Hi All,
      I was just going through my photos.  I came across this and it made me laugh.  This little guy was really a challenge when I first got him.  He was resistant to pretty much anything anyone wanted him to do.  Gradually he began to come around but it took a lot of hard work and effort on both of our parts and the part of all of his service providers.

      Even though he came around, there were some urges that he simply COULD NOT RESIST.  One was a school bus.  He LOVED SCHOOL BUSES!  When the buses arrived in the morning he was right there at that window.  When the buses arrived in the afternoon he was right there too.  And if anyone in the school was going on a field trip; well that just threw off my whole schedule because he was going to be at that window when they loaded and when they returned.  The bottom line of it all was that nothing I did would get him away from that window if a bus was outside.

      So I figured, "Well, if I can't beat him, I'll join him."  I started with a little Board Maker piece that said, "bus".  This was helpful for him because he was mostly non-verbal.  So when the bus came I would get the piece and show it to him and say, "Bus, you see a bus."  He took it from me and said, "BUS!"  He was so excited.  It never got old for him.  He went from just saying BUS to saying, "I see bus!"  I was so excited when he did that.  He spoke in a complete sentence!  I made a sentence strip and taped it in the window.  We would read the sentence, "I see a bus."  He really appreciated having something concrete to touch and point to while he said his words.

      Next we started counting.  I would say let's count the buses.  I made enough pieces for him to count 5 buses.  He loved it.  He started saying things like, "I see 3 buses!"  This made me just as excited as he was because he was talking.  When a bus would leave I would say, "The bus is leaving, bye-bye bus!  Now how many buses are left?"  Soon he was saying that too!  He would say, "Bye-bye bus!"  So precious!


For fun, I made this little download to share just in case anyone else has a little guy or girl who is all about buses!

Click the Cover to Download this FREEBIE!

Thanks for stopping by!
Asia

Hi All,
      I'm still back blogging.  I took tons of pictures throughout the school year & I'm just getting to them now. This is a simple task that I like to use to help introduce my students with autism who have limited experience with school; to a work routine.  I am referring to the little guy who has his own agenda and is pretty much resistant to anything you want him to do.  Though this activity can be correlated to Louisiana Pre-K standards & Common Core; in this case, the primary goal is to teach a work routine.

      This task is easy enough for him to learn quickly and experience SUCCESS which encourages COOPERATION & ATTENTION TO TASK.  You can add additional steps to the routine as the child becomes comfortable with complying to the picture & verbal cues and correctly performing the task.  Be sure to begin with a picture & a verbal cue.  My verbal cue is, "Time for Work."  I usually set up the task before bringing the student to the work table.

      When the student consistently sorts by color; you can add counting how many of each color to the task.  This adds minutes to the work routine and helps build stamina.  The ability to sit & tend to a task is important if he or she is going to be mainstreamed or included in a general ed class.

      The pictures below show the tasks/routine:
   

This is how I set it up.  I use plates from housekeeping & vehicles from table toys. 1st the student sorts the vehicles by color. Next, the student counts out how many vehicles are on each plate.       Once sorting and counting are consistently accomplished; you can add to the routine by having the student write how many of each color and even further by graphing how many of each color.  I made matching "I Can" statements & recording pages to accompany this activity: Click (HERE) to download this FREEBIE!    I hope that this task is useful for your program. Thanks for stopping by, Asia

Hi All,
      I am just writing to tell you about my latest unit.  I am so excited about it!  I designed it for use in the autistic classroom but I know that both special ed and general ed teachers can get great use out of it!  No Board Maker here!  This set features beautiful clip art by Krista Wallden.  I find that my autistic children appreciate cute clip art just as much as any other kid.  This unit is matching, matching, matching!  Here is what you get:

Anchor Charts

Elf Emotions Mini Posters & Matching Cards

Christmas Tree Counting Mats 1-10 & Present Counters

Hi All,
      Today I had a formal observation.  Those things make me so nervous!  Sort of like a wedding I paired something old with something new.  I'm sharing my stuff (here, not on TPT).  I'd love some feedback.  It may be a while before I get my post observation results.
      So anyway, I did my lesson on Position Words.  I made a Thanksgiving Position Words unit for the occasion.  That's what I planned to use but then I decided that I needed a small toy turkey which I could not find.
      Thank God I don't throw anything away!  My garage has containers of stuff my kids outgrew.  I found a Tickle Me Elmo, and a Where Is Elmo? A Peek-a-Boo Book from when my kids were babies.  It gave me the idea to make some Elmo themed position words activities.  I made an interactive Power Point, mini posters which could be made into a book, and cards for matching.  I also purchased 2 laundry baskets ($1 a piece at the dollar store), and a small Elmo ($9.99 Babies R Us). 
      Here are a few photos:

I read the story 1st.  Then I used the baskets & the Elmo during the Power Point.  I later placed these items in my blocks center.

I used these mini posters, small Elmo, & 2 boxes at the table where my students do TEACCH.  This will remain in my TEACCH center until my students master it.  Then I will move it to table toys to share with general ed. during reverse inclusion.