Help! I’ve been assigned a new classroom next year! I’ve taken a job with another school district, and they want me to set up a classroom for students with autism! I’m a brand new teacher and I’ve been told I have five kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder in my classroom!

There’s no way the staff at Project ACCESS can get you started via one Fact Sheet, but here are some great resources to get you started!

Training

First of all, if you are new to ASD, you’ll want some basic information. You have two options. You can enroll in one of our Introduction to the Education of Students with Autism (Intro) workshops or, if that doesn’t work for you, you can enroll in our on-line Intro. Find out about these choices (and our other training opportunities) at www.missouristate.edu/access

On-line Support

You’ll need visual supports and lots of them. We know most students with autism do best when visuals are provided.

Here are some great links:

www.do2learn.com
http://www.practicalautismresources.com
http://www.victoriesnautism.com

Most teachers find their students do best within a structured setting. You want to check out:

https://www.teacch.com
http://theautismhelper.com
http://considerateclassroom.blogspot.com

Books
You’ll benefit from the following book:

Setting Up Classroom Spaces That Support Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Susan Kabot, Ed.D., CCC-SLP and Christine Reeve, Ph.D., BCBA-D and published by AAPC.
http://aapcpublishing.net

Another wonderful resource is the Ziggurat Model. This book presents a framework for understanding autism and its underlying characteristics. It presents a hierarchy of supports and suggestions on providing those supports.
The Ziggurat Model: A Framework for Designing Comprehensive Interventions for High-Functioning Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., and Barry G. Grossman, Ph.D. It is also available through AAPC.
http://aapcpublishing.net

Finally, if you are looking for something to help you understand and provide social skill support for your students, here’s a good start:
Thinking about You Thinking about Me: Teaching Perspective Taking and Social Thinking to Persons with Social Cognitive Learning Challenges by Michelle Garcia Winner. The publisher is Think Social Publishing, Inc.
https://www.socialthinking.com/Products

It is hard to stop the list here, but these resources will assist you in getting your feet wet! Nothing, though, will train you like experience! Get all the training you can, read all you can, and care about the kids you serve. Teaching students with ASD and other special needs is rewarding life work.

© Project ACCESS – August 2016 – Terri Carrington, MA, CCC-SLP
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