No posting for a week and a half because.....

I'm taking my niece....my nephew....and my mom to Disney World!! It is their first time with Mickey and I'm excited to see their faces.

I'll be back and begin posting again soon.

FBA's and Data Sheets!

I know...I know...summer's coming - why worry about FBA's now. Well, the reason is that I have found several wonderful resources in this area and wanted to share them before I forget (forgive me I'm getting old).

If you've seen my video on "Alphabet Soup" I described all of the basic special education acronyms and defined FBAs. If you are a veteran in Special Ed you know what they are and have completed many.

I know it's hard to do - because of the lack of time and manpower but it is important. Regardless of the level of student if they are exhibiting behaviors that are interfering with their ability to learn then you must intervene.

Here are a few helpful resources about Functional Behavior Assessments, Behavior Intervention Plans and Data Sheets,

FBA's

FBA Interview

FBA Generator

BIP

FBA & BIP Examples

Problem Behavior Forms

Data Sheets!

Data Sheets

Data Sheets

Data Sheets

Data Sheets


This should be enough to get you started.

Summer Plans for Fall Success in Teaching Autism

I know that you are looking....no living for the summertime. But I also know that teachers also begin thinking about the Fall about 3 weeks into the summer. "What can I do better? How can I make things run easier? How can I learn more about ABA?"

When I was in the classroom I did the same thing. I would actually have my room ready to go before pre-planning so I began the year in not so frantic of a mood.

I want you to relax over the summer and rejuvenate - but after a couple of weeks - if you want to begin planning for the fall here are a few books and a list of ideas you may want to choose from to get you started:

Summertime Reading:

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

Computer Projects to do:

Create your data sheets
Create board maker visuals
Create folders on your computer to organize your data
Take digital photos of objects, people and print for visuals
Create Social story books using Tikatok (see OMAC Freebies Post)
Create Social Story Books using powerpoint
Create Excel pages for keeping data on students
Do online research to learn about DTT, ABA, TEACCH, PECS and other topics

Programs to Create:

An organized Social Skills book of lessons
Other types of behavioral reinforcement systems
An organized Functional skills book of lessons (cooking, hygiene, etc.)
Classroom website
Classroom blogsite
Classroom newsletter



Remember as soon as the custodians will let you in your classroom - you can always take a little crew (your spouse, your mom, your BFF, an intern from a teacher's program at a college, etc.) to get that classroom set up. Wear short, bring snacks, play music, relax and enjoy getting a jump on the Fall.

(if you want a laugh - here is a photo of my feet working at a school in overalls, painting and cleaning, getting the HOME LAB* ready. It was quiet, relaxing and I had a helper - we got so much done with no stress!)

*I'll tell you about later.

Fun is Over....Back to Work

Okay the Fun of the Giveaway and Autism Awareness month is over. Let's get back to work. Let's talk a little about Discrete Trial Training.

I'm going to give you a few sites that will help you understand the specifics of Discrete Trial Training but first let me get on a soapbox for a minute. There is a difference between ABA and DTT - I know that they are used synonymously but they really aren't the same. ABA is the science behind the teaching strategy (DTT).

Here are a few resources to help you better understand DTT.

DTT Data Sheet

DTT Instruction Primer

The video below is an instruction on the Lovaas DTT method. It is not the best video and a little dated but will help give a basic understanding of the method.

The Winner is........

Today is the day of the OMAC Autism Awareness drawing! I used a random selection website and the winner was email/comment number.............131




The Gidcumbs said... Hi I really enjoyed your website. I would like to be included in the drawing
April 20, 2009 5:21 AM


Congratulation to The Gidcumbs!! I'm so happy to be able to send you the Labelmaker. Sounds like you are a special ed teacher and could put this to great use. I need for you to email at www.omacconsulting@gmail.com with your email and address so that I can mail you your prize.


Thank you for all of the wonderful comments and email comments. I hope that all you were able to do something to make a difference for our children with Autism during the month of April.

Last Week to Comment for Giveaway!

We have had Lots of comments through email and there is only 1 week left! I'll draw on Friday the 24th for the AUTISM AWARENESS Giveaway. There is a great prize - one that will help you organize your environment.

All you need to do is it either leave a comment here OR email me and leave a comment: omaccconsulting@gmail.com. Remeber only in the United States please.

Dogs For Autism

I love dogs. On a personal note - I have two and will gladly share photos at the bottom of this post.

My pups are like my children. I also love my kids with special needs. Well, put those two together and you have a wonderful combination.

Check out this site. This organization is doing wonderful work. This is reposted information from their site:

How does a service dog help with autism?

Assistive-Search-Alert (ASA) dogs increase security, functionality, and independence for children with autism, according to the provisions outlined in the Americans With Disabilities Act.

ASA dogs work both in the home and in public as members of a team which includes the child's parents.

Each job description is unique, tailored to the individual needs of the family, but generally the work falls into three broad categories:

Assistance: The dogs can provide logistical safety and more independence in public. A natural by product of this help is greatly reduced conflict between parent and child.

Searching: A trained dog provides an instantly-ready means to locate a child, whether in the home or outside.

Alerting: In a similar way to how a hearing assistance dog would alert a deaf owner to sounds, an ASA dog is trained to alert a parent to certain activities or situations.

If you are interested you need to check this site out.

Now on a personal note: Check out my dogs!