The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

The Structured Teaching Classrooms were developed in Decatur Township Schools to re-invent the resource room model to better support the variety of needs of our students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This session provides information about how these classrooms were developed and share the successes and roadblocks for these classrooms. The Structured Teaching Classroom (STC) is a Resource Classroom that is available to students with Autism.  The Structured Teaching Classroom Program utilizes Evidence-based Practices identified by the National Autism Center, along with Social Thinking by Michelle Garcia Winner.  Each STC classroom has a full-time Special Education Teacher and an Instructional Assistant.  Students utilize the STC in a variety of ways, from attending a 30 minute daily Social Thinking Class and receiving support as needed with work from General Education classes, receiving inclusive support from the STC staff within a General Education class, to spending a larger portion of the day in the STC for academic, organizational, behavioral and/or social-emotional support. 

The Structured Teaching Classroom Program began when MSD Decatur saw that the needs of students with Autism were not able to best be met in the current Behavior Support Classrooms.  The administration recognized that the behaviors may outwardly look similar at times, but the reasons behind the behaviors, the skills that needed to be taught, and the teaching strategies used needed to be different.  In response to this, the district created the Structured Teaching Classrooms.   By building in flexibility to the program, students are able to learn in the LRE that best fits their individual needs for different subjects and depending on their social-emotional needs of the day.  The classroom has also been designed to offer support to the families of our students by more purposefully building a bridge between school and home.

In the 3 years since beginning the Structured Teaching Classrooms (STC), student office referrals for behaviors are practically non-existent and student grades are increasing.  Parents report that their children seem more agreeable about going to school.  One parent reported that by the end of the first year, her son’s doctor discontinued his depression medication.  Students are showing more success with generalizing their Social Skills.  We have found that after 3 years, the students in the classroom have made friends, some for the first time.  With the supports offered via the STC, some students are spending more successful time in General Education classes than ever before.  A student moved into our district on a shortened 2 hour day from a self-contained behavior classroom.  Through the STC program support, this student is now very successful, attending school a full day, spending the majority of his time in General Education classes. 

This presentation will offer guiding questions to help participants evaluate the framework that they currently use to support students’ with high functioning Autism.  Strategies, ideas for supports, and resources that are presented will be practical and user friendly.  Educators will have a framework and specific examples to take to their colleagues for discussion. By presenting the implementation and design process of the Structured Teaching Classrooms, the hope is that other educators will be able to gain ideas and replicate components of the program to help their students be more successful.

Learning Objectives: