Easing the Transition to a New Grade/Teacher – A Resource from Walkin on the Edge
I found this letter online last year and thought it was a wonderful resource. I sent it to a retired teacher friend (35 years of 3rd grade), who thought it was fantastic and wished it was something every parent would do. I put it together for my son and sent it in to his new teacher, as well as his speech and OT providers at the school. They appreciated it very much. His teacher, who had not had much experience with a student on the spectrum, told me it helped her a lot – especially with the eye-contact “thing”. Because she had and read this, she took the time to really watch when he didn’t appear to be listening. She saw that though the eye contact/APPEARANCE of attention wasn’t there, that the attention was. It really helped. I hope it can help others.
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A Letter To My Teacher – 15 Things About Me
Hi, my name is _________________________________and I am in your class this year. Read more
I found this letter online last year and thought it was a wonderful resource. I sent it to a retired teacher friend (35 years of 3rd grade), who thought it was fantastic and wished it was something every parent would do. I put it together for my son and sent it in to his new teacher, as well as his speech and OT providers at the school. They appreciated it very much. His teacher, who had not had much experience with a student on the spectrum, told me it helped her a lot – especially with the eye-contact “thing”. Because she had and read this, she took the time to really watch when he didn’t appear to be listening. She saw that though the eye contact/APPEARANCE of attention wasn’t there, that the attention was. It really helped. I hope it can help others.
****************************************************
A Letter To My Teacher – 15 Things About Me
Hi, my name is _________________________________and I am in your class this year. Read more
Sit With Us is a social networking app designed to promote kindness and inclusion in schools. Kids can use the app’s features to coordinate lunches with their friends. They can also volunteer to be Ambassadors for their schools and post open lunch events on campus where everyone will be included. No one needs to eat alone!
10 Colleges with Programs for ASD Students
You’ve probably heard of schools like the University of Michigan, NYU, and UCLA. They are some of the largest in the country in terms of enrollment. However, individuals with special needs may require additional assistance in and/or out of the classroom, which these schools cannot always provide due to the sheer size of the student body. Here are ten schools that provide programs for students with ASD that may fly under the radar for parents.
READ MORE
You’ve probably heard of schools like the University of Michigan, NYU, and UCLA. They are some of the largest in the country in terms of enrollment. However, individuals with special needs may require additional assistance in and/or out of the classroom, which these schools cannot always provide due to the sheer size of the student body. Here are ten schools that provide programs for students with ASD that may fly under the radar for parents.
READ MORE
An apology to my autistic students by Someone's Mum
I am sorry. I am a good human being – a good teacher, I think. I listen, I learn, I strive to be better. I know it is a great responsibility to shape young minds, young opinions. I thought I knew what it means to teach a pupil with autism. But experience has given me something knowledge never could and I am sorry; now I begin to understand.
Before I was the mother to my son – my son who I now know is autistic – I thought you might struggle to imagine as vividly as others. I see now that isn’t so; your minds can be quick and bright and colourful – like exotic birds, beautiful but unusual. Sometimes you just struggle to imagine things that are governed by the expectations, the minds, of others. READ MORE
I am sorry. I am a good human being – a good teacher, I think. I listen, I learn, I strive to be better. I know it is a great responsibility to shape young minds, young opinions. I thought I knew what it means to teach a pupil with autism. But experience has given me something knowledge never could and I am sorry; now I begin to understand.
Before I was the mother to my son – my son who I now know is autistic – I thought you might struggle to imagine as vividly as others. I see now that isn’t so; your minds can be quick and bright and colourful – like exotic birds, beautiful but unusual. Sometimes you just struggle to imagine things that are governed by the expectations, the minds, of others. READ MORE
10 Tips for Schools on Avoiding Confrontation with Parents From the Wrights Law website
1.Treat the parents with kindness and courtesy.
People who are treated with courtesy and kindness are less likely to become angry. If they do become angry, they are more likely to focus their anger away from you if you treat them nicely. Parents are much more likely to file due process hearings or complaints if they are treated badly.
2. Make parents feel like they are an important part of the IEP Team.
See that parents have all of the same information as other Team members. Send them copies of all reports and documents a week before the meeting. Parents who feel disenfranchised are more likely to get angry. When their opinions and views are ignored, they will be angry with you. READ MORE
1.Treat the parents with kindness and courtesy.
People who are treated with courtesy and kindness are less likely to become angry. If they do become angry, they are more likely to focus their anger away from you if you treat them nicely. Parents are much more likely to file due process hearings or complaints if they are treated badly.
