The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Teachers are faced with a wide number of strategies for teaching students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A variety of recent projects, including the National Standards Project, have indicated a number of established intervention strategies for individuals with ASD that teachers are expected to incorporate into their teaching. The challenge to teachers is how to combine these strategies into a coherent classroom that provides effective individualized programming to each child. This workshop will address strategies for creating effective teaching environments, managing staff behavior and responsibilities, building teams among classroom staff members, implementing teaching strategies to maximize acquisition, generalizing and maintaining skills, and managing classroom behavior challenges. The process begins with a teaching plan or Comprehensive Assessment Plan (CAP) that outlines each student's educational goals and objectives. The plan identifies where in the classroom day the goals/objectives will be addressed, and specifies teaching strategies and data collection systems for each skill. Participants will review examples of these teaching plans and develop similar documents for case studies. Teaching plans will focus on all age ranges, from early intervention to transition to adulthood programs. From the teaching plans, teaching programs and data collection sheets as well as materials that are needed for teaching each skill will be identified for setting up the classroom.

From these plans, the next step is to develop the classroom schedule. A schedule outlines the activities of each student within the context of the classroom and assures the ability to meet individual needs. Schedules should be individualized for students, but should work within the classroom framework to provide coherent instruction throughout the day. Examples of schedules for self-contained, resource and inclusion classrooms, from early intervention to transition to adulthood, will be shared. Common challenges in the development of the schedule and warning signs of problems with the schedule will be reviewed. Methods for providing individualized schedules within the whole class schedule will be demonstrated. 

The design of the physical environment coincides with the development of the schedule and assures that each area of the classroom is designed for maximum student engagement and minimum distractions. Methods for providing support to students in inclusive environments in ways that facilitate fading will be shared.  Participants will review pictures and floor plans of a variety of classrooms, and arrange a floor plan based on a case study. Strategies for modifying specific classroom environments and providing modifications based on materials available will be shared. Participants will also receive copies of recommended classroom materials lists for the physical environment and curriculum.

Following development of the schedule and physical environment, the staff zoning plan or staff schedule will be developed. The zoning plan outlines the duties and responsibilities of each staff member, including related service providers as appropriate. It assures both supervision of all students and outlines the needs for training and support for paraprofessionals so that they can support the student's educational program appropriately.  The zoning plan assures that each student receives the type of support needed throughout the day, allows for fading of support as appropriate for each student, articulates common activities within the instructional day (such as setting up activities before the students arrive), and can be used to promote teamwork among classroom staff for the benefit of all students.

With a strong base in classroom organization, a successful classroom for students with ASD maximizes student engagement, and limits distractions and downtime. Throughout the program, participants will be presented with extensive examples of classroom environments, schedules and zoning plans for a variety of ages and different types of educational environments, including self-contained, resource and general education environments. The presenters will stress the importance of connecting the classroom organization with the students' IEPs, and demonstrate specific teaching strategies and data collection systems. The workshop will be appropriate for teachers and other classroom team members who work with students with autism or related disabilities, behavioral analysts who consult and work with educational teams, and other school personnel and administrators who work with teachers to provide appropriate and effective educational environments.