autism » Special Education and Learning Differences

Our last winning blog post comes from Cindy in Oklahoma City, OK. Cindy is a Special Education Teacher to 5th and 6th graders with special needs. She has paired rhymes and manipulatives with multiplication facts that brings success to her students learning their ‘facts.’

The Project: Multiplication with Manipulatives.

I teach multiplication facts to my 5th and 6th grade students with special needs using manipulatives and catchy rhymes. My students are low achievers who have special needs that prohibit them from being successful in the general education classroom. The program I use for teaching multiplication facts helps my students reach goals, develop self-confidence, and feel successful. I make multiplication facts concrete and fun! When my students learn and apply these facts, they are proud of themselves.

I work to motivate my students and encourage them in all areas of learning. I have seen students learn these multiplication facts and their feeling of self-worth soars. Learning multiplication facts may seem insignificant, but when this small thing can turn a child from having low self-esteem and feeling worthless, it is a huge thing! I will continue teaching multiplication facts this way, reaching out to my students, hoping they will see their worth and that they are not failures.

Learning Objectives:

My students are given a foundation for math application by learning their multiplication facts in elementary school. I teach my students a rhyme or “trick” for each fact using manipluatives to make it a concrete learning experience. Students keep track of facts they know, showing them progress toward a goal. Students work together to learn the facts, and they encourage each other along the way. Once students have mastered all the multiplication facts presented, we celebrate their achievement.

Materials:

I use small manipulatives, such as plastic spiders or toy worms to teach the facts. Some facts are acted out by the students to help them internalize the facts and remember them. I present the facts in many ways using a SmartBoard, dry erase boards, chalkboards, computer games, and worksheets to reinforce and meet all students’ needs and learning styles. We play games with the multiplication facts as well.

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Brought to you by We Are Teachers partnership with PCI Education for the Fall 2011 Teacher Grant: http://www.weareteachers.com/teaching-ideas/grant/teaching-idea?app=18477&grantId=75

Our next exciting teaching idea comes from Jackie of Piedmont, SC, a Special Education Teacher who works with special needs students. She has developed a unique emotional “outlet” for her students to express themselves. It is such a great success students and parents alike ask if Jackie will hold the event each year!

The Project: Poetry Slam.

An annual poetry slam is held for special needs students in my self-contained classes. We spend a whole month (April-National Poetry Month) creating original works of poetry. The students range from severe learning disabilities to emotional/behavioral issues. We have a poetry slam, held in a “coffeehouse” atmosphere. There is not a dry eye in the house once these kids reach the podium and deliver their poems filled with love, fear, acceptance, and inspiration. Self confidence triumphs!

Learning Objectives:

The learning experiences through this Poetry Slam are endless. Their reading fluency and comprehension skills increase but more importantly, self confidence soars. These students do not always have an “outlet” for their emotions. Having them create works of poetry without the worry of the mechanics of writing instills a sense of freedom. Their true feelings of self worth and importance comes shining through their poems. People look forward to their poems each and every year!

I look forward to this Poetry Slam and the month of April every year. Everyone who attends this rewarding experience ask if I am doing it the next school year. To see these students who struggle in so many areas of their lives come alive through their writing makes me cry tears of joy. Poetry month ends up being very therapeutic for the students and everyone involved. I am so glad this experience happens every year.

Materials Needed:

Every year I borrow the props for the poetry slam. This proves to very time consuming. We also ask for donations for the refreshments after the slam. I would love to purchase a stool, podium, poetry books, floor lamp and video camera to capture each and every moment. I could purchase dvds so each student could have the event to take home to enjoy for years to come. Having video equipment and the props will help this annual event come alive!

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Brought to you by We Are Teachers partnership with PCI Education’s Teacher Grant Asks: http://www.weareteachers.com/ideas/partnerask/teachingidea?app=17055&grantId=75

From Struthers, Ohio, Laurie is an Intervention Specialist for students Pre-K through 4th grade. Laurie helped an autistic student, Michael, learn how organize his day and thus be more in control of himself. Michael’s success with this idea in elementary school carried over to middle school success to be fully included. Now that is a terrific teaching tool!

The Project: Michael’s Magical Transformation.

Michael is an autistic student who as most autistic children had a difficult time initiating conversation with other people, tantruming, and adapting to change easily. We began with a binder with his daily schedule and slowly added pictures of who he was to greet daily, a feelings page, social stories and other pages as the need arose. As the binder got heavier and more organized, Michael felt more in control of his days and gained self control in all areas. His success has carried over to middle school.

Learning Objectives:

Since initiating this binder with our Michael, we have also used the idea with other students who had difficulty with similar things. The binders are interactive (velcro) so that the students can manipulate their choices and feel more in control of their daily lives both in school as well as out. They will learn the skills that they need to function better whether they are ADD, ADHD, LD or autistic. It will help them to focus on their particular needs for the school day and life skills.

