Need Classroom Strategies Please

[Guest guest]

My son, 8, third grade, Aspie/HFA was always in the general ed setting with

supports but last year my 4 yr old got leukemia and our lives have been upside

down. My son took his clothes off and agressed on the teacher and they put him

into an autism contained class. He is misplaced in this class since these peers

do not talk and are not academically on target. I have fought the school system

to get him back in the gen ed setting but I think they had another agenda and I

could not persuade the team to change his placement.

I have worked hard with him over the last year and he remains close to academic

level and his IEP gets him into the gen ed class for 8 hours a week. Not nearly

enough but better.

Yesterday I meet with the gen ed teacher who says he is very successful in her

class without support for several hours a day and she would support my IEP

request to get him in a more LRE setting. Her only concern is that (since I

don't medicate) she needs to keep him engaged so that negative behaviors don't

surface and disrupt the class.

Hence my request for the BTDT crowd -

What strategies can the teacher use to keep him engaged in the classroom without

an Aide so that he doesn't disrupt the class.

Although I have been a lurker on the site I would really appreciate your help

and I promise to contribute more in the future.

Cheryl

[Guest guest]

And why can't they provide an aide if that is what is needed? IDEA requires

a " least restrictive environment " that works for the individual child. If

that is in the regular classroom setting with a paraprofessional (aide)

dedicated to your son, then that's what they need to provide.

That said, below is the text from a PDF I found somewhere regarding

classroom ideas for children with Asperger's. My son's teacher found this

helpful. Also, see this link:

http://www.specialed.us/autism/asper/asper11.html for other information on

the same subject.

CLASSROOM IDEAS FOR CHILDREN WITH ASPERGER'S

1. ROUTINES: Classroom structure should be kept consistent and

predictable. Children with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) need to be able to

anticipate each day's events. Change and the randomness of school settings

often support environments that create high anxiety for AS children. Where

possible, arrange the day in advance with visual supports such as

pictures/graphics depicting the different activities. Visuals are necessary

for most AS children and will make teaching easier as they find it hard to

concentrate on lots of words and verbal directions, which often have to be

repeated. Visuals are permanent and can often describe an activity very

quickly and effectively.

2. VISUAL SUPPORTS: Where possible, always have visual support aides to

assist the child's understanding. AS children experience difficulty

comprehending, and visual supports assist both meaning and short-term

memory. Visual memory is often far better than their auditory memory. You

will find them useful for many children and it will help in not having to

constantly repeat yourself. Visual supports are particularly useful in

transition times between activities as well as during unstructured times,

which are often problematic. The whiteboard can be set up to show the day's

events, or a simple handout can be given to explain how a particular

activity has to be completed.

3. RULES: Ensure your classroom is organised, structured and well managed.

Children need to know what they can do and what they can't do. Simple class

rules can assist with the effective management of students and can be

reinforced when rule following behaviour occurs. In addition, when rules are

not followed there should be appropriate consequences, which relate to the

rules and can be applied as soon as possible. Sending a child to the

Principal or suspending them for a classroom infraction may not have any

meaning and may actually reward the inappropriate behaviour. Classroom rules

could be worded like this:

I WILL BE A FRIEND TO MY CLASSMATES

I WILL TALK QUIETLY

I WILL PUT UP MY HAND WHEN I NEED HELP

I WILL BRING PENCILS AND PENS TO CLASS

I WILL FOLLOW THE TEACHER'S DIRECTIONS

These types of rules require teaching e.g. what does " friend " mean, what

does " talk quietly " mean. These rules will be more effective if they are

supported by visuals and placed around the classroom on each wall where they

are clearly displayed and can be referred to

4. PLAYGROUND: Often the most difficult time for many AS children is in the

playground as they are noisy, unpredictable and maybe unsafe (e.g.

bullying). These times often create anxiety in AS children and most would

prefer not to have to go to the playground but instead choose a quieter area

such as the library or classroom. If possible, allow some flexibility during

these times where children can access both the playground as well as a

quieter area. This will allow for the development of better playground

behaviour and decrease anxiety as well as offer the child a calmer place if

necessary. Some schools have also introduced structured play activities such

as sand pits, car tracks, and interest clubs such as chess, computers,

music, telephone books, street directories. etc.

