taking your first step into the classroom.  If you need some ideas to help with the questions asked, check out the free Teacher as a Leader Series from Autism Classroom. Good Luck!

Professional Development You Can Present

Tips for Conducting Group Lessons & Fall Task Cards

Group lessons can be difficult at times in an autism classroom.  Having everyone on the same page certainly can prove to be challenging. However, there are some ideas out there that can make the task a bit more productive (notice I did not say easier).  Here are some tips: 

• Have your materials ready in a box or bin before the lesson begins.
• Only keep on the table the items you are discussing at the present time. Do not clutter the table with extra things.
• Use hands on activities as much as possible.
• Keep your materials for the lesson behind you or they may end up on the floor.
• Use a topic board with photos or picture icons to show the students what the lesson will be about.
• Use a topic board to review the lesson at the end. Always close out the lesson with a quick (could be only 30 seconds) review of what was discussed.
• Remember to alternate sides when presenting to each student.  Don’t feel the need to always work from the student on the left side to the student on the right side.
• Remember to transition the students.  Clearly let them know the lesson is finished by telling them or showing them a sign.  Also, always direct them to the next activity.

Need a quick lesson lesson that is engaging and meaningful? Oh, and not to mention timely?  If you do here are the fall themed versions of my popular identifying same and different task cards. These can be used in a group or individually. 

Task Cards-Fall Items (Identify the Same) and Task Cards- Fall Items (Which One is Different?)

           
                                   

Each set includes 16 fall related pictures. Each page has 4 cards. Laminate the page, cut the rectangular card and have students:

a.)Say or point to the same.

b.)Use a clothespin or paperclip to mark the correct answer.

c.)Develop a creative method to have students identify the same.

Getting on the Same Page with Your Classroom Team

Sometimes it is easier to set up your classroom and instruction for the kids then it is to collaborate with all of the adult members of the classroom team. Teachers and paraeductors all have to go through a phase of getting to know one another and getting to know each other’s style. Building relationships takes time. There are many ways that you can foster positive collaboration and clarity in your classroom with the adults.

The first way is to set up a responsibility chart. On this chart you would indicate what the role is of each member of the classroom team during the instructional parts of the day, during the planning parts of the day and in relation to gathering materials for lessons. For example, who will make the Boardmaker ™symbols, who will gather the lunches, who will check the back packs each morning, etc,  Other classrooms may want to decide who is going to actually run the art activity or who is going to pick up the students from the bus. There are a number of things that happen in the course of a day where it is a good idea to have one or two people clearly designated to take care of those areas. It's also great to have this written down because if it is not written down sometimes we might forget. 

Roles and Responsibility Chart #1

Roles andResponsibility Chart #2

A second way to help foster this collaborative communication would be with something called a zone schedule. In this schedule you would highlight the activities for the day first, and then highlight what each person will be doing in that activity. These are very specific to the activity and don’t tend to include the planning piece or the gathering of materials piece.

Another way to help everyone staying the same page would be to create a lunch time schedule and a break time schedule for each adult in the classroom. This way you are really clear that breaks did not occur during your key instructional times. And you're also clear when each person is going out and coming back. If it's written down and

posted in the classroom there's no room for misinterpretation.  

Organization Sheets for Self-Contained & Autism Classrooms (Bubble Design)

Organization Sheets for Self-Contained Special Education & Autism Classrooms

If you've been teaching for a while a lot of this might come easy to you.  However, if you are new to teaching or new to an autism classroom where the behavioral demands of the classroom are greater, it will be important to get these elements in place and underway so that your instruction can be as smooth as possible. What you don't want is to have to discuss these elements of who's doing what, what time are you going, what time are you coming back, when the students are there. We know, sometimes it only takes 30 seconds of your distraction for the students to be distracted and get off task. 

Talk with the team an tackle these components ahead of time.

            1. Start with a template.

            2. Talk to your team and ask about their instructional strengths and hobbies.

            3. Formulate a plan based on the best interest of your students.

I Need a Break! Break Cards for Students with Limited Speech

Once you have created your lovely schedules for your students and you have yous lesson plans all ready to go, all of you students with sit down follow the schedule and have no behavior challenges throughout the entire school day.

WRONG.

Behavior challenges will occur even with super structure and organization.  The more consistent you are in providing the right routines, then those behavior will be minimized. But what if a student wants to take a break and they have no words?  What will they do?  They will get up, they will make a game of it, they will fall to the floor, they may hit, they may throw things, they may put their head down.  Then list is endless.

