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Dec 10, 2008
Jul 31, 2008
check out our only2clicks page
we recently stumbled upon only2clicks.com and are working on uploading all of our favorites. check for updates...
Temple's Newest Book
Temple Grandin has a new book, which comes out on September 10th. Here is the info from Amazon (you can order the book here). Dr. Temple Grandin's voice of experience is back to give parents and teachers specific, practical advice on helping young people on the autism spectrum. This collection of articles, written from 2000-present as an exclusive column in the national award-winning magazine, Autism Aspergers Digest, offers Temples invaluable personal and professional insights, from inside the world of autism, about autism. Temple voices her views on a wide variety of topics ranging from the nonverbal child to social functioning, early intervention to adult issues. The articles have been updated and Temple has added fresh commentary on the topics.
May 22, 2008
Never Get Lost
A neat way to ensure your student/child doesn't get lost in a crowd. These safety tatoos wash off with soap and water. All you do is choose a design and enter a phone number for peace of mine when you are going to a crowded place! You can even choose a design that lets people know your student/child is nonverbal and has Autism.
May 16, 2008
comic strip stories- create for free!
Check out Comiqs. What a great way to make comic strip stories or other visuals.
http://comiqs.com/index.html
Apr 20, 2008
Great Picks From Toys R Us
Toys R Us has a catalog with a guide that makes selection of toys for children with special needs easy. The toys can be used by any child but they take the time to explain how certain toys are good in the areas of fine motor, gross motor, language and more. Check out the link for the catalog here.
In addition, Toys R Us has teamed with Autism Speaks and is raising money on their site. Check it out here.
Apr 12, 2008
PECS/ PCS/Visual Supports--- What is the Difference??
PECS vs. PCS vs. Visual Supports
People will say or think that they are using the PECS program when in reality they are simply using picture symbols. We would like to clarify some of these terms and strategies in order to better meet the needs of our students.
PCS – This stands for Picture Communication Symbols which are the symbols in the BoardMaker software program. (“PCS” is sometimes mistakenly interpreted as “PECS”)
BoardMaker – This is the software program containing thousands of pictures which can be used to create picture schedules, manual communication boards, device overlays, etc.
Visual Strategies/Supports – any visuals (pictures, photographs, objects, words) used to support students to increase their understanding of what is being said and what is expected.
PECS – This is a communication program designed to develop functional communication skills in students. It is a multi-stage program that in the initial phases helps guide students to request highly desired items by delivering a single picture symbol to the hand of a communication partner. In the later phases students combine symbols on a sentence strip to exchange with a communication partner to make requests or comments. PECS is designed primarily for students who are not initiating communication or approaching their communication partners. This program is often used with students with autism.
Thank you to Tami Folks from Orange County Public Schools for this post. Please visit the assistive technology link below for activities for home and school!
https://www.ocps.net/cs/ese/support/at/Pages/Visual%20Supports%20%e2%80%93%20Boardmaker.aspx
People will say or think that they are using the PECS program when in reality they are simply using picture symbols. We would like to clarify some of these terms and strategies in order to better meet the needs of our students.
PCS – This stands for Picture Communication Symbols which are the symbols in the BoardMaker software program. (“PCS” is sometimes mistakenly interpreted as “PECS”)
BoardMaker – This is the software program containing thousands of pictures which can be used to create picture schedules, manual communication boards, device overlays, etc.
Visual Strategies/Supports – any visuals (pictures, photographs, objects, words) used to support students to increase their understanding of what is being said and what is expected.
PECS – This is a communication program designed to develop functional communication skills in students. It is a multi-stage program that in the initial phases helps guide students to request highly desired items by delivering a single picture symbol to the hand of a communication partner. In the later phases students combine symbols on a sentence strip to exchange with a communication partner to make requests or comments. PECS is designed primarily for students who are not initiating communication or approaching their communication partners. This program is often used with students with autism.
Thank you to Tami Folks from Orange County Public Schools for this post. Please visit the assistive technology link below for activities for home and school!
https://www.ocps.net/cs/ese/support/at/Pages/Visual%20Supports%20%e2%80%93%20Boardmaker.aspx
Apr 3, 2008
Autism Awareness Activities
Many schools like to use April to educate peers about autism. The following activites are from TEACCH. All of these activites can be modified to match specific students. These activities can also be modified for staff trainings. The "set the table" activity is a great ice breaker.
If you would like to see the entire article please go to the TEACCH webpage at http://teacch.com/understandingfriends.html
Abilities: We are different and we are the same
Explain to the class that the purpose of the program is to help them imagine what it might be like to have "different abilities" than they do now; to understand why some people act differently than they might expect. Write the word "ability" on the board and talk about what it means. Write the word "unique" on the board and talk about what it means.
Explain that everyone has different abilities. Say that you want to find out how the students in the class are different. Have them raise their hands in response to questions, such as these:
Who can ride a bicycle? Who can roller skate? Who can roller-blade? Who knows the multiplication tables through 5's? Who knows how to do long division? Who knows the multiplication tables 6's through 12's? Who has messy handwriting? (Or who needs more practice with their cursive?) Who has really, really, neat handwriting? Who is good at video games? Who runs in medium or slow speed? Who runs at a very fast speed? Who knows how to knit? Who can make a batch of cookies? Etc...
It is important that not every child answers affirmatively to every question, so you can show diversity. So, for the youngest grades, or if all the students raise their hands for every question, it is best to include questions such as the following.
Who has black hair ? Who has blonde hair? Who has brown hair? Who wears glasses? Etc...
Comment on the fact that everyone has different abilities or qualities about themselves that make them unique among others.
Now describe a scene on the playground, and ask..."Have you ever played kickball [or other relevant game] and when it was your turn to kick, you planned to really kick it hard so it would go far...and when the ball was pitched to you, you tried to kick it, but you missed?" You can act this out while you are talking to make it more dramatic. Ask "Who likes it when the other kids say, '...don't worry, try again, it's okay, you can do it,_...'?" Or who likes it when they say "...don't be so stupid, why did you do that?" Typically, all of the children will raise their hands to agree with wanting to be understood.
Now ask "Who likes it when people understand you?" Questions can also be phrased slightly differently, like "Who wants friends who understand you?" or "Who likes it when their friends understand them?"
Comment on the fact that even though everyone has different abilities, talents, and qualities, that we are the same in one basic way; we all want other people to understand us.
Experiential Activity Centers:
Introduce the following activities and have the teacher divide the class into 3 groups. If you have set up 4 experiential activity centers, then the class must be divided into 4 groups. I recommend using three centers. This makes the class and the program more manageable and keeps it within a realistic time-frame.
Introduce each center briefly, holding up the materials at that table. For example, for the activity to simulate fine motor difficulties, you might say: "When you get to the center at the round table, you will wear these big gloves...they are supposed to be too large for you, that's OK. When you are wearing them, you are supposed to string these beads and then screw these nuts and bolts and washers together. You will find out what it would be like if the muscles in your hands worked differently than they do now." For older children, you can explain the term "fine motor". Assure them that it is OK to have fun with this, but at the same time, ask them to think about what kinds of things might be harder to do if their fine motor skills were like that. Ask them what might be different for them. How would they (or their work) appear different to others? Would they need any special kind of assistance?
Each center should be facilitated by a teacher or other adult. This person can ask thought-provoking questions during the activity.
You will ring a bell when it is time for the groups to rotate from center to center. Keep this going pretty quickly, in order to hold their interest. After each group has visited each center, say that you are now going to pick a student to help you demonstrate something, but it needs to be a student who can follow directions well. You will choose your helper as soon as everyone is back in their seats. This encourages all the students to immediately return to their seats.
Receptive Language Demonstration: "Set the table"
While the students are returning to their seats, prepare a desk at the front of the room, by placing 10-15 different miscellaneous items on it. Among these items should be a plate, cup, spoon, and a fork, scattered about on the desk. Hidden from sight, you will have a manila folder on which an outline of a table setting (plate, cup, spoon, fork) is drawn. Keep this "table-setting jig" hidden for now.
After choosing a volunteer, have him or her come up and sit at the desk facing the class. Depending on the dynamics of the class, it is sometimes helpful to pick a student who seems to be a bully or most in need of developing some empathy. (But it must be a student who has volunteered.)
Ask the student if he or she is able to hear you well enough in order to follow your instructions exactly. Tell him that you want him to listen very carefully. Then with no change of tone, point to the materials on the desk in front of him and tell him to set the table, but give the instructions in another language. Being from a bilingual Greek family, I always use Greek. If you do not know a second language, make sure that ahead of time, you have someone teach you the proper verbal instructions, and memorize them. Obviously, you want to be careful not to choose a volunteer student who might know the language you are using, so choose your volunteer carefully and stay away from a very common second language in your area, like Spanish. Some presenters prefer to use a made-up lingo of gobbledy-goop.
