Components of Self-Management

Goal Setting

In many educational settings, teachers and other professionals set goals for their students. Students may also be active participants in the goals setting process, which may increase student academic performance. For example, in a 2006 research study conducted by Gureasko-Moore, DuPaul, and White, students were asked to record the problems that they were having with classroom preparation behaviors (such as coming to class on time with the necessary materials). The students made a checklist of solutions to these problems and decided how many they would complete the first week. Improvements were made over the 4 weeks of the study.

When teaching goal-setting to students, there are several points to keep in mind:

• Goals should be specific.
• Goals should be challenging, but achievable.
• The attainment of goals, at least in the early stages of learning, should be immediate, rather than far-off.
• Teachers should provide feedback about success of goal achievement.

Introduction to Self-Management

According to Alberto and Troutman (2009), “the best person to manage a student’s behavior is the student” him or herself. An individual knows what type of reinforcement/reward he or she wants better than anyone and is the only individual that will be part of his or her entire educational and life experience. Mastery of self-management skills is essential for independent functioning. Therefore, it is important for individuals, whether they are on the autism spectrum or not, to learn to monitor, reinforce, and maintain their own positive behavior. This type of behavioral intervention is known as self-management. Self-management may also be thought of as self-discipline or self-control, but it is more than simply a matter of keeping behavior “under control.”




In this issue of Positively Autism, we will describe how you can teach your children or students to use various elements of self-management including:

• Goal Setting
• Self-Recording of Data
• Self-Evaluation
• Self-Reinforcement

Additionally, in this issue you’ll learn about self-management as a part of pivotal response treatment (PRT). PRT is a “naturalistic child- and family-centered intervention that has been used to promote” social and communication skills in children with autism (Texas Autism Resource Guide for Effective Teaching, n.d.).

References

Alberto, P. A., & Troutman, A. C. (2009). Applied behavior analysis for teachers (8th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Texas Autism Resource Guide for Effective Teaching (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2010 from http://www.txautism.net/docs/Guide/Interventions/PRT.pdf

Sense of Hearing

Special Ed, level: 3-5
Materials Required: see lesson plan below
Activity Time: 45-60 minutes
Concepts Taught: Science Vocabulary, Listening Social Skill, Writing a Summary's


Review:
Make a graphic organizer on chart paper that pulls together all the information you’ve been teaching. The central square is the human body with five sub-categories surrounding it being 1) the four internal senses, 2) the five external senses, 3) the body’s needs and wants, and 4) parts of the body. Then, have students provide the details for each of the sub-categories. You could split the parts of the body sub-category into further sub-categories if you’ve been working on sorting internal versus external, trunk versus limbs, upper versus lower and so forth. Either give the students a copy already filled out to add to their notebooks or have them fill in their copy as you write their answers on the board depending on their level.
Present:
1. Sense of hearing.
2. Parts of the ear and the path the sound waves take to get to the brain. Remind students of the internal sense of balance and how it relates to the middle ear.
3. If needed, talk about the social skill of listening in class or conversation. Show an example and a non-example.
4. Problems that may affect hearing- hard of hearing or deaf, hearing aids, cochlear implants, TTY, sign language, closed captioning, etc. (You could invite the district specialist to present this information.)
5. Ear safety – volume and headphones/ear buds, putting things in your ear
Activity:
1. Role play the listening social skill, if your class needs it. Videotape it to use as a review activity.
2. Sort pictures of sounds into loud or quiet volumes.
3. Go outside and listen for a few minutes. Name sounds you hear.
4. Play one room blindfolded hide and seek. One person is blindfolded and has to locate other players by sound alone. The blindfolded one can physically tag or accurately describe the location of a person to pass on their turn.
5. Borrow some instruments from the music teacher and play loud and quiet.
6. Play samples of a variety of different genres of music. Discuss what is liked and disliked about each example.
Science notebook:
Mid to Upper level: Draw or glue in a drawing of the ear and label the parts. Write a few sentences about the sense of hearing and safety.
Basic level: Trace a sentence about hearing a favorite or hated sound. Circle or highlight the ears on a picture of a person glued into the notebook.
Recommended materials:
http://www.doctorhoffman.com/earanat.htm all about the ear, has simplified terms as well as the medical terms

Expanded Songs in Sign by S. Harold Collins from the “Beginning Sign Language Series The book contains eleven common American songs in signed English. Some examples are “She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain” and “Row, row, row your boat.”
Perk Up Your Ears by Vicki Cobb This book contains information on the parts of the ear, how the ear works, safe volumes for the ear, experiments that illustrate how your ear works, echolocation, lip reading, perfect pitch and so forth. It has quite a bit of text per page, but could work as a read aloud for near grade level students if you stopped and tried all the experiments. If you’re not prepared to do that, it would probably be an overwhelming amount of language and information for students with moderate to severe disabilities to process.
The five senses-hearing by Maria Rius, J. M. Parramon, and J. J. Puig- This book has just one sentence per page and discusses various things you hear with your ears. At the end it has a labeled drawing of the ear with more comprehensive vocabulary and two pages of text explaining how the ear works. This book is recommended for students at a basic level.
Picture cards of loud and quiet things
http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/quick/uwash/chhearing.html lots of sound and hearing activity ideas
http://www.suzy.co.nz/suzysworld/Factpage.asp?FactSheet=86 Ears: How do ears work?
This is Day 10 of a 17 day unit on the human body and the 5 senses. If you'd like the whole unit, you may find it here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/About-Me-and-the-Five-Senses-Lesson-Unit-for-Special-Education-Classes

