When you have a student on the autism spectrum who is acting out, one of the things you can look at is sensory needs. Sometimes our students need, what some call, a sensory diet. If you haven’t heard that expression before, it’s when you put sensory supports in the student’s or child’s day. Sometimes students “ask” for sensory. You can see the student who is asking for sensory because they […]
Read moreI’m hoping by now that you’ve heard the term the Culture of Autism. Whether you’ve just learned it from my video on this topic or you’ve known about this term for years, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you understand the components and how you can use them to figure out how to address behaviors of your students on the spectrum. I’m addressing the first of the five components. Communication. It’s […]
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 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 moreDid you ever wish you could have a visual for one of your students that he or she could see at all times instead of needing you there all the time to prompt to not do something? I’ve had several students who needed this. There was the guy in middle school that would zip up your hoodie, jacket or sweater in a hot minute if it was not zipped all […]
Read moreI feel that every conference or training that I go to, if I can get just one new idea, strategy, or tool that I can take back to share with others, then I consider it worth my time. When Sarah Ward came to present, we were all taking part in a fire hydrant turned to WIDE OPEN!!! It will take me weeks to process all of the information I learned […]
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