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)

Shopping with Your Child with Autism

Shopping seems to be an important activity in the month of December.  Whether it is food shopping, toy shopping or just plain old, "I have to pick up one more thing," shopping, we all seem to do a bit more of it during this month. So what strategies can parents and family members try to use to make this experience a tiny bit easier?  What advice can teachers offer families about this subject? Here are a few...

Running Errands

• Make a visual or written travel schedule, teach it, and use it
• Use a photo book with various places in it
• Use their favorite place as the last place before home
• Have one of their favorite electronic items used only for travel
• Reserve a special toy for time when the best behavior is needed
• Keep snacks handy
• Use headphones for places with large crowds
• Crete a visual support to show where you are going and when you will be done

Many of these suggestions lean toward helping the child to understand the expectations of the activity.  They do not mean that the child will like what they are hearing.  I know that most kids complain when told of some of the errands they are running. Then they barter with their parents to include some place fun for them.  But the key is that the expectations have be explained.  This is needed as well with children with autism.  However, the plan for the day should be visual and available throughout the entire trip. 

Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping presents it's own set of challenges. Most people have a history with certain stores and certain behaviors.  This link gives a great story with a very specific technique to try to make that experience smoother. Here are some ways to teach your child to utilize a grocery list, wait in line and handle money. Why?...Because if they can help you shop they are learning a life skill and they have something to concentrate on! Again the key to the grocery shopping might be in the pictures.  This webpage gives pictures to assist in the grocery shopping experience. Even with these ideas, you still need to start small. Don't plan a 3-hour shopping trip just because you have incorporated these techniques. 

Best Wishes!

Work Tasks for Students with Special Needs

Hands-on work tasks are a necessary and practical item in a special education classroom. Many lessons and skills can be taught using something other than paper and pencil. I think one of my favorite teaching tasks is to find a bunch of supplies and turn them into a task. So I wanted to bring a few of those ideas to you with the hope that they may inspire some tasks that can work well for your students.  

Sorting by color.

Matching like pictures.

 Match purple and green items. 

Match colors. 

Match letters of a name.

Place red pipe cleaners in the red container.  Place blue in the blue container.