If you want to create a voice for a student who may not yet have speech or who may not always be able to pull out the words they want to say, try using break cards.  With a break card, the student can tell the adult "I need  a break."

Only one type of card is need.  Just choose the one you prefer. There is also a "working for" card in where the student can earn a certain amount of "tokens" in order to earn the break. They can be laminated and used for the entire school year.   

Setting Up the Autism Classroom: Scheduling Your School Day

Setting up the classroom can be monumental and at the same time so exciting.  It is fun to start a fresh new school year.  However, if you are new to teaching or just new to teaching students with autism, it can be kind of a daunting task to organize and set up a classroom. That’s where Autism Classroom comes in. Detailed, step-by-step information about setting up your special education classroom is in the book How to Set Up a Classroom for Students with Autism (Second Edition). The book highlights effective strategies teachers can use to create an effective classroom.  One of the top strategies which offers the most payoff is the use of schedules. 

Paperback

Ebook (Instant Download)

To promote efficiency in the class, a classroom schedule should reflect most of the following: independent work time, 1:1 (or 2:1) work time, small group instruction, social skills instruction, sensory play, structured play/structured recreation-leisure opportunities, fine motor work opportunities, personal management opportunities, limited large group activities.  These are not set in stone, as each school and principal will have their own guidelines for classrooms within their school.

The first schedule I would recommend putting in place is a tentative weekly schedule.  Don’t be stubborn, write it in pencil. Chances are you will need to erase it several times before it is final.  When creating it, think of what activities you want to occur throughout the school day, which activities have to occur and when are the pre-scheduled activities such as lunch and specials. Try your best to get a good block of uninterrupted time in the morning so that you can create consistency in the student’s morning routine.  For more tips on creating a weekly schedule, see my webpage on the topic by clicking on the picture below.  

Here are a few schedule templates you could use to get you started thinking about what you want to accomplish during the school day. 

Once you know what activities will occur, you can make student schedules. Schedules can come in many forms. The most useful for students with autism are those schedules that are visual. This could mean written, pictures, photos or actual object representations. This schedule provides the student with picture icons they can use to see what will occur throughout the day.  It can be mounted to folder or a piece of cards stock to make it sturdy.

This product Color Coded Personal Schedules, available at the Autism Classroom TpT Store, is an individual schedule that you can add your own picture icons or objects to. There are 9 colors. You can choose the colors you like or you can use the blank one and mount it on colored file folders. 36 Picture icons are included! These schedules can be used in the home, school and community. 

We know that organizing the day is an effective strategy for working with children with autism and related special needs. Especially for those who may have intensive needs. Additionally, making the schedule individualized to fit the student’s needs (ex. specific sensory breaks) and his/her schedule (ex. specific speech therapy or reinforcement breaks) can help with behaviors. Schedules can increase on-task behavior by giving the adult a visual tool to direct (point) the child back to. Using schedules for students with special needs offers them a way to navigate transitions a little easier by knowing what to expect next.

Setting Up an Autism Classroom On a Budget Series (Part 5 of 5)

Play time, sensory time and computer time.

Play time and leisure time products can be costly, but here are some tips for easing the burden on the wallet. Classroom teams can shop yard sales for “fidget” toys and age appropriate toys. A favorite yard sale find are the small wind-up toys usually found in kids meals at various fast food restaurants. They make great reinforcers and motivators for children (be sure to monitor their use closely if any students are prone to place things in their mouth.) At yard sales, sometimes someone may be willing to let go of a huge bag of these items for as little as $5.00. Swapping toys on a rotating basis with another classroom teacher in the building can help save some money as well. Additionally, games such as a matching game can be made pretty inexpensively using two identical decks of cards from the dollar store (shapes cards, letter cards, number cards, etc.) This theory works the same for paint “chips” from the hardware store or identical photographs, both of which can make simple matching games. File folder games are easy to store and easy to create. Simply take one set of matching game cards, glue it to a file folder, laminate and you have a sturdy teaching material. See this cute example of my Dalmation File Folder Game. Or for the teens and young adults, see this Teen Real Sports File Folder Game 

To assist with purchasing items for a sensory area in the classroom, teachers can ask parents or community supporters to send in items for a sensory area (ex. lotion, shaving cream, finger paint, weighted blankets.) If that is not possible, making sensory items may be the best solution. For example, a “weighted sock” can be created using tube socks and dry rice. Also, a teacher can try using three or four pillows inside of a sewn sheet as a sensory body pillow. If tactile sensory items are needed, creating a “squishy” toy using finger paint inside of a zippered baggie may just work. Just be sure to secure it with several baggies, duct tape and adult supervision!

