Using 3D Modeling to Teach Language and Communication Skills
Many of my students with autism have great visual-spatial skills and are excellent at skills such as 3D modeling. Often, they really enjoy it too! I think it's a great tool that can provide a good leisure skill and, when they get older, can be a good vocational skill. I love seeing the joy on their faces when the create a picture of something they love and the pride they feel when they master a really challenging skill, like making their own windows and doors on the model of
My Favorite Way to Practice Spelling Words
If you’ve been following my page for any length of time, you probably know that I’m not the biggest fan of worksheets. So, you may be surprised that one of my favorite ways to practice spelling words is a worksheet. When I was working on my master’s degree in special education, I read the book, “The Technology of Teaching” by B.F. Skinner. I was inspired by teaching approaches in this book that allowed students to work independently by focusing on taking small steps toward a
Teaching the Concept of Money
One of my favorite college courses that I teach is about the transition from high school to adulthood for students with autism. One of the topics that we discuss in this class is financial and money-related skills. Many of the students in class shared how they start teaching this skill at elementary ages by having students earn “classroom dollars” for positive behavior that students can use to “purchase” items or privileges from a classroom store. As parents, we often do this
A Visual Schedule for How to Remove a Flash Drive from a Computer
I work with many students with autism on technology skills, such as coding, robotics, and 3D modeling (which they’re often amazing at, by the way). I was working with one of my teenage students one day and we needed to transfer some 3D modeling files from my computer to his computer, so we used a flash drive. I realized that he didn’t know that you needed to follow certain steps to eject the drive before you remove it. He learns very well with pictures and written instruction
