Implementing the Time Management Resources
Time management and waiting are skills that not all learners have without being taught. In order to engage in large groups, small groups, and 1:1 learning opportunities, our learners will benefit from being taught how to wait and manage their time. When presenting...
Focus on Five: Incorporating AAC
I currently have two students in my classroom trialing AAC devices, and it made me remember trying to incorporate AAC when I first started teaching cluster. Coming from a general education and resource room background, I had no idea how to effortlessly use AAC in the...
Michelle’s Classroom Tour: Math Center
I’m so excited to talk about my math center instruction! For starters, my classroom is a TK-1st grade autism classroom. I structure our day with six different centers, which makes for a nicely structured environment. My centers include various subjects such as...
Practice Life Centers
Community-based instruction is an awesome opportunity for students ready to leave their school site and practice their independent skills in a variety of real-life settings. But, what about your students who need more than the typical classroom environment but are not...
How To Teach Rule Following
Rules and routines are a large part of classroom functioning. Management of the classroom and instructional control come from clear and concise definitions of rules. Creating rules as a group or individually does not always have to be a lecturing style. Teaching and...
5 Ways to Incorporate Fine Motor Skills into Task Card Activities
As a school-based OT, I am always looking for ways to embed motor and sensory opportunities into academic activities. Task card activities can be a quick and easy way to work on a variety of skills. The Autism Helper has a wide variety of options, including the Life...
Structured Morning Meeting
I am so excited to talk about and share my classroom’s structured morning meeting! My structured morning meeting is easily my favorite part of my day. During my structured morning meeting, my class focuses on skills such as calendar, weather, academic, and social...
Enhancing Literacy Instruction with Story Props
After almost 12 years of teaching tiny humans in the classroom, I have tried so many strategies to increase active engagement, attention and just overall fun with learning. Now I am with even younger children (birth to 3), and I have a lot of parents that say their...
3 Easy Hand Strengthening Activities
Having adequate hand strength is essential in order to perform many daily skills. Check out this post for more about hand strength and a few activity ideas to get you started. Today, I want to highlight 3 additional easy hand strengthening activities that you can...
Michelle’s Classroom Tour: ELA Center
Let’s talk about my classroom language arts center! My class is a TK-1st grade autism classroom. I structure the day with centers, which makes for a nicely structured environment for my students. My centers are all various subjects ranging from independent skills,...
Focus on Five: Academic Egg Hunt
Up until the pandemic, I had been doing an academic egg hunt for my students right before spring break. It was the last activity I was preparing for before school was closed down in 2020, so I am excited this year to do it with students in-person for the first time in...
TAH Curriculum: How to Organize and Use It In Your Classroom
As special education teachers, we don’t always have much curriculum to fall back on. As a self-contained teacher myself, I spent countless hours creating and planning outside of my contract time. That is until I discovered The Autism Helper’s curriculum and...
Basic Learner Skills & Literacy with Vehicles
My love for basic learner skills runs deep. If you are not sure what I am talking about, here is a post to get you started. I have always worked in elementary school settings and saw HUGE gaps in children when it came to trying to teach grade level standards. I was...
Math Skills and Milestones For Early Learners
Math lessons are often skipped over in early childhood classrooms. Math curriculums are not the easiest to find and most are hard to adapt to all of our learner's individual needs. As a teacher, I often struggled to come up with ways to teach early math skills as well...
Focus on Five: Number ID and Counting Instruction for Emergent Learners
Teaching number identification and counting is a common goal to work on with students who demonstrate emerging math skills. These emerging math skills also help students develop the skills of one-to-one correspondence and being able to read a variety of materials...
Michelle’s Classroom Tour: Task Box Center
I am so excited to show you my classroom’s independent task box center! Independent skills are a must-have in any special education classroom. In fact, the more independent skills we can teach and promote, the better! I have a total of four independent centers in...
Executive Function and Why It Matters In Your Instruction
Executive Functioning You couldn't pick a hotter topic in education right now if you tried! It seems like everyone is talking about executive functioning, and rightfully so! In fact, I believe that special education teachers should be leading the conversation! If you...
How Data Should Drive Instruction
Letting data drive instruction means just that. Review the data and see where students or clients have mastered skills and which skills should be targeted. Within most public school systems, the need for data taking and analyzing the data is a large need. When...
Focus on Five: Classroom Restaurant Experience
This year, I really wanted to make my social studies lessons more engaging and hands-on. Using The Autism Helper’s Social Studies Daily Leveled Curriculum (Level 1) as inspiration, we are starting units based off of Unit 2, “All Around Town” and creating interactive...
The Importance of Adapted Specials
If a student is having a hard time learning an academic skill, we teach them. If a student is lacking communication skills, we teach them. If a student is struggling with self-regulating, we teach them. So, if a student doesn’t have the skills to be successful in a...