A Piece of the Puzzle

Back to School

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:26:20 -0500

School is finally back in session. Keep an eye out for some new things I’m working on. Also, I am hoping to get into graduate school to start working on my Master’s degree and BCBA.

Where and Prepositions Activity

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:04:01 -0500

Yesterday I was feeling a little bored with the same old routine I have at school, so I decided to come up with a quick activity for my language students other than having them do the same old worksheet. I threw together a little bulletin board with a plain tree, and velcroed some pictures of things to magnets. (Part of my chalkboard doubles as a bulletin board, and it’s magnetic!) I had a bird, a bear, some apples, a sun, a boy, and a monkey.

For the students whose IEP goals are following directions, I told them which picture to choose and where to put it (in the tree, beside the tree, above the tree, etc). For the students whose IEP goals are to answer “wh” questions, I asked them where the items were once they placed them in the correct location. “Put the bird in the tree.” ”Where is the bird?” “The bird is in the tree.”

You can use an activity like this several different ways. I also threw in big and small apples for discriminating sizes and teaching the concept of big and little. You can use different animals, different colored animals, different sized animals, etc…I was a little proud of this activity because I can use it over and over, and it’s a cute bulletin board, so it can stay up for a while. It also lets the kids get out of their seats, and they can learn by doing. I’ll post a picture soon.

The Power of Words

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:54:43 -0500

A few weeks ago at the Speech and Hearing Conference in Birmingham, one of the speakers showed a video called “The Power of Words,” by Judy Endow. It is about how “we” talk about people with autism, and how our language and how we use it has the power to make or break “them.” I had to do everything I could to hold back the tears, because I am guilty of saying and doing some of the things in the video. It really put things into perspective for me, and I hope you all get a chance to watch it if you interact with children or adults on the autism spectrum. $12 on Amazon.com. It was worth it.

Temple Grandin

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:42:23 -0500

I watched the movie “Temple Grandin” last night on HBO. If you have not watched it, I definitely recommend it. Claire Danes does such an amazing job, and I see a lot of the same behaviors in many of my students. I also feel that several of my students have so much potential, and I only hope I can help them open doors to discover new worlds, much like Temple’s family and science teacher did for her.

Temple Grandin’s website www.templegrandin.com

Reward Tokens

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:33:11 -0500

Sometimes, we have to motivate our students to complete tasks or behave in a certain or appropriate manner. A lady from a school for children with autism came and showed us some great things to use in a classroom for behavior intervention/motivation. Here are some reward tokens I use with my students of items that are highly motivating to them. Several of them love Thomas the Tank Engine, play doh, skittles, playing with cars or dinosaurs. Feel free to use some of these or make your own.

I start with a single picture and a First/Then Board (also in the file). Have a picture of what you want the student to do first (such as completing a worksheet, listen to a story, attend to circle time, etc), then they can have their reward.
Then as a student progresses, start having them to complete two tasks before they get their reward. I have included pictures to be cut in half for this step.
Finally, when a student can complete four tasks, I have made pictures that are divided into quarters. When they complete each task, put the picture together. When the picture is complete, the student gets their reward.
Of course, if you have a student who can do more, the pictures can then be cut into smaller squares and used throughout the day for a reward at the end of the school day, perhaps.

Positive reinforcement is very important, and most of the time, you will see a big improvement in behaviors if the students are properly motivated. The example I’ve heard numerous times is if you didn’t receive your paycheck, would you want to work? Most likely the answer is no. Money is motivating to us. Our job is to find out what motivates the student and allow them access to it when they do what is expected of them.

Reward Tokens http://www.mediafire.com/?emn4o4gjzij

Print, Laminate, Edit/Change them to fit your students, Add Velcro, and away with problem behaviors!

More Fun Speech Activities

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:20:00 -0500

Here are some links to a few activities I have found online for more “wh” questions. They are cute books, and the kids have enjoyed them.

What Monkey PDF http://www.mediafire.com/?nmmlbj1mz2y
Where Is Monkey PDF http://www.mediafire.com/?mtwzjjz4ozi
Why Monkey PDF http://www.mediafire.com/?mumohmnvm4w

The original website for the Monkey “wh” questions books is www.freeprintablefun.org. It is a great website with a lot of good things that you can adapt to use in therapy.

I created the Thomas book below along the same lines as the Monkey books. Thomas the Tank Engine is a huge motivator for many of my boys, so why not make something that they want to attend to…

What Thomas Powerpoint http://www.mediafire.com/?jymdtyzmjmj

Where Questions Powerpoint

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:48:00 -0500

Where Questions Powerpoint:

As a speech therapist in a school setting, I am always looking for fun and easy ways to create new activities for my students. I work with many children with autism and developmental delays, so many of them have difficulties answering “wh” questions. I made this powerpoint presentation into a book to not only teach the concept of “where” but to also increase receptive and expressive language skills.

I will be posting others that I have made, as well as other links to things I have used to work with my students on the autism spectrum.