In social settings, one of the best ways to get people talking is to ask them about themselves! I’ve found that if I take interest in the work they do, their children, their life story, their vacations or their hobbies, I get all kinds of information. Those things are important to most people and they typically have much to say. When they are talking, I also hear the enthusiasm in their […]
Read moreI’m guessing my title got your attention. That was by design, because I wanted to share some information, that as educators or parents of young adults on the autism spectrum, you absolutely need to know. Inappropriate sexual images, content, and language are everywhere, yet as educators and parents, it’s a tough topic to navigate. Sometime the way people handle this is to focus on other things. Avoid, ignore and maybe it […]
Read moreI hate making a mistake. I don’t like being wrong, but I can tell you that it’s the mistakes we make that help us to do it right the next time, be a better person the next time, figure something out quicker the next time. So mistakes are GOOD! We all hate getting something wrong, but our students hate it the most I think. They unfortunately get the message early […]
Read moreWelcome Back!!! It feels great to be back posting ideas and strategies for you! Jerry and I had a wonderful time with all 4 kids and all 4 significant others in sunny Oviedo, Fl!!! We got to engage in some friendly competition doing Whirly Ball, had gingerbread house competition and just enjoyed being together! I hope you got to do the same with your family and friends. Now back to business! […]
Read moreAll instructional assistants are not made equal. We have so many that are outstanding. Some are even certified teachers or students who are working their way through college. We have some assistants who have a family member with special needs so they bring a valuable perspective to our classrooms. And then there are the assistants who have never worked with children with special needs or the assistants who just took the job […]
Read moreOnce again, I’ve found a little magic that I just have to share! A couple of years ago, one of our SLPs had this magic wand that she brought out here and there to get kids to pay attention and work on their articulation, language or social skills. I’ve wanted one of these ever since. I told one of my friends that I wanted one and one day, it showed up […]
Read moreA sense of urgency, time is of the essence, get ‘er done is the theme of today’s video! We have too many students come in to our schools already at a deficit because they come from an impoverished home environment. Parents who mainly interact with their children for what is called “command and control” which basically means they don’t do much communicating with their children outside of keeping them in line […]
Read moreYou just never know what’s going to work with any given student. For me, sometimes it’s been a bracelet turned into a superpower or a pillbox turned into a reinforcement treasure chest. I think sometimes if you can have on hand something that surprises a student, something that is interesting or novel that he or she actually momentarily forgets why they were not being compliant in the first place! That brings me […]
Read moreI am very aware that once students get into high school, the stakes are high. Traditionally, the focus is on passing classes with graduation as the end goal. All efforts go into helping students meet course requirements, which includes getting homework done, studying for the tests and quizzes. Little time if any is left over for any continuation of closing the gap on any lagging reading skills. I have and will forever […]
Read moreThe mystery of teaching students how read was solved a very long time ago. We know how to do it. We know what it takes. YET we still have students who are lagging behind in their skills. When a child struggles with reading, we must do something different not just more of the same only louder and more of it. I was attending a conference on reading several years ago […]
Read more