We have used this system that we used for Michael with other students in our district that had similar needs. This system has worked with other autistic students but also just as well with students who had ADD or struggled with organizational skills. Michael is now an 8th grader fully included at our Middle School. He no longer tantrums at school or at home. Yay, Michael!

Materials:

3 ring binders, notebooks, daily schedules, velcro, markers, laminating materials, dry erase markers & erasers.

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Brought to you by We Are Teachers partnership with PCI Education’s Teacher Grant Asks: http://www.weareteachers.com/ideas/partnerask/teachingidea?app=16862&grantId=75

by Jill Haney

As an author of reading and language arts programs for students with special needs, I make a point to read the research about best practices for teaching students with intellectual disabilities. As the mom of a 4-year-old child with autism, I am constantly learning how to take advantage of teachable moments for both of us.

Two weeks ago, my daughter had her 7-year-old birthday party at a local bowling alley. My son, Alex, has always enjoyed watching bowling (whether live or on TV when we are using the Wii), but this was the first time my husband and I offered the bowling ball to him. And it was an amazing experience.

Frame One: Observer

I often find in teaching our son new skills that my husband is much more proficient than me in guiding our son to be independent. Bowling was a good example of that. On Alex’s first turn, I held the ball and guided him up to the line and then used hand over hand to get him to push the ball so it would roll down the lane. Alex clearly enjoyed it, but he was more of an observer than a participant.

Frame Two: Active Participant

The next time Alex was up to bowl, my husband guided him to the ball return, pointed to the ball, and let Alex pick the ball up and carry it himself. Then he guided Alex up to the line and gestured to Alex to push the ball down the lane. He helped a bit, but this time Alex was clearly the participant, not merely an observer.

From then on, Alex became more and more independent taking his turn to bowl. Yes, there was the time when we turned our backs for a second to cheer on our daughter and found Alex wandering down someone else’s lane. And, yes, we still had to indicate to Alex when it was his turn, but the joy and pride I saw as he became a bowler in his own right was tremendous.

Classroom Implications

This past week, I had the privilege to observe a number of elementary and middle school classrooms for students with intellectual disabilities. The classrooms that struck me as highly successful promoted the same kind of independence my husband encouraged at the bowling party. The teacher and paraprofessionals were there to model and facilitate, but the students knew the classroom routine, what was expected, and had multiple opportunities to perform independently. And they did perform independently with obvious engagement and pride.

I will remember many things from my daughter’s birthday party: her joy at having classmates and friends bowl side by side, the lovely presents, and the fun we all had. But the most important lesson I will take away is the reminder that my son, like all children, can fully participate in activities and learn to complete an activity independently. As we create curriculum for students with intellectual disabilities, building in the routines and interactive activities that allow them to develop independence and confidence is the key to successful and long-term learning.

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Jill Haney

Jill’s responsibilities include managing the development of proprietary reading curriculums, training customers on PCI’s reading curriculums and other proprietary products, conceptualizing new products, writing sales and marketing literature related to the reading curriculums, staying current on reading and other educational research, overseeing the research conducted on PCI’s products, and staying current on federal and state legislation related to education.

Prior to her career with PCI Education, she was a national reading consultant and a seventh grade reading teacher. In 1999, she was named Teacher of the Year for San Antonio ISD and won the Trinity Prize for Teaching. Haney earned a BA with honors and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University in San Antonio. She has additional graduate reading hours from University of Texas San Antonio.

In Tuesday’s New York Times, Simon Baron-Cohen reviews the implications of merging Aspergers into Autism Spectrum Disorder in the American Psychiatric Association‘s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. He gives a solid overview of reasoning on both sides of the issue but recommends that we wait because we don’t yet know if there is a true difference at the biological level.

What stuck out for me was the clear distinction he makes between psychiatric diagnosis and medical diagnosis. Psychiatric definitions remain in flux and fixate on the symptoms only. Medical diagnosis goes deeper, and attempts to understand the biological mechanism behind the symptoms. He states:

“…psychiatric diagnoses are not set in stone. They are “manmade,” and different generations of doctors sit around the committee table and change how we think about “mental disorders.”

With this in mind some good Doctors are trying to merge Aspergers into ASD because the symptoms are the same. It seems tidier to them. I worry that losing the distinctions that do exist will not be useful in the classroom.

Without a deeper understanding, all of us who serve these communities will struggle to treat the symptoms without understanding the underlying causes. This isn’t about finding a “cure” – it is about providing effective tools that enrich the lives we touch. The needs of teachers (and publishers) run counter to the desire at the APA for concision. As we create resources to teach reading and other skills we need more finely defined distinctions, not fewer. That, after all, is what an INDIVIDUAL Education Plan is all about.

by Lee Wilson, President and CEO

Special Education and Learning Differences

Real Teachers-Real Strategies 9: Open Your Eyes Through These Hearts

Real Teachers-Real Strategies 8: A Magical Transformation

Lessons Learned Bowling

Aspergers vs. Autism or Aspergers = Autism