ALIST Spotlight: Tracey Cooper- Occupational Therapist, Tecumseh Local Schools

Given nearly 30 years of experience as an occupational therapist, Tracey Cooper has a wealth of knowledge to share with fellow occupational therapists and special educators in today's ALIST Spotlight. Check out the post below from Tracey to learn more about the wonderful interventions and supports she provides to her students: 

"I started in the medical model and transitioned to the school setting over 20 years ago. I am employed by Clark County ESC and have had the honor to work in the Tecumseh Local School district during these 20 years and several years in the Clark Shawnee school district.  I work closely using a collaborative team approach with the Occupational Therapy Assistants, Intervention Specialists, Teachers, parents, other related service providers, and the special education departments with the goal of meeting the students’ physical, mental, and emotional needs using a holistic, positive approach.

Interventions:

Zones of Regulation and Sensory Rooms: I have had so much fun working collaboratively with my teams to individualize a sensory room for each building to meet student needs.  We have developed a consistent check in and out system using the Zones of Regulation and utilize visual supports for a structured routine to facilitate regulation for school readiness. The rooms were designed with a more active side and a calm side of the room.  An IS is a key point of control for each building who continues to collaborate with OT and PT for student success.

Movement Motor Pathways: In addition to the sensory rooms, movement motor pathways have been integrated into many of the buildings where I work.  I have met with the principal of the building and other team members collaboratively for philosophy, different options, environmental considerations and some of the buildings have moved forward to install sensory motor pathways.  The pathways have a systematic approach to being utilized for classrooms or individual students during the school day.

 

Integrating Course Work: Yoga for classrooms, Brain gym, and S’cool Moves are courses I have attended and integrate into the classroom and school community to advocate for student movement needs.

 

Self-care/Life Skills: Self-care needs have grown in the schools.  I work collaboratively with the teachers and families to integrate student needs into academics for more consistent practice for skill acquisition.  I use Fine Motor Boot Camp, Self-Care with Flare, hand strengthening and manipulation activities integrated into academics such as hole punching with counting, daily tying practice, and sequencing skills to make a sandwich just for a few examples. I meet with the special education supervisor so that we can help guide teachers with life skill recommendations to build the needed motor skills for students, such as crossing midline and using two hands to sweep.

 

Handwriting Components: To address handwriting skills, I begin with the components for handwriting, then progress to integrating more task demands to compile the skills needed for independent writing. Handwriting Without Tears curriculum is the main program integrated into therapy using evidence based concepts and approaches to develop the components for writing skills.  In therapy I task grade to help students develop the writing skills for the classroom setting using visually modified paper, visual editing checklists, helping teachers with modifying tasks in the classroom setting such as journals, simplifying worksheets, agendas, integrating visual tracking activities, modifying placement student desk, posture needs, and so much more.

 

 

School Community and Collaboration: School community is key for the holistic approach to the student in the school setting.  Looking at the student needs functionally in a variety of settings including lunch, recess, specials, sports is beneficial to make sure the student can participate in all areas at school. 

Utilizing school resources in the community where students help other students is a philosophy I integrate. In previous years the wood shop has made slant boards and scooters boards.  The vocational agriculture class has made materials for students to assemble planters. The PTO has donated money for sensory room resources.  The tennis coach has donated tennis balls to integrate into hand strengthening resources.

In order to build team unity and continue in collaborative approaches to student success, I have created and facilitated grade-level in-services, building in-services, worked with Mental Health Therapists to present a one-day district in-service, as well as communicate regularly with teachers, intervention specialists, school psychologists, building principals, special education teams and staff.

I take every educational opportunity and utilize a highly collaborative team approach in my districts to support both teacher and student needs to ensure success and support for students within the educational environment. My overarching goal is to ensure students are living their lives to the fullest, not only in school building environments, but will also be able to transfer skills learned and gained while in therapy into their life for maximized independence and success. My passion is to create, design, and grow departments that are highly collaborative teams and centered around the students’ needs, interests, and success.