SPECIAL EDUCATION - MANAGING INSTRUCTIONAL TIME IN THE RESOURCE ROOM

GRADES: K-6
Because the needs of students who come to the Resource Room are so diverse, it can be challenging to structure the learning environment. I have begun managing my Resource Room in the following manner:

Setting Up/Getting Prepared
I created a chart with three columns. Each column has an arrow pointing downward (one orange, one blue and one green). I laminated the chart so that I could write on it with wipe-off crayons.
Each day, I decide how I want to group students. Generally, grouping by ability level or IEP objectives works best. I end up with an orange group, a blue group and a green group. Then, assigning one column on the chart per group, I write student names in the columns.
I then assign certain tables as work spaces by placing an orange marker on one table, and so on. My markers are simply folded pieces of manila that stand up. Using this system allows me to set up everything the night before. Students can come in, look for their names on the chart, and group themselves according to color. They usually look over the materials I have already set out. So far, this seems to increase their enthusiasm.
I have 1 or 2 paraprofessionals in my room most of the morning. I write brief instructions on sticky notes (the larger ruled brand) and stick the notes on the materials. This usually is sufficient explanation.
Rotation/Instructional Time
I provide direct instruction (mini-lessons on a skill or strategy; reading from a Linguistic Reader, etc.) to the first group of students while the other 2 groups work with paras. The paras do a lot of skills games, review and reinforcement/practice activities. When I finish my mini-lesson, the groups rotate.
Then, we rotate again! Simple! Sometimes I teach the same mini-lesson to 3 groups. Sometimes my instruction is more individualized. Likewise, paras may do different activities with different groups. It all depends on what the students need on a particular day.

SPECIAL EDUCATION - Lesson Plan : What is the same

Teacher Name: Carolyn Ewing

Grade:Preschool

Subject: Special Education

Topic:Same and Different (EDITED)

Content: Recognition of two items that are the same and one item that is different.

Goals: The student will be able to choose the two items that are the same and the item that is different will remain on the table.

Objectives:Given a set of items Student will use hand, arm, or head to point and/or move like items to a different area, three out of four sessions.

Materials:Four sets of like items Four sets of different items

Introduction:The teacher will present each item to be used one at a time making sure the child's attention is focused on the items. Teacher will introduce each item by using the item's name and using it in a sentence. This will ensure that all children have prior knowledge of each item.

Development:When the student's attention is focused the teacher will place and name item color, shape, or name of toy to the student. Teacher will then place the items on the table in chosen order. Teacher will name the item as it is placed on the table. Teacher will ask for a specific item, and then point to it or pick it up and state the name of the item again.

Practice:
As the teacher is working with the students, they will use the Introduction and Development procedures to guide them through this activity. The teacher will keep a checklist noting the the number of successes and type of cues given.

Accommodations:
* Student will perform work at a table or on wheelchair tray. * Student may use the part of their body that works to point or move items. * Instruction will be given verbally. * Task will be demonstrated for visual.

Checking For Understanding:
* Teacher will tally checklist and personal observations: - note day and time of best performance - note which teacher was working with student - note items used (shape, color, toys) - note the health and attitude of student

Closure:Student successfully completed goal,what cues helped the most, which teacher helped the student focus the most, and what items (colors and shapes) was the student most interested in? If the student was not successful I would use the same premise in reverse.

Evaluation: Compare data collected each week. Plans will be based on this data.

Teacher Reflections:
What successes are being made? Is this lesson understood by all children? What will I do for those who are not understanding? What is working for the group? What is my next step?

SPECIAL EDUCATION - Lesson Plan : Apple Textures

Teacher Name: Janet Renda

Grade: Preschool

Subject: Social Studies

Topic: Apples

Content: textures: smooth, bumpy, hard, soft

Goals: recognize different tactile sensations

Objectives:SWBAT touch varied tactile materials without behavioral overreaction SWBAT match my texture

Materials:apple cutouts pre-programmed with varying textures

Introduction:Present apple, sing apple song

Development:Talk about the way apples feel, allow students to manipulate apples as they are described

Practice:allow each student a turn to match apples by textures

Accommodations:NA

Checking For Understanding:Review textures and touch

Closure:Sing apple song again

Evaluation:observation

Lesson Plan : Letter C

Teacher Name: Peters

Grade: Grade 1

Subject: Special Education

Topic: Identifying the upper and lower case letter C. (EDITED)

Content: Identify the letter C from a field of 2 Example: Cat, cub , come, color, Reinforce letter C through poetry writing.