Eventually, with older students, pull out the table-setting jig and show it to the student, laying it on the desk. If he is still confused, point to each of the shapes and indicate which item belongs there. Usually the student gets this immediately and will place the plate, cup, etc, on their outlines. Praise the student and have the class applaud. Ask the student why he did not follow directions when you told him what to do; didn't he hear what you said? Then explain that there are people who can hear all the words, but cannot make sense out of what is being said, just like it was a foreign language. Ask questions like, "Did you know you were supposed to do something? How did you feel when you couldn't understand what to do? You did a great job, finally, of setting the table...but how did you know what to do?" Draw attention again to the visual cue.
Fine Motor Activity
8 pairs of large cloth garden gloves 8 sets of shoestrings and beads, each in a small tub 8 sets of hardware (nut, bolt, washer), each in a small tub Table with 8 chairs
Each child wears the gloves and tries to string beads and assemble hardware. Hint: For K-1 students, have them just wear one glove and use large beads.
Visual Activity
8 pairs of safety goggles Jar of petroleum jelly (to smear on lenses of goggles) or sandpaper to scratch lens 8 pencils and pads of lined paper Books at grade level Table with 8 chairs
Each child wear goggles (with obstructed view because of petroleum jelly or scratched lenses). Try to write sentences on the lines and read the print in a book. Hint: Do not let children take off goggles until they are done.
Perceptual and Sensory (Tactile) Activities
Roll of masking tape and binoculars: Place a length of tape on the floor and have children walk on the line. Have each child hold the binoculars on their eyes, backwards. This causes perception to be distorted.
Several strips of yarn, 4-feet in length: Have child jump rope using the yarn, instead of a rope. This causes the feeling of distorted perception of the weight of the "rope".
Garden glove with Velcro sewn on to inside of fingers and palm; and A large handful of lambs-wool or a feather duster: You wear the scratchy glove and hold the soft feathers or wool. While children are participating in the above activities, walk by and touch a bare arm. Simulates unpredictable sensation on the skin (either too scratchy or uncomfortably soft!)
Attention and Sensory (Auditory) Activity
8 pairs of headphones hooked up to a Listening Station Cassette tape of static-noise or noisy crowd sounds Worksheets at slightly higher grade level - requires concentration 8 pencils Table with 8 chairs
Students wear headphones and have to listen to noises in their ears. They must complete the worksheets within a given time. Simulates difficulty focusing on work while not being able to filter out distractions.
If you would like to see the entire article please go to the TEACCH webpage at http://teacch.com/understandingfriends.html
Abilities: We are different and we are the same
Explain to the class that the purpose of the program is to help them imagine what it might be like to have "different abilities" than they do now; to understand why some people act differently than they might expect. Write the word "ability" on the board and talk about what it means. Write the word "unique" on the board and talk about what it means.
Explain that everyone has different abilities. Say that you want to find out how the students in the class are different. Have them raise their hands in response to questions, such as these:
Who can ride a bicycle? Who can roller skate? Who can roller-blade? Who knows the multiplication tables through 5's? Who knows how to do long division? Who knows the multiplication tables 6's through 12's? Who has messy handwriting? (Or who needs more practice with their cursive?) Who has really, really, neat handwriting? Who is good at video games? Who runs in medium or slow speed? Who runs at a very fast speed? Who knows how to knit? Who can make a batch of cookies? Etc...
It is important that not every child answers affirmatively to every question, so you can show diversity. So, for the youngest grades, or if all the students raise their hands for every question, it is best to include questions such as the following.
Who has black hair ? Who has blonde hair? Who has brown hair? Who wears glasses? Etc...
Comment on the fact that everyone has different abilities or qualities about themselves that make them unique among others.
Now describe a scene on the playground, and ask..."Have you ever played kickball [or other relevant game] and when it was your turn to kick, you planned to really kick it hard so it would go far...and when the ball was pitched to you, you tried to kick it, but you missed?" You can act this out while you are talking to make it more dramatic. Ask "Who likes it when the other kids say, '...don't worry, try again, it's okay, you can do it,_...'?" Or who likes it when they say "...don't be so stupid, why did you do that?" Typically, all of the children will raise their hands to agree with wanting to be understood.
Now ask "Who likes it when people understand you?" Questions can also be phrased slightly differently, like "Who wants friends who understand you?" or "Who likes it when their friends understand them?"
Comment on the fact that even though everyone has different abilities, talents, and qualities, that we are the same in one basic way; we all want other people to understand us.
Experiential Activity Centers:
Introduce the following activities and have the teacher divide the class into 3 groups. If you have set up 4 experiential activity centers, then the class must be divided into 4 groups. I recommend using three centers. This makes the class and the program more manageable and keeps it within a realistic time-frame.
Introduce each center briefly, holding up the materials at that table. For example, for the activity to simulate fine motor difficulties, you might say: "When you get to the center at the round table, you will wear these big gloves...they are supposed to be too large for you, that's OK. When you are wearing them, you are supposed to string these beads and then screw these nuts and bolts and washers together. You will find out what it would be like if the muscles in your hands worked differently than they do now." For older children, you can explain the term "fine motor". Assure them that it is OK to have fun with this, but at the same time, ask them to think about what kinds of things might be harder to do if their fine motor skills were like that. Ask them what might be different for them. How would they (or their work) appear different to others? Would they need any special kind of assistance?
Each center should be facilitated by a teacher or other adult. This person can ask thought-provoking questions during the activity.
You will ring a bell when it is time for the groups to rotate from center to center. Keep this going pretty quickly, in order to hold their interest. After each group has visited each center, say that you are now going to pick a student to help you demonstrate something, but it needs to be a student who can follow directions well. You will choose your helper as soon as everyone is back in their seats. This encourages all the students to immediately return to their seats.
Receptive Language Demonstration: "Set the table"
While the students are returning to their seats, prepare a desk at the front of the room, by placing 10-15 different miscellaneous items on it. Among these items should be a plate, cup, spoon, and a fork, scattered about on the desk. Hidden from sight, you will have a manila folder on which an outline of a table setting (plate, cup, spoon, fork) is drawn. Keep this "table-setting jig" hidden for now.
After choosing a volunteer, have him or her come up and sit at the desk facing the class. Depending on the dynamics of the class, it is sometimes helpful to pick a student who seems to be a bully or most in need of developing some empathy. (But it must be a student who has volunteered.)
Ask the student if he or she is able to hear you well enough in order to follow your instructions exactly. Tell him that you want him to listen very carefully. Then with no change of tone, point to the materials on the desk in front of him and tell him to set the table, but give the instructions in another language. Being from a bilingual Greek family, I always use Greek. If you do not know a second language, make sure that ahead of time, you have someone teach you the proper verbal instructions, and memorize them. Obviously, you want to be careful not to choose a volunteer student who might know the language you are using, so choose your volunteer carefully and stay away from a very common second language in your area, like Spanish. Some presenters prefer to use a made-up lingo of gobbledy-goop.
Eventually, with older students, pull out the table-setting jig and show it to the student, laying it on the desk. If he is still confused, point to each of the shapes and indicate which item belongs there. Usually the student gets this immediately and will place the plate, cup, etc, on their outlines. Praise the student and have the class applaud. Ask the student why he did not follow directions when you told him what to do; didn't he hear what you said? Then explain that there are people who can hear all the words, but cannot make sense out of what is being said, just like it was a foreign language. Ask questions like, "Did you know you were supposed to do something? How did you feel when you couldn't understand what to do? You did a great job, finally, of setting the table...but how did you know what to do?" Draw attention again to the visual cue.
Fine Motor Activity
8 pairs of large cloth garden gloves 8 sets of shoestrings and beads, each in a small tub 8 sets of hardware (nut, bolt, washer), each in a small tub Table with 8 chairs
Each child wears the gloves and tries to string beads and assemble hardware. Hint: For K-1 students, have them just wear one glove and use large beads.
Visual Activity
8 pairs of safety goggles Jar of petroleum jelly (to smear on lenses of goggles) or sandpaper to scratch lens 8 pencils and pads of lined paper Books at grade level Table with 8 chairs
Each child wear goggles (with obstructed view because of petroleum jelly or scratched lenses). Try to write sentences on the lines and read the print in a book. Hint: Do not let children take off goggles until they are done.
Perceptual and Sensory (Tactile) Activities
Roll of masking tape and binoculars: Place a length of tape on the floor and have children walk on the line. Have each child hold the binoculars on their eyes, backwards. This causes perception to be distorted.
Several strips of yarn, 4-feet in length: Have child jump rope using the yarn, instead of a rope. This causes the feeling of distorted perception of the weight of the "rope".
Garden glove with Velcro sewn on to inside of fingers and palm; and A large handful of lambs-wool or a feather duster: You wear the scratchy glove and hold the soft feathers or wool. While children are participating in the above activities, walk by and touch a bare arm. Simulates unpredictable sensation on the skin (either too scratchy or uncomfortably soft!)
