Join us at OCALICONLINE 2024

We are excited to announce that our proposals have been accepted for OCALICONLINE 2024 this year!

What is OCALICONLINE?

OCALICONLINE 2024 is the premier autism and disabilities conference presented by OCALI (Ohio Center for Autism & Low-Incidence Disabilities).

The online event features breakout and networking sessions by state, national and international leaders and experts on important topics and issues across disabilities and across the lifespan.

Join colleagues and peers from Ohio, across the U.S., and around the world to learn, connect, and share research, best practices, and resources to support the needs of all learners and lifelong challenges and opportunities for people with disabilities.

When is OCALICONLINE?

Join us virtually from November 19-22, 2024.

What are ACT's sessions this year?

Check out our session descriptions for more information on our sessions.

Tools to Communicate with Paraprofessionals for Smooth Sailing in Your Classroom

Thursday, November 21st from 10:00am-11:00am

Are you a teacher who manages one or more paraprofessionals in your classroom? This session will provide tools and strategies to help your team work smoothly in and out of the classroom. Effective communication is crucial when managing paraprofessionals. Develop a positive and supportive relationship with your paraprofessionals to help them effectively support your students. Paraprofessionals are encouraged to collaborate with their teacher or take materials back to share with their colleagues.

Give Me A Break: Troubleshooting Common Challenges During Breaks To Increase Transition Success

Friday, November 22nd from 10:00-11:00am

During previous OCALICON sessions we have emphasized the importance of structuring the different types of breaks throughout a student's day to differentiate between reinforcement, sensory, and in-the-moment breaks. We often hear from school teams that the hardest part of implementing breaks is structuring the breaks in a way that makes it easy to transition students back to scheduled activities, especially work times. In this session, we will address some of the common management challenges during breaks and provide some practical examples for addressing those challenges.

Where can I register?

To learn more and to register to attend, visit the OCALICONLINE website: https://conference.ocali.org/ 

Free Pre-Recorded SpEd Hacks Webinars Available On-Demand

To kick off the year, we are featuring our pre-recorded SpEd Hacks webinars that can be viewed for free at your leisure. 

These sessions are about 75 minutes in length and focus on the following topics:

• Classroom Layout and Environment
• Team Building with Paraprofessionals
• Scheduling
• Planning for Instruction

They are a great fit for new or veteran teachers in a self-contained or cross-categorical classroom looking to get a handle on classroom organization and procedures to start the year off right!

Click the image below for access to the flyer which contains the registration links for each session. Once you register, you will be provided with the webinar recording link. 

Please note, due to the "on-demand" format of these sessions, we are unable to offer professional development hours from ACT, however many of our districts have issued their own certificates to provide CEUs to their staff for viewing our on-demand sessions. Please reach out to your district contact to coordinate this.

Feel free to share with colleagues and friends!

On-Demand Training: Pre-Recorded Modules and Facilitated Modules

Our team is excited to provide a new training offering for the 2024-2025 school year! We will be offering pre-recorded modules for self-paced professional development within your district! 

We have two offerings available: 

• Facilitated Modules: There are 10 different module offerings and each module includes unlimited access for one calendar year to a pre-recorded 1-2 hour module with a one-time 30-minute live facilitated Q&A session with members of the MCESC Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team following your district’s module viewing.

• Pre-Recorded Modules: We are also providing the option for districts to purchase 5 of our modules as a completely self-paced offering which includes unlimited access for one calendar year to a pre-recorded 1-2 hour module without the live facilitated Q&A session. 

These are a great option for new hires, paraprofessionals, or district professional development days!

See the images below for more information and/or click to download the flyers. 

FAQs:

• How long do we have access to the modules?
  
• From the time of purchase, you have access for a full calendar year. For example, if you purchase a module in November 2024 you will continue to have access through November 2025. 
• How long are the modules?
  
• Each module is between 1-2 hours in length with the exception of Comprehensive Literacy Instruction for Students with Complex needs which is a 5-part series. 
• How do we access the modules?
• We are excited to be partnering with Teacher Campus which is an online professional development platform. Each staff member that is registered will have their own log-in in order to self-pace their learning.
• How many staff members can watch the module?
  
