“I’vecometothefrighteningconclusionthatIamthedecisiveelementintheclassroom.It’smydailymoodthatmakestheweather.Asateacher,Ipossessatremendouspowertomakeachild’slifemiserableorjoyous.Icanbeatooloftortureoraninstrumentofinspira?on.Icanhumiliateorhumor,hurtorheal.Inallsitua?ons,itismyresponsethatdecideswhetheracrisiswillbeescalatedorde‐escalatedandachildhumanizedorde‐humanized.”

HaimGinoE

TheChildrenBehindtheLabel

Thechildrenarenotthedisability.

Thechildrenarenotthedisability.TheyareMOREthanthelabel.Theyarenotallalike.

•   Theyalleat,breath,havefeelingsandarehuman.

•   Andsomeonelovesthem.

Individualswithdisabili?esasdefinedbytheState:

•   Childrenwhohasaphysical,mental,oremo?onaldisability,whichincludes

•   Orthopedicimpairment

•   Speechorlanguageimpairment

•   Au?sm

•   Trauma?cbraininjury

•   Visualandhearingimpairments

•   Physicalandhealthrelatedchallenges

•   Emo?onalandbehavioraldisorders•   Mentalretarda?on

•   Visualimpairmentincludingblindness

•   Aspecificlearningdisability•   Deaf‐blindness•   Mul?pledisabili?es

AUTISM:lifelongneurologicaldisorder,whichcanmanifestitselfbyseveredelaysinthefollowing:

Communica?onsSocialInterac?on

AcademicskillsMotordevelopment

Thecausesarelinkedtobiologicalorneurologicaldifferencesinthebrain.Thereisangene?clinkbutnoonegenehasbeeniden?fied,asofyet.

Characteris?cs&/orDifficul?es

Developmentalandcommunica?ondelayBEHAVIORISCOMMUNICATION

Delayedspeechornon‐communica?ve–  EcholalicVisual,motorand/orprocessingproblemsresul?nginnoeyecontact

Touchorclosenessmaybepainfulresul?nginwithdrawal

•   Anxiety,fearandconfusionmayoccur•   Useperipheralvision•   Sensoryoverloadmayberesultinscreaming,s?mming

•   Repe??veac?ons•   Lackofimagina?on

•   Interpretslanguageliterally

•   Difficultyreadingbodylanguage,facialexpressions

•   Unevenskilldevelopment

•   Logicalargumentsdon’twork

•   Rotememory

•   Repeatedbodymo?ons

•   AEachmenttoobjects

•   Difficultyreadingbodylanguage,facialexpressions

•   Unevenskilldevelopment

•   Logicalargumentsdon’twork

•   Rotememory

•   Repeatedbodymo?ons

•   AEachmenttoobjects

•   Inappropriatesocialskillsandbehavior•   Increaseinnega?vitymaysignifyanincreaseinstress

•   Extremelysensi?ve

•   Resistancetochange

•   Meltdownvs.Tantrum–  Meltdowniswhenthebehaviorisbeyondthechild’scontrol

–  Tantrumisamanipula?vebehaviorinorderforthechildtogetcontrol

•   Don’timposeacorrec?onordisciplinewhenthechildisangryorovers?mulated.

•   Childwillreacttothequalityofyourvoiceratherthantheactualwords

•   Encouragethechild.•   CHOICES•   Cansensefarmorethancancommunicate

•   HaveaYOUCANDOITa]tude.

ARTPROJECTS

•   Adapt•   Adapt•   Adapt•   andthenadaptsomemore

•   KNOWYOURSTUDENTS

When I heard I had Asperger Syndrome I was very pleased because I was wondering why everyone else seemed to be acting strangely. So I felt a bit relieved.

Kenneth Hall age 8

INCLUSION

Why?

How?

TSS? (teacher support specialist)

Classroom Aide?

Life Skills Support Trainable Mentally Retarded

Staying Focused

Working with Students with Learning Disabilities (LD)

and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Learning Disabilities are problems that affect the brain’s ability to receive, process, analyze or store information.

Learning Disabilities are problems that affect the brain’s ability to receive, process, analyze or store information.

•   Different kinds of disabilities – some can interfere with a person’s ability to concentrate and cause one’s mind to wonder.

•   Others can make it difficult for one to listen, speak, reason, read, spell, solve math problems or organize information.

Children get stuck in a failure cycle. If at first you don’t succeed, you don’t

succeed.

•   Throw away sarcasm is damaging to a child.

Throw away sarcasm is damaging to a child.

•   anxietyaffectsperformance•   LDchildhasdifficultyinprocessinginforma?on

•   anxietyeffectsperformance•   LDchildhasdifficultyinprocessinginforma?on

•   itissaidthatLDchildcan’tfocus–HA!

Throw away sarcasm is so damaging to the child.

•   anxietyeffectsperformance•   LDchildhasdifficultyinprocessinginforma?on

•   itissaidthatLDchildcan’tfocus–HA!•   LDchildneedsTIME.

