Hi Everyone!  I hope you all had a great start to the new school year!  I can't believe how fast September flew by!  It's a new year and that means trying new things with my students!  I have used the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) for years in my classroom with success, however, my students always seem to get stuck on making sentences that start with "I want" and struggled with ..read more

When teaching students who are on alternative curriculums such as the HELP, it is important to track and monitor their progress. The most effective way to do this is by collecting data.Data should drive all the decisions we make. Data is used to determine if a goal is mastered, when to switch or add new targets or when to change teaching procedures to make greater progress. This information is ..read more

Today is the day I start setting up my classroom for the new school year!  It's a bittersweet day for me as it signals the end of my summer days of relaxation and rest, but the beginning of a new adventure with my littles!  Today I am setting up my classroom furniture and all of the visual supports.  Then I will start prepping for the first two weeks.  I have been teaching in the same classroom ..read more

Communication deficits are one of the core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). People with ASD can be slow to begin talking, or may not learn to talk at all; others may learn to produce words and sentences but have difficulty using them effectively to accomplish social interactive goals. Because communication is so important, everyone who works with the student has to know how to teach ..read more

Does anyone else delude themselves with thinking that this will happen?  LOL!  In all seriousness though, having your classroom well organized does make the day run more smoothly.  When your teaching materials are organized and everyone knows where everything is, it increases engagement in your students and you or you assistants don't waste any instructional time looking for needed materials ..read more

A few weeks ago, a reader asked if it was possible to conduct discrete trial training in pairs or small groups.  Well, the answer is YES!  One of the myths about DTT is that it has to be conducted one-on-one and I think that this causes a lot of teachers to avoid using it as they don't have the staff to provide one-on-one DTT sessions throughout the day.  I am fortunate in my classroom to have 3 ..read more

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! To show my appreciation for all of you, I have teamed up with some great SPED sellers to host a giveaway! One person will win an Erin Condren Planner and $130 Gift Card to TPT!!!  Good luck and thanks for all you do! a Rafflecopter giveaway ..read more

For special education teachers around the world, iPads open up a world of possibilities.  I have been using iPads with my students for 5 years now and am still learning about of all the features on them!  I love using iPads with my students because of the number of wonderful tools built into the system.  The accessibility options are perfect for a special education classroom like mine.  But, I am ..read more

Happy Friday everyone!  It's my day to post on the We Teach SPED page and since it's Friday, I thought I'd keep it light and simple!  I have been seeing lots of awesome posts on work task systems and ideas lately and wanted to share some of my favourite cheap and quick no prep, well almost no prep tasks. Paint Chip Tasks  Tell me I am not the only teacher who goes to Home Depot with a big purse ..read more

The desire for, and movement towards independence, is a typical developmental milestone for children. The feeling of accomplishment and competence is meaningful and motivating to children as they begin to complete tasks with minimal adult prompting or guidance. The goal of independence is a priority for all children, yet when working with children with ASD, independence is the key to successful ..read more