Attention and Sensory (Auditory) Activity
8 pairs of headphones hooked up to a Listening Station Cassette tape of static-noise or noisy crowd sounds Worksheets at slightly higher grade level - requires concentration 8 pencils Table with 8 chairs
Students wear headphones and have to listen to noises in their ears. They must complete the worksheets within a given time. Simulates difficulty focusing on work while not being able to filter out distractions.
Mar 25, 2008
Read My Lips...
Read the words is a very cool site that is FREE! You can upload or cut and paste any text to the site, select a "reader", and listen. There seems to be so many possibilities to this site. My mind is racing- read aloud stories, social stories, test review, vocab words. Enjoy!
Read more about it here: http://readthewords.com/
Feb 25, 2008
Pocket Mods Rock!
It doesn't take a lot to get us excited. Sometimes it is the smallest strategies that make a big difference. Check out Pocket Mod. We found them from the great folks at Onion Mountain. The following info is from their site with tons of great ideas on how to use the Pocket Mods. You can create and print one (or many) for free! Learn how here.
One of the most popular uses of the PocketMod for the older student will be the base program on line or downloaded for organization. Students can maintain daily, weekly and/or monthly calendars as well as note-taking paper, to do lists, and reference materials. If they lose one organizer, they just print another. The contents of the organizer can be changed from week to week as needs change. Remember, students can write on PocketMods.
Here are some other ideas for individually created PocketMods for older students:
Here are some other ideas for individually created PocketMods for older students:
- Most frequently misspelled words
- Most frequently confused homonyms with meanings
- A glossary of terms with readability appropriate synonyms or definitions, especially
- valuable for new science units or difficult texts
- A rubric check list for note-taking or writing
- A translation aide for foreign language
- A summary of a chapter to be read
- One chapter question per page with room for the answer to be written or the page
- number on which the answer is found
- Important formulas that need to be remembered or could be used on tests
- Software quickstarts
- Dates for a given history chapter in divisions that cover the length of the chapter.
- Students take notes on events within the time period for each of the pages. The result is
- a chronology of events. This is particularly important when info is coming from different books.
- Data collection “journal” for fieldwork. For example, every page could be a different test or observation that the student needs to make.
PocketMods for Younger Students
PDF to PocketMod is an ideal tool for creating “little books” for children to carry and use
whenever they want. They make ideal books for social stories or daily living sequences. Create
these books by making an 8-page file in a word processing program like Word or an 8-slide
presentation in PowerPoint. Because the screen or page is going to be shrunk in the book to
1/8th of a piece of paper, be sure to use large enough fonts as well as fonts that match lettering
that the student is learning. (We use 24-36 point as a minimum.) When the book or
presentation is finished, save it and then turn it into a PDF file. The file is now ready to be made into a PocketMod. In addition to books,
here are some other ideas for K-6 student PocketMods:
- Activity choice books
- Frequently misspelled words
- Vocabulary words for a unit
- Picture/word dictionaries
- Number fact families – especially good for multiplication. Assume they know 1’s and 0’s.
- Use the eight pages for 2 – 9.
- Letters with common objects starting with that letter. Three books will do the entire alphabet.
- Regions of the US maps (maximum of 8 states can be a little tricky, but it can be done.
- Create with a data base program so that the same info appears on each page
- The eight planets (Thanks to the International Astronomers Society for getting rid of number 9, Pluto!)
- Weather journals. Each page is a day, or every page is for recording different weather info for a period of time (cloud type and cover, temperature, precipitation, etc.)
Sharing PocketMods
We have started a new section on our website at www.onionmountaintech.com. Email us your
pocketmod creation as an PDF attachment (jsweeney@onionmountaintech.com). We’ll double
check the PDF on both platforms. In your email, be sure to describe the PocketMod and let us
know who should get credit. Then look for the link on our homepage for Download PocketMods. With a single click you can download any PocketMod there and print it out.
Learn more about it:
http://www.onionmountaintech.com/files2/PocketMod%20handout%20CTG.pdf
Feb 22, 2008
Task Analysis
The following information is from George Mason University
Task Analysis 101
"Task analysis for instructional design is a process of analyzing and articulating the kind of learning that you expect the learners to know how to perform" (Jonassen, Tessmer, & Hannum, 1999, p.3). Instructional designers perform a task analysis in order to:
1. determine the instructional goals and objectives;
2. define and describe in detail the tasks and sub-tasks that the student will perform;
3. specify the knowledge type (declarative, structural, and procedural knowledge) that characterize a job or task;
4. select learning outcomes that are appropriate for instructional development;
5. prioritize and sequence tasks;
6. determine instructional activities and strategies that foster learning;
7. select appropriate media and learning environments;
8. construct performance assessments and evaluation (Jonassen et al., 1999).
How Do I Perform a Task Analysis?
According to Jonassen, the task analysis process consists of five distinct functions:
Classifying tasks according to learning outcomes –
Inventorying tasks – identifying tasks or generating a list of tasks
Selecting tasks – prioritizing tasks and choosing those that are more feasible and appropriate if there is an abundance of tasks to train.
Decomposing tasks – identifying and describing the components of the tasks, goals, or objectives.
Sequencing tasks and sub-tasks – defining the sequence in which instruction should occur that will best facilitate learning.
For examples go to Dr. Mac's Amazing Behavior Management Site:
http://www.behavioradvisor.com/
Here is part of an example of Brushing Teeth:
Brushing Teeth
Pick up the tooth brush
Wet the tooth brush
Take the cap off the tube of toothpaste
Put a pea sized amount of paste on the tooth brush
Brush the biting surface of the bottom row of teeth
Brush the biting surface of the top row of teeth
Task Analysis 101
"Task analysis for instructional design is a process of analyzing and articulating the kind of learning that you expect the learners to know how to perform" (Jonassen, Tessmer, & Hannum, 1999, p.3). Instructional designers perform a task analysis in order to:
1. determine the instructional goals and objectives;
2. define and describe in detail the tasks and sub-tasks that the student will perform;
3. specify the knowledge type (declarative, structural, and procedural knowledge) that characterize a job or task;
4. select learning outcomes that are appropriate for instructional development;
5. prioritize and sequence tasks;
6. determine instructional activities and strategies that foster learning;
7. select appropriate media and learning environments;
8. construct performance assessments and evaluation (Jonassen et al., 1999).
How Do I Perform a Task Analysis?
According to Jonassen, the task analysis process consists of five distinct functions:
Classifying tasks according to learning outcomes –
Inventorying tasks – identifying tasks or generating a list of tasks
Selecting tasks – prioritizing tasks and choosing those that are more feasible and appropriate if there is an abundance of tasks to train.
Decomposing tasks – identifying and describing the components of the tasks, goals, or objectives.
Sequencing tasks and sub-tasks – defining the sequence in which instruction should occur that will best facilitate learning.
For examples go to Dr. Mac's Amazing Behavior Management Site:
http://www.behavioradvisor.com/
Here is part of an example of Brushing Teeth:
Brushing Teeth
Pick up the tooth brush
Wet the tooth brush
Take the cap off the tube of toothpaste
Put a pea sized amount of paste on the tooth brush
Brush the biting surface of the bottom row of teeth
Brush the biting surface of the top row of teeth
Feb 17, 2008
Feb 16, 2008
Data Collection Made Easy
Looking for a way to track behavior easily?
Check out Behavior Notes-
Behavior Notes is a very cool site. The goal is to help you proactively manage behavior rather than reactively track discipline. What a concept! The site is designed to help you quickly document student behaviors- both negative and positive!
Here is a quick overview of the site information:
School administrators and teachers, are feeling increased pressure to manage student behavior. In particular the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) of 2001 requires schools to insure that all students meet a minimum standard.
To this end many schools and school districts have started training their teachers on how to document behavior while utilizing behavior management. The hope and promise of behavior management training programs is that schools will be able to identify students with special needs early on and get students the help that they need. Behavioral documentation provides schools with a record of previous efforts.
There are two critical challenges to successfully implementing behavior management and behavioral documentation.
No Time
The first challenge is providing teachers with a practical, simple way to do the documentation. Teachers who feel overworked and underpaid often feel they are spending more time doing paperwork than teaching. For the few teachers who are willing to invest the necessary time, this usually means writing notes by hand at the end of each day. Hand written notes are time consuming, inconsistent, and sometimes even illegible. With all of these problems, even those teachers who start writing notes with the best of intentions usually stop when they don't see results.
No Reporting and Analysis
The second challenge, assuming that behaviors have actually been documented, is leveraging that information. Simply documenting student behavior is not enough if you don't do something with it. If you can't easily retrieve and analyze the information that has been collected then it doesn't do you any good to collect it in the first place. Handwritten notes, or even Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, are not going to help in identifying and helping students that need special attention.
For behavior management to work it must not only be possible to readily retrieve information about a student, but also to compare that student to their class, school, and grade level. It must be possible to normalize the information on a student by comparing classes and schools to each other. Only then can a behavior management program be effective in bringing teachers, parents, specialists, and administrators together to address students needs.