Some of the characteristics of A.D.D. children are:

•   shortaEen?onspan

Some of the characteristics of A.D.D. children are:

•   shortaEen?onspan•   easilydistracted

Some of the characteristics of A.D.D. children are:

•   shortaEen?onspan•   easilydistracted•   thoughtsareacteduponwithoutprocessing

Some of the characteristics of A.D.D. children are:

•   shortaEen?onspan•   easilydistracted•   thoughtsareacteduponwithoutprocessing•   difficultyinconcentra?ng

Some of the characteristics of A.D.D. children are:

•   shortaEen?onspan•   easilydistracted•   thoughtsareacteduponwithoutprocessing•   difficultyinconcentra?ng

•   failuretocompletetasks

Some of the characteristics of A.D.D. children are:

•   shortaEen?onspan•   easilydistracted•   thoughtsareacteduponwithoutprocessing•   difficultyinconcentra?ng

•   failuretocompletetasks

•   moodswings

Some of the characteristics of A.D.D. children are:

•   shortaEen?onspan•   easilydistracted•   thoughtsareacteduponwithoutprocessing•   difficultyinconcentra?ng•   failuretocompletetasks•   moodswings•   highpaintolerance•   averageintelligence–poorperformance

TEACHING STRATEGIES

TEACHING STRATEGIES

•   teachersharestheresponsibilitywiththechildtomakesurehe/sheisorganized

TEACHING STRATEGIES

•   teachersharestheresponsibilitywiththechildtomakesurehe/sheisorganized

•   limitthenumberofauditoryandvisualdistrac?ons

•   useisola?onsparingly

TEACHING STRATEGIES

•   teachersharestheresponsibilitywiththechildtomakesurehe/sheisorganized

•   limitthenumberofauditoryandvisualdistrac?ons

•   useisola?onsparingly•   teachworkskills

TEACHING STRATEGIES

•   teachersharestheresponsibilitywiththechildtomakesurehe/sheisorganized

•   limitthenumberofauditoryandvisualdistrac?ons

•   useisola?onsparingly•   teachworkskills•   copewithpoorfinemotorskills

TEACHING STRATEGIES

•   teachersharestheresponsibilitywiththechildtomakesurehe/sheisorganized

•   limitthenumberofauditoryandvisualdistrac?ons

•   useisola?onsparingly•   teachworkskills•   copewithpoorfinemotorskills•   rewardon‐taskandpro‐socialbehaviorimmediatelyandocen.

•   don’targuewithachild•   havepresetconsequences•   beconsistent•   avoidridicule•   knowwhatbehaviortoignore•   begineachlessonwithareviewofthelast•   usedifferen?atedinstruc?on

ANDMORE

•   rewardmorethanyoupunish

•   rewardmorethanyoupunish•   changerewardsfrequently•   termssuchasbadandgoodshouldbeavoided

•   rewardmorethanyoupunish•   changerewardsfrequently•   termssuchasbadandgoodshouldbeavoided

•   checkon‐taskwork

Reinforce the behavior you do want:

•   politeness

•   completed work

•   paying attention

•   responsible behavior

•   success is the BEST motivator

•   follow negative behavior with an immediate and brief reprimand

Emphasize critical parts of instruction.

•   callonchildwhentheyarepayingaEen?on

•   callonchildwhentheyarepayingaEen?on•   secretsignal

•   callonchildwhentheyarepayingaEen?on•   childperformsbestwithamixofverbalandvisualinstruc?ons

•   callonchildwhentheyarepayingaEen?on•   childperformsbestwithamixofverbalandvisualinstruc?ons

•   childlearnsbestbydoing

•   callonchildwhentheyarepayingaEen?on•   childperformsbestwithamixofverbalandvisualinstruc?ons

•   childlearnsbestbydoing

•   callonchildwhentheyarepayingaEen?on•   childperformsbestwithamixofverbalandvisualinstruc?ons

•   childlearnsbestbydoing•   chooseyourbaEles

Patience.

Stay positive.

Tactics that DON’T work - same tactics that don’t work with the regular

ed student.

Empty threats, shouting, lecturing

Empty threats, shouting, lecturing

•   generalizing:youalwaysdo…….

Empty threats, shouting, lecturing

•   generalizing:youalwaysdo…….•   refertooddbehavior

Empty threats, shouting, lecturing

•   generalizing:youalwaysdo…….•   refertooddbehavior•   sarcasm

Empty threats, shouting, lecturing

•   generalizing:youalwaysdo…….•   refertooddbehavior•   sarcasm

•   punishmentthatdoesn’tfitthecrime

Empty threats, shouting, lecturing

•   generalizing:youalwaysdo…….•   refertooddbehavior•   sarcasm

•   punishmentthatdoesn’tfitthecrime

•   ge]ngangry

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT CHANGES BEHAVIOR

Nega?vereinforcementonlystopsbehavior–

doesn’tchangeit.

“No Easy Answers”

“Teachers have a profound influence on children’s lives. It is an awesome privilege and an equally challenging

responsibility. I urge you to acknowledge your power and to use it wisely.” Dr. Edna Copeland, clinical

psychologist.