Around Town Round Up: Incorporating Interests to Increase Student Engagement

Many autistic students have strong special interests. These can be a great avenue for increasing engagement in the classroom during classroom activities and work times. They can even help students with emotional regulation! Today's Around Town Round Up will highlight some of the best ways we have seen special interests incorporated in classrooms across the region to increase student engagement. 

Positive Environment

Creating a positive, supportive environment is essential to educating all students. You want them to feel comfortable, safe, and ready to learn within the classroom and school settings. Incorporating special interests can be a great way to build positive associations with the classroom and work times. 

The Rock Bulletin Board
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont

Frozen Structured Work Strip
Cynthia Resch
LC-West, MCESC

Schedule with Paw Patrol Stickers
Lauren Bridgens
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Encanto Rule Reminder
Bruce Elementary, Eaton

Special Interest Classroom Table Labels 
Genevieve Harvey
West Carrollton ECC, West Carrollton

Additionally, research has shown that for some individuals, having access to their special interest items at all times is essential to their well-being. We have seen some great staff flexibility when it comes to allowing students to have their special interests at their desk or in a nearby location so that they don't become too anxious without them. 

Pepsi Cup Water Bottle
Maria Wilder
Hayward Middle School, Springfield

Superwhy Desk Buddy
Jessica Hartman
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont

Alphabet Magnets in Student Home Base
Jennifer Jackson
Northridge Elementary, Northridge

Student in Wonka Costume
Nicole Bellard
Fairview Elementary, Dayton

Reinforcement

One of the most traditional uses of special interests is for reinforcement. Many teams allow students to work for special time to engage in special interests. 

Space Special Interest Activities
Michelle Heigel
Miami East Junior High, Miami East

Wednesday Coloring Paper
Maria Wilder
Hayward Middle School, Springfield

Animation Cell
Cassandra Hebauf
Northmoor Elementary, Northmoor

Captain Underpants Book and Tablet Activity
Sheyanne Olson
East Elementary, Eaton

If you have a student who needs free access to a special interest item, you can still use this for reinforcement by allowing additional earned free time with that item or finding special ways to enhance their special interests such as new Lego kits or special scented playdoh that is only used during reinforcement breaks. 

Scented Playdoh
Lindsey Woods
Fairborn Primary, Fairborn

Incorporating special interests into a student's work completion reinforcement systems such as a token board or visual contract is another way to build a positive association with work times. 

Special Interest Token Boards
Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Disney Princess Visual Contract
Emily Collura & Arah Maggard
Primary Village North, Centerville

Special Interest Token Boards
Heather Clark
Saville Elementary, Mad River

Dinosaur Visual Contract

Queen Token Board
Claire Jamito
Fairborn Primary, Fairborn

Classroom Tasks

If you have a student who is especially resistant to completing adult-directed tasks, start with a preferred activity to pair your time with them with this reinforcing activity. Activities like art projects, Mr. Potato Head, or Lego building can be great options because they can be broken up into separate steps to introduce a structured work system or visual contract to build positive momentum and work stamina. 

Lego Task
Michelle Barnhart
Bell Creek Intermediate, Bellbrook

Special Interest Prewriting Worksheets
Michelle Wade
Northridge Elementary, Northridge

Disney Following Directions Scene
Hannah Reckman
West Carrollton ECC, West Carrollton

Art Project with Teacher
MacKynzie Lowery
LC-West, MCESC

Special Interests can also be used to increase engagement with independent tasks because students will be more willing to engage with these items. This can entail creating an entire task with that special interest or just making a small tweak like the the example below of a calendar time book using a superhero marker icon rather than a standard token or arrow. 

Superhero Icon on Calendar Book
Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Sesame Street Put-In Task
Heidi Horner
Nevin Coppock Elementary, Miami County ESC

Toy Story Put-In Task
Debi Gnau
Mad River ECC, Mad River

McDonald's Fry CountingTaskbox

Dinosaur Figurine Packaging Taskbox

Lego Matching Taskbox
Katie Mlod
Mad River ECC, Mad River

Lego Man Taskbox

Car Counting Stacker
Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Additionally, look for ways to incorporate interests into whole group activities. We love the examples below of using video games and animals for group work times!