Check out Behavior Notes-
Behavior Notes is a very cool site. The goal is to help you proactively manage behavior rather than reactively track discipline. What a concept! The site is designed to help you quickly document student behaviors- both negative and positive!
Here is a quick overview of the site information:
School administrators and teachers, are feeling increased pressure to manage student behavior. In particular the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) of 2001 requires schools to insure that all students meet a minimum standard.
To this end many schools and school districts have started training their teachers on how to document behavior while utilizing behavior management. The hope and promise of behavior management training programs is that schools will be able to identify students with special needs early on and get students the help that they need. Behavioral documentation provides schools with a record of previous efforts.
There are two critical challenges to successfully implementing behavior management and behavioral documentation.
No Time
The first challenge is providing teachers with a practical, simple way to do the documentation. Teachers who feel overworked and underpaid often feel they are spending more time doing paperwork than teaching. For the few teachers who are willing to invest the necessary time, this usually means writing notes by hand at the end of each day. Hand written notes are time consuming, inconsistent, and sometimes even illegible. With all of these problems, even those teachers who start writing notes with the best of intentions usually stop when they don't see results.
No Reporting and Analysis
The second challenge, assuming that behaviors have actually been documented, is leveraging that information. Simply documenting student behavior is not enough if you don't do something with it. If you can't easily retrieve and analyze the information that has been collected then it doesn't do you any good to collect it in the first place. Handwritten notes, or even Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, are not going to help in identifying and helping students that need special attention.
For behavior management to work it must not only be possible to readily retrieve information about a student, but also to compare that student to their class, school, and grade level. It must be possible to normalize the information on a student by comparing classes and schools to each other. Only then can a behavior management program be effective in bringing teachers, parents, specialists, and administrators together to address students needs.
Have a look for yourself: www.behaviornotes.com
Feb 11, 2008
Seizures
Studies show roughly one-third of individuals with autism also experience seizures.
The following information was obtained from epilepsy.com
There are so many kinds of seizures that neurologists who specialize in epilepsy are still updating their thinking about how to classify them. Usually, they classify seizures into two types, primary generalized seizures and partial seizures. The difference between these types is in how they begin:
Primary generalized seizures
Primary generalized seizures begin with a widespread electrical discharge that involves both sides of the brain at once. Hereditary factors are important in many of these seizures.
Partial seizures
Partial seizures begin with an electrical discharge in one limited area of the brain. Some are related to head injury, brain infection, stroke, or tumor, but in most cases the cause is unknown.
One question that is used to further classify partial seizures is whether consciousness (the ability to respond and remember) is "impaired" or "preserved." The difference may seem obvious, but really there are many degrees of impairment or preservation of consciousness.
Links to types of Primary Generalized Seizures:
Absence seizures
Atypical absence seizures
Myoclonic seizures
Atonic seizures
Tonic seizures
Clonic seizures
Tonic-clonic seizures
Links to types of Partial Seizures
Simple partial seizures
Complex partial seizures
Secondarily generalized seizures
The following information was obtained from epilepsy.com
There are so many kinds of seizures that neurologists who specialize in epilepsy are still updating their thinking about how to classify them. Usually, they classify seizures into two types, primary generalized seizures and partial seizures. The difference between these types is in how they begin:
Primary generalized seizures
Primary generalized seizures begin with a widespread electrical discharge that involves both sides of the brain at once. Hereditary factors are important in many of these seizures.
Partial seizures
Partial seizures begin with an electrical discharge in one limited area of the brain. Some are related to head injury, brain infection, stroke, or tumor, but in most cases the cause is unknown.
One question that is used to further classify partial seizures is whether consciousness (the ability to respond and remember) is "impaired" or "preserved." The difference may seem obvious, but really there are many degrees of impairment or preservation of consciousness.
Links to types of Primary Generalized Seizures:
Absence seizures
Atypical absence seizures
Myoclonic seizures
Atonic seizures
Tonic seizures
Clonic seizures
Tonic-clonic seizures
Links to types of Partial Seizures
Simple partial seizures
Complex partial seizures
Secondarily generalized seizures
Feb 4, 2008
Got Probes?
The following information was obtained from http://www.interventioncentral.org/
Information was written by Jim Wright, a school psychologist and school administrator from Central New York.
Curriculum-based measurement, or CBM, is a method of monitoring student educational progress through direct assessment of academic skills. CBM can be used to measure basic skills in reading, mathematics, spelling, and written expression. It can also be used to monitor readiness skills. When using CBM, the instructor gives the student brief, timed samples, or "probes," made up of academic material taken from the child's school curriculum.
Some of the advantages of using CBM are:
Good overlap with curriculum
Because CBM probes are made up of materials taken from the local
curriculum, there is an appropriate overlap between classroom instruction and the
testing materials used. In effect, CBM allows the teacher to better test what is being
taught.
Quick to administer
CBM probes are quick to administer. For example, to obtain a single CBM
reading fluency measure, the instructor asks the student to read aloud for 3 minutes.
CBM measures in math, writing, and spelling are also quite brief.
Can be given often
CBM probes can be given repeatedly in a short span of time. In fact, CBM
probes can be given frequently, even daily if desired. The resulting information can
then be graphed to demonstrate student progress.
Sensitive to short-term gain in academic skills
Unlike many norm-referenced tests, CBM has been found to be sensitive to
short-term student gains. In fact, CBM is so useful a measure of student academic
progress that teachers employing it can often determine in as short a span as severalweeks whether a student is making appropriate gains in school skills.
Below is a wonderful resource which links you to several probes which can be created quickly:
http://www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/tools/cbaprobe/cba.php
Enjoy! We hope this information is helpful in teaching and assessing your students.
Jan 31, 2008
Frustrated by homework issues?
We often hear, "He is so capable...but he never turns in homework!" Homework frustrations are common for students with AS. The following tips are part of a list which comes from Michelle Garcia Winner. She is a speech language pathologist and author in the field of social thinking and social cognitive functioning. You can visit www.socialthinking.com for additional info and resources.
Steps to Foster Organization Skills
1. Clearly define what needs to be done
Too often, parents and schools view organization goals too simply: “the student must write the assignment in his planner.” Clearly this is not nearly enough detail for most tasks and may not even be the best starting goal for a particular student. Adults must be organized in their own thinking if they are to effectively teach students with EF deficits this skill. Go beyond giving out assignments; help the student understand how to also approach the task from an organizational standpoint. Adults must be organized in their own thinking if they are to effectively teach students with EF deficits this skill.
2. Move it with motivation
Almost all students with weak organizational skills also struggle with motivation to accomplish homework tasks. Parents and teachers often don’t realize this lack of motivation can stem from feeling overwhelmed by the task demands. Students with the greatest motivational challenges are often our most intelligent students (e.g. those with high IQ scores). We often assume “smart” means “organized” and say things like “come on, I know you can do this, I know you are smart.” Yet, they may have the hardest time motivating themselves when overwhelmed because they have never had to work at learning. Learning just happened if they stayed attentive. By adolescence, students need to appreciate that completing work – even work that seems somewhat ridiculous to them – has its rewards. It establishes them as hard working in the eyes of others, improves their grades and increases feelings of self-worth through meeting their grade level academic expectations. However, as obvious as this sounds, this level of cause effect can still be too overwhelming to some students because it requires delayed gratification. Many students need to start at a much more concrete level of motivation, with very small work steps combined with reward early in the task completion process.
For example, if a student cannot easily work for an hour, have him work successfully on a single part of the task for just 10 minutes before he gets to pause and congratulate himself. Self-motivation increases when students feel confident in understanding and accomplishing the task before them. It doesn’t matter how “well” you teach students these EF skills; if they are unmotivated, they will not implement the ideas. directly on helping students tackle and overcome motivation challenges.
3. Prepare the environment
Most adults familiar with helping students “get organized” understand this point. Establish a dedicated workspace for homework that includes the essential tools: pen, pencil, paper, etc. Color coding tasks, making sure the student has an organized binder, possibly access to a time-timer (www.timetimer.com) create structures that promote success during homework time.
4. Chunk and time it
Assignments that sound coherent and structured to teachers can still overwhelm a student with EF challenges. For example: “write a report focusing on the economy, culture, weather and climate of a specific country.” Clear enough, you think? Maybe to us, but not to them. Make sure the student understands how to “chunk” an assignment (break it down into smaller pieces) and how the individual parts create the larger whole. For example, not all students will know their report needs four sections, essentially “mini-essays” worked on separately and then joined together. Furthermore, once they “chunk” the project students also need to predict how long each chunk will take to complete. The majority of students with poor organizational skills have a resounding inability to predict how long projects will take across time. In fact, they tend to be weak
in all aspects of interpreting and predicting time.
Consider this: Is there anything you do without first predicting how long it will take? We “time map” everything, gauging how the task will or will not fit into what we’re doing now, an hour from now, later in the day or later in the week. Homework functions in much the same way. Students are more willing to tackle homework when they can reliably predict how long they will have to work on the task. For example, a student will usually calmly do math if it should only take 5-10 minutes. However, for those students who can’t predict time, the nebulous nature of the activity incites anxiety such that they may cry for 45 minutes over doing a 10-minute math assignment.
