Blog Posts

HELP- What do for my Autistic Student who licks everything? Practical Tips and Tricks.

Autistic Student Licks Everything

Student with Autism Licks Everything

“My autistic student has licking habits.

She licks everything.

Everything means books, paper, plastic, the ground… all.

How should I teach her?”

-M. Basel

It can be a real challenge when students present behaviors that are extreme or that really cross the divide of what is socially acceptable.

Licking everything is one of those…

And having a student who licks everything is actually just a version of stimming behavior that’s so typical in students with autism. There’s no way for you to just expect a student with this type of behavior to suddenly stop.

Instead what you will have to do is redirect the behavior into something more acceptable and also more hygienic.

Read more on modifying activities and procedures in Active Learning Classrooms!

Modifying Activities for Active Learning

Teaching Active Learning is a tough job… and knowing what exactly to do with a class full of Active Learners is even tougher. So what… Read More »Modifying Activities for Active Learning

Assistive Technology in the Classroom with a FREE Printable of ideas and some implementation tips.

Using Assistive Technology in the Classroom

In the darkest corners of your closet, they are hidden. They’re rarely ever charged, scarcely used, and completely unhelpful. What are they? Your student’s AT.… Read More »Using Assistive Technology in the Classroom

$Freebie Friday from NoodleNook: Totally Free Printable!$

Freebie Friday from NoodleNook

Freebie Friday! Free activities for Autism Units, LIFE Skills, Self Contained and Early Elementary I wanted to celebrate the weather here finally getting where I… Read More »Freebie Friday from NoodleNook

Why Do Kids with Autism Kids Do That? Plus Teacher Tips to Help!

Why Do Kids with Autism Do That?

I have seen the power struggle first hand. A teacher, thinking they are doing the right thing and wanting to be in charge of a classroom, tells a kid with Autism to take their hands off their ears and work on an assignment in front of them. They students doesn’t comply. The teacher tries to coax or plead or force compliance… and they don’t succeed.

The question is, why do kids with Autism do that?

I think if teachers really thought about the answer to that question, they would address students in the classroom differently and really pick their battles.

I used to work with a boy whose Autism presented pretty severely. He was nonverbal, had a lot of repetitive behavior, including rocking, and he nearly always had his hands over his ears. When a hand was needed to do something, he would press his shoulder to his ear and use that instead. I had a new paraeducator working with me over a summer session and the first day she really insisted he put his hands down. He would do it for just seconds and then his hands would return to his shoulders. I told her to let him leave his hands there and she asked Why? Why does he do that.

Do you wonder too?

Read on!