School's out for SUMMER!!!

Check out a summer activity list I made.  I realized that lists and handouts of separate activities might fall on deaf ears.  So I tweaked some activities that kids love to do in the summer to add a social or academic component.

Click on the picture for handout.

Classroom movement / breathing breaks.

I find that students often need extra movement breaks throughout the day.  I made this handout for teachers to help get control of a class after recess or when they need some more movement.

Click on the picture for a link to the file.

The "bored" moment

The "bored" moment.

Because theory of mind is difficult for someone with autism, they do not realize they are being rude when they are stating they are bored.  We all have to deal with being bored at some time.  I have had my share of students yawning in my face, rolling their eyes, or bluntly telling me "this is boring."

Here is a lesson about how to "act" when you are bored.

Click on picture to download teacher guide and student handout.

It's always fun to have students role play expected and unexpected social behaviors so they can observe and practice expected behaviors.

Proactive-Reactive-Inactive

The students I have been working with all year have major issues with being proactive.  I realized that they probably did not even know there is an alternative to being reactive or inactive.  I wanted to empower them and make them realize they can take control of their actions and feelings.

Click on the picture for the lesson plan.

Circle of Concern/Influence

I have been trying to teach my social groups about being proactive.  I am so tired of hearing excuse after excuse.  This lesson seemed to go over really well to help the students realize they do have control over things in their life.

Click on the picture for the full lesson plan.

Chewing gum lowers stress

I have suggested students chew gum for years.  I love that science is finally catching up to what we as Occupational Therapists have used for years.  

Click picture for research article

Email Communication

This was the lesson I did with my social group this week.  We had an incident where some group members had inappropriate email communication with each other.  As I was teaching the lesson, I realized that the parts of an effective email correlate well with the "conversation train" I've used earlier this year.  It seemed to struck a cord with the students.  This is a very important skill for all students to understand.

Click on picture for PDF of the lesson