5. COMMUNICATION: AS children can find verbal and non-verbal (e.g. facial

expressions) communication difficult to understand and memorise. In

addition, many AS children can have a high level of verbal communication

however they may not necessarily understand everything they are

communicating. When communicating with an AS child you should:

.. Simplify your language - only use key words and simple phrases

.. Be literal and avoid sarcasm

.. Express one idea at a time and say things in the order that they

will happen

.. Give specific choices rather than open ended ones (eg. " Would you

like to read a book or play on the computer? " instead of " What would you

like to do? " )

.. Give plenty of time for a response - children with Asperger's need

extra time to process verbal

.. Talk in a normal, calm voice - angry and loud voices may trigger

poor behaviour

.. Clarify meaning with the child to ensure that they do understand

.. Use positive statements - if a child needs redirecting, tell him or

her what to do instead of what not to do

6. Homework: Due to the often obsessive nature of AS children, the end of

school is just that - the end of school. It is very difficult for many AS

children to understand that they have to do school work at home. If homework

is non-negotiable allow the AS child to complete work which they have

already mastered (practice) rather than ask them to do work which requires

learning new material. Assignment work needs to be well planned and broken

down into small sections -arrange the questions/topics in small chunks with

visual supports and ask the child to complete a number of small exercises

rather than giving it all at once.

7. Empathy towards others: Many AS children lack the ability to have or

show empathy towards others. They don't seem to have the ability to " stand

in the other person's shoes " or take another person's perspective. For

example, AS children may find it difficult apologising to another child for

hurting their feelings, trying to feel what another person feels, imagining

they are somebody else (eg. a convict settling in Australia), or how they

felt during 9/11. AS children require help to recognise the effects of their

actions on others and will need to be taught how to identify and respond to

emotions appropriately.

***********************

Our supports for our 5th grade Aspie:

Pre-alerting to the day's routine and to changes in routine. My kid knows

in advance when the fire drill is going to happen and they step in to make

sure he doesn't freak out about it.

Daily check in/check out procedure (here's what we're doing today . . .

let's check your assignment book and make sure you have all your homework

and understand what it is your need to do before you leave). Helps him prep

for the day and gives opportunity to do that pre-alerting, described above.

Written directions, repeat directions and check for understanding of

directions for classroom assignments (i.e., *before* he gets all freaked out

because he's not sure what to do).

Sensory breaks, both scheduled 2x per day outside the classroom in the OT

room and in class as needed (teacher gives break when she recognizes need

and DS is now also advocating for a break--usually a " doodle break " when he

is becoming overwhelmed).

Sensory kit in the classroom with fidgets, etc. - stress ball, that kind of

stuff. Not all of this worked for my son, but it's something you should

explore.

Teaching the child to recognize when he is becoming overstimulated (using

the ol' " how is your engine running? " method) and calling attention to it

when it happens so that he can learn to recognize this about himself and

then learn to self-advocate for a break or eventually self-calm.

Check lists - our son doesn't need a lot of picture cues, but he does

benefit from check lists. That way, he doesn't have to remember every

little detail or step. He can refer to the check list. Step-by-step

instructions are also good.

Chunking of work - i.e., don't give him the whole packet or have him to all

30 math problems at once. Have him do one page of the packet or the first

row of problems, and check in with the teacher.

Hope this helps . . .

( ) Need Classroom Strategies Please

> My son, 8, third grade, Aspie/HFA was always in the general ed setting

> with supports but last year my 4 yr old got leukemia and our lives have

> been upside down. My son took his clothes off and agressed on the teacher

> and they put him into an autism contained class. He is misplaced in this

> class since these peers do not talk and are not academically on target. I

> have fought the school system to get him back in the gen ed setting but I

> think they had another agenda and I could not persuade the team to change

> his placement.