When the student does not – or cannot- consider time prediction as part of his organizational skill set, he is likely to waste a lot of time rather than use time to his advantage.
5. Use visual structures
As the school years progress, homework shifts from mostly static tasks doled out by one teacher to mostly dynamic tasks assigned by many different individuals. We expect students to self-organize and know how to juggle the many pieces of learning that make up each class, grade and level of education. Yet, this valuable skill is never directly taught! Visual long-term mapping charts, such as a Gantt Chart, (www.ganttchart.com) can help students plan and monitor multiple activities. These bar type graphs allow a student to visually track multiple projects across time, determine when they are due and
how much time is available to work on each. For example, a history paper may be assigned in February and due in late March; a time-line would run from early February to late March to indicate the time allocated to the project. A math project assigned in early March is also due in late March; another line would represent this project. Visually the student can see that two big projects are due at about the same time, and both are worth significant grade points. This then helps the student understand why he should not wait until the last minute to start one or both assignments. Gantt charts are frequently used in business, but have yet to make it into student software for school/homework planning. However, they are easy to create and use at home or in the classroom. For students who struggle with time management, they are invaluable tools for organization.
Visual structures can represent entire projects and then also be used for individual chunks, creating the visual organizational framework students with weak EF. Once assignments are understood as needing to be worked on across time, we can encourage students to “chunk” tasks to be worked on during specific weeks, then make related lists of things to do on specific days.
Steps to Foster Organization Skills
1. Clearly define what needs to be done
Too often, parents and schools view organization goals too simply: “the student must write the assignment in his planner.” Clearly this is not nearly enough detail for most tasks and may not even be the best starting goal for a particular student. Adults must be organized in their own thinking if they are to effectively teach students with EF deficits this skill. Go beyond giving out assignments; help the student understand how to also approach the task from an organizational standpoint. Adults must be organized in their own thinking if they are to effectively teach students with EF deficits this skill.
2. Move it with motivation
Almost all students with weak organizational skills also struggle with motivation to accomplish homework tasks. Parents and teachers often don’t realize this lack of motivation can stem from feeling overwhelmed by the task demands. Students with the greatest motivational challenges are often our most intelligent students (e.g. those with high IQ scores). We often assume “smart” means “organized” and say things like “come on, I know you can do this, I know you are smart.” Yet, they may have the hardest time motivating themselves when overwhelmed because they have never had to work at learning. Learning just happened if they stayed attentive. By adolescence, students need to appreciate that completing work – even work that seems somewhat ridiculous to them – has its rewards. It establishes them as hard working in the eyes of others, improves their grades and increases feelings of self-worth through meeting their grade level academic expectations. However, as obvious as this sounds, this level of cause effect can still be too overwhelming to some students because it requires delayed gratification. Many students need to start at a much more concrete level of motivation, with very small work steps combined with reward early in the task completion process.
For example, if a student cannot easily work for an hour, have him work successfully on a single part of the task for just 10 minutes before he gets to pause and congratulate himself. Self-motivation increases when students feel confident in understanding and accomplishing the task before them. It doesn’t matter how “well” you teach students these EF skills; if they are unmotivated, they will not implement the ideas. directly on helping students tackle and overcome motivation challenges.
3. Prepare the environment
Most adults familiar with helping students “get organized” understand this point. Establish a dedicated workspace for homework that includes the essential tools: pen, pencil, paper, etc. Color coding tasks, making sure the student has an organized binder, possibly access to a time-timer (www.timetimer.com) create structures that promote success during homework time.
4. Chunk and time it
Assignments that sound coherent and structured to teachers can still overwhelm a student with EF challenges. For example: “write a report focusing on the economy, culture, weather and climate of a specific country.” Clear enough, you think? Maybe to us, but not to them. Make sure the student understands how to “chunk” an assignment (break it down into smaller pieces) and how the individual parts create the larger whole. For example, not all students will know their report needs four sections, essentially “mini-essays” worked on separately and then joined together. Furthermore, once they “chunk” the project students also need to predict how long each chunk will take to complete. The majority of students with poor organizational skills have a resounding inability to predict how long projects will take across time. In fact, they tend to be weak
in all aspects of interpreting and predicting time.
Consider this: Is there anything you do without first predicting how long it will take? We “time map” everything, gauging how the task will or will not fit into what we’re doing now, an hour from now, later in the day or later in the week. Homework functions in much the same way. Students are more willing to tackle homework when they can reliably predict how long they will have to work on the task. For example, a student will usually calmly do math if it should only take 5-10 minutes. However, for those students who can’t predict time, the nebulous nature of the activity incites anxiety such that they may cry for 45 minutes over doing a 10-minute math assignment.
When the student does not – or cannot- consider time prediction as part of his organizational skill set, he is likely to waste a lot of time rather than use time to his advantage.
5. Use visual structures
As the school years progress, homework shifts from mostly static tasks doled out by one teacher to mostly dynamic tasks assigned by many different individuals. We expect students to self-organize and know how to juggle the many pieces of learning that make up each class, grade and level of education. Yet, this valuable skill is never directly taught! Visual long-term mapping charts, such as a Gantt Chart, (www.ganttchart.com) can help students plan and monitor multiple activities. These bar type graphs allow a student to visually track multiple projects across time, determine when they are due and
how much time is available to work on each. For example, a history paper may be assigned in February and due in late March; a time-line would run from early February to late March to indicate the time allocated to the project. A math project assigned in early March is also due in late March; another line would represent this project. Visually the student can see that two big projects are due at about the same time, and both are worth significant grade points. This then helps the student understand why he should not wait until the last minute to start one or both assignments. Gantt charts are frequently used in business, but have yet to make it into student software for school/homework planning. However, they are easy to create and use at home or in the classroom. For students who struggle with time management, they are invaluable tools for organization.
Visual structures can represent entire projects and then also be used for individual chunks, creating the visual organizational framework students with weak EF. Once assignments are understood as needing to be worked on across time, we can encourage students to “chunk” tasks to be worked on during specific weeks, then make related lists of things to do on specific days.
Jan 28, 2008
Hidden Curriculum One-A-Day Calendar
This calendar gives a quick daily tip for students with autism. Each page features a social situation that only requires a few minutes to cover with a student. The pages contain no pictures. The calendar is black and white. All the pages are easily removed, to make future usage easier.
Teachers, therapists, and parents are encouraged to send in a situation for the upcoming calendar. The deadline is March 15th and if your situation is chosen then you will receive a complimentary calendar for the upcoming year. Submit ideas to: calendar@asperger.net
Here are some samples from the 2007 calendar:
"Avoid talking to someone who is on the telephone. This makes it difficult to hear what the person on the other end of the line as well as what you are saying."
"If someone has something in his teeth or nose, don't announce it so that everyone else can hear. Tell the person quietly so that he can remove it privately."
"Just because someone shares her lunch with you one day does not automatically mean that she will share her lunch with you again."
"When you go to someone's house, don't kick off your shoes, lie on the couch, or help yourself to food from the refrigerator, unles the adults have given you permission to do so."
"When you are waiting for an elevator and the doors open, allow the people who are getting off to do so before you enter the elevator."
Teachers, therapists, and parents are encouraged to send in a situation for the upcoming calendar. The deadline is March 15th and if your situation is chosen then you will receive a complimentary calendar for the upcoming year. Submit ideas to: calendar@asperger.net
Here are some samples from the 2007 calendar:
"Avoid talking to someone who is on the telephone. This makes it difficult to hear what the person on the other end of the line as well as what you are saying."
"If someone has something in his teeth or nose, don't announce it so that everyone else can hear. Tell the person quietly so that he can remove it privately."
"Just because someone shares her lunch with you one day does not automatically mean that she will share her lunch with you again."
"When you go to someone's house, don't kick off your shoes, lie on the couch, or help yourself to food from the refrigerator, unles the adults have given you permission to do so."
"When you are waiting for an elevator and the doors open, allow the people who are getting off to do so before you enter the elevator."
Jan 23, 2008
Nightline Story
GIRLS WITH AUTISM ON "NIGHTLINE"
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23rd
On Wednesday, Nightline continues its series on autism by exploring the relatively rare occurrence of girls with autism. In the U.S., far more boys than girls are diagnosed with autism. That fact alone has consequences: it tends to focus most of the research, effort, and money on boys. But in a surprising twist, correspondent John Donvan and producer Caren Zucker talk to several researchers and psychologists who believe there are actually more girls with autism in the U.S. than diagnosed. Not only may there be many under-diagnosed girls, according to these experts, but some girls with autism may be assigned some other diagnosis. In fact these girls are often being under-diagnosed or diagnosed with something else. The researchers believe that many of the symptoms are being missed, or that they are just more subtle in girls. Nightline takes an in-depth look at how girls and boys are brought up culturally, and how these differences could contribute to a misdiagnosis in girls, resulting in the harsh reality that we just don't know how many cases of girls with autism really exist.
