I have been working with children with autism for over a decade. While I worked, I put myself through college and now in my second Masters' I am in my second year of teaching in a Kindergarten, First, and Second grade classroom for children with autism.
I have 6 students this year, 5 boys and one girl. My staff consists of two instructional assistants.
I get many questions about what it is like in an SDC classroom for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). I can only speak to the classrooms I have worked in, and taught in. I have worked in some awful rooms, and I have taught in two wonderful ones.
My current classroom receives many observers. Often the observers are college students fulfilling a teachers ed. program requirement. The first thing I tell them is, if you've seen one special education classroom, you've seen one special education classroom. I recommend new teachers visit many classrooms in many schools before deciding what and where to teach. My classroom, I assure you, it is not typical.
School districts generally give you four walls for your program, and there are undoubtedly desks or tables, but in my experience, that it where the program design ends for the district. The program is designed by the teacher. Every program is as unique as the teacher and students are. That is one reason smart parents shop programs. I know I would! And I would take someone in the know with me!
As far as my room is concerned, there are far more academics going on than many expect, in fact I have had some general education students sent to me to help catch them up with the rest of their class. Structure, ABA, discrete instruction, organization, and really loving my students are all part of what is making magic for 6 wonderful children this year!
Panorama
Having a super husband helps!
3 comments:
I recently got a job teaching in an autism program. I have 6 students, 4 boys and 2 girls, and two instructional aids. For the most part my students are very low functioning and I am struggling with classroom management and instructional strategies. When redirected my students experience extreme meltdowns that many times result in self injurious behaviors. I feel completely lost. Do you have any suggestions that can help tame my wild room?
I recently began teaching in an autism classroom and I am experiencing some challenges with classroom management and instructional strategies. I have six students who all have low functioning ASDs. I have tried whole group instruction and small group instruction but my students always seem to experience severe meltdowns when redirected. Everything I try seems to fail completely. I am totally lost. Can you give me any suggestions to improve my classroom?
Hi Erin... I understand how overwhelming beginning a year with severe behaviors can be. There are a variety of ways to tame the wildness :)
In my classroom I look at environment as well as behaviors. I keep my lights at half, it is more calming. I redirect using gestures rather than repeated verbal instructions ( I give the verbal one time) we point to the chair, we point to the large picture of the rule expectation that we read every morning. I have posted a picture of " the big four" we work on everyday. The big one is..no teaching can happen if we are not in chairs...
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