Goals: Students will be able to identify the letter C from a field of two and will identify sight words that start with the letter C.

Objectives:Given a list of sight words, students will identify the letter C and read 5 words that begin with that letter.

Materials:Upper Case C book Lower Case C book Poem with Upper case C identification Poem with lower case c identification

Introduction:Teacher will provide a "Magic Bag". Students will take turns picking items out of the bag and decide if the item begins with the letter C.

Development: Students will read the poem, The Caterpillar. One student will read the poem to the children 2 times. Each time it is read the children are to clap when they hear the letter C. Students will then read the poem together. The teacher will write an original C poem with the help of the students. This will be written on a chart for the children to see, reinforcing the letter C.

Practice:Students will work with a partner to create their own four-line poems. Teacher and helpers can assist children in writing their poems on chart paper.

Accommodations:Teacher will pair students when they write their poems. Students who have difficulty will be paired with a student who is strong in reading and writing skills. Students can illustrate their poem to offer artistic students an opportunity to display talent.

Checking For Understanding:Give the children a field of 3 letters and point out the letter C - "Touch... C"

Closure:Children will read the poem again with a adult and point out the words that contain the letter C.

Evaluation:Students will be given a card with the letter C. Each group will read the poems that they made while the children raise their card when they see or hear the letter C.

Teacher Reflections:Was there enough challenge for the students who are more advanced in my lesson? How did the students work together in pairs? Were they helpful? Will I do this again and will I change anything to make it work better? What was motivational in my lesson today?

SETTING UP A LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAM FOR SPECIAL ED STUDENTS

GRADES 1-8
When putting together an academic program for Special Education students, the first thing one must keep in mind is to follow the IEP (individualized education program) for each student. Although teachers often feel pressure to follow the Course of Study for their particular school district, following the IEP is extremely important. Most learning disabled students need strong Language Arts and Math programs. On the IEPs, goals will usually be listed in these areas. Therefore, the major concern of a teacher setting up a program of this type the first time should be in establishing a strong Language Arts program.
Here are some basic ideas to keep in mind when establishing a Language Arts program for Special Ed students:

READING
The best thing one can do with special ed students in Language Arts is to establish a phonics program. As old as the idea may seem, teaching phonics to our students is valuable to the majority (but take care...it is NOT appropriate for all). I use Hooked on Phonics, but the Renee Herman is also good, especially for younger children.
If you use Hooked on Phonics, be sure that an adult works one on one with students. It's much more effective in the classroom than having the students work independently with the tapes!

SIGHT WORD VOCABULARY
A sight word approach is especially important for those students who do not appear to respond well to the phonics approach. This method may easily be worked into spelling, history, math, science, and of course, literature.

READ GRADE LEVEL BOOKS
One should read grade level books to the students--even if they do not have the decoding skills necessary to read them independently. By reading to them, the students can still enjoy, comprehend, compare and contrast these books! Special Education students have a right to be exposed to literature that those without special needs are reading!

Schools for Children with Autism

1)ADIDaily 4-hour sessions every day called ADI (autistic dynamic Intervention)
Dr. Nair Hospital, Mumbai Central

2)Ashiana Institute forChildren with Autism
Phone : (22) 2684-5062
Nityanand Marg, Municipal School,Sahar Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai - 400069

3)Dakshinya Sp. Education Centre & School for Autism
Phone: Jyotsna Waghmare 98190-23790
A-32/250,Old Siddharth Nagar,Road No-10,Behind Adarsha Vidyalaya, Goregaon
(W), Mumbai-4000062

4)Khushi
Phone :+91 (0) 98195-61468, 022 28321661
E-mail: info@khushi.net.inWebsite: www.khushi.net.in
A/1,Raj Mahal Apartments,Service Road,Jogeshwari (East)Near Rajaram garden (BMC
garden)Mumbai -400060

5)Little Angels School (By Human Development Centre)
Phone : 604-6642
Dr. Ambedkar Road, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbai - 400050

6)M. B. Barwalia FoundationSchool for Autism
Naidu Colony, Ghatkopar (E), Mumbai

7)Prerna Centre for Autism & Related Disorders
Phone : (22) 2216-4110
29,Ground Floor, Meherzin CHS LTD. 109, A Woodhouse Road, Near Thompsons General
Store, Colaba, Mumbai-400005

8)Priyanj
Phone : 844-1193
Goregaon, Mumbai

9)Sairam Autism Centre
Phone : 413-0285
C/o Jaivakeel School, Sewri, Mumbai - 400038

10)S. P. J. Sadhana School
Phone : 364-7913
Sophia Campus, Cumballa Hill, Mumbai - 400026

11)Support for Autistic Individuals (SAI)
Phone : +91–22–26611237 / 26612059
Units 304-308, Dheeraj Heritage Building , Santacruz (West),Mumbai, 400054.
Email: saischool@ymail.com Website: http://www.SAISchool.IN

12)Umang Centre for Autistic & Slow learners
Tel: (22) 2866-0317, 2808-7080.
Kandivali (W), Mumbai-4000067