1 / 39

Classroom Practices for Students with Autism

Classroom Practices for Students with Autism. Sarah Wareham 2011-2012 INCEC Special Education Teacher of the Year Connections Program, MSD of Wayne Township Indianapolis, IN. Connections Program MSD of Wayne Township.

lakia
Download Presentation

Classroom Practices for Students with Autism

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Classroom Practices for Students with Autism Sarah Wareham 2011-2012 INCEC Special Education Teacher of the Year Connections Program, MSD of Wayne Township Indianapolis, IN

  2. Connections Program MSD of Wayne Township • Provides programming specifically designed to meet the needs of students with autism within MSD of Wayne Township • Developed through a 2 year partnership with the HANDS in Autism Center, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health • Ongoing professional development on research-based practices for creating programming for students with autism • www.handsinautism.org HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  3. Objectives • Overview of practices important for creating programming for students with Autism • Examples of application of these practices within Connections Program • Ideas you can use to implement these practices in your setting

  4. Components of Programming • Environment • Assessment • Setting Goals • Teaching HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  5. Creating the Environment • Physical and Visual Structure • Schedules • Choreography HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  6. Physical Structure • The way the classroom is set-up • Tables, chairs, partitions, tape • Will change over time depending on students’ needs • Considerations • Build on strengths • Limit distractions • Preventive strategy for behavior • Increase independence • Tips • Use what you already have • Low cost (masking tape, curtains, etc.) • Loose vs. tight HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  7. Examples of Physical Structure HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  8. Visual Structure • Visual representation of information in the classroom • Considerations • Build on strengths • Increase understanding of expectations • Increase student independence • Supplements students’ processing of information • Tips • Don’t over stimulate with too much visual information • Only provide the support they need HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  9. Examples of Visual Structure HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  10. Schedules • Help students organize their day • External feedback for “what comes next” • Considerations • Build on strengths (visual processing) • Increase ability to handle change • Increase student independence • Decrease student anxiety • Types • Full Day or Mini—task or activity specific • Object/Picture/Word • Tips • Preferred/Neutral/Non-Preferred/Preferred • Each student will require a different level of schedule • Google Images and Microsoft Word are great tools! HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  11. Examples of Schedules HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  12. Choreography • The way in which staff and student schedules are coordinated • Considerations • Communication is key • Consistency • Staff areas of strength • Tips • Have a central area where master schedules are kept • Plan for meeting student needs when staff members are absent HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  13. Example of Choreography Schedules Student Staff Classroom Data Schoolwide HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  14. Components of Programming • Environment • Assessment • Setting Goals • Teaching HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  15. Assessing Student Skills • Formal and Informal • Behavioral HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  16. Formal and Informal Assessment • Formal • Standardized testing, unit/chapter assessments, psychological evaluation • Used to determine the amount of knowledge a student has accumulated—academic, functional, social • Informal • On-going, check for understanding, teacher observation • Used to determine where students are in their learning—academic, functional, social • Provides opportunities to assess emerging skills as well as work habits • Considerations • Programming requires a combination of both types • Both types should be used to inform your teaching • Appropriateness of assessment tool HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  17. Behavioral Assessment • Functional Behavioral Assessment • Used to determine the “why” behind a student’s behavior • “Behavior is communication” • Considerations • Environmental factors • What can we control as a school? • Data collection to prevent assumptions about function of behavior • Tips • Invite everyone the student is connected to • Bus driver, mentor, school counselor, parents • Build on student strengths HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  18. Components of Programming • Environment • Assessment • Setting Goals • Teaching HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  19. Using Assessment to Set Goals • Writing IEP Goals • Progress Monitoring HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  20. Components of IEP Goals • Benchmarks • Directly related to the annual goal • Specific interval and measure for each benchmark • Can be considered short-term goals, or small steps needed to reach annual goal • Annual Goals • Present Level of Performance (baseline data) • Observable • Measureable • When? • Where? • How? • By whom? HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  21. Example of