• There is no limit to the number of staff members that can access the modules. Also, additional staff members can be added to the roster at any time throughout the year-long access timeframe by contacting Mary Fryman at mary.fryman@mcesc.org. In the case of a facilitated module, if additional staff members are added after the scheduled facilitated discussion, then they will 
• Are CEUs available?
• YES! This is a popular request and we are thrilled to announce that through our partnership with Teacher Campus each participant will receive a certificate upon completion of their module. In the case of a facilitated module, attendees for the live Q&A session will receive an additional certificate for the 30-minute session. These certificates are for general CEUs and are not discipline-specific. 
• Can we use a module during a staff-wide in-service day?
• Absolutely! If you want staff to access the module individually for self-paced instruction, you will follow the standard procedures for registering each participant. Or a single staff member can register for the module and then play it to a group of participants. However, if playing the module for a group, you will not have automatic access to individual CEU certificates for each staff member, therefore your district is responsible for providing these. Additionally, if you decide to play the module for a group, ACT would love a total headcount of participants so that we know how many people our training impacts each year! This is appreciated but not required. 
  
• What is the process for purchasing a module?
  
• Please contact Mary Fryman at mary.fryman@mcesc.org for a Training Request Form. Once you submit the form, our team will work with you for invoicing, completing your registrant roster, and scheduling the facilitated discussion (when applicable). 

Organization Station: Home-School Communication For Blended Learning

Communication between school staff and families is more important now than ever as many of our districts navigate the challenges of COVID-19 including using remote and blended learning models as well as managing periodic quarantines. In today's Organization Station, we will feature some of the most popular home-school communication tools we have seen across the Miami Valley. 

Learning Management System Messaging
Many of the Learning Management Systems (LMS) have built-in email or messaging features to allow teachers to communicate directly with parents. This allows messaging and student assignments to be kept all on one site which makes it easier to manage for everyone.

Google Classroom allows teachers to email parents directly about specific assignments or concerns as well as send a summary of the student's work. For more information click the image or link below.

The Tech Advocate: How to Use Google Classroom To Boost Parent Involvement

When using the Seesaw platform, school staff can comunicate with families using the Inbox tab 

Apps
There is no shortage of great apps that can make home-school communication effecient and convenient. In addition to communication features, many of these apps allow users to create a digital portfolio of student work. This is a great way to compile work completed during in-person instruction and during remote learning so that everything is in one place. Click on the images below to learn more about some of the most popular app options.

Google Voice

Another popular communication tool for teachers is Google Voice which allows the user to set up a private phone number to be used for calling, text messaging, and voicemail. Click the image below to learn more. 

Daily Notes
For our districts meeting with students in-person, our teams continue to send home daily notes to communicate activities, events, or special messages to families. We encourage teams to have a system for school to communicate home and vice versa.

Ashley Holtz
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Lynn York
Kleptz ELC & Montgomery County ESC, Northmont

Quick notes can be a convenient way to communicate supplies that may be needed at school. 

Ashley Holtz
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Using picture symbols transforms notes home into a communication support for students who have limited verbal or recall skills to be able to report events each day. 

Jackie Vollmer
Driscoll Elementary, Centerville

For more great examples of Home-School Communication from our teams check out our previous posts:

Home-School Communication

More Home-School Communication

Regulation Rendezvous: Resources for Using Mindfulness Strategies to Reduce Stress in Children

Children of all ages can benefit from mindfulness practices. Mindfulness means paying full attention to something. It means slowing down to really notice what you're doing. When you're mindful, you're taking your time. You're focusing in a relaxed, easy way. Today's Regulation Rendezvous will feature mindfulness strategies for children. 

You need to practice mindfulness to get good at it. Training the mind takes practice. The more you practice, the better you get. If you practice mindfulness exercises, being mindful can come naturally when you need it in your everyday life. This can help when you're stressed, when you have to do something difficult, or when you have to focus your attention. When you practice mindfulness, you're training your attention. Research shows that practicing mindfulness can improve attention for just about everybody!

Explore the resources below with your child to see if you can find mindfulness strategies that fit their relaxation style.

Apps

Apps are a great way to access mindfulness activities because for many teens and adults smart devices are always accessible so they can take their mindfulness activities with them. Click the images below to learn more about some of our favorite apps. 

