Some tips....

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Some tips....
By Seasoned S/P Teacher

A lot of what you do will depend on the needs of your kids. When decorating your classroom, remember that some kids are bothered by too much stimulation! You might also have one that likes to rip things off the wall! So put
posters up high enough to be safe.
Consider getting the OT/PT to help you set up a sensory area. In mine we have mats, wedges, beanbag chair,pillows etc. We hang items like shiny-paper streamers from the ceiling. A small portable fan blews them around.
We change it from time to time. If you can make your room dark, you can use twinkle lights or glow in the dark stars.
A couple

of my students really like looking in mirrors, so I have a wall mounted one along with hand-held ones.
I also have a sensory table in the room. Some students like it, some do not. You can put rice, beans, cornmeal or potting soil in it.
This population really benefits from routine. I try to stick to it as much as possible. I teach HS severe/profound. We follow a life skills curriculum.Therefore, our day consists of:
meal preparation, eating,grooming, IEP objective work bins,free time, adaptive PE, lunch and community outing. With elementary age, you will probaly want to have an opening and closing "circle." The students will probaly love it if you sing and do fingerplays. They may not participate a lot, but they take it all in!

To foster communication, use functional sign language ("Eat" "Drink" "Toilet" "Yes" "NO")
and/or Boardmaker. I had one non-verbal student who most people had 'written off.' Not only did she learn to sign, she spoke with meaning! Do not underestimate these children.
Good luck to you. It is a hard job. Do not commit to anything else your first couple years of teaching. You will need it for your sanity!