IEP Goal and Benchmarks • Annual Goal • During work with teacher time, ____ will leave an appropriate space, width size of a finger, in between each word when copying a 5-word sentence from a model increasing from 0% of spaces to 75% of spaces by November 2013 as measured by weekly data collection. • Benchmarks • During work with teacher time, ____ will leave an appropriate space, width size of a finger, in between each word when copying a 5-word sentence from a model increasing from 0% of spaces to 20% of spaces by February 2013 as measured by weekly data collection. • 20% to 40% by April • 40% to 60% by September • 60% to 75% by November HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  22. Progress Monitoring • Provides evidence for student mastery of IEP goals • Considerations • On-going • Systematic • Probes presented without teaching supports • Informed by how goals are written • Tips • When writing IEP goals, have in mind progress monitoring • Create a schedule for when and how to progress monitor HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  23. Examples of Data Collection Tools HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  24. Components of Programming • Environment • Assessment • Setting Goals • Teaching HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  25. Teaching • Curriculum • Collaboration • Levels of Prompting • Behavioral Interventions • Task Analysis and Chaining • Tasks and Adaptations HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  26. Curriculum • Common Core Standards • ISTAR • Learning Skills • Social Skills • Communication Skills • Sensory Integration HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  27. Collaboration • General education teachers, school-based therapists (OT, SLP, PT), outside agencies, parents/family • Considerations • Individual areas of expertise • Keep everyone informed • Face-to-face vs. email vs. phone conversation • Tips • Send out agenda or questionnaire to participants before meeting • Parking lot HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  28. Levels of Prompting • The amount of intervention (i.e., support) a student requires from others • Considerations • Environmental factors • Allow for independence • Least intrusive • Tips • Step back and see what they can do on their own • Post the prompting hierarchy as a reminder HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  29. Prompting Hierarchy HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  30. Behavioral Interventions • Behavior Intervention Plan • System for programming for and responding to student behavior • Accompanies a Functional Behavioral Assessment • Considerations • Student strengths • Function of behavior • Positive behavior supports • Replacement skills to teach • Tips • Natural consequences (positive or negative) • Only use consequences that you can control! HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  31. Task Analysis and Chaining • Used to determine level of independence within an activity • Task Analysis • Breakdown of skills (i.e., steps) needed to complete an activity • Most useful for functional skills • Chaining • Integrating more support into activity • Task analyzing the skill and gradually decreasing level of support as each successive step is mastered HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  32. Example of Task Analysis HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  33. Tasks and Adaptations • What the student needs to learn while considering strengths and learning style • Considerations • Physical and visual structures within the task • Prerequisite skills needed • Visual Clarity • Visual Information • Visual Organization HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  34. Visual Information Communicates how to complete the activity, specific skills needed for application Examples: • Models • Teaching chart • Simplified directions • All materials needed presented Visual Organization How the teacher organizes the materials and space to increase student understanding and independence when working Examples: • Top to bottom • Left to right • Minimize distraction Visual Clarity Helping students identify important information within a task Examples: • Highlighting • Italicizing • Bold • Underlining HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  35. Work Systems • Provide structure within activity to show student how to complete tasks • Considerations • Left to right, top to bottom • Physical and visual structures • Student independence • Tips • Can be used for work with teacher and then transferred to work alone • Incorporate student areas of interest into system HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  36. Examples of Work Systems HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center, 2013

  37. Why is this important? • The Center for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 88 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. • These children learn in unique ways that traditional methods do not address. • Practices that are good for students with autism are good for ALL STUDENTS!

  38. How do I get started? Work through these practices systematically www.handsinautism.org HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training & Resource Center www.iidc.indiana.edu Indiana Resource Center for Autism www.teacch.com Center at University of North Carolina www.autismspeaks.org Advocacy organization www.corestandards.org Common Core Standards website www.doe.in.gov/achievement/assessment/istar ISTAR resources www.youtube.com Informational videos www.images.google.com Free resource for visual supports

  39. Questions and Comments

More Related