Best Blog Posts for Social Skills

To start this school year, our team is compiling some of our best examples of supports we have seen in our districts and featured in previous blog posts. Today we are highlighting all of the Best Blog Posts for Social Skills.

Click on the hyperlink under each heading below to be taken to the related post on that topic.

• The Foundation for Building Reciprocol Communication

• Building Joint Attention During Instruction

• Engage in Social Routines

• Encouraging Group Participation

• Peer Mediated Instruction and Intervention 

• Waiting

• Waiting and Taking Turns

• Speech Bubble/Thought Bubble

• Teaching Voice Volume

• Stay on Track

• Be Flexible

• Excel at the Expected

• Be Kind

• Listen to Others

• Positive Thinking

• Respond to Others

• Effort

• Good Mistakes

• Finish Later

• Waiting

Best Blog Posts for Communication

To start this school year, our team is compiling some of our best examples of supports we have seen in our districts and featured in previous blog posts. Today we are highlighting all of the Best Blog Posts for Communication. 

Click on the hyperlink under each heading below to be taken to the related post on that topic.

• Escape

• Protest

• Attention

• Request Item or Activity

• Initiating Requests

• Provide Feedback

• Participate in Group

• Answering Questions

• Asking Questions and Getting Clarification

• Share Remote Experiences

• Teaching Yes and No

• Core Words

• Modeling and Facilitating Core Words Across the Day

• AAC

• Scripting

A-LIST Induction 2024

We are so excited to end this school year by introducing our newest members of our Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team’s “A-LIST”. Our A-LIST stands for Autism-Low Incidence Support Team and is comprised of a regional network of select professionals who exhibit “best practices” in serving the needs of students who have autism or other complex, low-incidence disabilities.Our A-LIST began in 2012 in an effort to recognize outstanding individuals who had exceeded the high expectations of our coaching process, and who represented the best that our region had to offer to students with disabilities. Only a fraction of the educators we coach each year are nominated. The A-LIST truly represents the BEST professionals in our region.

The goal of the MCESC Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team is to build the capacity of our region’s administrators, teachers, intervention specialists, related service providers, and paraprofessionals to serve children with autism and other complex disabilities. The A-LIST serves a critical role in that mission by maintaining a multi-disciplinary network of outstanding practitioners across all 6 counties we serve. We often refer our coaching teams to our A-LIST members for practical, “in the trenches” perspectives, advice, and occasional modeling of best practices.




Mackenzie Harris

 

Mackenzie Harris is an intervention specialist at Primary Village South in Centerville City Schools . We love Mackenzie's use of structured work systems, reinforcement, and many visual supports. When addressing behavioral challenges, Mackenzie is a co-regulation queen and always has a binder of data ready to be analyzed. Mackenzie has embraced the coaching process and has done a great job collaborating with the ACT team and her school-based team. Mackenzie's students are lucky to have her and we are lucky to have her as one of the newest members of our A-LIST team!

Nick DeGrazia

Nick DeGrazia is a student services supervisor and school psychologist for Northmont Schools. This year he took on the additional role of student services supervisor and has embraced it.  We have worked with Nick over the years and appreciate his active involvement with referral classes and students. Nick is invested in getting to know his staff and students. Nick is also a great support to our team by asking insightful questions and offering support in helping the classroom teams implement ACT team recommendations.  The students and staff in Northmont are lucky to have Nick as a leader! 

America Swartzel

America Swartzel is the speech pathologist at Dixie Elementary and Middle School in New Lebanon. She is always so positive and knows how to engage with her students. We have seen America connect with some of the most challenging students and facilitate meaningful use of AAC, encouraging implementation across settings. We also love that she educates herself on the perspectives of neurodiverse individuals to make sure her goals and strategies are respectful of their unique differences and abilities.  America is a great team player and demonstrates the ability to collaborate with others to support shared goals. We are excited to have America on our A-LIST!

Katie Wood

When coaching in intervention specialist Katie Wood's classroom at Primary Village South in Centerville, we have loved her calming environment, use of the structured work system, how her classroom team facilitates the use of AAC, their use of visual supports such as student schedules and the reinforcement system, use of technology to engage students, and her ability to manage and delegate to your paraprofessionals. Katie has truly embraced the coaching process and shows strengths with mindful reflection, remaining open-minded, collaborative problem-solving, and has done a nice job of implementing strategies with fidelity. We know Katie will be a valued member of our A-LIST and have actually already been visiting her classroom with other teachers since we know there are some great examples for them to see!

Todd French

It has been a pleasure for our team to work with school psychologist Todd French at Northmont City Schools over the past couple of years! Todd does such an excellent job of advocating for his teachers and his students. Additionally, it is refreshing to see a school psychologist who is so involved and truly knows and supports his students on a day-to-day basis. Todd is a wonderful partner to our team and the coaching that we do. We appreciate his involvement in our meetings and your partnership. Northmont is certainly lucky to have Todd!

Heidi Horner

Miami County ESC Intervention Specialist Heidi Horner at Nevin Coppock Elementary in Tipp City has been nominated to our A-LIST because when you visit her classroom you immediately see so many evidence-based practices in place!  Throughout her coaching experience with the ACT Team, Heidi has always been willing to listen to constructive feedback and take new ideas and make them her own. On top of all of that, what we admire most about Heidi is her positive attitude and ability to collaborate with her classroom staff and the families she serves.  She always has her students at heart and will not stop until she meets their needs.  Heidi is always actively problem-solving and we have also been impressed with her initiative to support students in an individualized way, ensuring that she and her staff are meeting their needs. Heidi's leadership style and approach to teaching should be celebrated and deserves to be recognized!  Congratulations, Heidi!

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