Special Educators Resource Room - Find the tools and support you need to feel calm, collected, and totally together as a special educator.
Supporting kids with special needs works best when both regular education and special education staff work together. That's why it is helpful for all teachers to understand how they can modify and accommodate for students in their classrooms. For newer teachers, learning that you need to modify work
Have you ever had to use a district curriculum that doesn’t really fit the levels or needs of your special needs student? It can be hard to make a purchased program work for our students, but it IS possible! To do so, though, we need to be flexible and creative….We totally rock flexible and creative, […]
From foundations and grants to books, bikes and benefits - a big list of places that can help out with free stuff for kids with disabilities
An IEP binder for teachers is the key to tidying up your daily caseload, organizing special ed info, and focusing more on your students than the paperwork.
At the beginning of the school year, it is the special education teacher's job to share IEP information with school staff. This blog post includes some important things to think about when completing this important back to school task.
Feeling anxious about the first day of school? Download this school printable to help the teacher to get to know your child or special needs child better!
Working with girls and women who have Rett Syndrome can be a unique and wonderful experience. Rett Syndrome is a neurological condition that effects only girls (with a few, rare exceptions). Althoug
Commonly overlooked sensory red flags and signs of sensory issues that could be a clue to your child’s needs, which will decrease...
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of connecting with Cheryl Parrish, the Children’s Ministry Director for Liberty Hill General Baptist Church in Dexter, Missouri. Cheryl and I were talking …
Rubrics are another great way to take data particularly on the quality of a skill. I love using rubrics for assessing social and communication skills in particular.
The first two weeks in a special ed classroom are more than academics. Ideas on what to teach, what to practice, and what you should be doing.
Today I'll be sharing why I think substitute binders are so important and what information you should include in your "sub tub."
An in-depth and updated guide on grants, discounts, and freebies for people with disabilities to help you give the best for your family while enjoying savings.
How to help a speech delayed child | From speech therapy activities to PECS communication boards, we’ve rounded up 32 tips & activities to get you started!
Special Education teachers are the masters of data collection! At times, collecting data can be overwhelming, especially when you sometimes have to outsource the collecting to other teachers, specialists, or teaching assistants. Tracking accommodations is necessary to make sure an IEP is being followed and can be helpful in determining which accommodations should be added to or removed from the IEP. Believe it or not, collecting data on accommodations and modifications does not have to consume your life! Share Information Be sure to share vital information with all teachers and assistants that work with your students. I have an accommodations organizer that I organize all of the information of my class. The information is in one place which is helpful for sharing information with assistants, special area teachers, and substitutes. When I first began teaching, I did not bother sharing such information with special area teachers until it was brought to my attention that a student of mine did not complete a test in physical education class. That student had trouble reading and was supposed to have his tests read. The PE teacher was unaware of his accommodations and therefore did not deliver them. I use a special form that reminds me of who needs to be informed of accommodations and modifications at the beginning of the school year and after an IEP annual review. Train Your Team If you have paraprofessionals in your classroom working with students, it is important to train them in how to deliver and how to track accommodations and modifications. Some interventions are more detailed than others. Observe your team while they are working with students and provide feedback as needed. The time you put in to properly train your team to record data the same way you would is so well spent! Use Checklists When I first started teaching, I used to write notes on a post-it that included which accommodations and modifications were used on assignments along with their effectiveness. It was very time consuming and often times, I forgot to add some things. Finally, I came up with a few checklists and forms to help the process. Level of Support One of the forms I use tracks the level of support a student needs from an adult. I use this one to determine the need for a 1:1 teaching assistant. It is useful before adding a TA and to collect data to see if continuing the intervention is a necessity. The adult that works with the student at that time fills it out while working with the student. Accommodations and Modifications Tracker I use this form two ways, depending on what I am collecting data for. As an IEP meeting approaches, I like to review the need for the interventions on the IEP. I can track the types of interventions are needed for different types of assignments and activities. More importantly, I can track the effectiveness of such interventions. I can also cut this tracker apart to staple it onto work samples. The work samples can be to show the Committee on Special Education the student's growth or regression. I also like to send work home with students with the form filled out from time to time so parents can see what kind of help the student needs in order to complete assignments at school. Frequency Tracker Another way I like to track the use of accommodations and modifications needed in school is with a frequency tracker I created. This gives me a quick visual of which interventions are being used and which are not. I focus on this during the weeks before a meeting so I can determine which accommodations and modifications need to remain, be added, or be removed from an IEP. Data collection is so important but it doesn't have to take over your entire life. Once you create a few checklists that fit your classroom or purchase one of the many checklists and charts from my TpT store, you will save yourself a ton of time and will have more data than you've ever had before!