>

> I have worked hard with him over the last year and he remains close to

> academic level and his IEP gets him into the gen ed class for 8 hours a

> week. Not nearly enough but better.

>

> Yesterday I meet with the gen ed teacher who says he is very successful in

> her class without support for several hours a day and she would support my

> IEP request to get him in a more LRE setting. Her only concern is that

> (since I don't medicate) she needs to keep him engaged so that negative

> behaviors don't surface and disrupt the class.

>

> Hence my request for the BTDT crowd -

> What strategies can the teacher use to keep him engaged in the classroom

> without an Aide so that he doesn't disrupt the class.

>

> Although I have been a lurker on the site I would really appreciate your

> help and I promise to contribute more in the future.

>

> Cheryl

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

Cheryl,

I have been fighting the fight for the last 2 years with my 8 year old aspie

daughter in 3rd grade. and she is mainstreamed

we are finally having a PPT on jan.7th " with a advocate " . mainly because of all

the situations you had named.

make sure you listen with a very loose ear.

schools will lie through their teeth by saying " your child is doing fine without

help from an aide " which actually translates to " your son needs constant

attention, but the money the state has given our school system to care for your

son was allocated toward other school things that dont involve your son at all,

so we took the money needed for several aides and only hired 1 to cover 3 to 4

classes. and unless were caught, we will not abide by anything you want or

need. " .

sorry but tha is what we have run into constantly. i am sure not everyone on

this site will agree with me, but it sounds like you have just as sneaky and

untruthful a school system we have here.

if you say " my son gets! " , the school system (leagally) says " yes! " .

in otherwords, the advice from the first response you got to your question was

right on the money.

You say " GIVE " and they say " HOW MUCH? " .

end of story.

hope this helps.

>

> My son, 8, third grade, Aspie/HFA was always in the general ed setting with

supports but last year my 4 yr old got leukemia and our lives have been upside

down. My son took his clothes off and agressed on the teacher and they put him

into an autism contained class. He is misplaced in this class since these peers

do not talk and are not academically on target. I have fought the school system

to get him back in the gen ed setting but I think they had another agenda and I

could not persuade the team to change his placement.

>

> I have worked hard with him over the last year and he remains close to

academic level and his IEP gets him into the gen ed class for 8 hours a week.

Not nearly enough but better.

>

> Yesterday I meet with the gen ed teacher who says he is very successful in her

class without support for several hours a day and she would support my IEP

request to get him in a more LRE setting. Her only concern is that (since I

don't medicate) she needs to keep him engaged so that negative behaviors don't

surface and disrupt the class.

>

> Hence my request for the BTDT crowd -

> What strategies can the teacher use to keep him engaged in the classroom

without an Aide so that he doesn't disrupt the class.

>

> Although I have been a lurker on the site I would really appreciate your help

and I promise to contribute more in the future.

>

> Cheryl

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Cheryl,

Did you get any responses to your request for suggestions that would keep your son busy during class ??

From: cheryl <cjl_urban@...>Subject: ( ) Need Classroom Strategies Please Date: Friday, December 18, 2009, 6:42 AM

My son, 8, third grade, Aspie/HFA was always in the general ed setting with supports but last year my 4 yr old got leukemia and our lives have been upside down. My son took his clothes off and agressed on the teacher and they put him into an autism contained class. He is misplaced in this class since these peers do not talk and are not academically on target. I have fought the school system to get him back in the gen ed setting but I think they had another agenda and I could not persuade the team to change his placement.I have worked hard with him over the last year and he remains close to academic level and his IEP gets him into the gen ed class for 8 hours a week. Not nearly enough but better.Yesterday I meet with the gen ed teacher who says he is very successful in her class without support for several hours a day and she would support my IEP request to get him in a more LRE setting.

Her only concern is that (since I don't medicate) she needs to keep him engaged so that negative behaviors don't surface and disrupt the class. Hence my request for the BTDT crowd - What strategies can the teacher use to keep him engaged in the classroom without an Aide so that he doesn't disrupt the class. Although I have been a lurker on the site I would really appreciate your help and I promise to contribute more in the future.Cheryl------------------------------------