Ms. Katie's Class

I teach a self-contained K-2 autism class. This means my students are in need of unique supports that my classroom offers. Students with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) have communication deficits, difficulty relating to people, things and events, and difficulty adjusting to changes in routine or to familiar surroundings. This disorder significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication. My dream classroom is a place of safety and support that seeks to ease lines of communication and understanding in learning together. My dream classroom is full of resources for my students. Some resources seek to meet their sensory needs while others help with communication. All these resources come together to help each individual student become a successful learner.

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Sensory needs are important to my students. The swing, trampoline, reading cave and calm down area (with the bean bag chairs and circle rug) all support students who become overwhelmed and need a sensory break. The swing provides a repetitive motion that helps calm students. The trampoline provides a source of appropriate movement while in the classroom setting. The reading cave allows students to feel safe in a tight, partially enclosed space with no invading lights or sounds. The calm down corner is for students who may need alone time to understand how they are feeling and in this area they can choose a technique to help them cool down. On the wall next to the calm down area is a visual helping students identify how they are feeling and providing them suggestions on how to self soothe. It begins with the student answering the question, “On a scale of 1-5 how big is your problem?” It then provides students with a choice of emotions they could be feeling with a visual support. Possible feeling choices are: sad, angry, frustrated, tired, or confused. The student then picks from a bucket of calm down choices on the shelf provided. Students can breathe deeply, take a walk around the carpet, pick a fidget, squeeze a stress ball, watch a glitter jug, or rest in a bean bag. Students are provided a timer and a sheet to fill out about what happened to go over with a teacher later in the day.

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Communication can be difficult for some learners. Visuals are an excellent way to support students interacting in the classroom with both teachers and peers. Each student has a visual schedule that they are directed to check periodically throughout the day. Students also have personalized notebooks that provide pages of possible visuals they may need to aid in communication. Some students use these to request a bathroom break, help from a teacher or peer, or a preferred snack. The classroom rules are posted on the whiteboard and have visual helpers below each word to aid in understanding.

 

My dream classroom is set up for differentiation. I have spaces for whole group learning, at the front of the room. I also have spaces for group learning with a teacher at the kidney table. There is a space provided for group work as well as a one on one table for Discrete Trial Instruction (DTI) work with the teacher. Students are also able to use their desks for individual work when appropriate. Whole group learning is supported by use of a SMARTBOARD where students are able to kinesthetically interact with presented materials. The group learning at the kidney table can be used by the speech and Occupational Therapy (OT) teacher as well as the classroom teacher. The one-on-one table is for student support and individual practice. Students who need additional support on curriculum materials are assisted here by the teacher. This is a great place to collect data and work on Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals as well.