I am blessed as I love being an OT!"

And we are blessed to have Tracey as one of our ALISTers! Thank you Tracey for being such a wonderful partner to our team and for your dedication to best practices for us to share with others! Your students are so fortunate to have you!

Regulation Rendezvous: Calming Sensory Room at Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia-Butler City School District

 When we are out in our districts we love to see the creative ways that teams are meeting the unique needs of their students with autism and low-incidence disabilities. The team at Demmitt Elementary in Vandalia-Butler City School District converted a supply closet into this great cozy Calming Sensory Room for students who need a break from the sensory-rich demands of the classroom. Check out Demmit's Calming Sensory Room in today's Regulation Rendezvous. 

 

The team at Demmit Elementary knows that there isn't a "one size fits all" approach to meeting the sensory needs of their students. And they also know the power of providing choices to empower students to find sensory supports that work for them and increase the likelihood that students will engage in their sensory regulation. This is why there are a variety of supports within the Calming Sensory Room for students to choose from including: 

A variety of seating options, 

different options for tactile and visual input,

plenty of fidgets and weighted items, 

and even a sound machine with multiple sound settings.

If you are interested in creating a Calming Sensory Room for your students, click on the image below for our helpful handout to use as a guide:

Sensational Social Skills: Excel at the Expected

The terms “expected” and “unexpected” are used in the Social Thinking® Curriculum by Michelle Garcia Winner.  Michelle started using these terms because she felt the terms appropriate and inappropriate were often used to scold or redirect rather than teach the student at a deeper level.  Michelle's Social Thinking website has a variety of articles, products, and free resources to support social skills including the article below which explains the importance of teaching expected/unexpected in a meaningful way:  

Why Do We Use the Expected-Unexpected Social Thinking Vocabulary?

Behaviors will impact how people feel.  How people feel will influence how they act. By focusing on the expected (rather than on the unexpected) feelings can remain positive. We have found many examples across the Miami Valley of teams directly teaching students this important social skill. Today's Sensational Social Skills post will feature these teams along with the Pillars of Performance created by our Speech and Language Pathologist, Carol Dittoe. 

Using our Pillars of Performance (PoP) framework, we created a PoP card to help students Excel at the Expected. PoP is a framework we use to help students acquire and apply social skills. The pillars include: PRACTICE, PRIME, PROMPT & PRAISE.  We have created a series of PoP cards to directly teach critical social skills.  

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

First, introduce the concept of doing what is expected with a social narrative like the one below:

 

Social Narrative:   Doing what is expected can be a challenge. There are so many rules and exceptions to the rules. When we do what is expected, people are calm and happy. When we do something unexpected, people may feel confused or upset. When this happens, we can learn from it. The more we learn, the better we will do!  Practice these skills to excel at doing the expected.

 

Let’s PRACTICE!

In order to master any skill your student will need to deliberatly practice the skill. This makes it much easier to apply the skill in the moment when it is needed the most. Try some of these practice activities to strengthen skills. Repeat, repeat, then repeat.

1.Think about the rules- It is important that you teach the expectations for specific situations.

• Create visuals to state the rules in specific areas or for specific situations. If the student struggles with impulse control, practice the expected behavior in a structured setting prior to expecting the behavior in a natural setting.

Social Story Checklist
Tim Sullivan
Springfield High School, Springfield

Question Visual Cues
Brittany Zurn
Helke Elementary, Vandalia

Voice Level Visual
Mary Schuler
Fairborn Intermediate, Fairborn

• Use video clips to discuss unexpected behaviors in a non-threatening way 

Expected Vs. Unexpected Videos Pinterest Board

• Watch videos that model the expected behaviors. You can create your own videos or find them online. Model Me Kids is a great video modeling curriculum with lessons and workbooks on a variety of social expectations. 

•  Teach the rules of conversation and collaboration. Use roleplaying to practice.

