snagglebox: For Teachers

Showing posts with label For Teachers. Show all posts

Learning How To Ask For Help

One area that I’m focusing on with Max at the moment is helping him to figure out when he needs to get help.

Like a lot of autistic kids, he finds it difficult to know when or how to go about getting it - shoe laces that come untied, a homework question that he’s stuck on, even some pretty serious injuries are all suffered in silence until they happen to come to my attention.

It's that time of year again! The post-winter/summer school field sports day. I have to say, apart from photo day this was probably the most dreaded event on the whole school calendar for me.

Here's a post I wrote last year that will come in handy if you've got kids or students who might struggle with events like these.

How To Include Autistic Kids in Field Sports Day

Yes, I Am One Of Those Parents

The way autistic kids play is often called unusual because it’s different to what you see in typically developing kids - there’s less role playing, they can become obsessed with a particular type of toy or just one part of it and often play with objects that aren't traditionally considered to be toys.

But is that a problem? When should we be lending autistic kids a hand with their play, and how do we do that?

Are you a parent, teacher or caregiver who is struggling to cope with meltdowns?

You're not alone. Meltdowns are common amongst kids with autism or sensory processing disorders, and can be a frightening, confusing, frustrating and exhausting experience for everybody involved.

The key to managing meltdowns is not only understanding why they happen and how to intervene, it's being able to remember what to do when you're smack dab in the middle of all that stress and chaos.

And that's exactly what The Super Useful Guide To Managing Meltdowns is all about - a proactive approach to taking control ahead of time so you can help everyone make it through, including yourself.

When Attie was younger his preferred method for dealing with overwhelming situations was to run away... and since almost everything in his day was overwhelming for him, this meant he was constantly bolting for the nearest door.

And he’s not alone - it’s common to hear words like escape artist and runner used to describe autistic kids. This need to run off, seek out or explore other places is called wandering and recent data suggests it’s much more common than previously realized.

I hope you’ll indulge me in a little ranting, because I've had it up to here with my job.

(Spoiler: This is not about my job)

Afraid to try.
Afraid of making mistakes.
Meltdowns after getting it wrong.
Obsessed about fixing errors.
Incredibly high standards.
Perfectionist.

Does this sound like anyone you know?

When we moved house a couple of months ago, I came across a folder that the school had given us when I pulled the kids out to homeschool. It was full of notes and progress reports, only some of which I'd seen before.

On the last day of school I had shoved it into a box in the garage because I was so completely traumatized by anything with the word 'school' on it, and the garage is where things go to be forgotten.

It's a good thing I did, because putting some distance between us and the school meant that reading through the file this week only made my heckles go up to 3 instead of 11.

You might already be using Pinterest as a pinboard for useful articles, your favourite posts or cool photos from around the web, but did you know that you can also use it to make a quick choice board for your kids?

Do your autistic kids have a new teacher this semester? Are you a teacher who has an autistic student for the first time? Then this guide can help!

This downloadable ebook is designed to help teachers get a feel for what to expect and how to make their new student comfortable in the classroom. It includes sections on making schedules and visual supports, getting to know your new student and understanding common autistic behaviours.

You can download a sample of the kit below, or get the full version using the Buy Now button which will take you via the PayPal* checkout to the download link.

PDF ebook - 77 pages - 12MB

$5.00

Do you have kids in your class who like to wriggle, move around, bite their nails or doodle when you need them to concentrate?
Then they might benefit from the use of a fidget toy.

This free booklet explains what fidget toys are all about, with lots of ideas for stuff you can find around the home or classroom.

Field day, sports day, athletics carnival... no matter what it's called where you live, these annual school sporting events can be hard for kids with autism or sensory processing disorders.

Often held in the spring or autumn, these day-long events require kids to compete in different sports or activities (athletics, egg and spoon or sack races) set up at stations around a playing field.

While a lot of kids enjoy the break from being in the classroom, others find it noisy, chaotic and confusing. So let's take a look at why, and some things you can do to make the day more fun for them...
so everyone can join in!

Dear teachers,

Sometimes the challenges of having autistic kids can make it hard for us to do all of the things that you might expect from parents... making sure homework gets done, listening to reading, bringing in supplies, volunteering our help or making it to meetings on time.

We know this must be frustrating for you. It might even seem that we're not trying or don't care. But please know that we might have some really good reasons...

In part one we looked at some of the reasons why transitions are difficult for autistic kids, now let's figure out how to help.

For autistic kids, heading back to school after the winter or summer break means one thing... transitions.
Big ones.

Transitions are a big source of stress for these kids, so let's take a look at some of the reasons why and what you can do to help make them easier.

The Trouble With 'Pay Attention'

Step into any classroom and you’ll hear it twenty times before lunch - ‘Pay attention!’
But did you know that it’s one of the least effective ways to ask autistic kids to focus?
Here’s why...

Do I Know You? Tips For Face Blindness

“Please hand these report cards out to the class”

My son’s heart pounds as he takes the pile and turns towards the room full of strangers. Strangers he’s spent every day with for the past two years. He looks at the name on the top of the pile - Emma Landry. It’s a name he knows well, since he hears it every morning during roll call and they spent three months working on a Science project together last semester. But he can’t tell you if she’s sitting in the room.