Video Game Article and Writing Activity
Tim Cundiff
Greenville High School, Greenville

Zoo Area Group Activity
Shelby Ashbrook
Bruce Elementary, Eaton

Sensory Activities

At times, students can be resistant to much-needed sensory supports and sensory break times. Decrease resistance and increase engagement through incorporating interests. 

Butterfly Matching Purposeful Walk 
Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Sonic the Hedgehog Brain Break
Hannah Walters
Kenwood Elementary, Springfield

Superhero Break Time Sign
Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Special Interest Figurines on Weighted Ball Sensory Room Activity
Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Animal Headphones
Granville Bastin
Twin Valley South Middle School, Preble County ESC

Emotional Regulation

Another area where we see many students struggle is with applying emotional regulation strategies. This can cause them to feel threats to self-image or difficulty with generalization. Using special interests can increase the student's motivation so they are more willing to learn and apply these strategies.

Superhero Incredible 5-Point Scale
Megan Logano
Clark County ESC

Special Interest Break Cards
Haley Urschel
Perrin Woods, Springfield

Space Station Calm Down Space
Denise Campbell
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Pixar Emotions Signs
MacKynzie Lowery
LC-West, MCESC

Pigeon Bathroom Cue
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

For more examples of Incorporating Interests in action, check out our previous posts:

Incorporating Interests

Incorporating Interests Tasks

Around Town Round Up: Immediate Reinforcement Options

Generally speaking, typically developing children will respond to many different types of reinforcers. However, one of the hallmarks of autism is that autistic individuals are often not motivated by customary rewards. Additionally, their interests may be narrow. This can pose challenges in the classroom because all individuals require motivation to obtain new skills. A child who is motivated to work with you is far more likely to acquire more skills and at a faster rate, than if they are not motivated to work with you. 

In addition to considering the type of reinforcement, it is essential that teams consider the schedule of reinforcement. For many emerging learners, reinforcement needs to be delivered immediately to clearly communicate to the student that they have demonstrated the target skill. For example, a child sits down at their desk and is immediately given a goldfish cracker and verbal praise such as "good sitting". 

In today's Around Town Round Up we will provide a variety of reinforcers that can easily be used for immediate reinforcement. 

Edible Reinforcement

Edible reinforcement is one of the most popular, yet controversial, reinforcers. 

Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Rebecca Leak
Northwood Elementary, Northmont

Pros: 

• often one of the strongest reinforcers
• can easily be controlled 
• easy to reinforce immediately
• can meet student sensory needs for oral or proprioceptive input
• typically very portable

Little Miss Kim's Class

Cons:

• if an autistic child has limited food preferences, it is not appropriate to limit their access to this food so that you can use it as a reinforcer
• immediate reinforcement with edibles can lead to satiation or fullness
• difficult to implement for individuals with restricted diets or medical concerns 
• some students may take medication that can interfere with their ability to regulate their appetite
• foods that are used as rewards are typically high in sugar, fat and salt with little nutritional value and can play a role in establishing children's preference for unhealthy foods

If you choose to use edible reinforcement, we recommend: 

• getting parent permission
• using only the amount necessary to be effective (i.e. cutting a fruit snack in half, breaking a pretzel stick into pieces, using mini-M&Ms or Starbursts)
• looking for a variety of edible reinforcement options to include healthy foods
• pairing edible reinforcement with social reinforcement so that eventually it's use can be faded
• developing a plan for fading reinforcement to replace it with social reinforcement, other tangible items, or implementing a token system. 
• reconsidering use of edible reinforcement if other types of reinforcement are equally motivating

Organization Station: Structured Work System Myths and Mistakes

One of our favorite strategies for communicating clear expectations to students during task times is the Structured Work System. In fact this is one of our most recommended strategies and some of the most commonly loaned materials from our ACT Lending Library. 

