Autism Classroom Resources Podcast: A Podcast for Special Educators Christine Reeve, Special Education Support
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Are you a special educator looking for practical tools and strategies? Are you juggling a ton of responsibilities with very little time? The Autism Classroom Resources Podcast is for you.
Your host, Dr. Chris Reeve, has over 30 years of experience working with special education staff and now she’s bringing her expertise and inspiration to you each and every Tuesday.
Some major themes covered in this podcast are behavior management, organization, curriculum, evidence-based practice, data collection, time management, routines, parent communication, and educator self-care.
If you're ready to connect with your students, prevent challenging behaviors, and improve outcomes in your classroom, then pop in your headphones and push play!
For more helpful resources and the show notes for each episode, head to https://autismclassroomresources.com/
Eager to steer the conversation toward a specific topic in an upcoming episode? We welcome your topic requests within your review on Apple Podcasts. Your voice shapes our content!
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But We Attend to Them All the Time: Effective Replacement Behaviors for Attention-Seeking
All attention is not equal. We have likely all worked with students who engage in behavior just to get attention, whether it be positive or negative. Even when students are getting what we feel is a lot of attention, they may still engage in attention-seeking behavior because the attention they receive is on our terms, not theirs.
Students often realize that our response to negative behavior is larger and more consistent than our response to positive behavior. This, in turn, reinforces to them that if they want attention, negative behaviors are the way to get it. In this episode, I am breaking down the three advantages negative attention has over positive behavior and ideas of ways you can try to encourage more positive attention-seeking behaviors.
05:56 - How consistency gives negative behavior an advantage over positive behavior
06:51 - Why the magnitude of our response to behaviors matters
07:29 - The impact of learning history on behaviors
09:10 - How increasing the magnitude of our response to positive behaviors can help encourage more positive behavior
13:26 - The importance of consistency in boosting replacement behaviors
Show Notes: http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode209
Resources:
Watch the Preventing Challenging Behavior WebinarGet the Social Stories - Waiting for Attention & Getting a Teacher’s AttentionJoin the Autism Classroom Resources' Free Resource Library Get more information about the Special Educator AcademyJoin the Free Facebook Group
If you're enjoying this podcast, could you please take a quick moment to leave your review on Apple Podcasts? It would mean the world to me and will help spread the word to other special educators. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
Strategies for Behavior: When They Can’t Have What They Want
What do you do when a student asks for something that they cannot have? Oftentimes, when our students request something and they are unable to have it, it can lead to behaviors. There are strategies for behavior we can utilize that can help our students learn that sometimes they cannot have what they ask for.
When we are looking at strategies for behavior, there are some things I would do and things I would not do when a student asks for something they can’t have. We know that we cannot always get what we ask for, but how can we help our students to understand this as well? In this episode, I am sharing my top don’ts for when a student requests something they can’t have, as well as my top 4 strategies to help students understand that something they request may not be available.
05:41 - Why you should not remove their opportunities to make the request using their communication devices
07:23 - When you should give the student what they are asking for
08:21 - The importance of giving students lots of opportunities to practice this skill
10:13 - How to teach a student to wait for something instead of not having it at all
10:48 - Why you should use concrete signs when something isn’t available
Show Notes: http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode208
Resources:
Check out the AAC Communication Boards for Augmentative CommunicationWatch the Preventing Challenging Behavior WebinarJoin the Autism Classroom Resources' Free Resource Library Get more information about the Special Educator AcademyJoin the Free Facebook Group
If you're enjoying this podcast, could you please take a quick moment to leave your review on Apple Podcasts? It would mean the world to me and will help spread the word to other special educators. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
Replacement Behavior Strategies: Defining a Break to Make It Effective
Asking for a break is a great replacement behavior for students trying to escape a certain situation. However, not all breaks are going to be effective for every student. Truly understanding the function of a student's behavior and what they are trying to escape from is key to understanding what an effective break would be for that student.
When looking at replacement behavior strategies and determining what your student would benefit from in terms of a break, it is important to remember that a break is not a timeout. There are several factors that go into an effective break for your students and each student is going to have different preferences. In this episode, I am breaking down what to consider when determining break options for your students.
06:12 - The importance of recognizing that a break is not a timeout
10:00 - Why it is not necessary to have a specific area for breaks
11:27 - Examples of how a break may look with or without other people with the student
12:50 - How offering choices can work when students ask for a break
13:54 - Ways that breaks can offer an opportunity for emotional regulation
Show Notes: http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode207
Resources:
Calm Down Tools: Social Stories & Visual Supports for Self-Regulation & BehaviorBehavior Data Sheets - Editable Behavior Tracker MegaPack for Special Ed & RTIJoin the Autism Classroom Resources' Free Resource Library Get more information about the Special Educator AcademyJoin the Free Facebook Group
If you're enjoying this podcast, could you please take a quick moment to leave your review on Apple Podcasts? It would mean the world to me and will help spread the word to other special educators. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
Teaching Replacement Behavior for Escape Behaviors
Finding replacement behaviors for escape-related behaviors can be a challenge. Oftentimes, when we come across a student struggling with a work, social, or other situation in the classroom and are avoiding it, figuring out how to help them may seem difficult. However, there are some ways we can help students learn replacement behaviors for these situations.