2. Make parents feel like they are an important part of the IEP Team.
See that parents have all of the same information as other Team members. Send them copies of all reports and documents a week before the meeting. Parents who feel disenfranchised are more likely to get angry. When their opinions and views are ignored, they will be angry with you. READ MORE
On Education and Communication; A Message to Parents, Professionals and
People with Autism By Ido in Autismland
...My message is to parents who wonder if their child can learn. Only the most determined parents will find out. If you are working with experts like those from my early life, they limit your child in low expectations. They tell you that being impaired in body is being impaired in mind. They let you work on skills that barely progress and tell you that your child isn’t advanced enough to write.
If you keep on listening to them they will keep low expectations for a lifetime. I know it is hard to be the parent who disagrees. I watched my mom try to deal with my ABA team when I began to communicate at seven. I have watched our friends fight school district attitudes. They went through a big hard slog. They also got their kids typing and into general education. More than anything else, the parents believed in the possibility that their child had more in them than they were told. Parents, you have to trust your guts. You see your kid all day in real life. They see a drill or a lesson, and these moments where the motor issues of severe autism are at their worst.... READ MORE
People with Autism By Ido in Autismland
...My message is to parents who wonder if their child can learn. Only the most determined parents will find out. If you are working with experts like those from my early life, they limit your child in low expectations. They tell you that being impaired in body is being impaired in mind. They let you work on skills that barely progress and tell you that your child isn’t advanced enough to write.
If you keep on listening to them they will keep low expectations for a lifetime. I know it is hard to be the parent who disagrees. I watched my mom try to deal with my ABA team when I began to communicate at seven. I have watched our friends fight school district attitudes. They went through a big hard slog. They also got their kids typing and into general education. More than anything else, the parents believed in the possibility that their child had more in them than they were told. Parents, you have to trust your guts. You see your kid all day in real life. They see a drill or a lesson, and these moments where the motor issues of severe autism are at their worst.... READ MORE
Typing to Communicate & Busy Work by Emma's Hope Book
Typically in school life there is a certain amount of busy work that one is expected to do, forms that need to be filled out (repeatedly), words that you are expected to say whether you mean them or not, because it is what we as a society do. “It’s just the way it is,” we are told.
However, let’s say you cannot speak and must type to communicate. And let’s say you are in school where upon arrival you are expected to sit down, state write your name, what day of the week it is and the date. You are also expected to say write at least one sentence about the weather and another sentence to describe how you’re feeling. Now let’s also pretend that typing is really difficult for you and it takes you some time to do so in the best of circumstances. READ MORE
Typically in school life there is a certain amount of busy work that one is expected to do, forms that need to be filled out (repeatedly), words that you are expected to say whether you mean them or not, because it is what we as a society do. “It’s just the way it is,” we are told.
However, let’s say you cannot speak and must type to communicate. And let’s say you are in school where upon arrival you are expected to sit down, state write your name, what day of the week it is and the date. You are also expected to say write at least one sentence about the weather and another sentence to describe how you’re feeling. Now let’s also pretend that typing is really difficult for you and it takes you some time to do so in the best of circumstances. READ MORE
Science Solutions: Special Ed Accommodations
by Ariane Huddleston at the Science Penguin
I get a lot of questions about how I modify instruction and accommodate for Special Education students.
Here’s how I modified students’ instruction last year in a 5th grade science classroom. I had 10 students last year with an IEP (5 in two of my three classes). This seems like a lot of work and I’ll be honest, it is! But it was a good use of my time to see how successful my students were when they were provided with these accommodations. Of course since every student has different needs, different things are provided. This is just a summary of how I provided the accommodations. READ MORE
by Ariane Huddleston at the Science Penguin
I get a lot of questions about how I modify instruction and accommodate for Special Education students.
Here’s how I modified students’ instruction last year in a 5th grade science classroom. I had 10 students last year with an IEP (5 in two of my three classes). This seems like a lot of work and I’ll be honest, it is! But it was a good use of my time to see how successful my students were when they were provided with these accommodations. Of course since every student has different needs, different things are provided. This is just a summary of how I provided the accommodations. READ MORE
Video filled with lots of great points about education and employment.
Negatives are: Temple is from a generation where there was less awareness of the inaccuracy of functioning labels; She uses ableist language in that regard, and doesn't seem to be aware of the variation of abilities those who exhibit more greatly impacting symptoms are now understood to be capable of.
Negatives are: Temple is from a generation where there was less awareness of the inaccuracy of functioning labels; She uses ableist language in that regard, and doesn't seem to be aware of the variation of abilities those who exhibit more greatly impacting symptoms are now understood to be capable of.