Computers can offer value too. Teachers needing to create an autism classroom on a budget should take advantage of many of the free and low cost materials offered via the internet. For students, ZAC Browser (Zone for Autistic Children) is an internet browser that offers safe connections to websites for children with autism. Starfall.com is website for young children working on alphabet and reading skills. These are only two sites out of many that teachers can utilize for free. 

For the adults on the classroom team, the internet offers a variety of free trainings related to autism. For example, AutismSpot.com, AutismClassroom.com, PostivelyAutism.com and all offer training and or videos with great information for educators and parents too. A fairly new site, AutismInternetModules.org, offers a full array of over 45 in-depth self-paced training modules that educators can take over the web. Lastly, low-cost books such as How to Set Up a Classroom for Students with Autism: 2^ndEdition and How Do I Teach This Kid provide invaluable tips for little cost. These tips will hopefully help add substance to the classroom while keeping the money in the pocket!

Setting Up an Autism Classroom On a Budget Series (Part 4 of 5)

Communication.

Communication is a huge deal in a classroom for students with autism. The goal is always to increase the student's ability to express and receive a message. There are some ways to do this without spending a lot of money. To start with, a person can print picture icons in black and white, instead of color, to save on ink. Next, they can try using an internet search to find images for communication tools. They just need to be sure that it is a clear picture of just the item and it does not have anything in the background. Another option is to take your own photo of the item in question.  Additionally, teachers can save loads of money by using the real object as a communication tool or by using a cut out of the actual package of the product. The cut out can be laminated or placed in a zippered baggie and exchanged back and forth for students who may be non-verbal or who may use limited speech.

To increase communication in students with limited speech, teachers can use pocket photo albums as communication books. They are found at most dollar stores, they are lightweight, and they can have picture cards inserted and removed easily. Schedules, which are needed in many autism classrooms, can be made using card stock paper or file folders. Finally, communication costs can be lowered by the teacher bringing in real items from home when teaching concepts in a specific lesson. This has an added benefit of providing a hands-on experience for the students. I have a few communication building products in my TpT Store.  

The first is a set of communication supports for opening circle time.  They will help to build language and also help some students to understand by seeing the pictures. 

The second set is meant to help students self-advocate by making choices. The Choice board can be found here. 

Setting Up an Autism Classroom On a Budget Series (Part 3 of 5)

Supplies.

Supplies for the classroom cost teachers so much money. For classroom set up, teachers should make use of the numerous websites that provide free materials. Download free materials, schedules, data sheets and visual supports on sites like I have here are AutismClassroom.com:

Classroom organization can present some ways to save as well. First and foremost, a teacher can use dollar store tubs as storage bins for storing student work, lessons plan materials and more. Zipper baggies of various sizes come in handy for just about every aspect of the classroom environment. The smaller baggies make great storage for flash cards, and the jumbo bags can be used as a reward/reinforcer bag to store large toys or to store extra clothing or student’s personal belongings. Similarly, reusable food storage containers of all sizes, double as toy storage containers, art supplies containers, reward containers and work bin containers. If bigger containers are needed, check for back to school sales on Rubbermaid-type 20 gallon containers, which can be as low as $4.00 each.

Buying pocket folders when on sale (at back to school time) is another way to save. Many times you can get folders for 5 cents or 10 cents in early August at office supply stores. In addition, we know that data binders are an important tool in organizing the student's progress on their personal goals. Educators can make dividers for the student’s binders by using colored construction paper or card stock paper instead of buying pre-made tab dividers. If a teacher is savvy with the computer, he or she can create their own free data sheets using the “Create Table’ section of a word processing program or do an internet search for “data sheets” to find some freebies that fit the needs of your students. There are a few data collection sheets here. 

Recycling old binders to use for the students data binders or asking the principal or other teachers if they have any unused binders can also save loads of cash. 

If a classroom has no shelf space, recycle old sturdy bookshelves to use as shelving if needed. Classroom organization can also be helped a bit by asking parents to send in old, cleaned containers such as margarine, butter, or oatmeal containers. These items can be used to store toys or to store puzzle pieces or small pieces for work tasks.