Inclusive Programming for Elementary Students with Autism: A Manual of Social and Communication Skills

by Sheila Wagner

Overview

This second edition of this award-winning book provides instructional resources and strategies for both teachers and parents of elementary students with autism. Appropriate social and communicative behavior is a fundamental concern for parents, caregivers, and teachers of school children.

Children should be able to move in a safe and socially successful manner through their school years despite changing family culture, their activity level or degree of insight into the consequences of their behavior. One would also hope that they develop a positive character and good values about human rights and social responsibility along the way. The most important long-term goal, however, is that they grow into content, kind, and successful fellow human beings.

This book illustrates more than 120 goals for developing positive personality features, adequate social behavior and communicative competence. Ideas for long- and short-term goals have been selected from existing school programs, general education of values, as well as from parents and teachers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781949177718
Publisher:	Future Horizons, Inc.
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	175
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sheila Wagner, MEd is a certified special educator who has been in the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for over thirty-five years and retired from the positions of assistant director of the Emory Autism Center at Emory Universityand director of the Monarch School-Age Program. She is the author of Inclusive Programming for Elementary Students with Autism, Inclusive Programming for Middle School Students with Autism, Inclusive Programming for High School Students with Autism, Understanding Asperger’s Syndrome-Fast Facts: A Guide for Teachers and Educators to Address the Needs of the Student, and Special People Special Ways. Ms. Wagner has published widely in this field, including two books (for elementary and high school students with ASD), which both won the Autism Society of America’s Outstanding Literary Work of the Year (2001 & 2010). Sheila resides in Georgia.

Table of Contents

Introduction:

A brief note to parents

A brief note to teachers

A word about Terminology

Epidemiology of autism

ASD & Risk Factors

Co-Morbidity

Defining the Autism Spectrum Disorder

Impaired communication

Impaired social relatedness

Presence of repetitive behaviors or rituals

Other behaviors of note

Inclusive Programming for the Student with Autism

What’s the reason behind it?

Philosophical Reasoning

Benefits to the students with autism

Benefits to the typical students

Benefits of peer tutoring/social skills programming

Defining the Inclusion Process

Model for Inclusion

Inclusion philosophy

Administrative support

Teacher training

Inclusion coordinator

Collaboration of general and special education

Classroom supports

IEP Driven

General education ownership

Collaboration between home and school

Assessing the Individual student

Step one: Determine the strengths and challenges

Step two: Observe the general education classroom the child will attend

Step three: Review IEP goals and objectives

Step four: Tackling existing behavioral challenges

Step five: Determine which social skills will be targeted in the classroom

Step six: Conduct reinforcer surveys

Step seven: Set weekly or biweekly meetings with all people involved

Step eight: Conclusion

Assessing the School, Teachers and Classroom

Step one: Assess the school

Step two: Special education teacher assessment

Step three: General education teacher assessment

Step four: Support personnel assessment

Step five: Classroom assessment

Step six: Parent assessment

A word about higher-order autism

A principal’s role

Staff roles

Chain of command

Teacher selection

Substitutes

Working with parents

Personal Philosophy

Suspension from school

How do we Impact Social Skills

Social Skills for the student with autism

Training typical peers for social intervention

Classroom social skills programming

The Marble Jar

The Friends Club

The Classroom Manager Role

The Lunch Bunch

Social games for elementary students

How do we impact behaviors?

Motivation and students with autism

The Rocketship Program

The Snake Race

The Puzzle Piece

Self-regulated calm down time

Addressing self-stim behaviors

Desensitization programs for students with autism

The IEP Process

How do we teach these students?

Paraprofessional support for students with autism in inclusive settings

Academic modifications for Inclusion

Taking Data in Inclusion

Collaboration between home and school

Transition planning for middle school

A parent’s perspective

Contributions

A final word

References

Appendix

Author’s Biography