Using TAH Resources With Older Students
One part of my OT assignment includes working in a life skill program for high school students 14-18 and a transition program for students 18-21 years old. The focus of these programs includes learning important skills to prepare for adult life. As an OT, I work...
Reading In An Early Childhood Classroom
I have met more and more young children interested in literacy. Although reading is not a skill we expect to be mastered at this age, I do not want to hold them back. Whether I am working with friend's children, my child, clients, or students, literacy is an important...
Moving Beyond Requesting (Part 6): Comparing and Contrasting
This is the conclusion post in a series called Moving Beyond Requesting. Previous posts highlight how to teach increased feature, function, and category vocabulary, negation, using those concepts in greater complexity, and describing. If you didn't read part 5, I hope...
Back to School Tips
First Day of School Tips I'm going into my 18th year of teaching, and I still have butterflies in my stomach at the thought of the first day of school. That healthy mix of nerves and excitement has me out of bed and up early that first day, excited to meet my...
Moving Beyond Requesting (Part 5): Describing
Welcome back to the fifth part in this series called Moving Beyond Requesting. If you haven't checked out parts 1-4, they would be helpful, especially Part 1. In this series, I have talked about how to teach concepts that lead to an increase in spontaneous commenting...
How To Include Functional Gross Motor and Recess Activities
In all of my years of teaching, recess has never been my all time favorite time of the day. I love the time for our learners to get outside, enjoy nature, let out energy, play with peers, and have fun, however, I have experienced a lot of frustrations and tears due to...
Standards Based Read Alouds and Core Language Boards
Due to popular demand, I am here to show you a read aloud using a core language board! It has been incredible seeing the empowerment among teachers and their students through learning how to use core language. You can literally infuse core language everywhere. In...
Using Core Language Boards During Storytime
Mission: Core BoardsAs an early childhood special educator turned Infants and Toddlers specialist, my mission is to spread the love and engagement with core language as much as possible. I have slowly started teaching families and now daycare centers how to use core...
Moving Beyond Requesting (Part 4): Teaching Negation with Increased Complexity
Hey! This is is the fourth part in a series called Moving Beyond Requesting. If you haven't read Part 3: Teaching Negation, I encourage you to check it out! Parts 1 & 2 discussed teacher feature, function, and category concepts and vocabulary in two levels of...
Creating Core and Fringe Boards
One of my goals as an Infants and Toddlers home service provider was to infuse core language and visuals into homes and daycares as much as possible. I understand it can be daunting for even teachers to utilize (core performance anxiety) so empowering parents and...
Moving Beyond Requesting (Part 3): Teaching Negation
"Don't do that." "That's not nice." "You shouldn't be doing that." "That isn't a nice thing to say." "Won't you stop?" "We can't go yet." You will hear these and other similar sentences in any hall or classroom and any school. These sentiments are often unavoidable...
Vehicle Themed File Folder Activities
My theme these past few weeks has been all about vehicles. I’ve been using vehicle themed adapted books, sorts, games, and other fun activities to work on various language skills with my students. To add to my vehicle fun I created a set of Vehicle Themed File...
Power Core Words in Action!
Last time I talked about a focus shift called Power Core Words. If you need a refresher of this, check out my last post here! I love using power core words because it creates a natural action plan for teachers and families, helps with generalization of language in...
Counting and Sorting Vehicle Fun
I’m finishing up my vehicle themed adapted book series this week with the book “How Many Vehicles Do You See?” This book is great to continue to build up those vehicle vocabulary terms while also working on those number concepts. I paired the book with a fun vehicle...
Moving Beyond Requesting (Part 2): Combining Feature, Function, and Category Concepts
Hey! Welcome to the second part in this series called, "Moving Beyond Requesting". If you didn't read part 1, Feature, Function, and Category, check it out! In part 1, I describe teaching feature, function, and category vocabulary and concepts and why I think they are...
Play Targets, Language Targets, and Free Cheat Sheets
This post turned out to be an unplanned part 2 of my blog How To Set Up Structured Play Boxes! After pulling some toys and getting the boxes we wanted together, we had to create ways in which the team would use them. How would these boxes benefit our learners the...
Power Core Words at Home and in School
If you know us here at the Autism Helper, you know our passion for increasing and encouraging communication! Everyone has a right to communicate, and it is our job as educators, therapists, providers, parents, assistants (ie: everyone) to find ways do this! Now, as...
What Color is the Vehicle? Adapted Book and Free Vehicle Themed Bingo Games
I’ve been using my vehicle themed adapted books paired with a variety of vehicle themed activities to work on all sorts of language skills with my students. This week I’m using the book “What Color is the Vehicle?” to work on color concepts while also learning common...
How To Use Structured Play Boxes
I enjoy seeing all of the growth in all areas of development for all of our learners. This is because of our structured environment, visual supports, and many other curriculum and strategies that are put in place in our structured classroom. Independent play, play...
Creating Themed Learning Baskets
As a special education teacher turned infants and toddler’s provider, I find myself incorporating many of my teaching methods within the home. We function as a coaching model and I have been challenged to find ways to reach families where they are at and with the...