Most students thrive on consistency. Consistency is especially important for autistic students. Without it, teachers can expect autistic students to experience higher levels of anxiety and, consequently, more meltdowns. Because of their neurology, autistic students learn best when they know:
- What they are going to do
- When they are going to do it
- With whom they will do it
Yet, despite knowledge about the autistic neurology and well-intended efforts, the educational system regularly creates a lack of predictability for students when they transition from year to year. It's not that teachers don't try to create consistency. They've read last year's IEP, participated in creating a new one, and read all the information in the student's file. But they still do not know necessary information, such as what the student's mini-schedule for math look like and what prompts are needed to support social interaction. Until now.
Starting the School Year Well provides a simple way for current teachers to learn from past educators through the completion of two simple-to-use instruments that take little time to complete. It allows current teachers to immediately implement effective strategies instead of spending time engaged in trial and error instruction. These instruments create a smoother transition that intensifies learning.
Also included is an extensive approach to behavior challenges that results in real change.
By eliminating guesswork as you get to know a student at the beginning of the year, you can get right to work teaching them new skills that match how they learn. If behavior challenges occur, use this student- and teacher-friendly approach to teach new behaviors and provide support.