Do you have students with autism who need to learn appropriate coping strategies to avoid overreacting if they make a mistake? This can help.
If you're a parent or teacher looing for pathological demand avoidance (PDA) strategies for kids, this post is a great place to start.
Whether you're fresh out of college or a veteran teaching who needs a change, it always feels good to be prepared for an upcoming interview. This list of 58 - and growing! - interview questions for special ed teachers will help you feel prepared and confident for your upcoming interview. Blog post at Mrs. D's Corner.
resources, equipment, discounts, leads, scholarships and more, for adults with disabilities (aged 18 and older)
This Blog and Infographic will review tonic reflexes, their significance if the reflex persists beyond the typical age range, and the possible impact on a child’s functioning and role performance. Last but not least, this blog will suggest therapeutic interventions that are known to help inhibit the activation of tonic reflexes and advance postural control as a foundation for optimal functioning.
Special educators need a pretty large toolbox of strategies and resources to support our learners. So often, our students can have significantly diverse needs and levels. On any given day, special education teachers might need to take student reading data, modify a math assessment, teach science wit
What are some of the characteristics of students with Asperger's? Check out from this infographic on how student's with Asperger's behave in class or generally in their surroundings
Here are several free curriculum options for homeschooling children with special needs and struggling learners.
5-15% of schooling children have difficulties in their sensory regulation to their environment. This means that some children may have more difficulties than others in processing the differences between emotional, motion and sensory stimulations that are required for their daily living.
Use the special ed inclusion documentation forms to keep track of service times, lesson plans, and more. Streamline it all quickly and effectively!
Although I didn’t prefer virtual teaching (did anyone?!), it did lead me to discover websites that I used in my classroom even when we weren’t strictly virtual anymore! I’ve compiled a list below of my favorite free websites I use in my special education classroom. I’m always looking for ways to increase engagement and interaction
Teaching English to beginners may be a daunting task, but not when you are prepared with these ESL worksheets for beginners! Simply view and download for free.
As with any muscle strengthening therapy, the key to rehabilitating the swallow is repetition. Spending half an hour on swallowing exercises can become mundane for both the patient and the therapist. If no one is having fun, therapy will be less effective. So how can we spice up dysphagia treatment? I have taken suggestions from ... Read More about Increasing engagement during swallowing therapy
Begin to understand gestalt language processing with this comprehensive overview info sheet. A great resource for therapists, educators, or caregivers to start to understand GLP and make changes to best support their gestalt language processors. Includes: What is GLP What are gestalts The stages of language acquisition for gestalt and analytic language processors Why it's important to know how a child is processing language How to know if your child is a gestalt language processor How to support a gestalt language processor Page of example gestalts Links to further information This is a great as a handout for parents and carers, daycares/ preschools, schools, educators, and health-care professionals. You may also like: Neurodiversity Info Sheet Using Neurodiverse Affirming Language Neurodiverse Affirming Supports in the Classroom Supporting Autistic Kids in the Classroom Made by a speech-language pathologist.
From developing fine motor skills, letter and number recognition, sight words, sorting, sequencing, reading, and math, these task boxes for autism tasks will help develop important life skills and beyond!
It's Occupational Therapy Month! Celebrate by downloading this super cute free printable of 10 things occupational therapists do.
A compilation of ten things every middle school, high school and transition sped teacher wishes you knew about them and their students!
Inside: Browse, print, and use this comprehensive list of IEP Accommodation and 504 Accommodations. Includes a PDF.
Special Needs Homeschool Curriculum: Where To Start - a real life look at where to start when deciding on a special needs homeschool curriculum.
