Many of our students have anxietyabout things in their environment. That anxiety can come from many different things. Sometimes the list of possibilities seems endless but here are a few that seem to pop up on a regular basis: Social Situations Lack of success with an academic subject A routine that has changed A need for sensory input A need to reduce sensory input The understanding of communication from others […]
Read moreI ALWAYS love to see what’s new on the market in the fidget category! Truth be known, many adults without special needs could benefit from some of the fun fidgets out there to help relieve the everyday stress at work! Take a look at a couple more fun fidgets that I found on Amazon.com! Hope your year is ending with great successes and the feeling of a job well done! […]
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06
May
2018
A Must See Fidget called Squigz!
There is only a few weeks left to the school year and trust me, everyone is hanging in there just trying to get to the finish line!!! This is the perfect time of year to introduce something new into the sensory box in your room. This something is called Squigz. FUN name and perfect for this set of sensory fun. Keep in mind that it is also just the coolest item […]
Read moreFor some reason it is reallyhelpful for students to see the passage of time, especially when you want them to do something they don’t particularly want to do. Many of our students with special needs have difficulty understanding the passage of time. What is actually only 5 or 10 minutes for us can seem like an eternityto these students!!! Using a visual timer is a simple and effective way to […]
Read moreWhen you work in special education, you know that it’s important to be prepared for almost anything when it comes to finding different strategies to teach our students. We know we need to learn how to break down the concepts and teach them in unique ways. Potty training is no exception! You may remember a video I did last year where I showed everyone how pictures of the superheroes, Batman […]
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08
Apr
2018
Easy DATA Collection with a TWIST!
Data collection is a pain, let’s just get that out there. It’s a necessary evil, but sometimes I find that teachers collect data only because they have to in order to be able to report progress every grading period. What if we would collect data and analyze it along the way? If we take a look at what is working and what isn’t to adjust instruction, PLUS share the data, we […]
Read moreHow many times have you attempted to play a game with some of your students and it ended up in hurt feelings, or even aggressive behavior? Unfortunately, competitive games are sometimes very hard for students with special needs. Shoot, I even know students who don’t have special needs and they can be sore losers as well. Imagine my delight when I found out that there are games available that require […]
Read moreWhen I was working as an SLP doing group language activities for early childhood students with a developmental delay, the only way I could get them to sit still and pay attention for 20-30 minutes was to engage them in a multi-sensory experience. Some of my favorite activities involved actual books or stories I invented. One activity I base on the book, The Napping House, by Audrey Wood. I brought […]
Read moreI know that this is the third tip from the recent conference on executive functioning I attended, but I can’t help myself!!! So many of our children with disabilities need our help with planning and task completion. I recently listened to an educator give complicated verbal instructions to a group of children and a couple of things happened. First, several of the boys got in trouble because they weren’t listening […]
Read moreHow many of you end up being the teacher who has to remind that one student to “get going” on a task, or “hurry up” because time is almost over for a task to be completed? What about that child at home who just takes his/her time to get ready for school and the bus is about to arrive? If you are the schedule, then the child is not pre-planning […]
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