4 STEPS TO ADAPTING THE 3 Rs IN THE K-5 CLASSROOM

Jill Fain Lehman, Ph. D.

The golden rule of curriculum design is: give the student one hard thing at a time. But what's hard for the neuro-typical student and what's hard for the student on the autism spectrum can be very different. This workshop exposes hidden assumptions about thinking and learning that run through mainstream curriculum materials, and demonstrates adaptations that can bring those materials back into line with the student's abilities and the golden rule.

Participants will learn:

• Cognitive differences in language processing, memory, and motor planning in children with ASD
• How those differences make mainstream curricula more difficult,
• A general, 4-step method for adapting classroom activities and assignments
• How to use the method to control difficulty and reach both short-term and long-term educational goals.

This workshop is intended for participants who are already familiar with autism and the school environment. Theory is reinforced by participation in group exercises, discussion of concrete strategies and, hands-on practice with curriculum adaptation.

Jill Fain Lehman, Ph. D. and Rebecca Klaw, M.S., M. Ed.

Developmental approaches to working with young children with autism have long been criticized for not collecting valid data. Professionals and parents alike have said, "We can`t do it! The developmental process can`t be translated into measurable goals… It`s too hard."

YOU CAN DO IT. IT`S NOT TOO HARD.

• What developmental areas to target
• How to write basic goals
• How to shape goals into measurable objectives
• How to design intervention that generalizes
• How to collect data
• How to analyze data
• How to present results to others in a meaningful way
• How to use a computer to make this process easier

The information is presented in multiple formats: lecture, exercises, discussion & extensive handouts.

COGNITION & AUTISM

Jill Fain Lehman, Ph.D.

Conventional wisdom says "visual memory and visual reasoning task are areas of strength for most children with autism." But what does that really mean? And how can you use this fact in practical situations to teach communication, organization, sequencing, and other time-related concepts?

In this workshop we examine:

• the characteristics of visual memory,
• the differences between visual memory & language memory,
• the implications of such differences for teaching visual learners,
• recruiting the visual system to help teach early communication and first language, and
• unexpected sources of difficulty that arise in language tasks beyond the level of simple functional communication.

This workshop helps participants understand the basic cognitive theory that explains some of the child with autism’s learning style. Theory is reinforced by participation in group exercises and discussion of concrete teaching strategies that can be used to support children with autism in their everyday life are discussed.