However, because this is one of our most commonly recommended strategies, we have certainly encountered some common myths and mistakes when implementing it. Today's Organization Station will clear up any myths and help to remedy mistakes to assist teams in implementing this great strategy more effectively. 

Myth #1: You Have to Have A Designated Structured Work System Station in the Classroom 

Some teams are hesitant to implement structured work systems because they don't feel they have enough room for a structured work system station. We have seen many teams have success with portable structured work systems such as: 

• rolling carts

Anjie Rose
Schnell Elementary, West Carrollton

• binders

Laurie Maravetz
Schaefer Middle School, Springfield

• folders

Lisa Bauer
Northmont Middle School, Northmont

• table top drawers

Heather Wessels
Greenon Preschool, Greenon

• or even students traveling to get tasks and then returning to their desks. 

Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

An added benefit of some of these more portable systems is they can travel with the student to different classrooms or related service sessions! This student did so well with his structured work system that he was even able to use it on the playground to redirect eloping behaviors!

Myth #2: Structured Work Systems Have to Be Used Independently

Structured work systems are an excellent way to set up work for students to complete independently because the format is predictable and easy to follow. However, this also makes it an excellent strategy to implement during group or 1:1 time! 

Heather Clark
Saville Elementary, Mad River

We often recommend using a 1-2-3 work structure for all work times throughout the day so that students know every time they need to work they have to follow the same schedule. This greatly reduces escape behaviors and increases environmental predictability. 

Genevieve Harvey
West Carrollton ECC, West Carrollton

Heidi Horner
Nevin Coppock Elementary, Tipp City/Miami County ESC

In large group settings, a written structured work system can be just as effective for communicating expectations to the whole class. 

Caitlyn Imhoff
New Lebanon Middle School, New Lebanon

Myth #3: You Can Only Use Task Boxes for Structured Work Systems

Many teams get nervous when we recommend structured work systems because they envision needing to create a great deal of additional materials and work tasks. Although task boxes can be one type of task used in a structured work system, we assure you that literally ANY task can be used including:

• file folders

Jenna Fitch
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

• velcro boards

Jenna Fitch
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

• puzzles

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Heather Wessels
Greenon Preschool, Greenon

• vocational tasks

Brittany Wendling
Valley Elementary, Beavercreek

Libby Wasserman
Springfield High School, Springfield

• worksheets

Julia Spencer
Fairborn Primary, Fairborn

Brittany Wendling
Valley Elementary, Beavercreek

• computer work

Cassandra Hebauf
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont

• fine motor tasks

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Jenna Fitch
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

Debi Gnau
Mad River ECC, Mad River

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

• books

Rose Jepson
Northridge Elementary, Northridge

Unique Learning System

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

• sensory activities

Allysson Leapley
Tipp High School, Tipp City

Heather Balkcom
Springcreek Primary, Piqua

• art projects

Debi Gnau
Mad River ECC, Mad River

Myth #4: Each Drawer/Bin Needs A Separate Task

When students are first learning the structured work system and are working to build their time on-task stamina, they may need a single task divided up in their structured work system. 

Amanda McCormick
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Now that we have reviewed some of the myths, let's look at some of the common structured work system mistakes and more importantly how to avoid them! 

Mistake #1: Putting Too Much Work in a Single Drawer/Bin

Often the purpose of a structured work system is to clearly communicate work expectations to a student. They know that they have to do the set sequence of work and then they are finished. However, at times we will see staff use the structured work system as storage for all of the students' tasks for the day or even the week! This can be extremely overwhelming because some students may look in their drawer or bin and see a whole stack of work and become agitated. This can often lead to escape behaviors even if staff tries to explain they only have to do one of the tasks in the drawer. 

We know organizing work for the structured work system can be a challenge. We love this idea of having a separate drawer system to organize assignments that can easily be accessed and placed in the bins when needed. 

