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!

Organization Station: Transition Plan

Wow what a year it has been! We know the end of this school year is bittersweet for so many of our districts. The typical excitement of the freedom of summer has been overshadowed by a longing for just one more day with students in your classrooms. Not only is it hard to know how to end the year but it is also diffcult to know how to prepare for next year.

For students who are transitioning to a new classroom or building next year we recommend holding transition meetings for the current team to provide more information for the upcoming team. Typically, we use our Transition Plan as a guide during these meetings and today's Organization Station will detail what components are included in the plan.

Click the image below to access our transition plan.

Current and Upcoming Team Members:

We find it helpful for the upcoming team to have a quick reference of who worked with him the year before in case they want to reach out for advice on a particular support or subject. For instance, if the student is struggling with writing next year, his writing teacher could reach out to his previous writing teacher to ask what strategies she used. 

Staff Priming: It is important that the upcoming team is as prepared as possible ahead of time. We provide some ideas for priming activities that can be used to help them prepare. These are just options and not necessarily all of the things need to be done.  And obviously with the current dynamic of quarantine, not all of these activities are even available. But it is important to consider what can be done proactively so that the upcoming team is as prepared as possible. The point person would be whoever is coordinating scheduling. 

Student Priming: Another important part of the transition to plan for is how the student will be primed. Again some of these options may not be available or you may need to get creative during remote learning. For instance, if staff is unable to access the new building to take pictures or video for a social story or video priming, consider the members of his upcoming team filming a short introductory video sharing some fun tidbits and that they are excited to meet him. Or some of our teams are actually doing video conferencing between the student and the upcoming team. Again with the uncertainty of what the beginning of next year may look like some of this may need to wait until August. The point person would be whoever is coordinating/creating the priming. Sometimes you will have two point people because something is being given to someone else (i.e. the intervention spcialist creates a video and sends it to mom). 

Effective ACT Supports: For teams recieving active Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team support from our team this is where they would list anything that we have suggested that is currently in use/effective. Then determine if there are physical materials that will be passed on or if the upcoming team needs materials to create their own tool. For point person, we would recommend including who will provide the materials to whom.

Other Effective Supports: This section provides additional space for listing any effective interventions that should be proactively implemented next year. Follow the same guidelines as above.

Special Interests/Reinforcers: This information can help the upcoming team develop rapport and prepare for reinforcement. For instance, does the student love talking about trains, enjoy a certain app on the iPad, or do they like Cheez-its as an edible reinforcer? Compile a list of items or activities that interest the student in this section.

Triggers/Ineffective Interventions: It is important that the upcoming team also knows what triggers to avoid so they can proactively plan accordingly. For instance, do fire drills cause a meltdown or have they responded negatively to losing recess as a consequence? Compile a list of any triggering events or ineffective interventions in this section.

Click the image below to see an example of a completed Transition Plan for reference.

Regulation Rendezvous: Purposeful Walk

Many of our students struggle to remain well-regulated while seated in the classroom. They need opportunities built into their day for movement and exercise. One of our favorite strategies to recommend is a Purposeful Walk because it provides the student with calming vestibular and proprioceptive input through a structured task with a definite ending point.  Check out some of the great Purposeful Walk ideas we have seen in our districts in today’s Regulation Rendezvous.

Purposeful walks are already naturally built in throughout the day when students transition between different locations in the school building. Incorporate additional sensory input during these times through using a weighted backpack, weighted cart to push, or carrying a weighted transition item like a stuffed animal filled with plastic pellets.

Weighted Transition Buddy
Annette Baker and Bridgette Powers
Miami East Elementary, Miami East

Transition with Weighted Backpack and Cart
Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elemetary, Mad River

Other naturally-occurring opportunities for purposeful walks can be embedded as jobs throughout the day. Students can collect recycling, gather milks in the cafeteria during breakfast and lunch, bring out recess equipment, collect textbooks or dictionaries in class, collect and return library books, or collect PE equipment.

Pusher for Library Books
Jennifer McGowan
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

Recess Equipment Rolling Tubs
Greenmont Elementary, Kettering

Tub of Library Books on Carpet Square
Terri Wheeler
Milton Union Elementary, Milton Union

Collecting Milks

Additional purposeful walks can be scheduled for a particular student who needs additional opportunities to move. These walks could include a treasure hunt walk, guided map walk, walking laps in the gym or on the playground, or making deliveries. 

Delivery Envelope
Rylie Jarrett
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Delivering Reams of Paper
Bradford Elementary

Be creative and have fun coming up with a theme for a student’s purposeful walk or incorporate their special interests! Keeping students motivated and engaged will allow the purposeful walks to be an effective calming support strategy for your students