Blog Post 7B - Cassie Guerrieri Response to Debbie Berni

7B -  Cassie Guerrieri response to Debi Berni's paper

1.  What are some ways that teachers can offer support to the parents of students with autism spectrum disorder?

I think the best thing that teachers can do to offer support is to be an ear to the parent. The biggest thing I have found out is that parents need someone to listen to them and what they are going through with their child. Another way that teachers can provide support to their parents is to give them resources so they can educate themselves and help them find resources to help their child be more successful, whether it be APPS or places to receive speech or occupational therapy.

2.  What are some accommodations that teachers can make for students with ASD?

Some accommodations that teachers can make for individuals on the spectrum would be to give that student extra time on the test, seating in the front of the classroom so the distractions are limited and they are closer to the board, tests read to the student, and the teacher could also break down the curriculum to match the student’s educational level.

3.  What steps need to be taken as an I.E.P. team in order to effectively place a student in the least restrictive environment?

The steps needed to be taken in order to effectively place a student in the LRE would be to consider where the student is at educationally, their age and the age they are at mentally (developmentally) and what their behaviors are. If their behaviors are too severe they would need to be in a resource room until there is a behavior plan put into place.

4.  How can teachers help students with ASD to strengthen their communication skills?

There are many ways that teachers can help the students with ASD strengthen their communication skills. One way that they can help would be to pair a student up with a peer buddy who is similar in age and that will allow the student to see what behavior is appropriate and work on their conversation. Another way to help them would be to help a non-verbal student work a communication device so they are able to communicate their wants and needs. This will help them become comfortable with that form of communication and then continue to improve from there.

5.  What do teachers, who work with students with ASD, need so that they can effectively use the most-effective evidence-based practices?

To stay current and up to date on the most effective evidence based practices, teachers need constant professional development. These could be anything from attending major conferences such as OCALI or attend teacher workshops.