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Autism Classroom Setup

Autism Classroom Setup: 10 Things Every Autism Classroom Teacher Needs from Amazon

The other day I was walking in Wal-Mart and I was so sad to see back to school stuff! Fourth of July picnic and party supplies are not even on final clearance yet… why are they reminding me that school will be back in session before I can even toast my buns on the grill and down my summer adult beverage.

The one thing that does satisfy my summer relaxation and obsession with school perfection is shopping for school supplies. I have even taken to letting my kids order their school stuff on Amazon as opposed to schlep the whole crew to the store and fight the impulse buys and the marker boxes that are not exactly what was on the back to school list. They like it and with my Amazon Prime subscription, it comes to my house shipping-free and hassle-free.

This year is the first time I will order my back to school essentials from Amazon as well. With all the browsing and price comparison, I thought I’d share my order top 10 so you can see what I think are essentials for every teacher in Autism Units or Self-Contained settings.

Social Skill Building Tips

Social Skill Building Tips for Students with Autism

You take your students out on a Community Based Trip and they… well, they stick out. You work in the classroom all the time to get your students to interact in socially appropriate ways, but it’s just not sticking when you get out in public. What can you do?

AAC and Sentence Stems

I was recently in a classroom with a teacher who loved the article here at Noodle Nook about students with Echolalia and has been working with a particular student on that. She, however, is still struggling with authentic response and this student meeting their writing goal.

‘Ideas?’ She asked…

Of Course!

Try AAC and Sentence Stems!

AAC and Sentence Stems

Helping a Child with Autism Sleep Better

Kids with Autism who get a poor night’s sleep often have problems with behaviors at school- that may be aggression and agitation, social withdrawal and isolation, or even sleeping in school. So what to do? This is a conversation worth having with parents, and may help you get through your day a little better!

Get Control! A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Behaviors in an Autism Unit

Better Outcomes in Autism Units

Better Outcomes in Autism Units Then end is near! Some of you will be ending your school year so soon you can practically taste it…… Read More »Better Outcomes in Autism Units

Things are going great in class and then a student’s behavior derails everything! What do you do? Here’s the three steps to take to get things back on track!

Autism Behavior Management

So things are going well, and then they aren’t.

When you have students with behaviors in the classroom it can set off everything and everybody.

It gets out of control, FAST!

Best Websites to Stop Summer Regression in Special Ed

Seeing regression in students with significant disabilities is heartbreaking… but how do you keep them engaged and learning over the summer? Here are the 3 best websites to stop summer regression!

Academic Activities with Comm Boards

I was in a LIFE Skills classroom last week and the teacher told me she never used the Communication Boards that came with the adapted stories. I gasped.

What a waste!

There a literally more than a dozen activities you can do with a Comm Board. Don’t believe me? Read on!

Are you looking for more ways to build vocabulary with students who use AAC devices?

Using AAC More in the Classroom

Recently we challenged our readers to start using AAC more in the classroom to ensure that every student has choice and voice. Hopefully you had an opportunity to download the freebie associated with that challenge. If not click here to read the article and get a free AAC tool to incorporate into your classroom.
Did you rock out that challenge?
Are you looking for more ways to build vocabulary with students who use AAC devices?
We’ve got some great ideas for you!

IEP De Minimis

The Supreme Court found that we need to do more than de minimis… but what does that even mean?

5 Ways to Guarantee you’re more than minimus to keep your IEPs out of court!

Supreme Court Ruling in a Nutshell

Several federal laws established how we educate students with significant disabilities. That includes IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education). The United States Supreme Court heard the Endrew F. vs. Douglas County School District case and ruled providing FAPE requires we “enable the child to make progress appropriate in light of his circumstance”.

That, my friend, is as clear as mud. I have heard campus administrators, classroom teachers, and parents of students with disabilities all talking about how this ruling will revolutionize how we educate students with significant disabilities. I, however, am not sure there will be much of a change.

In order to shed some light on the subject, let’s break this down.