If you are looking for fun activities to include in your lesson plans before or on Earth Day (April 22nd) with your high school and transition age students, then keep reading!  

While so much of what's out there for Earth Day activities is geared toward young children and simple word search activit...

News flash, news flash!  

Math doesn't have to be the dreaded subject for students in special education!   

Functional math can become the favorite subject of the day for students if special education teachers had age-appropriate and skill-relevant resources at their fingertips to teach esse...

If you, an educator, school administrator, or committee leader, are looking to celebrate National Autism Awareness Month, then keep reading!  Below are 30 different ways schools can celebrate the month of April.  

World Autism Awareness Day occurs on April 2nd of each year. In 2007, the United N...

I've taken a brief break from blogging while I write a Functional Math Curriculum (currently available as a Growing Bundle—aka the lowest price for a full-year curriculum).  While I've been busy drafting pre-tests, review games, Boom Cards, and data collection sheets, I thought I would compile a lis...

As a former special education teacher, I've sat in many, many, many IEP meetings where eligibility testing scores and reports were shared with students and families.  To the untrained ear, it can feel like lots of numbers, confusing terms, and psychology jargon.    Hearing everything for the first t...

I was fortunate enough to teach in a newly renovated building with a Snozelon room. The room featured a light-up permanent peg board, a vibrating upholstered chair, fiber optic tentacles hanging from the ceiling, and a large bubble tube. Sensory rooms made specifically for students with special need...

As a special education transition teacher for young adults with the highest support needs, it wasn't uncommon for me to find a few chewies around my classroom at the end of the school day. And it is common for students to go through periods of wanting to use a chewie more than others or for some you...

When I was in the classroom, I would observe students becoming elevated due to worry, a new or unpreferred demand, a change in schedule, etc., and there were times when it was necessary to be uncomfortable for growth and learning and other times when the student needed strategies to calm back down t...

As a 15 year veteran educator, I was blessed to receive gifts of thanks during the holidays (Christmas) and end of the school year.  I'm sharing the best gifts I have received and loved and would love to receive if I were still teaching in the classroom.  

While many lists for teacher appreciati...

Prism Cube  |  Helicone Lollipopter   |  Weighted Hula Hoop   |  Twisting Board

Spinning, whether handheld fidgets or their own body, is a visual and vestibular sensory input experience enjoyed by many teens and adults with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD.  

As I've mentioned before in 101...

Please do NOT buy that fidget box full of random rainbow-colored fidgets, and I hope it will meet the needs of teens and adults!  You are bound to find that they are small in size, simple, and limited in use.  

So, I made a list of the best fidget toys out there for older kids, teens, and adults wi...

Calling all adult sensory seekers!  Autistic children become autistic teens who become autistic adults; the same goes for other disabilities and ADHD, and they most likely will not outgrow their sensory-seeking behavior.  Someone with an autism spectrum disorder or a disability shouldn't be limited ...

I think every special education teacher has had the feeling of wanting to teach new skills or address IEP goals with a student and knowing all the ways that haven't worked.  Educators often turn to other coworkers looking for the right tools, including ideas, insight, and suggestions for different m...

This list goes beyond the cliche suggestions of playing board games, trying new card games, and making stress balls and sensory bottles (although those can be fun activities, too)!  Aiming to be age-appropriate for adults and skill—and ability-conscious, it includes ten ideas for ten life skill and ...

I had the pleasure of supporting a family friend as they prepared for an upcoming IEP meeting a few months back. After sharing some feedback about the IEP draft, I reviewed some lingo they may hear from school staff during the meeting, explained what it meant, and then walked them through the genera...

Some of my favorite memories of teaching stem from my beloved cooking lessons.  It was always a mix of chaos, laughs, near misses, and young adults with special needs scarfing down their deliciously messy plates.  I was actually observed by my assistant department chair, department chair, the distri...

I love a really good transition assessment.  I love when parents/family members give quality feedback.  I love when staff share their ideas and insight about a student’s future.  But, I really love when students are open, honest, and (most importantly) realistic* about their dreams and goals for the...

What is ‘functional reading?’ I believe it’s being able to read and understand enough to get what you want or need AND what you don’t want or don’t need. This includes weeding out the fluff stuff that doesn’t matter.  The fluff detracts you from your goal. 

Functional reading is turning on Netflix,...

You are sitting down to write a student’s IEP and you get to the Transition Plan section.  You plug in the same phrasing you use to every other student.

GASP!!!!

You would never do that!!!  You are a better educator than to copy + paste (even if it would save you a few hours of time).  

Every school year brings a lot of excitement and overwhelm, as well as new paraprofessionals and support staff to train. While we may have the best intentions to provide hands-on training for the newest classroom staff, schedules may not always allow this.

Give your special education classroom para...