A-LIST Spotlight: Mandy Schetter, Intervention Specialist- Northmont

It is with great pleasure that we feature Intervention Specialist, Mandy Schetter from Northmoor Elementary in Northmont on today's A-LIST Spotlight. 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.

Last year was Mandy's first year at Northmoor and our first opportunity to work with her for several student referrals. Our entire team was incredibly impressed with how well Mandy managed an unprecedented school year. She demonstrates great professionalism and dedication to her students. 

Individualized Supports

Mandy remains flexible to her student's unique needs while maintaining high expectations. This is no easy balance! Mandy is also always willing to problem-solve and brainstorm with our team which makes her an excellent ACT partner! 

Individualized, interactive daily schedule with student pictures and incorporating special interests

Sensory Menu created with individual student input which provides an easy visual for staff and for the student and helps with student buy-in because they helped to create it. 

Morning routine visual with visual timer

Contingency maps for helping students think through the outcomes of their choices which can be individualized to their specific needs. 

Paraprofessional Management

Mandy also demonstrated great leadership as she managed her paraprofessionals and developed a cohesive team. This is such an important aspect to running a successful classroom. 

This daily data collection sheet stays on a clipboard that classroom staff keep with the students. They take notes on services, behaviors, needs, and work that needs to be completed. Since their staff members don't stay with the same student all day this helps them to communicate. 

Each student has a "go bag" that is filled with reinforcers, visuals, fidgets, etc that are suited for that student. This helps staff members be prepared in the inclusion setting where they don't necessarily have easy access to the tools used in the resource room. 

Congratulations, Mandy! Your staff and students are lucky to have you and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with you!

Sensational Social Skills: Effort PoP Card

This blog will focus on the important skill of putting forth effort. We often hear from our teachers that a student has potential but does not put forth the effort to do their best. The student may quickly rush through a task just to get it done, without taking the time to do it right.  This student may be lacking motivation. Or, the student may be lacking important skills such as the ability to visualize the outcome or the ability to persevere through a challenging task using their inner coach.

We will share strategies for teaching students to put forth effort using the Pillars of Performance (PoP) framework. PoP is a framework we use to help students acquire and apply social skills. These pillars include: PRACTICE, PRIME, PROMPT & PRAISE.  We have created a series of PoP cards to directly teach critical social skills.  

First, introduce the concept of effort with a social narrative like the one below:

Social Narrative:  Effort means you try hard to do something the best you can.  Finishing a task is important, but it is also important that you do a good job.  When you give someone your best effort, you show you care. A successful person knows how to use effort to do quality work that makes them feel proud.  Giving your best effort can be hard when the task feels very difficult or really boring.   There are tricks you can use to make this happen. When you give your best effort you will feel happy and proud!

 

Click the image below for a free handout of the Effort PoP card.  Print, cut, and laminate the card to use as a visual support when teaching this skill.

 

Let’s PRACTICE!

Practice makes perfect. In order to master any skill, you need to deliberately practice the skill. This makes it much easier to apply the skill in the moment when you need it the most. Try some of these practice activities to strengthen skills. Repeat, repeat, then repeat.

Visualize- Help your student practice the art of visualization. Teach your student to visualize the outcome of the task. Provide them with a visual model or exemplar. Help them visualize how they will feel when they are proud of their work.   Talk about what that looks like. When you create a visual representation of something, you activate parts of your brain that help with motivation, awareness and creativity. That is why some of the most successful athletes, artists and people practice visualization. To teach the art of visualization, start with fun activities such as visualizing what the best ice cream sundae would look like. Teachers often use visualizaton as a strategy to help students with reading or story comprehension. One of the most common ways to teach students how to visualize is to describe it as creating a picture or movie in our mind. Encourage your student keep a positive mindset as they visualize the future.

