Autism Classroom Resources Blog
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Christine Reeve shares autism resources and tips for the classroom, homeschooling, and virtual learning. Her goal is to develop strategies and materials to provide meaningful and practical support to teachers and caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other related disorders.
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
5d ago
This life skills math task box idea will be great for any students who need to work on measuring using measuring cups, spoons and other tools in the kitchen. This is a great opportunity for students to practice measuring dry ingredients (although you could add wet ingredients depending on the mess factor) using a variety of tools.
I really love this life skills math task because measuring is something I find students learn more successfully when it’s hands-on for them. Abstract worksheets are ok for practice, but they don’t substitute for actually using a measuring cup or a measuring spoon.
Gr ..read more
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
1M ago
Over the years I’ve met many life skills teachers who struggle with how to effectively teach telling time to their students. Sometimes we fall back on presenting time materials more than the explicit instruction our students benefit from most.
Teaching telling time can be complex, though, in that we tell time in different ways: analog and digital. We use different time telling tools (e.g., watches and clocks). And some students will learn to estimate the time, learning the skill to the quarter hour for instance. While others will master telling time to the exact minute.
The Importance of Telli ..read more
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
2M ago
Whole group instruction is often one of the most challenging parts of working in a special education classroom, particularly in a self-contained classroom. Sometimes just keeping students engaged throughout the group time is the first challenge. But even when you get them engaged, how do you assure that they are learning?
Why Bother with Whole Group Instruction?
Let’s start with WHY we should be doing whole group instruction. As a behavior analyst, I have met many teachers and behavior professionals who think that, particularly for students with autism, that we shouldn’t focus much on whole gr ..read more
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
2M ago
If you are a special educator looking for Valentines Day activities, you have come to the right place! I am a strong believer that all ages in special education classrooms should celebrate holidays, but that the activities should still focus on their goals. So in this post I’m sharing some different Valentine’s Day activities that range in age from preschool to secondary. I’ve got some language resources, circle time, and life skills tools for you, plus there is a free download at the end for working on vocabulary!
Valentine’s Day Activities: Adapted Interactive Books
These 2 sets of interacti ..read more
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
4M ago
Years ago I did an 8 day countdown to the end of school for winter break with a free holiday resource each day. Those freebies are still available so I wanted to make sure you knew about them and where to find them if you didn’t catch them the first time.
Every year, I update the Winter Break social story in my store. That project began with a mini color book social narrative for the winter holidays. It’s all updated for 2023-2024. You can read more about it here and you can download it for free in my TPT store HERE.
Free Holiday Resource #2
The next one is also in my store. In ..read more
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
4M ago
Let’s face it, downtime in the classroom is not your friend, but strategies for student engagement are! I’ve talked about the magic of engagement in this episode of the podcast. Essentially, engagement is magical because when students are actively engaged in activities, you see fewer challenging behaviors and students learn more. But engagement is also important because it’s a lot easier to maintain student engagement than it is to try to get it back once you’ve lost it.
Downtime is the Opposite of Student Engagement But Isn’t Always Expected
“Downtime if Not Your Friend” as a colleague of min ..read more
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
5M ago
“I Spy” printables for playing the game are my secret weapon for killing time and getting kids excited about learning new words and chatting more. I whip them out when we’re stuck waiting for the class before us to finish, or when we’ve got a few surprise minutes before switching activities. I’ve played “I Spy” with all kinds of kids to help them learn all sorts of things, but it’s a real gem when it comes to boosting their vocabulary.
You’ve probably played the classic “I Spy” game before, right? You know, “I spy, with my little eye, something…” and then you drop a hint. It’s a super fun way ..read more
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
6M ago
I have talked about autism classroom design a lot on this blog and this podcast. And that’s because I truly believe that getting the classroom setup well makes a world of difference throughout the year with student engagement and behavior.
The troubleshooting part of autism classroom design is one of the most important, because, trust me, no one gets a final schedule (or zoning plan) right on the first try. And if you do, I’m sure that times for things you can’t control will change and you will have to change it again.
I know that the constant tweaking and reviewing is tiring on top of everyth ..read more
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
6M ago
An adapted book can make such a great addition to our teaching tools for so many skills. But it can be difficult figuring out how to use them with a group where some students may be nonverbal, others might be working on vocabulary, another might be learning when to talk in a group etc.
In other words, the great thing about an adapted book is that it is adapted to learner needs. And the tough thing about an adapted book is trying to make sure it can fit ALL the students needs.
So today I am talking about 5 easy strategies for including diverse learners and I’ll also talk about how to differenti ..read more
Autism Classroom Resources Blog
6M ago
Over the years, I have worked a lot with anxiety in students with autism spectrum disorders. And one of the most difficult parts of that work has been getting the students to use self-management strategies (cued by adults or independently). Often they don’t want to stand out or look different.
The irony, of course, is that often that anxiety itself, or the outward behaviors like aggression that sometimes stem from it, makes them stand out more than using some breathing techniques would. This becomes really frustrating when you know that they are capable of using the strategies independently, b ..read more