ALIST Spotlight: Jamie Minnish-- Prass Elementary, Kettering

We would like to start the school year honoring one of our original ALIST members, Jamie Minnish. Jamie teaches at J.E. Prass Elementary in Kettering. She has been a member of our ALIST since it originated in 2012. She has been a great partner to our team and her classroom has countless examples of best practices many of which we will feature in today's ALIST Spotlight.

One of the first things a visitor may notice in Jamie's classroom is how engaged her students are in their learning.

Engaging Instruction
This adapted book is a great support because it makes reading more hands-on for students as they match the character faces on each page.

Having fun science activities such as this butterfly habitat makes science fun and provides real-world experiences for her students.

Visual supports also help to engage students in learning and make abstract concepts easier to understand.

Differentiation
Jamie also assists students in their understanding through use of differentiation. She not only differentiates instruction but also differentiates other adaptive supports such as schedules and communication supports.

This is an example of objects to be used for a student's object schedule.

Several of the students in Jamie's class use an auditory schedule in which the location labels can be recorded into the device and when students take off the icon it will play the recorded message. This is great for students who struggle with understanding the picture icons.

Enabling Devices

Other students may need a more portable schedule that can travel with them such as these checklist or velcro schedules.

We love how the icons from the velcro schedule can be used as a location-based schedule for students who need help with transitioning to the next scheduled location. This plastic table tent makes changing the location label easy.

Jamie also differentiates communication supports based on the needs of her students.

Interests
Another way Jamie meets her students' unique needs is through incorporating their interests as reinforcement and play and leisure activities.

Square Panda

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports

Incorporating interests is also part of Jamie's PBIS systems for students. 

iPad reinforcement board

visual contract

We also love this great visual support explaining the class-wide token economy. What a great way to reinforce positive behaviors and work on money skills!

Material Organization

Another thing visitors will quickly see in Jamie's classroom is how smoothly the classroom runs. This is a great indicator of quality classroom management, team communication, and overall organization of materials and processes throughout the day.  

chair pocket for student materials

classroom library

labeled materials for staff and students centrally located for easy access

taskboxes with color-coding and labels

Physical and Visual Boundaries

In addition to everything having a place when organizing materials, Jamie has developed clear procedures for students to know the expectations of where they should be. She uses physical and visual boundaries to reinforce these expectations. 

flexible folding mat to close off play area when not in use

visual boundary for lining up

wait chair

Visual Supports

Jamie also makes great use of visual supports to communicate expectations. 

sign out board for when students are not in the classroom

Paraprofessional Management

Adults need visuals too! And Jamie does an excellent job using visuals to communicate important information and reminders to her staff.

 

Activity instructions for staff attached to outside of material bin

Team Communication Station

We want to send a huge thank you to Jamie for being such a wonderful extension of our team and for sharing all of these wonderful supports she uses with us. 

Around Town Round Up-- Transitions

Transitions are difficult for many students with autism. Therefore, we always emphasize with the teams we coach the importance of having transition supports that can help students better understand the expectations and can prime them for this difficult task. Today's Around Town Round Up will feature some of our favorite transition supports.

One of our go-to supports is the Visual Countdown. A visual countdown can help prepare the student cognitively and emotionally for the upcoming change or expectation. The Countdown is used as a visual aide for the student. As the adult anticipates an upcoming transition, the adult begins the countdown by placing a picture of the upcoming activity at the bottom of the countdown. As the transition time approaches, the adult removes the numbers, beginning with 5 and progressing on down until the transition picture is reached. The unique aspect of the visual countdown is that the adult maintains control of the timetable, whereas with a visual timer, the time elapses on its own from the fixed increments of mechanical movement in the timer. Thus, the visual countdown allows more control and flexibility for the adult facilitating the transition.  When using the Countdown, we suggest that teams use this tool to transition to preferred activities and non-preferred tasks.  If it is only used to transition to a non-preferred task then the student will develop a negative reaction to the tool.  

Large Class-wide Countdown
Jared Taylor
Simon Kenton Elementary, Springfield

Arrow Countdown
Leslie Mann
Smith MS, Vandalia-Butler

Countdowns velcro'd to door to cue staff to take when leaving classroom

Countdown on paint stirrer

Countdown on ruler
Robbie Whorton
Trotwood-Madison HS, Trotwood

Countdown spinner

The Visual Countdown is a great tool to help students with waiting. In addition to this support we have seen great use of a "waiting chair" to give students a visual and physical boundary of where they should be when waiting to leave the classroom or if they enter between class periods. 

Individual wait chairs with busy bins underneath for each student
Rachel Hatton
Normandy Elementary, Centerville

Tabitha Eaton
Main Elementary, Beavercreek

Top:
Kendall Koehler
Normandy Elementary, Centerville

Bottom:
Greene INC

Some students may not need the physical prompt of a chair but may still benefit from a visual support to help them know where to wait when lining up with the class for a transition. 

Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Our team Speech and Language Pathologist, Carol Dittoe, has also created a great support for students learning to wait. Carol's Wait Card support provides a visual and 4 simple strategies that students can be directly taught to help them with waiting. 

ALIST Spotlight--Gail Wright, Eastmont Elementary

Today we would like to shine our ALIST spotlight on the lovely Gail Wright at Eastmont Elementary in Dayton Public Schools!

We love Gail because she is kind and nurturing with her students, works well with her paraprofessionals, and excels with limited resources. She is an advocate for students and leader for colleagues and we are happy to have her as one of our Autism and Low Incidence Support Team (ALIST) members!

In her classroom, Gail has many evidence-based practices in place. She works on Self-Management Skills through incorporating Zones of Regulation and creating a calming environment using colored curtains.

She also uses the evidence-based practice of Visual Supports to communicate expectations to students including class-wide and individualized visual schedules,

classroom jobs,

desk reminders,

and hallway reminders.

We want to thank Gail for being such a great example for fellow DPS teachers and teachers around the Miami Valley! Also a big thank you for welcoming us into her classroom. It is a pleasure to work with you!