Around Town Round Up-- Using Visual Cues to Communicate Expectations in the Environment

Many of the classrooms we coach use visual supports throughout the day to illustrate learning concepts, provide students with response options, and to communicate expectations. Today's Around Town Round Up focuses on specific visual supports used by teams to communicate expectations in throughout the classroom environment.

Stop Signs
At times, there are areas of the classroom that are off limits for students. This may be free access to reinforcers or it could be technology that isn't safe for the students to handle. Provide a physical barrier such as an opaque cabinet or box and use locks as needed. A stop sign visual support can be used to provide a visual cue. These stop signs are typically static and do not move.

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Alisa Hartlage
Northridge Elementary, Northeastern

Lisa Friedlander
Fairborn High School, Fairborn

Sometimes signs are used to keep students out of an area temporarily. This is most commonly used for free choice activities that are "closed" during work times. These signs should not be static because they need to be moved whenever the student is allowed to access the area/activity. If the sign is not removed, then the student gets a mixed message on when they need to pay attention to the sign and when it can be ignored. 

Angela Crum
Parkwood Elementary, Beavercreek

Peggy Ristau
Brookville Intermediate, Brookville

For some students, a portable physical boundary, like the flexible folding gym mat below, can help them better understand when an area is off limits. 

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Position Cues
During transitions, position cues can help students know where to go next. These cues can address social skill deficits for students who do not provide peers with enough space. They can also address sensory processing issues for students who have a poor concept of where their body is in space. Position cues can be grounding and communicate more clearly what is expected during transitions.

Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Mandy Whitfield
MCESC-Learning Center East

In the example below, position cues are given for where students are supposed to sit during circle time. These are especially helpful for students who get distracted by the busy carpet pattern.

Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Wait Supports
Many of our referral students struggle with waiting. This can be a hard concept to grasp when waiting during transitions and when waiting their turn. It is important to have supports in place that help these students to better understand the expectations. Use visuals to communicate when students should wait and when they should go.

Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Katy Philpot
Rosa Parks ELC, Dayton

For students who need a physical boundary, use a waiting chair. Provide fidgets, books, or an iPad to occupy students when waiting in the wait chair.

Kirsten Johnson
Greene INC

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

When working on waiting, use the visual countdown to help students see the passing of time and to communicate when they will be done waiting.

Visual Countdown

Organization Station-- Communicating with Paraprofessionals

Paraprofessionals are an essential part of the educational team for many of the classrooms we coach. In addition to providing instruction and support to students, they are a partner to the teacher in helping the classroom run smoothly throughout the day. We are often asked to provide guidance to teachers on the best ways to manage paraprofessionals. The key to successful paraprofessional management is communication!

Unfortunately, paraprofessionals are often not provided with extensive training prior to starting in the classroom. They are also not mind readers. Therefore, they rely on the classroom teacher to provide them with explicit instructions on what is expected throughout the day. If this communication is not provided, it can lead to inconsistencies with instruction, behavior, and even safety. Today's Organization Station will provide some practical tips on Communicating with Paraprofessionals.

Schedules
Each paraprofessional should be provided with a daily schedule which provides them with information on where they are needed and which students they are responsible for during this time. Teachers should cross check their own schedule with their paraprofessionals to make sure all students are accounted for throughout the day. If paraprofessionals do not receive copies of the lesson plans each week, a basic outline of activities can be included in the schedule. If there are specific guidelines or procedures you would like your paraprofessional to follow, then this should also be included. Special Education classroom can often be stressful which makes it easy for everyone to forget even if you have provided training or have had a discussion related to what is expected. It can benefit everyone to have this information in writing.

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Carrie Prickett
Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg

Communication Corner
Designate an area of the classroom to post all team communication. Important elements of the communication corner include calendars, important reminders, and staff schedules. The communication corner is also a great place to include a "parking lot" where staff can write down questions or concerns to be addressed when students are not present. This reduces interruptions to instruction throughout the day and provides a platform to ensure all staff concerns are addressed. Schedule a designated time to address parking lot issues. This can be a great place to include schedule discrepancies at the start of the year as well.

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Ashley Minnich
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Visual Reminders 
Visual supports are not just for the students! Post-its and signs posted in relevant areas of the classroom can be a quick informational resource to reference throughout the day. Having predictable visual reminders can also be a helpful way to communicate information in a way that limits distractions especially when staff is in and out of the classroom throughout the day.

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Paraprofessional Materials
When paraprofessionals are responsible for providing direct instruction, provide them with a designated area to keep their materials. This provides them with the freedom to access and review their materials and gives them ownership over their lessons. If paraprofessionals do not have time allotted before or after students are present, consider providing them with a short amount of time to organize their own materials to help lessons run efficiently and to prevent students from needing to wait at the start of a lesson.

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Mandy Whitfield
MCESC-Learning Center East

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Material Prep
Paraprofessionals are often a huge help with preparing materials for upcoming lessons and activities. Typically, paraprofessionals and teachers have varying schedules throughout the day so it can be hard to communicate while students are present what needs to be prepped. Create a material prep station that can be accessed by all staff at any time. Use labeled bins, drawers, or folders to organize materials and to outline what needs to be done for each item. Paraprofessionals can help with grading, sorting, cutting, laminating, copying, and filing materials. If paraprofessionals don't have a designated prep time throughout the day, communicate when it would be best for them to work on these tasks. If they have a student absent during their assigned time together or if you have an activity planned where you need less support, then this could be a good time for them to prep.