Brenda Smith, a psychologist, suggests girls with autism can fake "normal," because girls in general get more lessons than boys in how to behave. Smith tells Nightline, "They are told not to get angry, to be nice, they are told to share, all of those behaviors." She goes on to say, "It's more appropriate if you will for a boy to have a tantrum and major meltdown than a girl."
John Donvan talked to 14-year old Victoria Roma, about the differences between girls and boys with autism:
Donvan: Do you think it is more challenging for a girl with autism than a boy?
Roma: "It's really harder to hook up with friends, especially the neighborhood kids."
Donvan: Harder for girls than boys?
Roma: "Yeah."
Donvan: Why would that be?
Roma: "Because girls are concerned about how the world thinks of them, less than boys."
Donvan: What are the things that are challenging for you?
Roma: "I feel like I'm thinking but I'm not thinking at all. And also, it's a challenge for me to be aware of everything; am I flapping? Was that a joke I just heard? Should I be laughing? Should I not be laughing? Should I be serious at this time? Can I be a little silly at this time? You know..."
*******************************************
Nightline's in-depth report on girls with autism airs on ABC News World News with Charles Gibson at 6:30pm (ET) and then on Nightline, Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 11:35pm (ET/PT).
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23rd
On Wednesday, Nightline continues its series on autism by exploring the relatively rare occurrence of girls with autism. In the U.S., far more boys than girls are diagnosed with autism. That fact alone has consequences: it tends to focus most of the research, effort, and money on boys. But in a surprising twist, correspondent John Donvan and producer Caren Zucker talk to several researchers and psychologists who believe there are actually more girls with autism in the U.S. than diagnosed. Not only may there be many under-diagnosed girls, according to these experts, but some girls with autism may be assigned some other diagnosis. In fact these girls are often being under-diagnosed or diagnosed with something else. The researchers believe that many of the symptoms are being missed, or that they are just more subtle in girls. Nightline takes an in-depth look at how girls and boys are brought up culturally, and how these differences could contribute to a misdiagnosis in girls, resulting in the harsh reality that we just don't know how many cases of girls with autism really exist.
Brenda Smith, a psychologist, suggests girls with autism can fake "normal," because girls in general get more lessons than boys in how to behave. Smith tells Nightline, "They are told not to get angry, to be nice, they are told to share, all of those behaviors." She goes on to say, "It's more appropriate if you will for a boy to have a tantrum and major meltdown than a girl."
John Donvan talked to 14-year old Victoria Roma, about the differences between girls and boys with autism:
Donvan: Do you think it is more challenging for a girl with autism than a boy?
Roma: "It's really harder to hook up with friends, especially the neighborhood kids."
Donvan: Harder for girls than boys?
Roma: "Yeah."
Donvan: Why would that be?
Roma: "Because girls are concerned about how the world thinks of them, less than boys."
Donvan: What are the things that are challenging for you?
Roma: "I feel like I'm thinking but I'm not thinking at all. And also, it's a challenge for me to be aware of everything; am I flapping? Was that a joke I just heard? Should I be laughing? Should I not be laughing? Should I be serious at this time? Can I be a little silly at this time? You know..."
*******************************************
Nightline's in-depth report on girls with autism airs on ABC News World News with Charles Gibson at 6:30pm (ET) and then on Nightline, Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 11:35pm (ET/PT).
Jan 22, 2008
Free January Printables
Slater Software offers free monthly pdf printables. They have some nice January themed ones geared for younger students. They have included some visual recipes and social studies related stories. You can print them out for free from this link.
http://www.slatersoftware.com/document.html#jan
http://www.slatersoftware.com/document.html#jan
Dec 9, 2007
Adaptations/Modifications and Accomodations--- What is the Difference??
What is the difference between a modification/adaptation and accommodation?
Although there are no legal definitions of the terms modification, adaptation, and accommodation, the following best practice definitions are widely accepted:
Accommodations - the provisions made in the delivery of instruction in order for a student to access and/or demonstrate learning in a content area.
Accommodations:
do not substantially change the instructional level or content;
provide students with equal access to learning;
provide students with equal opportunities to demonstrate what is known;
are based on individual strengths and needs; and may vary in intensity and degree.
Modifications - change in what the student is expected to learn and demonstrate in the content areas.
Modifications can change:
the instructional level;
the benchmark or time required to learn a skill or concept;
the number of key skills or concepts to be mastered within a time period, benchmark, or unit of study; and/or content.
Although there are no legal definitions of the terms modification, adaptation, and accommodation, the following best practice definitions are widely accepted:
Accommodations - the provisions made in the delivery of instruction in order for a student to access and/or demonstrate learning in a content area.
Accommodations:
do not substantially change the instructional level or content;
provide students with equal access to learning;
provide students with equal opportunities to demonstrate what is known;
are based on individual strengths and needs; and may vary in intensity and degree.
Modifications - change in what the student is expected to learn and demonstrate in the content areas.
Modifications can change:
the instructional level;
the benchmark or time required to learn a skill or concept;
the number of key skills or concepts to be mastered within a time period, benchmark, or unit of study; and/or content.
Adaptations- Providing Direct Assistance
Adapting Instructional Materials -- Providing Direct Assistance
Providing one-on-one assistance to a student is perhaps the most demanding adaptation that needs to be made in an inclusive classroom.
Adaptations that demand the most time and resources may be those requiring direct interaction of the student with another person. From the perspective of teachers, parents, and students, one-to-one assistance in learning from instructional materials with a trained professional is ideal for students with extraordinary educational needs. Direct assistance in learning from instructional materials can take many forms:
Reading printed materials aloud to the student.
Providing guided instruction before, during, and after reading printed materials.
Adjusting the pace of instruction.
Teaching prerequisite information so that students can use materials independently.
Monitoring student understanding and mastery of the materials.
Reteaching if necessary.
However, providing such assistance is not an economic reality in most general education settings or, increasingly, in special education settings where the student caseload is unusually high. How else can teachers ensure that students have the intensity of instruction and support they need to be successful with the curricular materials? Teachers who are the most successful in providing direct assistance are those who collaborate constructively with other professionals, enlist and empower other adults, and promote positive peer instruction among students
ESP-Plus
E = Engagement, Expectations, Elasticity
Engagement – Both teachers need to be actively engaged in teaching using a variety of grouping patterns and techniques for monitoring student understanding.
Expectations – General and special educators may have very different expectations of their students. Issues related to expectations – especially as they pertain to grading and pacing of instruction – need to be discussed and negotiated.
Elasticity – Working collaboratively necessitates flexibility. It is a primary ingredient for coteaching success.
S = Skills, Support, Structure
Skills – Recognizing the skills of each professional and developing mutual skills (particularly communication and interpersonal skills) can enhance the working relationship.
Support – Administrative support is especially important for the coteaching partnership to succeed.
Structure – Classroom management issues can be more troublesome than philosophical issues related to curriculum. Constant communication about management issues needs to occur.
P = Planning, Preparation, Parity
Planning – Collaborative planning time is a must. Without time to make short- and long-range plans, the coteaching partnership cannot exist.
Preparation – Ongoing professional development is needed as teachers continue to prepare for new teaching situations.
Parity – If coteaching is to succeed, it must be founded on the premise that there are two professionals in the classroom.
For the entire article:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/learning-disabilities/6730.html?detoured=1
Providing one-on-one assistance to a student is perhaps the most demanding adaptation that needs to be made in an inclusive classroom.
Adaptations that demand the most time and resources may be those requiring direct interaction of the student with another person. From the perspective of teachers, parents, and students, one-to-one assistance in learning from instructional materials with a trained professional is ideal for students with extraordinary educational needs. Direct assistance in learning from instructional materials can take many forms:
Reading printed materials aloud to the student.
Providing guided instruction before, during, and after reading printed materials.
Adjusting the pace of instruction.
Teaching prerequisite information so that students can use materials independently.
Monitoring student understanding and mastery of the materials.
Reteaching if necessary.
However, providing such assistance is not an economic reality in most general education settings or, increasingly, in special education settings where the student caseload is unusually high. How else can teachers ensure that students have the intensity of instruction and support they need to be successful with the curricular materials? Teachers who are the most successful in providing direct assistance are those who collaborate constructively with other professionals, enlist and empower other adults, and promote positive peer instruction among students
ESP-Plus
E = Engagement, Expectations, Elasticity
Engagement – Both teachers need to be actively engaged in teaching using a variety of grouping patterns and techniques for monitoring student understanding.
Expectations – General and special educators may have very different expectations of their students. Issues related to expectations – especially as they pertain to grading and pacing of instruction – need to be discussed and negotiated.
Elasticity – Working collaboratively necessitates flexibility. It is a primary ingredient for coteaching success.
S = Skills, Support, Structure
Skills – Recognizing the skills of each professional and developing mutual skills (particularly communication and interpersonal skills) can enhance the working relationship.