• Refer to the unexpected proactively to make comparisons during the teaching process. Avoid focusing to the unexpected in the moment of the behavior as this may feel punitive and could develop a negative association with the intervention.

Expected and Unexpected Posters Created by Students
Annette Baker and Jodi Egbert
Miami East Elementary, Miami East

Expected/Unexpected Visual Supports
Nancy Cera
Brookville Elementary, Brookville

• Check out this Social Thinking video on Youtube describing teaching strategies for expected/unexpected

 

2. Look for the clues- Teach students to look for the clues to determine what’s expected by asking these 6 questions:

o   What are other people doing? (talking, listening, working, playing, helping)

o   Who am I with? (a friend, a teacher, a stranger or a family member)

o   Where am I? (in the library, outside, in the cafeteria, in the classroom)

o   When is it? (free time, teacher instruction, small group work, individual work)

o   How do others feel? (happy, sad, irritated, bored, worried, confused)

4 Types of Social Cues to Determine How Someone Feels 

 o   Why do they feel that way and how should I respond?

·      The book You are a Social Detective! is a great resource for additional ideas and lesson activities. 

3. Ask for help- Teach your student to find a helper. Identify key adults and peers that the student can trust. Encourage supportive and respectful relationships between peers. Develop a plan for mentoring and modeling expected behaviors. Schedule mentoring sessions when the student can meet with a peer or adult to talk about challenging situations and get advise on what to do or say. Help the student identify who they can go to for in-the-moment help in different settings.

 

4. Use a Calming Strategy- Unexpected behaviors often occur when an individual is feeling anxious. Dysregulation often leads to impulsive behaviors and emotional responses. Help the student identify a quick in-the-moment calming strategy such as deep breathing or palm presses. Practice it regularly so that this strategy can be applied when the student is feeling anxious. Our Breathing Folder is a great visual support for teaching deep breathing skills. Click the handout below for more information and click the image for a template to create your own folder. 

Time to PRIME!

Use a visual tool to help the student make a plan for what to do during situations that are known to be challenging. Present this tool as a positive priming tool rather than a punative reaction. A contingency map or flowchart can help the student see the long term benefits of doing what is expected. By giving the student the power to make good choices rather than cohersing the student to comply, you will  help develop the student’s intrinsic desire to take responsibility and do the right thing.  

Contigency Map with Picture Icons

Social Behavior Flowchart
Mills Lawn Elementary, Yellow Springs

Use the priming bullets on the Excel at the Expected card or a more specific visual tool to review the strategies you have practiced. 

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 situations where the student may demonstrate unexpected behavior.  If a Social Behavior Flowchart has been completed for a situation that may occur, this is a good time to quickly review it.  If you have been practicing a script, provide the script to visually prime them for expected language. Finally, 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. By priming the student, you are setting them up for success.

 

PROMPT

Even with a priming session, the student may become anxious and forget to do what is expected. Use the Excel at the Expected card as an in-the-moment, nonverbal prompt. 

Consider other nonverbal prompts such as tapping on a visual (written or picture) to cue expected language or behavior. If the student is showing signs of escalation, prompt or model the use of the calming strategy.

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.  Focus on catching them doing the expected. By giving your attention to the expected behaviors you will reinforce them. Too often attention is given to the unexpected behaviors. If your student seeks attention, any attention, good or bad, will reinforce the behavior.

"Catch Them Doing Good" Class Chart
Tara Henriksen
Beavertown Preschool, Kettering

When you give praise, it helps to give praise specific to the target behavior. You can give praise verbally or in a written note.

  

If your student needs more tangible reinforcement, they can earn a token or small edible when they demonstrate the target expected behavior.

That’s it! Those are the 4 pillars to teach your student how to Excel at the Expected.  Each pillar is important in supporting the application and generalization of these critical skills. 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. 

For more ideas on using the 4 Pillars of Performance to teach social skills check out our previous posts:

Sensational Social Skills