You have an aid! Wow!

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Home : 2007 : August : 29

You have an aid! Wow!
By Fenfer25

You are so lucky. I had two autistic students last year and an aid that came in for about an hour.

These are the interventions we used that made a huge difference:

Not only does he need a visual schedule,
but we used a feeling thermometer and task board. On this board the feeling thermometer was on the left side of the board. The thermometer shows the numbers 1-5. If the student is at a 3, then they are feeling "okay". If they are a 4, they are angry. 5 means "very angry"...and often they act out when they are at a 4 or 5 because they had difficulty expressing and coping with the

frustration they were feeling. I would usually ask my students "How are you feeling?" because they had difficulty expressing their feelings, the thermometer worked wonders because they would reply, "I'm a 3." If they were a 4, or I suspected they were struggling....I would tell them to choose a task. Talking about the problem increased the frustration level. Task cards were placed next to the number 4 and 5. These were tasks that would help the student calm down....blocks, drawing, computer. These are not a reward, but tasks that helps them cool off. It really worked!

I also attached an exit card by the door. If I noticed that the frustration level was increasing and my student was not responding to me, then I would give him an exit card and this allowed him to get out of the room for a cool down.

Homework was a real issue. The aid could help fill out the planner to ensure that the homework gets home. My two students had a real organization problem. On homework assignments, I would place a green sticker on the homework sheet meaning it needed to be returned to school. Red sticker on papers meant they could stay home. It was a system they understood and the parents loved it.

It was a challenging year, but worth it. I learned so much. Keep in contact with the parent and communication is key. Having extra help in class will help you greatly.