Support – Administrative support is especially important for the coteaching partnership to succeed.
Structure – Classroom management issues can be more troublesome than philosophical issues related to curriculum. Constant communication about management issues needs to occur.
P = Planning, Preparation, Parity
Planning – Collaborative planning time is a must. Without time to make short- and long-range plans, the coteaching partnership cannot exist.
Preparation – Ongoing professional development is needed as teachers continue to prepare for new teaching situations.
Parity – If coteaching is to succeed, it must be founded on the premise that there are two professionals in the classroom.
For the entire article:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/learning-disabilities/6730.html?detoured=1
Dec 7, 2007
FCRR Reading Resources
The Florida Center for Reading Research has some excellent reading resources. They have ready-to-go pdf files of reading activities.
Here are links to the k-1 activities:
Phonological Awareness
• Rhyme
• Sentence Segmentation
• Alliteration
• Syllables
• Onset and Rime
• Phonemes
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/pdf/GK-1/PA_Final_Part1.pdf
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/pdf/GK-1/PA_Final_Part2.pdf
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/pdf/GK-1/PA_Final_Part3.pdf
Phonics
• Letter Recognition
• Letter-Sound Correspondence
• Onset and Rime
• Word Study
• Syllable Patterns
• Morpheme Structure
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/pdf/GK-1/P_Final_Part1.pdf
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/pdf/GK-1/P_Final_Part2.pdf
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/pdf/GK-1/P_Final_Part3.pdf
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/pdf/GK-1/P_Final_Part4.pdf
Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension
• Letter Recognition
• High Frequency Words
• Letter-Sound Correspondence
• Oral Reading
• Word Identification/Words in Context
• Words That Describe/Word Meaning
• Word Categorization/Word Knowledge
• Word Structure/Word Analysis
• Sentence Structure and Meaning
• Story Structure
• Monitoring for Meaning
• Main Idea/Summarizing
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/pdf/GK-1/V_Final.pdf
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/pdf/GK-1/V_Final.pdf
http://www.fcrr.org/Curriculum/PDF/GK-1/C_Final.pdf
Dec 3, 2007
Tips for the Holidays
Holidays can be a stressful time, especially for children with autism and other pervasive developmental disorders. Following are some helpful tips to lessen the inevitable increased stimulation associated with the holiday season:
1. Try to establish as much of a routine as possible.
2. Try to limit the number of stores to which you expose your child/children.
3. Have your child/children help plan and organize the decorating process.
4. Some families find it helpful to only have one color of lights on the tree (the non-blinking variety may be less stimulating).
5. Holidays are associated with delicious smells; however; some fragrances are more calming then others: vanilla, chamomile, and lavender are best.
6. Add decorations to the inside and outside of your house slowly.
7. Use social stories as needed to prepare your child/children for upcoming events and/or changes in routine.
8. Limit the number of visible gifts.
9. Incorporate sensory activities into family functions (i.e., let them sit on a bouncy ball at the kid’s table for dinner, make snow angels, etc.).
10. Discuss realistic expectations for holiday events and family functions prior to their occurrence to avoid stress and disappointment.
11. It is all right to say “no” to anything that you think may cause undue stress to you, your family, and/or your child/children.
12. Enjoy the holidays!
This information was obtained from: Fraser
http://www.fraser.org
1. Try to establish as much of a routine as possible.
2. Try to limit the number of stores to which you expose your child/children.
3. Have your child/children help plan and organize the decorating process.
4. Some families find it helpful to only have one color of lights on the tree (the non-blinking variety may be less stimulating).
5. Holidays are associated with delicious smells; however; some fragrances are more calming then others: vanilla, chamomile, and lavender are best.
6. Add decorations to the inside and outside of your house slowly.
7. Use social stories as needed to prepare your child/children for upcoming events and/or changes in routine.
8. Limit the number of visible gifts.
9. Incorporate sensory activities into family functions (i.e., let them sit on a bouncy ball at the kid’s table for dinner, make snow angels, etc.).
10. Discuss realistic expectations for holiday events and family functions prior to their occurrence to avoid stress and disappointment.
11. It is all right to say “no” to anything that you think may cause undue stress to you, your family, and/or your child/children.
12. Enjoy the holidays!
This information was obtained from: Fraser
http://www.fraser.org
Nov 27, 2007
Early Signs of Autism Risk
Early Signs of Autism Risk
The following signs may indicate a child is at risk for atypical development and is in need of an evaluation, according to First Signs, a group promoting early diagnosis of developmental disorders.
No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by 6 months or later
No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by 9 months or thereafter
No babbling by 12 months
No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
No words by 16 months
No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
Any loss of speech, babbling, or social skills at any age
Peg Rosen, a mother of two, is a writer in Montclair, New Jersey.
Originally published in American Baby magazine, January 2005.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Five distinct areas of development are flagged for consideration. All parents should consider these "Big Five" if they suspect that their child may have autism.
1) Does the baby respond to his or her name when called by the caregiver? Within the first few months of life, babies respond to their own name by orienting toward the person who called them. Typical babies are very responsive to the voices of familiar people, and often respond with smiles and looks.
In contrast, infants later diagnosed with autism often fail to respond to their own name. That is, when called by name, they tend to turn and look at the person only about 20% of the time as found- in the videotaped one year-old birthday parties of children with autism. They also are often selectively responsive to sounds. They may ignore some sounds and respond to others that are of the same loudness. Thus, they may fail to respond to their parent calling their name, but immediately respond to the television being turned on. It is not unusual for parents to suspect their child has a hearing loss.
2) Does the young child engage in "joint attention"? Near the end of the first year of life, most infants begin to join with their caregivers in looking at the same object or event. To aid in this process of "joint attention", typical infants begin to shift their gaze from toys to people, follow other's points, monitor the gaze of others, point to objects or events to share interest, and show toys to others. These behaviors have a distinct sharing quality to them. For example, the young infant may point to an airplane flying over head, and look to the parent, as if to say, "do you see that!"
In contrast, young children with autism have particular difficulties in jointly attending with others. They rarely follow another's points, do not often shift their gaze back and forth from objects to people, and do not seem to share "being with" the caregiver as they watch and talk about objects, people, or events. They also tend not to "show" a toy to the parent.
3) Does the child imitate others? Typical infants are mimics. Very young infants can imitate facial movements (e.g., sticking out their tongue). As early as 8-10 months, mothers and infants say the same sounds one after another, or clap or make other movements. Indeed, imitation is a major part of such common infant games as pat-a-cake and So Big ("How big is baby? Soooo big!" as infant raises hands to sky).
Young children with autism, however, less often imitate others. They show less imitation of body and facial movements (waving, making faces, playing infant games), and less imitation with objects.
4) Does the child respond emotionally to others? Typical infants are socially responsive to others. They smile when others smile at them, and they initiate smiles and laughs when playing with toys and others. When typical infants observe another child crying, they may cry themselves, or looked concerned. Somewhat older infants may crawl near the person, pat, or in other ways offer comfort. These latter behaviors are suggestive of empathy and are commonly observed among children in the second year of life.
In contrast, children with autism may seem unaware of the emotions of others. They may not take notice of the social smiles of others, and thus may not look and smile in response to other's smiles. They also may ignore the distress of others. Several researchers have now shown that when an adult feigns pain and distress after hitting herself with a toy, or banging her knee, young children with autism are less likely to look at the adult, or show facial concern.
5) Does the baby engage in pretend play? Someone once noted that "play is the work of children." Young children love to pretend-to be a mother, father, or baby, to be a firefighter or police officer. Although children start to play with toys around six months or so, play does not take on a pretend quality until the end of the first year. Their first actions may involve pretending to feed themselves, their mother or a doll, brush the doll's hair, or wipe the doll's nose. Nearer their second birthday, children engage in truly imaginative play as dolls may take on human qualities of talking or engaging in household routines. Children may pretend that a sponge is a piece of food, a block is a hat, or a plastic bowl is a swimming pool that contains water.
In contrast, the play of children with autism may be lacking in several ways. The young child may not be interested in objects at all, paying more attention to the movement of his hands, or a piece of string. If interested in toys, only certain ones may catch his interest, and these may be used in a repetitive way that is not consistent with how most children would play with the toy. They may be more interested in turning a toy car upside down and spinning the wheels than pushing the car back and forth. Overall, pretend qualities are nearly absent in the play of children with autism under 2 years of age.
It is important to note that in each of the 5 areas we have flagged, we are most concerned with behaviors that are absent or occur at very low rates. The absence of certain behaviors may be more difficult to pinpoint than the presence of atypical behaviors. But concerns in any of the above areas should prompt a parent to investigate screening their child for autism. Several screening measures are now available, and information from the screener will help to determine if the parent should pursue further evaluations. If the parent is convinced their child has autism, then they should seek an evaluation with an expert in autism. Most likely, this evaluation will involve an interview with the parents to obtain a complete developmental history of the child, and direct observations of the child in different situations.
