While engaging in repetitive or restrictive behaviors is characteristic of students diagnosed with autism, you may need to develop a plan to reduce the behaviors if they begin to interfere with learning. Read on for tips on how to reduce repetitive scripting and help students focus on learning. WHAT IS REPETITIVE SCRIPTING? Repetitive scripting can look different from student to student. Here are a few examples of behaviors that fall in this category: Echolalia TV talk… or from a video, movie, etc. Repeating sounds or phrases  Repeating a song or part of a song over and over IS ALL SCR ..read more

Functional reading activities are a must in special education programs. We need to focus on various activities that students will need lifelong. These skills will help our students be more independent and improve their communication skills. Here are 10 MORE reading activities to use in your classroom to build functional literacy skills. Click HERE to read the first list. FUNCTIONAL READING ACTIVITIES FOR LIFE SKILLS Reading and understanding community signs: It’s not enough for students to be able to read the signs… they also need to know what they mean. Students need to practice this in a v ..read more

Many of the students we work with in special education programs struggle to focus and have sensory integration needs. When we combine these 2 things, we can help students have an easier time focusing on learning. Read on for tips on how to implement this approach and help students naturally attend. what are sensory integration needs? Sensory integration is a term thrown around a lot, but not always well understood. Sensory integration refers to how our bodies interpret and uses the information coming in from the environment. We take in this information from our senses. According to Sensory In ..read more

While it can be tempting to make your classroom look pretty, colorful, or “cute”, it isn’t always in the best interest of students. Read on for tips to make your classroom an effective learning environment and learn what to avoid. why classroom decor choices matter in special ed Decor may seem meaningless, but they can significantly impact classroom management. Your choices will make it easier or more difficult to self-regulate. Classroom decor impacts all students, but more so in special education programs. Here’s why: Students tend to struggle more with self-regulation and impulsiveness De ..read more

For most students, hands on learning is a great way to engage students and deepen understanding. But what do you do when manipulatives are too distracting for the student? Read for tips on how to engage these learners in hands on lessons without using little manipulatives that can be too distracting. How to determine if manipulatives are the problem Manipulatives are a great way to engage learners, especially in special education programs. There are many ways to teach addition, life skills, and concepts with manipulatives. However, We often notice right away if students are engaging in off-ta ..read more

If your students struggle with both communication and reading skills, then it’s time to integrate the skills into the same lessons. By targeting communication and reading activities together, students will develop critical life skills. Why add core words into reading lessons Core words are the most common words in communication. When you integrate those words into your reading activities and instruction, students can develop functional skills quicker than targeting individually. Benefits of combining core words and reading activities: More opportunities to practice and make progress Deeper u ..read more

It can be challenging to teach students how to effectively use visual supports and communicate boards when they’re in the habit of grabbing or playing with visuals. We know the student needs visual support, but we must restructure the system to help them be able to use or access the supports. Read on for tips on creating an effective system that allows students to use the necessary visuals. Why You Need A Better System For Visual Supports Many of our students need visual supports, but have some behaviors that interfere with their ability to use the visuals effectively. For example, you might ..read more

Being able to ask for help is an often overlooked, but needed life skill. Often, our students don’t just naturally pick up the skill. Instead, they need explicit instruction and lots and lots of practice in order to be able to request help when they need it. All of that practice… it needs to be varied. You need to change up the setting, materials, people, etc. during practice to help develop a functional skill. Continue reading to see how you can practice requesting help in your classroom. Keep reinforcers in containers An easy and motivating way to practice requesting help with your students ..read more

While many states have a set of adapted standards for students in special education, students may still struggle to meet the standards. There is hope! Use backwards mapping to create a plan for students to break through the barriers and start meeting standards. What is backwards mapping? Backwards mapping is when you start with what the end goal is. Then you work backwards to create a plan for achieving the goal or standard. Here are the steps: Chose a standard your students have trouble meeting. List out the skills the students need to have to meet it. Highlight the skills on the list that ..read more

Using games to target and review academic skills is highly effective, especially in special education. Not only is it engaging for students, but it also helps them to generalize their skills. Generalized skills mean students can use these skills whenever they need them! This post includes affiliate links How to choose a game to target academics Look for a game that you can add or change out cards to target skills. Here are some games that work well: Let’s Go Fishing (see below on how to incorporate academics) Guess Who (change out the people pictures to match your target skills) Cariboo (cha ..read more