·   

iBreathe- Relax and Breathe 

Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame

Stop, Breathe, and Think Kids

For more minfulness app ideas for kids check out these great lists:

Understood.org: 8 Mindfulness Apps for Kids

Childhood 101: Mindfulness for Kids: 9 Apps To Help Them Be Calm, Focused and Relaxed

Online Resources

Recently one of our ALIST (Autism and Low-Incidence Support Team) Intervention Specialists, Jennifer Schmidt from Beavercreek High School wrote and article for AAPC Publishing offering ideas for helping children with autism cope during the coronavirus pandemic. It is an excellent article and it can be found here:

How To Help My Autistic Child Cope With Quarantine

Research Articles

If you would like more informatiom about the science behind mindfulness we have shared some great articles below:

• KidsHealth (2017). Mindfulness. https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/mindfulness.html

For additional ideas on mindfulness and self-care visit our previous post:

Regulation Rendezvous: Self-Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Regulation Rendezvous: Resources for Using Mindfulness Strategies toReduce Teen and Adult Stress

Remote Learning Tips & Tricks: 5 Step Plan for Remote Learning

We know that all of our teams are faced with the challenge of facilitating remote learning during the COVID19 closures. This is an overwhelming obstacle for everyone! Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to handle this challenge. It is new for everyone involved so be kind to yourselves! To help you get started, we will be sharing some Remote Learning Tips & Tricks this month. Today we will focus on getting started. 

Although the teaching format may be new, this doesn't mean you need to bombard parents, students, or yourselves with a ton of new expectations. Use familiar lesson plans (although shorter in most cases), learning materials, and visual supports and follow our 5 Step Plan:

Step 1: Set Up

Step 2: Conduct Virtual Meeting

Step 3: Assign Assignments

Step 4: Follow Up

Step 5: Reflect

Step 1: Set Up

• Set up your work space: A good work space is free from visual and auditory distractions. You will be spending a lot of time sitting and using your computer so make sure you are comfortable! 
• Set up your technology: You will need a computer/laptop. If you plan on live video conferencing you will need a webcam and internet connection. Determine a web conferencing platform. Zoom is currently offering free memberships or if you use Google Classroom you can use Google Meet. Familiarize yourself with how to add students, mute participants, and share your screen if you plan on presenting information. 
• Create a schedule: Establishing a schedule is an effective way to reduce feeling overwhelmed. Determine when you will communicate with families, collaborate with colleagues, plan lessons, and provide direct instruction either individually or in groups. Make time to research new resources and professional development. 

• Create a lesson plan: It is important to still plan your lessons. During remote learning, lessons should be shorter to keep students engaged and focused. 
• Prep materials: Prepare any materials you will need during your lessons as well as any materials that will need to be sent home for students (i.e. work packets, file folder activities, taskboxes, etc). Make sure they are readily accessible to minimize distractions. Include visual supports such as reinforcement systems and visual countdowns. Click the images below for our free visual support templates, video models, and handouts. 

Visual Contract Reinforcement System

Visual Contract To Do List Reinforcement System

Visual Countdown

• Communicate with families: It is more important now than ever to have good communication with your student families. Provide them with your schedule for virtual meetings, explain how you will be assigning assignments, and the best way for them to contact you if they need help. There are a variety of options that you can use including Remind, Class Dojo, or Google Classroom. If you are concerned about sharing your personal phone information, you can use Google Voice to set up a free phone number that can be used for making calls and text messaging.
• Provide priming tools for families: Social distancing and remote learning are huge changes for your students. Consider what priming tools they may need such as social stories or visual tools to help this transition go smoothly. If there are visual tools you are currently using in your classroom, provide those same tools to your families to increase consistency and familiarity. Click the image below to access our free visual tool templates, handouts, and videos to share with your families. 

ACT Remote Learning Tools Google Folder

• Record videos: If you want to use the same content multiple times, record it! This is a great option for students who need multiple repetitions of content, families who have limited internet access, or when you have limited time to continually do live virtual meetings. Some great content to video could be morning meeting, calendar, or read-alouds. Consider videoing content that you would want to access in the future. Read-alouds could be used at your classroom listening center. You can also create videos for assignment instructions, use of visual tools, and modeling instructional methods. Not only would these videos help students and families now but they can be used during paraprofessional training in the future. Click the image below to access videos of our visual tools and sensory supports you can share with families:

Step 2: Conducting Virtual Meetings

• Send a reminder: Don't forget to remind families when you will be going live. 
• Make personal connections: Make sure to take time to connect with your students. They miss you and the normalcy of their typical school schedule! Allow time to ask questions and see how they are doing. If you are conducting virtual group sessions, be sure to give student time to interact with one another. If this is all you accomplish the first few sessions that is okay! Students are still getting used to the new format and you are learning how to navigate and manage remote learning. 
• Set Expectations: As you begin conducting lessons, use visuals to set expectations. We love our simple mini-schedule which can be used to preview what you will be covering during the virtual meeting and is a great tool you can use in the classroom as well. Click the image below for our free template and a handout with more information. 

