Structured & Child Led Activities
When you look at your teaching/therapy style how would you describe it to someone else? Do you tend to lean towards a very structured plan and systematic activities, or do you prefer to engage in more child led activities? Maybe a mix of both? I do not think there’s a...
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...
Sorry, Not Sorry
During a lunch conversation with a friend the other day I was reminded that typical adults and children need to be aware of individuals with autism just as much as kids with autism need to be taught to function in the world around them. It goes both ways. We get...
Ollie’s Year in Review
I figured it was time for a follow up on The Autism Helper’s star member and favorite doggo, Ollie! For those of you that missed my first blog post, Ollie is my loyal pup who I was lucky enough to get therapy certified. This school year was his first year as a working...
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...
The Benefits of Social Skills Groups
Social skills groups are important for all children. Social skills groups can create learning opportunities for children to practice what they have learned in real life situations. These groups help children make friends with the support of their teachers or...
Focus on Five: Teaching Conversation Skills
Teaching conversation skills is an important life skill that helps students learn to communicate and build social relationships. We often forget that we indirectly learned conversation skills growing up, however, our students need direct instruction on initiating and...
Teaching at the Farmer’s Market
Spring has sprung which hopefully means somewhere near you is a blossoming Farmer’s Market! I love going to the Farmer’s Market – fresh produce, flowers, local meat, and fresh squeezed lemonade – it’s my favorite place to spend a Saturday morning. But what I love most...
Tips & Tricks for SEL at Your School!
Implementing Zones of Regulation Instruction School-Wide Working with students with high behavioral support needs, we routinely find ourselves discussing adaptive and maladaptive behaviors, and the importance of skill acquisition. But, when we step back and look at...
March Fun!
As a special education teacher working in early childhood (both in the classroom and in homes), some of the most language-promoting activities I have done involved following a visual recipe. Now of course with COVID-19 and different protocols, this may have thrown a...
Improving Home-School Connection
Let's Connect We often talk about creating relationships with students. Research shows again and again that relationships are the cornerstone of all growth. The same can be said for the relationship between home and school. It's one that needs to be created, nurtured,...
Getting Started with Visuals
Soapbox moment. Visuals are some of the most incredible supports you can use with individuals to help facilitate language understanding and communication. Working with the tiniest of tots these days, introducing visuals as early as possible has been key with so many...
The Communication Work Task Mega Pack in Action
In the market to beef up your independent work task activities? Look no further, the Communication Based Work Task Mega Pack has it all. If you keep up with The Autism Helper team, then you know how much we all love and vouch for student independence. This resource...
What’s in the Fridge Activities
I recently saw a colleague using the functional life skills adapted book series in her classroom with older students and I just fell in love! I knew I had to find functional and engaging ways to use these with my young learners. Check out how I modified and extended...
Using The PPLAC For Play With Our Learners
Play is important for all people in all grades. In the classroom, at a center, in the home, everywhere! Play is the best way for all learners to experience their world and connect with peers and adults within their environment. Did you know that play serves a purpose...
3 Ways to Increase Opportunities for Inclusion
Inclusion is more than just plopping a student into a general education setting and calling it good. Being actively inclusive means that regardless of the potential barriers, all student's needs are considered and addressed; ensuring that they have the same...
The Undercover Autistic in School
How do you know if you are average or different? Well most likely someone had told you that the particular actions you do fit under the normal or abnormal category. Or perhaps you made a judgment of your own by examining those around you and making your own...
Scaffolded Receptive Language Activities
I love working on receptive language skills…at all ages! Between birth and about 11 months of age, when we think of receptive language skills, we look for turning of the head when someone is speaking to him/her, turning towards a noise, and briefly stopping an...
The Beauty of a Therapy Dog
Adding a dog into an already chaotic and busy classroom may seem overwhelming. I can barely find time to let myself go to the bathroom, let alone time to take my dog, Ollie, out during the school day. Do all my students feel comfortable with this 65 pound fluff-ball...
Navigating Child Led Play
The whole premise behind the coaching model in the Infants and Toddlers world is to provide services within the child’s natural environment using what the family has within the home. If I always brought in toys to play with then took them with me after the session,...