When our students have escape-related behaviors, it’s important that we teach them how to get away from that thing, person, or situation in an appropriate way. This is an important skill for our students to learn both inside the classroom and outside. In this episode, we will be diving into the benefits of teaching replacement behaviors and equipping students with functional communication skills, as well as the research behind it all.
04:36 - When to use Functional Communication Training
09:32 - 3 reasons why it’s beneficial to teach students to request not to do something
12:32 - A look at the different communication forms to use when teaching replacement behaviors
17:55 - Why we must actually teach the selected communication strategy to allow students opportunities to practice requesting their replacement behaviors for escape
22:28 - How to decide what to do if the behavior continues to happen
Show Notes: http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode206
Resources:
Watch the Preventing Challenging Behavior WebinarCalm Down Tools: Social Stories & Visual Supports for Self-Regulation & BehaviorBehavior Data Sheets - Editable Behavior Tracker MegaPack for Special Ed & RTIJoin the Autism Classroom Resources' Free Resource Library Get more information about the Special Educator AcademyJoin the Free Facebook Group
If you're enjoying this podcast, could you please take a quick moment to leave your review on Apple Podcasts? It would mean the world to me and will help spread the word to other special educators. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
What if Your Student Runs Out of Independent Work Time?
What happens when we have independent work systems set up for our students, but they aren’t completing them in the allotted independent work time? The whole point of independent work systems is for students to get their work done independently and in a certain amount of time so they can do the thing they want to do. But we all know that that is not always the case.
If your students aren’t completing their work during independent work time, there are some ways you can problem-solve to help them be successful in completing their work system. When I see situations where students are not completing their independent work, I generally ask certain questions to try to figure out what is going on. In this episode, I am sharing 3 questions to ask if a student isn’t completing their work during independent work time and what to try next.
04:54 - How to determine if the student has the right task for independent work time
07:35 - Why having a finished basket is key for many students to finish their work
10:06 - How students must know what to do when they finish their tasks
14:43 - Tips for what to do next if your student is still not finishing their work
Show Notes: http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode205
Resources:
Check out my TpT store for Independent Work ResourcesWatch the Independent Work Systems WebinarGet My Book: Building Independence: How to Create and Use Structured Work Systems - Future Horizons PublishersShop my Book: Building Independence: How to Create and Use Structured Work Systems on Amazon (Affiliate Link)Join the Autism Classroom Resources' Free Resource Library Get more information about the Special Educator AcademyJoin the Free Facebook Group
If you're enjoying this podcast, could you please take a quick moment to leave your review on Apple Podcasts? It would mean the world to me and will help spread the word to other special educators. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
Teaching Students to Work Independently: 5 Ways to Stretch Their Skills
How do we advance independent work systems once our students know how to complete it on their own? The goal of independent work systems is to help students build independence. In order to help our students learn to work independently, it is crucial that we know how to adjust the work system when necessary to bump up the level of independence needed to complete it.
Using independent work systems isn’t meant to be just a way to get students to complete tasks independently within the system. We want students to increase their ability to work independently so they can be more independent in other situations in the classroom, as well as in a work environment as they get older. In this episode, I’m sharing 5 ways that we can change our independent work systems to fit our more independent students and to build their skills as they become more independent.
03:49 - How moving the task boxes away from our students’ tables helps develop independence
07:16 - Why we may want to start leaving materials out of the system
08:43 - How using a “raise your hand” visual can be helpful for students who have a tendency to not do their work carefully
09:21 - Ideas for how to help students become more independent in the work system using lists
09:53 - How to expand the work system and move beyond boxes to help students use them in different environments
Show Notes: http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode204
Resources:
Check out my TpT store for Independent Work ResourcesWatch the Independent Work Systems WebinarUsing Foldables in Structured Work Systems: Advanced Tasks with a Seasonal FreebieWorkbasket Wednesday: Advanced Structured Work SystemsWhy I Don’t Like Drawer Carts for Independent Work SystemsGet My Book: Building Independence: How to Create and Use Structured Work Systems - Future Horizons Publishers Shop my Book: Building Independence: How to Create and Use Structured Work Systems on Amazon (Affiliate Link) Join the Autism Classroom Resources' Free Resource Library Get more information about the Special Educator AcademyJoin the Free Facebook Group
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Customer Reviews
Very knowledgeable & relatable!
As a special educator in the field for 15 years, I always gain something new every time I listen to Dr. Chris Reeve! She is very knowledgeable and has great ideas that I can easily implement into my own classroom. Listening to her is like talking to a friend that truly cares. Thank you Dr. Reeve for all you do to help us navigate special education!
-Michelle
Old dogs can learn new tricks!
Had a difficult year? Feeling burnt out? Get back to the basics, renew your focus, and just listen to someone who’s been there. I like real experience from real people. Christine keeps me loving what I do even when I have had a hard day, month, or year. I always come away with something new to use in my classroom of 22 years.
Amazing!
I am going to be in a primary autism self-contained classroom next school year (August 2023). I am so excited and this podcast has helped me learn so much before I even begin so I can be the best teacher for my kids! I can’t wait to continue to learn and put all of these practices into action. Thank you so much!