Five Early Signs of Autism
from The Exceptional Parent - December 6, 2002
For more articles visit www.bridges4kids.org.
The following signs may indicate a child is at risk for atypical development and is in need of an evaluation, according to First Signs, a group promoting early diagnosis of developmental disorders.
No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by 6 months or later
No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by 9 months or thereafter
No babbling by 12 months
No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
No words by 16 months
No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
Any loss of speech, babbling, or social skills at any age
Peg Rosen, a mother of two, is a writer in Montclair, New Jersey.
Originally published in American Baby magazine, January 2005.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Five distinct areas of development are flagged for consideration. All parents should consider these "Big Five" if they suspect that their child may have autism.
1) Does the baby respond to his or her name when called by the caregiver? Within the first few months of life, babies respond to their own name by orienting toward the person who called them. Typical babies are very responsive to the voices of familiar people, and often respond with smiles and looks.
In contrast, infants later diagnosed with autism often fail to respond to their own name. That is, when called by name, they tend to turn and look at the person only about 20% of the time as found- in the videotaped one year-old birthday parties of children with autism. They also are often selectively responsive to sounds. They may ignore some sounds and respond to others that are of the same loudness. Thus, they may fail to respond to their parent calling their name, but immediately respond to the television being turned on. It is not unusual for parents to suspect their child has a hearing loss.
2) Does the young child engage in "joint attention"? Near the end of the first year of life, most infants begin to join with their caregivers in looking at the same object or event. To aid in this process of "joint attention", typical infants begin to shift their gaze from toys to people, follow other's points, monitor the gaze of others, point to objects or events to share interest, and show toys to others. These behaviors have a distinct sharing quality to them. For example, the young infant may point to an airplane flying over head, and look to the parent, as if to say, "do you see that!"
In contrast, young children with autism have particular difficulties in jointly attending with others. They rarely follow another's points, do not often shift their gaze back and forth from objects to people, and do not seem to share "being with" the caregiver as they watch and talk about objects, people, or events. They also tend not to "show" a toy to the parent.
3) Does the child imitate others? Typical infants are mimics. Very young infants can imitate facial movements (e.g., sticking out their tongue). As early as 8-10 months, mothers and infants say the same sounds one after another, or clap or make other movements. Indeed, imitation is a major part of such common infant games as pat-a-cake and So Big ("How big is baby? Soooo big!" as infant raises hands to sky).
Young children with autism, however, less often imitate others. They show less imitation of body and facial movements (waving, making faces, playing infant games), and less imitation with objects.
4) Does the child respond emotionally to others? Typical infants are socially responsive to others. They smile when others smile at them, and they initiate smiles and laughs when playing with toys and others. When typical infants observe another child crying, they may cry themselves, or looked concerned. Somewhat older infants may crawl near the person, pat, or in other ways offer comfort. These latter behaviors are suggestive of empathy and are commonly observed among children in the second year of life.
In contrast, children with autism may seem unaware of the emotions of others. They may not take notice of the social smiles of others, and thus may not look and smile in response to other's smiles. They also may ignore the distress of others. Several researchers have now shown that when an adult feigns pain and distress after hitting herself with a toy, or banging her knee, young children with autism are less likely to look at the adult, or show facial concern.
5) Does the baby engage in pretend play? Someone once noted that "play is the work of children." Young children love to pretend-to be a mother, father, or baby, to be a firefighter or police officer. Although children start to play with toys around six months or so, play does not take on a pretend quality until the end of the first year. Their first actions may involve pretending to feed themselves, their mother or a doll, brush the doll's hair, or wipe the doll's nose. Nearer their second birthday, children engage in truly imaginative play as dolls may take on human qualities of talking or engaging in household routines. Children may pretend that a sponge is a piece of food, a block is a hat, or a plastic bowl is a swimming pool that contains water.
In contrast, the play of children with autism may be lacking in several ways. The young child may not be interested in objects at all, paying more attention to the movement of his hands, or a piece of string. If interested in toys, only certain ones may catch his interest, and these may be used in a repetitive way that is not consistent with how most children would play with the toy. They may be more interested in turning a toy car upside down and spinning the wheels than pushing the car back and forth. Overall, pretend qualities are nearly absent in the play of children with autism under 2 years of age.
It is important to note that in each of the 5 areas we have flagged, we are most concerned with behaviors that are absent or occur at very low rates. The absence of certain behaviors may be more difficult to pinpoint than the presence of atypical behaviors. But concerns in any of the above areas should prompt a parent to investigate screening their child for autism. Several screening measures are now available, and information from the screener will help to determine if the parent should pursue further evaluations. If the parent is convinced their child has autism, then they should seek an evaluation with an expert in autism. Most likely, this evaluation will involve an interview with the parents to obtain a complete developmental history of the child, and direct observations of the child in different situations.
Five Early Signs of Autism
from The Exceptional Parent - December 6, 2002
For more articles visit www.bridges4kids.org.
Nov 11, 2007
CARD Conference
CARD is holding their 15th annual conference in Lake Mary! Several excellent presenters will be there and we are really looking forward to it. We are lucky to have it in our own back yard this year. There is a free day for educators on January 25.
Read more about it here: https://secure.ucf-card.org/conference/conference.php
Nov 7, 2007
Oct 30, 2007
Prompts
The following infomation is about the use of prompts for students with ASD. Verbal prompts are the least intrusive of prompts. They can be ineffective for students with severe language delays. When using verbal prompts with students with ASD, less is more and the fewer words are used, the easier it often is for the child to process.
INDEPENDENT: The student knows how to do this task without any help from you.
INDIRECT VERBAL (IV): An indirect verbal prompt tells the student that something is expected but not exactly what. Example: "What next?" "Now what?" Start here when using the increasing hierarchy.
DIRECT VERBAL (DV): This is a direct statement of what we expect the student to do or say. Example: "Come here." "Put the glass on the counter." This level of prompt requires that the student be able to follow your direction. If the indirect verbal assist didn't work, move to this level.
GESTURE: Pointing, facial expression, mouthing words silently or otherwise indicating with a motion what you want the student to do.
MODELING: Modeling is simply showing the student what you want him or her to do. You do not physically touch the student. In order for modeling to work, the student must know how to imitate another person's actions.
PARTIAL PHYSICAL ASSIST (PPA): As the name suggests, a partial physical assist is less intense or intrusive than a full physical assist. If full physical assist is hand-over-hand, the partial physical assist can be visualized as providing minimal supportive guidance--touching the wrist to stabilize handwriting and encouraging the student to jump without actually lifting his or her body off the ground are two examples of providing PPA.
FULL PHYSICAL ASSIST (FPA): Hand-over-hand assistance to complete the targeted response. This is usually used when the target response is motor in nature. For example, a full physical assist might entail putting your hand on the student's hand and moving the student's hand through the action of writing his or her name. If the student is learning to jump up and down, providing a full physical assist would mean physically lifting the student up and down in a jumping motion. You will know before you start teaching if the student will need this type of assistance. If so, use the decreasing prompt hierarchy instead.
Information obtained from:
Homeschooling Kids With Disabilities. URL: http://www.members.tripod.com/~Maaja/
The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children with Autism and Related ...
By Mary Barbera, Tracy
INDEPENDENT: The student knows how to do this task without any help from you.
INDIRECT VERBAL (IV): An indirect verbal prompt tells the student that something is expected but not exactly what. Example: "What next?" "Now what?" Start here when using the increasing hierarchy.
DIRECT VERBAL (DV): This is a direct statement of what we expect the student to do or say. Example: "Come here." "Put the glass on the counter." This level of prompt requires that the student be able to follow your direction. If the indirect verbal assist didn't work, move to this level.
GESTURE: Pointing, facial expression, mouthing words silently or otherwise indicating with a motion what you want the student to do.
MODELING: Modeling is simply showing the student what you want him or her to do. You do not physically touch the student. In order for modeling to work, the student must know how to imitate another person's actions.
PARTIAL PHYSICAL ASSIST (PPA): As the name suggests, a partial physical assist is less intense or intrusive than a full physical assist. If full physical assist is hand-over-hand, the partial physical assist can be visualized as providing minimal supportive guidance--touching the wrist to stabilize handwriting and encouraging the student to jump without actually lifting his or her body off the ground are two examples of providing PPA.
FULL PHYSICAL ASSIST (FPA): Hand-over-hand assistance to complete the targeted response. This is usually used when the target response is motor in nature. For example, a full physical assist might entail putting your hand on the student's hand and moving the student's hand through the action of writing his or her name. If the student is learning to jump up and down, providing a full physical assist would mean physically lifting the student up and down in a jumping motion. You will know before you start teaching if the student will need this type of assistance. If so, use the decreasing prompt hierarchy instead.
Information obtained from:
Homeschooling Kids With Disabilities. URL: http://www.members.tripod.com/~Maaja/
The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children with Autism and Related ...
By Mary Barbera, Tracy
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