My last blog recapped the 13 exceptionalities your child may be eligible under to receive special education services. As a teacher of 30+ years I have used a lot of strategies to help children across the special education very large umbrella. This blog will focus on those strategies I have used as a teacher.
Many children with a varying plan from their typical peers respond positively to a consistent structured routine both in and out of school. Many parents have come to me after a break stressed out because they didn’t keep the structure consistent on the weekend or breaks from school, and their child is struggling getting back into a “school required” routine. I don’t know about you, but I require a routine as an adult. If I sleep in on the weekends my body feels it and it takes me a few days to get back into the previous schedule I was following the week before. I recognize it and can change it. A child may act out until their body adjusts. They feel different, but don’t know why. I have your child for around 7 hours a day. I need to follow a school plan and learn how your child learns best, because of what I do.
The system I use is “CIVICS”!!! Consistency, Individuality, Visuals, Independence, Choices and Structure.
CONSISTENCY is the acting or behaving or responding in the same way all the time. Saying the same phrases over and over and staying grounded in your expectations and not giving in, helps the student in the long run. Referring to visuals, pointing, and tapping activity are all strategies I use to help students remain on task and complete the task expected. Keeping your expectations consistent gives student’s confidence and trust in you, which makes them more comfortable in the classroom.
INDIVIDUALITY is the character or quality of being, that distinguishes it/he/she or them from others of the same kind. Every being is an individual and learns and responds differently to all parts of their environment. A child’s likes and dislikes effect their success. If a child is afraid of bugs, reading a book about bugs may not prove successful. If a child loves baseball, create an activity with running the bases or coloring the mascot. If a child performs better after lunch, create your schedule with math or reading activities in the afternoon. Be an advocate for all your students/children.
VISUALS are tools to help children/adults recognize, separate, demonstrate, act upon a chosen need, or want, or request, to help them be successful. There are many learners who learn best by looking at pictures, graphs, diagrams, step by step directions etc. Students may look at the picture and be able to solve successfully. Once they are successful you can try to scaffold the activity by removing a step or combining 2 steps and see if they are still successful.
INDEPENDENCE is the ability to perform a task, no matter your age or ability level, completely on your own. If I do for you, you don’t need to know how to do for yourself. Students and young children learn this very quickly. People in the workplace learn that if they don’t want to do something, someone else will do it if they wait long enough or pretend, they can’t do it. This is a pothole many adults fall into. They want to help the child complete a task. They feel sorry if the child isn’t getting there quickly enough. I’ve done this as a parent. I do not do this as an educator. My training many moons ago taught me, while working with students with behavior disorders, if you give in just once you’re done. They have found your weakness. “I say what I mean, and I mean what I say”, is a quote I often use with my older students to make them accountable for trying. You never want to push to frustration, but you want them to trust you enough to know you will help them after they tried. This also lets you see where they are making the mistake so you can then teach from where they are successful.
CHOICES are just that, the ability to demonstrate a behavior or participate by using multiple options. We all like and are successful with certain activities and through different learning techniques/final project assignments. We should all be given different options to prove our success. A paper, model, or PowerPoint are some examples.
STRUCTURE is the way an activity, a series of steps in a process or a schedule remains the same, so one knows what is coming next. Structure is very important for students with Autism as well as other exceptionalities. Once structure is established and the student shows success for a period of time (varies on child) you can then add or change something. Some students will decrease their skill set when things are changed and you may have to go back to the structure before. This is why it is so important that you take data and assess how well they are doing with the structure in place. Some students need this structure set in stone for a longer period of time. Other students may be afraid of new things and may need to be gently pushed to try.
Using this acronym, CIVICS, I can support my students within the classroom and prepare them for when they are outside of the classroom.
I hope this is helpful to parents. All of the above can be used within your family to increase success for your child as well and decrease frustration within yourselves. Please trust your child’s teacher and ask a lot of questions. I usually reach out to my parents often, send home a daily communication note and welcome before and after school phone calls. Open House and conferences tend to be very long nights for me because the parent gets the platform to share.