                                                                                                                                     

Push Yourself- Teach your student to be his/her own coach. Teach the use of an inner dialogue. Create a script they can say aloud or to themselves. If you hear your student making negative comments, teach them to replace the negative thought with something positive. To practice, identify a task that can be a trigger for frustration such as math or writing.  Set a visual timer for 3 minutes. Ask the student to engage in the task for 3 minutes. The student has to show genuine effort for 3 minutes. If the student stops trying before the 3 minutes is up, the timer is reset. When the student is able to show effort for 3 minutes the student gets a small reward.  After a short break, set the timer again. Gradually, the time can be increased. Click on the handout below to learn more about replacing negative thoughts and creating a growth mindset.

Growth Mindset Bulletin Board
Jenna Woelfer
Brantwood Elementary, Mad River

Use a Calming Strategy- Help the student identify a quick in-the-moment calming strategy such as deep breathing or palm presses. Practice this regularly so it can be used when needed. By implementing this calming strategy at the start of the task and as needed throughout the task, the student may be better able to stay calm and focus. Here is one example of a calming strategy you can try:

Quality Checklist- When the main focus is finishing a task, it is easy to rush through without thinking about quality. Create a quality checklist that breaks the task into small, sequential steps and includes quality assurance steps such as check punctuation or check with the teacher.  This provides structure for students with poor executive function skills. By adding a preferred activity at the bottom of the checklist you can motivate them to get through it. 

Time to PRIME!

Use the priming bullets on the Effort card to review the strategies you have practiced. What do they visualize happening when they are done? What self-script can they use to coach themselves to do their best. If these strategies are fresh in the mind of your student, the student is more likely to apply the strategies. Make a point of reviewing these strategies prior to starting a challenging or non-preferred task. Present the quality checklist with steps needed for completion. Be sure to identify what will motivate the student to put forth effort and write it at the bottom of the checklist. Next, have the student engage in the calming strategy for a minute or more.  These are all strategies that have been practiced so the student should be very familiar with how to implement them. The priming session should be a positive pep talk to review these strategies and instill confidence in your student.  If the student does not like to talk about it, simply give them the card as a visual reminder. By priming the student, you are setting them up for success.

PROMPT

Even with a priming session, the student may become distracted or lose motivation while working on the task. Use the Effort card as an in-the-moment, nonverbal prompt to get back to work. If the student is easily frustrated, prompt or model the use of the calming strategy.

Consider other nonverbal prompts such as walking by and tapping on the checklist, pointing to the specific step they should be working. If they are unmotivated, point to the reward or positive comment written at the bottom. Avoid engaging in verbal prompting as this may open the door for off-topic conversation or argumentative behaviors.

 

Give PRAISE!

Our final pillar is the most important. We know that in order to increase any skill we need to actively reinforce the skill.  Any time you notice that the student is putting forth their best effort on task, give them praise. Look for natural breaks to give praise so that you don’t distract from the task.  You can devise a subtle way to reinforce such as giving thumbs up or a written note.  It will be important that you follow through with the reward that was written at the bottom of the checklist. Facilitate intrinsic reinforcement for your student by developing pride in their work and accomplishments. Some students are motivated by adult approval while some older students may be more motivated by peer approval. Determine what motivates your student to do their best. Here is a Forced Choice Reinforcement Inventory to determine what reinforces your student:

That’s it! Those are the 4 pillars to teach your students how to give their best effort. Each pillar is important in supporting the application and generalization of this critical skill. Taking the time to implement all 4 pillars will result in the outcome you want. It may take some time so be patient and have fun with it. Teaching the skill with a positive attitude will help the student develop a positive association with the strategies. Developing your student’s confidence and ownership of the goal will help your student succeed. 

A-LIST Spotlight: John Everson- 1:1 Paraprofessional, Tipp City Schools

It is that time of year again where we get to shine our A-LIST Spotlight on area educators who go above and beyond to meet the needs of their students with autism and low-incidence disabilities. In today's A-LIST Spotlight, we are featuring amazing 1:1 paraprofessional, John Everson from Tipp High School in Tipp City. 

Our team has had the pleasure of working with John for several years as part of a student referral and we were so impressed by his dedication, patience, and willingness to collaboratively problem-solve with our team. 

While working with his student, John implemented a variety of visual supports to help the student be successful while in the school building. One of the most effective tools was a dry erase board for writing reminders and providing non-verbal prompts. This was a great, flexible support that could be used across a variety of settings and activities. 

