Monday, March 27, 2023

Super Star Schedules: More Mini-Schedules

Visual schedules are an effective visual support to help students with autism and low-incidence disabilities navigate the school day with increased independence. Typically, visual schedules provide information about where a student needs to transition to but does not include specific information about what the student is expected to do in that location. A mini-schedule can be used once the student transitions to provide more information about what they will be doing. In today's Super Star Schedules, we will be featuring ideas for using mini-schedules in the classroom. 



Group Mini-Schedules
In some classrooms, teachers use a group mini-schedule to lead group instruction so that students know exactly what to expect throughout the lesson. We recommend reviewing the group mini-schedule with the students as you add each one to the list. Another recommendation we frequently make is to use interactive mini schedules where the items can be checked off, erased, or have moveable icons. 

Kaitlynd Deim
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Deanna Hicks
East Elementary, Eaton

Caitlyn Imhoff
Dixie Middle School, New Lebanon

Mandy Schetter
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont

Robin Koronich
Learning Center West- MCESC


Individual Mini-Schedules
When a student has to complete the same tasks regularly, an interactive individual mini-schedule can help to communicate the expectation and increase their independence. Again, we recommend having interactive elements to help the student stay on track. 

Laura Frank
Valley Forge Elementary, Huber Heights

Makayla Barber
Mad River ECEC, Mad River

Holly Smith
Nevin Coppick Elementary, Miami County ESC

Cassandra Hebauf
Northmoor Elementary, Northmont

Laura Weddle
Miami East Elementary, Miami East

Emily Beck
Bradford Elementary, Bradford

Susan Trissell
Westwood Elementary, Dayton

Find more wonderful ideas on using mini-schedules in your classroom in our previous post:


Monday, March 20, 2023

A-LIST Spotlight: Rebecca Leak, Intervention Specialist at Northwood Elementary in Northmont

This month we are so excited to feature Rebecca Leak who is an Intervention Specialist at Northwood Elementary in Northmont. During our time working with Rebecca, were so impressed with how well she collaborated with colleagues and parents for an individual student. She adapted to changing expectations during remote instruction and then really allowed this student to soar with her co-planning for meaningful inclusion opportunities during in-person learning. Her dedication, time, and hard work were definitely noticed! She shows great initiative in meeting the unique needs of individual students and we feel Rebecca is a great role model for others!



We recently asked Rebecca to share some of her favorite supports from her classroom. Rebecca shared, 


Flexible Seating
I have a lot of wiggly students, so I incorporate a lot of movement breaks in my classroom. I have a small trampoline and utilize tools like GoNoodle. In addition, I have found that flexible seating helps students get sensory input while also staying focused. A few examples of this are: rocking chairs, tilty stools, kick bands, and wobble seats. I also have a standing desk to use when needed.



Visual Supports
Many students, especially the younger ones, struggle with prolonged attention and focus. I frequently use visual timers to let them know how long I expect them to work. In addition to this, I often use a first/then chart. I've made rewards and activities based on student likes and preferences. Before we start, I let them choose one reward to work towards and then set the visual timer so they know how long they have to work before earning their reward. When focus is an extra struggle, I use the token board so they can visually track their progress through our activity time.


Daily Calendar and Math Practice
My students need constant review and spiraling of concepts, especially in math, so I have a daily calendar time where I incorporate repetitive practice and review of basic skills. In addition to months, weeks, and days, we keep track of how many days we have been in skill while also practicing skills like place value, writing and reading numbers, marking with tallys, rote and skip counting, telling time, identifying coins by name and value, as well as counting coins and writing the amount using the appropriate sign.



Independent Work
There are often times, in my resource room, where students need to work independently while staff are busy with other groups. Independent work can be a huge challenge for my students. Sometimes they can work on their iPads, but often that is too much of a distraction and temptation. So, I have many independent folder activities that cover a wide variety of skills in ELA and math. They are picture based and often more engaging for students. I can pick a skill that I know they have mastered enough to to do on their own and it gives me time to work with other students while they are still practicing meaningful skills.


Edible Reinforcers
Student motivation is a constant consideration in my classroom, as I work with students who are highly distractible and struggle to attend to tasks for an extended period of time. My students seem to be most motivated by food and candy, but I discovered that offering them a piece of candy at the end of a 15 or 20-minute work session was often too far off to be a tangible and real motivation. So I have started keeping food and treats around that come in much smaller portions. Some of my students favorites are the chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. I also use cereal or mini pretzels. Anything delicious and tiny! When working, it is much easier for them to keep track of their success and stay motivated when they are receiving a small reward every 3-5 minutes as opposed to every 15-30. I do not use this every time we work (I don't want it to become the only reason they work), but on difficult days or during especially frustrating tasks, it has been very helpful!"

Thank you so much to Rebecca for sharing these wonderful ideas and welcoming us into her classroom! It was a pleasure working with you and seeing how you help your students thrive!

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Organization Station: More Center Time Ideas

Classroom centers are one of our favorite organizational supports in the busy classroom because they allow for increased differentiation and increased engagement with less wait time. To make centers work, it is important to develop a plan, share the plan with staff, and then to create organizational tools so the students know what to expect. In today's Organization Station, we will highlight some of the most creative ways we have seen for organizing classroom centers. 




Grouping Visuals
The first step to successful implementation of centers is to determine the number of centers and how students will be grouped. Sometimes, grouping by skill level is helpful when planning differentiated tasks. 

Name magnets can easily be moved between centers
Bev Richardson
Bruce Elementary, Eaton

Group frames can be moved to the assigned center location
Genevieve Harvey
West Carrollton ECC, West Carrollton

Color-coded center groups
Debi Gnua
Mad River ECEC, Mad River


Slide Visuals
Recently, classrooms have seen more teachers using Google Slide decks to organize and display their centers. This is a great solution when you need something that can easily be modified in the moment. 

Julia Spencer
Learning Center West- MCESC

MaKynzie Lowery
Learning Center West- MCESC

Brandi Owings
Perrin Woods Elementary, Springfield

Hannah Walters
Kenwood Elementary, Springfield



Location-Based Visuals
To assist students who struggle with transitions, we recommend using a location-based schedule that students can match their schedule card to the corresponding location when it is time for them to transition to that center. 
Deanna Hicks
East Elementary, Eaton

Deanna Hicks
East Elementary, Eaton


Often, basic colors or shapes can be an easy visual for students of all ages or abilities to match.

Rebekah Foust
Mad River ECEC, Mad River

Jenny Vogt
Schnell Elementary, West Carrollton

Student Choice
At times, you may have open-ended classroom centers where students can choose where they want to go. We love these visual supports for students to show their choices.
Rebekah Foust
Mad River ECEC, Mad River

Jenna Falldorf
Milton Union Elementary, Milton Union


Looking for more ideas for organizing centers in your classroom? Check out our previous post here:




Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Upcoming ACT Team Training: Developing a Building-Wide Crisis Response Team

Hello friends of the MCESC Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team! 

We are excited to announce our final training for the 2022-2023 school year! Are there students in your building with explosive behaviors? Do you have students with seizures or other significant medical needs? On Monday, April 17th from 3:00-4:15pm, we will have a virtual session on Developing a Building-Wide Crisis Response Team. This virtual session will introduce a framework for developing a building-wide crisis response team to ensure staff and student safety, offer support in times of crisis, and provide consistent documentation and problem-solving. The primary focus will be on developing the team and we will not be focusing on de-escalation strategies. 

Please register using the link on the flyer below.
ACT Team Presents: Developing a Building-Wide Crisis Response Team