The Miami Valley Autism Coaching Team loves our A-LIST members who are an extension of our team out it school districts across the region. They are a wonderful example of evidence-based practices in action and often provide us with practical ideas that can be used with other teams.
Recently, we visited the classroom of A-LIST member, Jennifer Jette, at Vandalia-Butler High School.
Jennifer knows how important it is for her students to be internally regulated in order to be at their best for learning. One way Jennifer meets this need is through the use of breaks in a homebase location within her classroom where students have access to preferential seating such as a beanbag or therapy ball.
Jennifer also helps her students stay regulated by limiting visual clutter and distractions by giving each student a study carrel workspace to complete assignments.
Jennifer helps keep her high school students organized through the use of color-coded binders and visual supports such as the written reminders for the cost of lunches each week at school and at community outings.
When working on functional cooking skills in their kitchen area, Jennifer's students benefit from the visual supports of pictures and/or labels to help them find the supplies they need which helps build their independence.
Another way Jennifer builds student independence is through the use of daily visual schedules which have the time and activity paired with a picture symbol cue. We love how she uses clear page protectors to create a dry-erase surface for easy modifications throughout the day and to give students the opportunity to interact with their schedule through checking off tasks.
Jennifer also knows the effectiveness of the Evidence-Based Practice of Reinforcement. One way Jennifer uses reinforcement is through highlighting students in a special bulletin board display for the "Worker of the Month". What a wonderful way to highlight student success in their community job placements!
A special thank you to Jennifer for welcoming us back into her classroom and for being such a wonderful model for fellow high school teachers across the Miami Valley!
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