Lindsey Woods
Fairborn Primary, Fairborn

Rylie Jarrett

Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

For more great ideas on managing paraprofessionals found throughout the Miami Valley check out our previous post:

Organization Station-- Paraprofessionals

Executive Functioning Forum-- Top 5 Tips for Teaching Emotional Regulation

Emotional Regulation can be difficult for individuals with executive functioning skill deficits. This can manifest in a variety of ways within the classroom including: 

• inability to manage frustration
• poor coping skills
• difficulty overcoming obstacles
• overact to small setbacks
• low frustration tolerance due to perceived threats to self-image
• difficulty accepting constructive criticism
• difficulty tolerating mistakes of self and others
• behavioral outbursts

Luckily, emotional regulation can be addressed through direct instruction of self-management strategies. Today's Executive Functioning Forum highlights the Top 5 Tips for Teaching Emotional Regulation: 

1. Plan for Direct Instruction

Many of our students do not acquire emotional regulation skills in the natural environment. Therefore, self-management skills for emotional regulation needs to be directly taught. The team needs to determine what goals are most important for the student to be addressed during this direct instruction. Then, they need to determine who will provide this direct instruction and when. Sometimes this instruction occurs in a 1:1 setting during a session with a speech therapist or OT. Other times, it may be provided to a small group of students by a school counselor or social worker. In some classrooms we even see direct instruction for the whole group. 

Once the logistics are determined, the next step is determining what to teach. Most of the time we find that instruction is more successful when a specific curriculum is referenced because it can be used to structure the time together and can help in setting specific goals. Curriculum vocabulary and concepts can be shared with other staff members to facilitate generalization of learned material. There are dozens of options when it comes to choosing an Emotional Regulation curriculum. Below we have highlighted some of our most recommended. Click on each book below to be directed to the corresponding website with more information. 

 

 

2. Start with the Basics

Emotional Regulation must start with the basics which includes developing a basic understanding of emotions. Students need to learn what the various emotions are and characteristics of each. Then they need to learn how to identify those emotions in others and in themselves. Use visuals, stories, movie clips, and scenarios to help students practice identifying various emotions. 

Pam Ellender
Mad River Middle School, Mad River

Art projects can be a great way to illustrate emotions for young students so they are able to begin identifying emotions and making connections. 

Angela Shelton
Rosa Parks ELC, Dayton

Angela Shelton
Rosa Parks ELC, Dayton

For some students with more significant needs, the educational team may need to identify the student's emotions for them. It is important that the team collaborates to come to a consensus of what observable characteristics the student displays when they are in different emotional states. A tool we often recommend is our Emotion Cue Cards for Staff. These handy cue cards provide a list of student-specific characteristics on the front "Looks Like" side. Then, on the back of each card are possible strategies that can be used to help the students regulate their emotions. These cue cards correlate with the colors from the Zones of Regulation. 

3. Provide Visuals

Visual Supports are an evidence-based practice for students with autism and they can be an especially helpful strategy to use when teaching emotional regulation skills. Visual supports help to take abstract concepts like emotions and make them more concrete and easier to understand. 

Rachel Hatton
Normandy Elementary, Centerville

Jody Chick
Yellow Springs High School, Yellow Springs

Bobbi Jo Chapman
Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield.

4. Plan Opportunities for Deliberate Practice

Once a skill is directly taught, students need ample opportunities to practice the skill within the context of the natural environment to help them see the benefit of strategies learned, fine tune what strategies work best for them, and to help with generalizing into the real world. Initially, these opportunities should be proactively scheduled and prioritized. Scheduling time for practicing emotional regulation skills can be just as important as scheduling time for reading or math skill practice because for many students emotional regulation deficits can be a big factor (if not the biggest factor!) impacting their ability to successfully access the classroom curriculum. 

A common way to embed this practice into the daily routine is through doing a "check in" multiple times throughout the day. During the check in, students will identify what emotion they are feeling. If they are not feeling ready to learn, they can apply a self-management strategy to help them regulate. These self-management strategies should be introduced and practiced as part of their direct instruction.

Kelly Moberly
MCESC Learning Center- East

Pam Ellender
Mad River Middle School, Mad River

Kelly Coppess
Madison Park Elementary, Trotwood

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

JFK Elementary, Kettering

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

Angela Crum
Parkwood Elementary, Beavercreek

5. Make Supports Easily Accessible

Once a student has been directly taught emotional regulation skills and they have been given time to proactively practice use of self-management strategies, staff can begin facilitating use of these strategies "in the moment" when students are upset, stressed, or frustrated. These strategies will be used to replace interfering behaviors. It is important that needed tools are readily accessible for students to use in the moment or they may result to going back to their interfering behaviors. 

Elisha Volp
Northridge Elementary, Northeastern

Bobbi Jo Chapman
Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield

Marie Reinkowski
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

Natalie Griffen
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

For more ideas on meeting the needs of students with executive functioning difficulties, check out our previous Executive Functioning Forum. 

Planning and Organization

Attention and Impulse Control

Memory