John also worked closely with classroom staff to implement their classroom visual supports including voice volume visuals, task lists, and visual timers. Additionally, he assisted in reading the student to know when to use sensory supports such as a weighted neck wrap. 

In addition to classroom sensory supports, John implemented a variety of sensory breaks with his student over the years including sensory motor stretching, use of a sensory tent, and breaks in the calming sensory room. John is very intuitive and was able to provide valuable feedback about these supports. Additionally, he was an expert at reading his student so he knew when giving an extra 10 minute break could really help him fully relax and focus more when returning to class. 

John went above and beyond to read and analyze information we provided, trial new supports (even when they were a bit unconventional!), and take excellent data. One of the greatest strengths John demonstrated was taking all of the information provided through the coaching process and applying it to his student. This helped him with "tuning in my awareness and empathy to the correct radio frequency."

Thank you, John, for all of your hard work and perseverance over the years. We have truly enjoyed working with you!

Regulation Rendezvous: Alternate Seating

It is nearly impossible for anyone to stay seated all day long! Especially, for young learners or students who need different sensory input. With most classes returning to in-person learning, it is important to consider how you can provide alternate seating options to make sitting during seatwork or group activities more conducive to learning. We have seen tons of creative ideas in our districts which we have gathered in today's Regulation Rendezvous. 

Alternate Seating for Carpet Time

Some students struggle with where their body is in space or with the core strength needed to sit on the carpet for long periods of time. Alternate seating can be used to provide them with physical boundaries and sensory input to make carpet time more manageable. 

Differentiated carpet time seating
Molly Magoteaux
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Differentiated carpet time seating
Amy Beanblossom
Arcanum Elementary, Arcanum

Carpet time cars (how adorable!!)
Pam Locker
Washington Primary, Piqua

Zuma Floor Rocker
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Alternate Seating for Desk Work

For many of our students, desk work requires significant cognitive effort to sustain attention to the academic task. The ability to sustain this effort can be negatively impacted if student sensory needs are not met. Alternate seating is a great way to keep students engaged and on-task while still meeting sensory needs!

Foot rest for desk work
Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Hokki stool in student home base
Stacey Rickmon
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont

Mini Hokki Stool for standing to work
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia-Butler

Hokki Stool in student home base
Ashley Fry
Bradford Elementary, Bradford

Bungee rolling chairs
Sarah Vikan
Schnell Elementary, West Carrollton

Zuma rocker with bouncy band on desk legs
Lindsay Hixson
Charles Huber Elementary, Huber Heights

Zuma Chair with arms
Catherine Anderson
Rushmore Elementary, Huber Heights

Alternate Seating for Group Work

Just like during desk work times, group work times require significant cognitive effort. Additionally, there are increased social demands such as paying joint attention to peers, participating, and working collaboratively. Again, alternate seating can be a great way to meet sensory needs so that students are more equipped to meet group work expectations. 

Mini Hokki Stools
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia-Butler

Textured Peanut seats
Nikki Tinnermann
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Alternate Seating for Break Times

For some students, they may be able to manage in a typical school chair for seat work or group times, but after extended periods of time, they may need to physically reposition to provide a reset and get ready for the next activity. Providing alternate seating for use between activities or during breaks can provide this opportunity to reposition and reset. 

Gamer chair
Catherine Anderson
Rushmore Elementary, Huber Heights

Seating options
Allysson Leapley
Tipp High School, Tipp City

Spin Discs
Amy Pratt
Springcreek Elementary, Piqua

Alternate Seating Options

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to alternate seating. And what works for a student one day, may not be as effective the next day. We think it is wonderful when teachers provide a variety of alternate seating options for students to choose from.

 

Therapy ball, stool, stationary bike, gamer rocker, and beanbag seating options
Allysson Leapley
Tipp High School, Tipp City

When providing alternate seating options, we highly recommend direct instruction and priming of expectations to ensure students use these seating options appropriately and when permitted. Check out our Top 3 Tips for ideas on implementation.