Rose Jepson
Northridge Elementary, Northridge

Mistake #2: Giving Up on Implementing the Structured Work System Too Soon

Like any new strategy, the structured work system can take time for the student to get used to especially if they are used to engaging in escape behaviors to avoid work tasks. It can take 4-6 weeks of consistent implementation of a support to determine true effectiveness. Some ways to increase success can include:

• Reduce the task expectations. As we mentioned earlier in this post, you can use a single task and break it up between all three drawers to build positive momentum and teach the system. 

• Incorporate special interests by using special interest icons or preferred activities as work tasks. For example, instead of using numbered 1-2-3 icons on the bins, you can use Paw Patrol or Pokemon icons. And instead of having worksheets in each bin, you can start with a favorite puzzle or even a fun activity like Mr. Potato Head. 

Sarah Janosik
Tipp High School, Tipp City/Miami County ESC

Wendy Sondergaard
Rushmore Elementary, Huber Heights

Cynthia Resch
Learning Center West, Montgomery County ESC

Carrie Prickett
Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg

Debi Gnau
Mad River ECC, Mad River

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

• For some students, you may want to incorporate reinforcement for every drawer/bin completed to build positive momentum. 

Beth Young
Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield

• Some teams give students shared control by allowing them to choose the order in which they will complete their work tasks. They present the tasks and let the students place them in the bins or drawers in their own order. 

Jared Taylor
Simon Kenton Elementary, Springfield

Mistake #3: Undoing Student Work In Front of Them

This devalues the student's efforts. And it can also teach the student to undo their work which is troublesome if at any point you are having them work independently and you want to check their work later. Part of teaching the structured work system should be having a clearly defined finished location for the student to place finished work so it can be checked and reset later. 

Peggy Ristau
Brookville Intermediate, Brookville

Heidi Horner
Nevin Coppock Elementary, Tipp City/Miami County ESC

Vince Lintner
Miamisburg High School, Miamisburg

Sara Moore
Bell Creek Intermediate, Bellbrook

However, don't forget to reset the work before the next time you put it in the structured work system! It can be very frustrating for students to see you take apart the task immediately before they have to put it back together. 

Mistake #4: Forgetting to Incorporate Reinforcement

Many students who engage in escape behaviors are often tangibly motivated. Meaning they want to escape schoolwork to do what they want to do. Allow students to choose what they want to work for prior to working. Then, place an icon on their structured work system work strip and/or place the reinforcing item in a 4th bin at the end of the structured work system to clearly communicate when all of the structured work tasks are done, then they will get their tangible item or activity. 

Rose Jepson
Northridge Elementary, Northridge

Brittany Wendling
Valley Elementary, Beavercreek

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Tammy Flanegin
Enon Primary, Greenon

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Heidi Horner
Nevin Coppock Elementary, Tipp City/Miami County ESC

Heidi Horner
Nevin Coppock Elementary, Tipp City/Miami County ESC

Molly Stanifer & Michelle Barnhart
Bell Creek Intermediate, Bellbrook

Mistake #5: The Student Doesn't Interact with the Work Strip Or Uses an Incorrect Sequence

For most students, we recommend a matching structured work system. The steps of a matching structured work system include:

1. Take the first icon off the work strip. 
2. Match it to the corresponding bin/work strip.
3. Take out the work. 
4. Complete the work. 
5. Put completed work in the finished location. 
6. Repeat sequence for second icon. 
7. Repeat sequence for third icon. 
8. When all icons are removed from the work strip and all of the work is completed, the final icon on the work strip should be the reinforcer as explained in Mistake #4. 

Heidi Horner
Nevin Coppock Elementary, Tipp City/Miami County ESC

This is a great video illustrating the sequence:

Learn more tips for setting up structured work systems in our previous posts:

Structured Work and Teaching

Structured Work Systems

More Structured Work Systems

IndividualizedStructured Work Systems