Exceptionally Special Ed

After a (unintentional) blogging break, I am happy to be writing my next post - featuring a very special furry friend. Seems the last four months have escaped me without making time for writing! I've immersed myself in my new role and am finally prepared to share a window into what makes our class so special.

Last year, I reached out to Therapeutic Paws of Canada (https://tpoc.ca) in order to access a certified Therapy Dog for my classroom. At the time, I will admit, I did not know a whole lot about these programs. What I did know, without a doubt, was that my students would love and adore any pup that walked through our classroom door. So... I patiently waited until we were matched with the perfect pup.

Finally, I was connected with sweet Gigi (short for Luigi) and his handler/owner. They graced us with semi-regular visits and I watched in amazement as my former students found comfort in their presence. 

I was lucky enough to introduce Gigi to my new class last month, only to learn that he would grow to be just as adored and admired by my new students. Gigi visits us on a weekly basis, arriving promptly at 10:00 am every Thursday. He struts in with his miniature (yet still very official) working vest, proudly making his way to his spot in the classroom.

Gigi and his handler set out a red "working blanket", where students take turns visiting him and enjoying his company. In order for this to be successful, I have to keep Gigi's visits structured and seamless with my program. Students work through their daily tasks and once complete, they check their schedule to find out if it is their turn with Gigi. If it is, they walk over, enjoy some quiet time with Gigi and then choose from an array of three picture symbols. These picture symbols give students choice (and voice) while still maintaining structure and predictability. They are able to choose whether they would like to walk Gigi, brush Gigi or read a story to Gigi.

Watching the bonds my students have made with Gigi (and his handler) have been remarkable. But, this is not where it ends! Gigi's regular visits have prompted new language, social skills and communication for ALL students. I get to witness them authentically use learned social skills we meticulously rehearse with Gigi. They show joy, compassion, empathy and admiration... and so does Gigi. 

Therapy dogs have been proven to improve a person's social, cognitive and emotional functioning. I have read about the benefits and research behind these programs...however, seeing such relationships form in my own classroom is beyond my expectations. 

Although we do love our class beta fish and adoring aquatic snails... Gigi provides immesaurable unconditional love and calmness to all (yes, us staff, too!). 

I hope to have Gigi continue with regular visits this year - and know I will always support Therapy Dog programs in my classroom (in Special Education AND beyond!). 

Check out Therapeutic Paws of Canada or touch base with me if you'd like to learn more!

M.

Reverse integration was not only an invaluable experience for the students in my CC, but also for the "neurotypical" students who joined us. They engaged in asking authentic questions about the materials in our classroom (i.e., Trike, weighted lizard, timers, visual schedules), communication devices (i.e., how it works, why specific students needed it, why it functions differently than a traditional iPad). Students also began forming pure relationships and built foundational trust with one another. I found the same students asking to come back often, or volunteer for other programs I began running with my students.

With all this interest as a result of reverse integration, I wanted to find more opportunities for students from other classrooms and grades to join us authentically in our day. So, we began asking students to come eat with us during lunch time! They were naturally modelling appropriate eating and lunchtime behaviours for my students, engaging in conversation during the meal and helped with tidying up routines. Another major win for all!

I found, from my experience, that it didn't really matter what age or grade the students who came to join us were from. Younger, older or same age were all meaningful! I loved watching my students show their new friends around our space, teaching them about our classroom expectations and how to go about manipulating the material. Alternatively, the students who came to buddy up with us also took pride in taking on a leadership role and acting as a friend and mentor to my students. So - I'll definitely be doing this again, and with no expectation on age or grade!

These smaller, more controlled opportunities to integrate allowed my students to make connections in a space that they felt most comfortable in. It also opened up opportunities to have new friends to initiate play with at recess or to simply greet in the hallway. Reverse integration is definitely a learning experience for ALL and one that I LOVE being involved with!

Do you use reverse integration as a CC teacher or homeroom teacher? What have your experiences been? Let me know in the comment section below! I am always looking for new ways to engage in integration opportunities in a variety of settings, with different people and using an array of materials to engage all learners!

M.

As the back to school commercials appear, I begin getting in the mindset to prepare for the new school year. Coincidentally, September is my favourite month - not because its my birthday month (well, maybe partially), but because I genuinely love and have always loved preparing for back to school. This year, I have been focusing on how I am planning to structure our day and what materials I can prepare prior to September 4th to support their smooth implementation. I am going to order a few of my MUST HAVE Special Ed items that I use daily in my Community Class. Feel free to connect with me if you have any questions or if you want to know where I got these resources from! Disclaimer: These resources have been tailored to meet the individual needs of the students I have taught in the past, and will teach in the Fall - differentiation is the key to success! 

