This year a severely autistic child will join my class with a one-on-one aide.
Does anyone have any advice on how to make the addition a smooth one for everyone in class and how I can best utilize my aide so she is aware of what we'll be doing in class on a daily basis?
This particular student can quite the biter, spitter, screamer, tantrum thrower, etc. I don't want any possible behavior episodes to ruin our learning environment and best want to meet my autistic students needs.
Make a visual schedule. Ask with your speech or sped person if they have a schedule icon program. Ours does, and they are great since they are very specific and school related. If not, I would recommend this student's one on one starts the year of with a project...taking picture at each session of the day...morning meeting, lunch, recess, etc. and putting them in a pocket chart, book, or some other way this student can effortlessly access.
Always give warnings before changing activities. Perhaps a few more than you usually do. Like when there is 10 minutes left and then 5 minutes left..and then a 2 min clean up warning or changing activities warning.
Be careful with sarcasm, idioms, body or other nonverbal communication. Some times this is very confusing for real literal thinkers.
Have the child's aide work on feelings and emotions. Showing different models and examples daily.
Know that an important strategy for your student will be how they can ground themselves and feel in control of themselves. Give your aide the freedom to make the call when this student needs to leave the room and go for a walk. This can support their interest too. I had autistic student who loved creatures! His 1-1 would take him to see the turtle in the building and it was a way for him to calm down.
Have a box, tent, or other "special" area where all kids can escape to when they are feeling like they need a break.
Do not expect eye contact always, as that can be a challenge for autistic kids.
Watch for signs of self abuse...even if it seems small...do they put there feet under their chair? chew their mouth? Bang their head? etc. Sometimes these children have a higher level tolerance to pain.
My first reaction, although I support inclusion, is...is the Gen Ed setting the least restrictive environment for this student? IF this student demonstrates the behaviors you listed, you are going to have parents complaining about not only the safety of their children, but the effects of this student's behaviors on their child's education. Even with a one-on-one aide, these behaviors can occur, and if anything, you might have more disruption as he/she tries to intervene.
If the child demonstrates the listed behaviors it might be a sign that they are overstimulated and can't handle a large class setting for long periods of time. What about weaning him or her in during the subjects he or she is really good at or likes? It sounds like the student is going to need a lot of social coachng so you are so lucky to have an aide there to help, but thestudent needs to demonstrate success in self control and following directions in order to participate fully. Start in small increments, rewarding the success.
IF the behaviors aren't demonstrated and you just need help working with the aide, give her an idea of what your lessons are going to be that week, discuss how she can be utilized to help everyone. Sounds like he/she is going to need to make accomodations to the students work as well. I would almost start out by letting her completely focus on the student, and let you teach, and as things get into a routine, both of you will naturally see how you can take a team approach to the class. Share your plans to start, and let him/her get an idea of your teaching style and classroom management. Watching can be a great learning experience.
One last thing-I would prepare the class with a peer awareness training. Talk about the student with whatever language would be most appropriate about the student. Will the parents be ok if you tell the kids the child is autistic? IF so, make it a teaching lesson about Autism. Chart a list of strengths about the student and be honest with the kids about what might happen and why. Most importantly give your class a plan in case something major, like a meltdown, occurs. I train our teachers to give their kids a key phrase-such as Take 5. When the kids hear the teacher say this they know to go to the other side of the room and not watch, OR in some cases, leave the room calmly taking their materials with them, and not making eye contact with the upset student. Then they retreat to a safe room so that the upset student doesn't have an audience and everyone is safe. You should establish a CARE Team or a teacher to back you up for coverage.
WHEW! Good luck and keep us updated!
You guys have really made the stress level go down a bit! I'm going to get started on so many of the ideas you provided. I'm interested in seeing how I will have to modify his work. I know his skills are WAY below grade level--how do I have him sit through a reading session on the regions of the United States or learn about different types of weathering? Sometimes, it all seems too hard!
You are so lucky. I had two autistic students last year and an aid that came in for about an hour.
These are the interventions we used that made a huge difference:
Not only does he need a visual schedule, but we used a feeling thermometer and task board. On this board the feeling thermometer was on the left side of the board. The thermometer shows the numbers 1-5. If the student is at a 3, then they are feeling "okay". If they are a 4, they are angry. 5 means "very angry"...and often they act out when they are at a 4 or 5 because they had difficulty expressing and coping with the frustration they were feeling. I would usually ask my students "How are you feeling?" because they had difficulty expressing their feelings, the thermometer worked wonders because they would reply, "I'm a 3." If they were a 4, or I suspected they were struggling....I would tell them to choose a task. Talking about the problem increased the frustration level. Task cards were placed next to the number 4 and 5. These were tasks that would help the student calm down....blocks, drawing, computer. These are not a reward, but tasks that helps them cool off. It really worked!
I also attached an exit card by the door. If I noticed that the frustration level was increasing and my student was not responding to me, then I would give him an exit card and this allowed him to get out of the room for a cool down.
Homework was a real issue. The aid could help fill out the planner to ensure that the homework gets home. My two students had a real organization problem. On homework assignments, I would place a green sticker on the homework sheet meaning it needed to be returned to school. Red sticker on papers meant they could stay home. It was a system they understood and the parents loved it.
It was a challenging year, but worth it. I learned so much. Keep in contact with the parent and communication is key. Having extra help in class will help you greatly.
I was asked to keep a journal of communication between home and school. Write what the day was like, a good thing that happened so that the parents can have a conversation starter or two, and the parents did the same thing. This way I had an idea what the night was like. I would also be asking for time to meet periodically with the whole team to discuss how to help this child. You can have the aide do the journal. Have the aide and child near the door. THis way if an episode comes up, they can be ushered out the door. Training for protecting you and your students if the child does anything. Ask how to properly restrain the child to protect yourself from any potential problems.
Biggest thing is to be consistent. I always told this childs parent if I would be out, to prepare the child.
You should also see if the spec. ed department can help you periodically with "social stories". These are stories that help with understanding of procedures, proper behaviors, etc. They can be about anything. If I had a problem, then the spec. ed department would develop a story. My student was getting very upset while playing twister during indoor recess. He loved the game but there was always a problem when he lost the game. So they created a story that basically stated that it was okay to lose a game sometimes....sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. It also discussed how to react when you win or lose. It was very helpful. I think there is a program that was developed to create these books.
08-29-2007, 05:26 PM
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