• Build routine and familiarity- To start, use familiar routines and content that students have mastered in the classroom such as morning meeting, read-alouds, or call and response activities. You can even use screen presentation tools to share online calendar activities (such as Starfall or News2You) or songs on YouTube. 
• Slowly add new content: Go slow! Once your student (and you!) have a handle on remote learning, begin teaching new content. Consider sending home interactive learning tools for students to engage with while you are instructing such as an interactive calendar book, word building mats, or graphic organizers. 

Step 3: Assign Assignments

• Independent practice: Assign tasks that students can do independently between virtual meetings to practice their skills. Start with familiar assignments that the students have done in the classroom such as taskboxes or repetitive paper-pencil tasks. Differentiate these assignments not only on student needs but based on their student's ability to access the internet. You may need to consider options that can be printed and sent home for students. 
• Provide explicit instructions: Although your students may be familiar with some of the tasks assigned during remote learning, often students with autism or low-incidence disabilities struggle to generalize skills they have learned in the classroom. Provide students and parents with explicit instructions on what is expected with the assignment. Communicate with parents to provide coaching, send home a video model, or use screencasting to demonstrate. 

• Consider online assignments: Some online platforms allow you to assign tasks that students can do remotely and you can check  later including Unique Learning System, SMART Learning Suite, or Google Classroom.  Click the image below to access our Google activities that can be assigned to students. 

• Think ahead: Don’t overdo it with creating materials you will never use again. Consider what activities you would be interested in incorporating into the classroom in the future. 

Step 4: Follow Up

• Follow up regarding virtual meetings: After a virtual meeting, send an email to families with next steps, assignment reminders, and deadlines. It is easy for everyone to forget what is expected during these unprecedented times. 
• Give ideas for supplemental activities: For some families, keeping their child entertained throughout the day can be really difficult. Provide practical ideas for families to engage their child with such as cooking activities, games, sensory activities, or daily living routines. Share fun websites or apps for read-alouds or academic practice. This will help parents stay sane and hopefully will keep students from spending all day on YouTube! We love the free activity guide and choice boards for families below (click the images to access). 

Step 5: Reflect

• Get feedback from families: Check-in to see how things are going and periodically survey parents to get their feedback regarding remote learning. You can easily set up a free survey through Google Forms that can be sent to families through email or text. 
• Document everything!: Keep track of lessons, assignments, and attempts to contact families. Also determine how you will monitor student progress towards learning objectives and IEP goals. Use work samples or assess students individually during virtual meetings. Consider asking parents to video students completing tasks. 
• Rinse and repeat: Reflect on your data and parent feedback when planning for your future virtual meetings and assignments. 
• Don't forget self-care: As you reflect, take time to check in with yourself. Determine what areas you feel are going well and what you need more support with. Reach out to your colleagues and don't hesitate to contact the Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team if you want our support. We are always happy to help! Most importantly, be kind to yourself! 

Taskbox Time-- Sorting by Color, Size, and Shape

Structured Work Systems can be a great way for students to practice basic skills using a variety of taskbox activities. In today's Taskbox Time we will focus on taskboxes used to practice basic sorting skills by color, size, and shape.

Color

sort folders into magazine holders
Laurie Maravetz
Shaefer Middle School, Springfield

sort paint chip colors
Teach Love Autism

sort checkers into slots 

soft clothespins onto colored tagboard 

sort pocket chips into painted cups

separate and sort colored links into Ziploc Bags

Size

sort bear counters into stamped Ziploc bags

sort objects into labeled Tupperware

Shape

sort lego by size and shape

sort lid to container

sort pattern blocks by shape and match lid

Many taskboxes can be made simply with common household and office supplies. The Target dollar bins and Dollar Tree also offer affordable materials for easy taskbox assembly. Other organizations provide donations. In the Miami Valley, many teachers volunteer at Crayons for Classrooms or attend the Montgomery County Material Reuse Facility's Teacher Shopping Days.

For more ideas check out some of our favorite structured work system books.