MORNING ROUTINE ESSENTIALS:

Mornings in my CC always start off with a community circle, some interactive SMART Board routines (Including, but not limited to: calendar, weather, question of the day, songs, stories). Following, each student gets a copy of their own Calendar Book (see below). Our Calendar Books are great to reinforce the learning that occurred during our community circle. Students complete these with various levels of prompting, completely tailored to their individual learning goals. Some may complete these independently and require an additional challenge (e.g., fine motor practise of writing the date).

In addition, this year I've decided to implement another Morning Book, which is more individualized and student focused. These books (as seen below) will allow students to have daily practise of ordering letters in their first and last names, phone number, address, birthday and more. I feel strongly about functional literacy and mathematics and this resource was just what I was looking for! We are able to again prompt students based on their level of understanding and build independence for all of these practical and important life skills. What works best in my classroom is having all of my students sit around me at the teacher table so I can lead, prompt and model.

I quickly learned that without knowing my students interests, I had no real footing to shape behaviour or motivate students to complete work tasks. In August, I get to know my new students by inviting them in to check out my classroom (see the structure, get to know their interests) as well as send home a Reinforcement Survey/Preference Assessment. These two strategies allow me to figure out what my students interests are - AND gives me good time to run out and buy them! I learned that for students on the spectrum, "work is play and play is work". Therefore - my students love the idea of the predictability in their work and knowing what comes after (their individualized reinforcer) puts them at ease. My students in the past had very specific interests that they really enjoyed - so I made sure various forms of their favourite things were in every area of my classroom for the first week of school to get them comfortable (Books on their favourite item, specific toys, themed work tasks, etc).

This little lady loved flowers (Fresh ones were the best!). I knew this ahead of time, so I greeted her on the first day of school with fresh sunflowers picked from my garden (and that we grew as a class last Spring!).

Sensory beads and sand timers (both for timing activities and for self-calming)

Our weighted lizard (Larry) was a companion and preferred item for many students!

I knew one student loved the alphabet - so I found opportunities to explore it using different materials, textures and in different areas in the classroom. This is taken at the teacher table, organizing the alphabet in proper sequence.

WATER BEADS!

DATA COLLECTION RESOURCES:

Data, oh how I love data! Collecting data has to be accessible, quick, ongoing and of course easy to read. Since it is only August, and I have yet to meet my new learners, I have not created individualized data pages which connect to their IEP goals. However, I do have my 6 clipboards with colour coded privacy pages all ready! I have also prepared behaviour data tracking resources ready to be used for the Fall. I like to keep my data clipboard hung behind my teacher table to be grabbed on the go whenever I'm working with an individual child. I also like keeping data pages near students independent work stations for support staff to contribute and collect data. This year I'm going digital for ABC Data Tracking so I look forward to using less paper... and becoming a bit more techy! 

PARENT COMMUNICATION LOGS:

So long are the days of a traditional agenda! In my classroom, we use interactive parent communication logs to get all parties involved (child, parent, teacher, support staff). These logs allow the student to circle how they feel, what they did and for staff to add details specific to bathroom routines, lunch, notes from the day, etc. My favourite part is hearing about students evening/weekend on the reverse side. This often helps me understand any precipitating factors that may be linked to a new behaviour I am seeing in the classroom. It also allows me to build social communication into our afternoon routine and ask questions that push students to tell me all about their evening! Here is a sample of what I am using this year:

These resources definitely set me up for success in September. I think the MOST important is figuring out those reinforcers that will really get your students comfortable and motivated. Equip yourself with those and you will be cruising!

I will be sharing a detailed post (and pictures) about my new structured teaching environment in the coming weeks. Love the possibilities that arise in Fall and during class setup!

Thanks for reading -

M.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to my newly launched blog! I invite you to visit and follow along my journey as a Special Education Resource Teacher in a Primary/Junior Autism Community Classroom. I look forward to sharing my journey, including (but not limited to): the physical classroom structure, work systems, individualized programming, my role as advocate for inclusive education and MORE!

A little about me: 

I very quickly learned that my passion and purpose in education lies in the Special Education realm. Structure, visuals, work systems, preferred reinforcers - these are a few of my favourite things! I also take pride in being an advocate for children and youth living with exceptionalities. My passion for inclusive education (and communities) is something that requires all of our attention. I look forward to sharing what this looks like within my new school community come the Fall and beyond the school context. 

A look back: 

I'd like to share a few snapshots into my former Primary Autism Community Classroom. Although it is no longer where I will be teaching, it was the place which ignited my passion for Special Education. You will see glimpses into my structured teaching environment - including my teacher table, bin work systems and visual schedules. No two classrooms, or two sets of students are alike! I anticipate some changes for the Fall with all of the things I have learned since setting up this classroom in mind... but change is good! 

Whats next:

I look forward to sharing my classroom transformation come the Fall and all of the aspects which make me exceptionally devoted to the Special Education world. 

Lets connect (and/or collaborate?!) via Twitter @meagansousa or leave me a comment below.

I especially cannot wait to share more!

M.