Circle time or morning meeting? While what we call it depends on the age of the students, the need to effectively teach skills during this time is still the same. So in this episode, I discuss the importance of targeting both curriculum skills and individual goals for various age groups, as well as the kind of skills to teach.

2:26 - Why circle time/morning meeting is a good time to address curriculum goals

3:08 - Five common areas to consider regarding general goals of morning meeting for the group

4:07 - The three different types of instruction I use for daily scheduled activities

6:02 - Discussing specific skill targets to meet in group instruction

8:35 - Ways to implement social skills for younger and older students

12:10 - Ways to implement communication language and learning readiness skills for all age groups

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Resources

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Confession time. Early on in my career, I hated morning meeting. I thought it was a complete waste of time and dreaded when anybody asked me to run it because I didn’t feel confident in my ability to do it well or make it fun.

Moving to South Florida changed that. I got to work with educators there who modeled circle and class meetings done right and ones where things didn’t go so well. In this episode, I want to talk about why group activities are so important and intimidate some educators.

3:06 - Skills that autistic students need to learn that morning meeting can provide

4:24 - Why these kinds of group activities are important for students of all ages

6:47 - The necessity to teach in a respectful and relevant way, especially for older students

9:22 - How group instruction helps autistic students in the three areas where they have difficulties

11:10 - Some challenges that teachers face with group activities

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Resources

Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode104

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Rolling staff shortages. Revolving substitute teachers. Understaffed classrooms. These are the problems I hear about from many of you on social media and through the academy.

I recorded today’s episode last year in the midst of the pandemic. But as we’ve gone through 2021, the importance of special educators advocating for their needs has become even more apparent.

It’s clear that we need to make our voices heard and do so in a productive way. So in this episode, I discuss three strategies you can use to advocate for yourself in an assertive but not argumentative way.

3:19 - Four reasons why teachers might avoid asking for help

9:09 - A simple-sounding strategy that can have complexities beyond the surface

10:52 - The most successful method for advocating for any type of classroom assistance

14:52 - A tip I frequently recommend when you don’t know how to address a problem

17:03 - The #1 element that underlies all three strategies

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Resources

Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode52

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Teachers often ask me about how to handle challenging behavior from their students. It’s one the biggest hurdles in their classroom and a main cause of burnout. I’ve spent a good chunk of my career assessing, addressing, and researching challenging behavior in students. So in this episode, I discuss the research and principles underlying my approach and include some ideas and examples of what does and doesn’t work.

2:02 - Why appropriate student behavior must be taught, not expected

3:53 - The importance of separating the behavioral problem from the student in your mind

6:07 - Conditions that can affect challenging behavior in your student

8:32 - The main reason why problematic student behavior occurs in the first place

9:57 - How the function of challenging behavior is directly related to deficits in skills

12:21 - How to base your treatment on the behavior’s function

15:55 - Why you should be less concerned about the form the behavior takes than its purpose

16:51 - Summarizing the seven principles of handling challenging behavior

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Resources

Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode6

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People on the outside may think our classrooms have gone back to pre-pandemic normal. But we know that’s not true. Last year may have presented different problems for teachers, but some of those problems still exist.

I recorded today’s show last December, hoping that we wouldn’t have to face the same issues a year later. Yet, many of you are still understaffed, tired, feeling compassion fatigue, and have families in crisis.

In this re-released episode, I talk about lessons I’ve learned from highly stressful, personal situations in hopes of giving you ideas to take care of yourself better.

5:52 - The biggest thing that prevented me from burning out

7:26 - How I put it into practice when my mother’s health started declining

8:05 - Ideas for how to implement this burnout-proof strategy in your classroom

9:15 - How a supportive community helps you avoid burnout

11:05 - What you absolutely must do for yourself to overcome teacher tiredness

Join us inside the Special Educators Academy for your 7 day free trial.

Resources

Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode63

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The things I hear about visual schedules and autism always amaze me. I might hear some myths once or twice while others stick around for years. Some teachers don’t think they need to use them for their autistic students, but even some who do can have implicit biases that cause their visual schedules to not be as effective as they should.

So in this episode, I want to set the record straight. If you’re a teacher or someone trying to help others who work with individuals on the spectrum, then these myth busters will help you see how visual schedules can aid your students with autism.

2:52 - Busting myth #1 about high-functioning students with autism

4:27 - The myth that scapegoats visual schedules for the way autistic students behave

5:49 - My counter to myth #3 about dependency on visual schedules

7:14 - The myth I see people embrace most often that drives me nuts

8:43 - Why visual schedules are more than just daily picture schedules

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Resources

Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode74

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Many times, a student’s reaction to not getting what they want is a temper tantrum or a meltdown. So you try to avoid that outcome by giving them what they want. But oftentimes, I’ll hear someone say that they can’t reinforce students by giving them what they ask for even if they’re asking nicely.

So what if you’re in a situation where you can’t do that? What are you supposed to do then? In this episode, I talk about Dante and what you can do with a student like him to teach him that he can’t always have what he wants.

2:33​ - Why this problem happens in the first place

3:53​ - What you shouldn’t do to solve the problem

5:53​ - The key to teaching a student like Dante to wait when he asks for something

6:55 - Where to start first when you’re teaching your student to wait

9:03​ - How to handle your student’s AAC device in the classroom

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Resources

Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode103

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With Thanksgiving fast approaching, so many teachers are still not settled into any type of normalcy. You’re teaching in what I like to call a triage classroom: a bare-bones or revolving door staff. In this episode, I want to discuss how to survive and thrive in the holiday season. I go over some basics that might have fallen by the wayside but need to come back into play as you gear up for the end of the year.

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5:58​ - A visual that helps keep things calm when routines and schedules get turned upside down

7:40​ - A visual to help when new situations and expectations crop up

9:18​ - A visual to help remind students how to behave in situations

10:05​ - A visual to let students know the length of a special activity

11:11​ - A visual to have around for struggling students when you’re not around

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Resources

Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode102

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What do you do when you can't honor a student’s attention-seeking replacement behavior? And how do you avoid a resurgence of the negative behaviors or the sabotaging of your behavior support plan in a new environment? In this episode, I talk about Stephan and reveal six techniques to think about when replacements for attention-seeking behaviors aren't being effectively reinforced.

00:42 - A little story about attention-seeking Stephan

4:08 - Critical pieces to have in place before you start dealing with an attention-seeking student

5:33 - How to teach your student to wait for attention reinforcement

7:29 - What to do if you can’t give the reaction when it’s requested

8:34 - A method for letting a student know when to expect a reaction to attention-seeking behavior

9:29 - Helping a student see how situational behavior results in specific outcomes

10:52 - How to implement limits for students on attention-seeking behaviors

12:16 - Using social narratives or stories

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Resources

Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode101

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What do you do when you can’t honor the function of the replacement behavior you’ve chosen? What if you run into a situation where it’s just impossible? In this episode, I focus on escape-related behavior with a quick story about a boy named Mica and reveal five things to try if trouble arises due to task demands you’ve given your student. Welcome to episode 100!

00:50 - A quick behavioral story to kick off this milestone episode

5:38 - One simplistic way to address behavioral issues regarding task demands

6:31 - Turning on what I call the “high-octane task mix”

7:21 - Another method similar to the high-octane mix

8:42 - How to effectively give your student choices when presenting them with tasks

9:36 - The best way to amp up the engagement of the tasks themselves

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Resources

Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode100

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