Weighted blankets and vests are already a common and accepted practice among therapists and special education teachers. Teachers usually report that the vests help with stereotypical behavior, decrease melt-downs and help students remain on task during occupational therapy or physical therapy sessions. I have used weighted vests in my classroom. It was an occupational therapist…
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TAG!: Teaching with Acoustical Guidance
There is a lot of research (and a lot of controversies) about TAG Teaching. TAG teaching uses a bell, click, ding or other acoustical sounds to teach ballet dancers, yogis, football players, surgeons, teachers, and students wanted behaviors. The research is fascinating and the applications seem to be unlimited. To give you a background into…
Read MoreDisney+ Social Skills
This past month Disney+ came out. When I was done binging, I realized it has some great content that you can use for Social Skills! Read on for some free lessons (well, free after a Disney+ subscription). Boy Meets World/Girl Meets World – These two series about Cory growing up – and then Cory’s daughter…
Read MoreSocially Aware or Social Robot?
Are you teaching others how to become socially aware (thoughtfully assessing the social situation) or hoping for a social robot (someone who does what they are taught in social situations because it’s been drilled into them that it’s the “right” thing to do)? It’s an important question and one that needs to be addressed as…
Read MoreSelf-Care Saturday. Sunday? Whatever day you choose.
Last week I missed my regular Sunday post because I was busy reflecting on life in the woods, hanging out with friends and actively participating in self-care. I had no major insights, but it did give me the idea to research self-care and teaching. Recently there has been a push for teachers to pay more…
Read MoreWhy Are You Doing That?!: Functions of Behavior
Have you ever been in a situation and just wondered “Why are you the way you are?” Why someone does what they do (or continues to do it) theoretically comes down to the function of the behavior. Behavior essentially has four functions: tangible, sensory, attention, and escape/avoidance. Going to work? Tangible – you want the…
Read MoreConsequences are Natural!
The world works on a system of natural consequences. You arrive late at the airport, you miss your flight. You did not go to bed at a decent time last night, you’re tired. You skip lunch to work on a presentation, you’re hungry. Every action we take in life has a consequence (positive or negative)…
Read MoreVisual Schedules: Spoiler Alert! Everybody Uses Them
As I was typing up an IEP the feedback from the general education teacher was “I don’t think he needs a schedule, but he does need to learn how to keep a planner.” A planner is a type of schedule, Karen. There are all kinds of visual schedules. There are visual schedules that use objects…
Read MoreLet Them Eat Cake! (or stim, rather)
Recently someone asked me about stimming. More specifically, the person was asking if it’s ever appropriate to reduce stimming behavior for children/adults with autism. Stimming is defined as “behavior consisting of repetitive actions or movements of a type that may be displayed by people with developmental disorders, most typically autistic spectrum disorders; self-stimulation.” My answer…
Read MoreEvidence-Based vs. Research-Based: What’s the difference?
This question came up recently when someone questioned the curriculum I use to teach Social Skills. It’s research-based but is it evidence-based, they had asked. People often use research-based and evidence-based interchangeably so I wondered, is there a difference? Yes, there is. Let’s say I get a non-verbal student with autism. I go into research…
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