1. Establish positive relationships with students to help motivate appropriate behavior. Getting to know each student as an individual is important. 2. Create a well-structured learning environment with clear expectations and routines to provide security. Strategically arranging seating and implementing movement patterns in the classroom can help students feel organized. 3. Encourage student participation through tasks and responsibilities to promote investment and self-esteem. Rotating jobs and listing clear instructions for tasks can make students feel included.

1. AUTISM SPECTRUM
DISORDER

3. AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT
•CONSIDERED TO BE A PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS FOR ADDRESSING STUDENT PROBLEM
BEHAVIOR.
•IT RELIES ON A VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES TO IDENTIFY THE PURPOSES OF
SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR AND TO HELP IEP TEAMS SELECT INTERVENTIONS TO DIRECTLY ADDRESS
THE PROBLEM BEHAVIOR.
•ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS FOR WHOM ASD IS SUSPECTED SHOULD BE MULTIDISCIPLINARY
AND COMPREHENSIVE.
• A FORMAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT BY A PSYCHOLOGIST EXPERIENCED IN
EVALUATING INDIVIDUALS WITH ASD SHOULD BE AT THE CORE OF THE EVALUATION.

4. •THE FOCUS WHEN CONDUCTING A FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT
IS ON IDENTIFYING SIGNIFICANT, PUPIL-SPECIFIC SOCIAL, AFFECTIVE,
COGNITIVE, AND/OR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
OCCURRENCE (AND NON-OCCURRENCE) OF SPECIFIC BEHAVIORS.

5. WHY NEED FOR ASSESSMENT?
•TO ANSWER "WHY" A STUDENT MISBEHAVES
•TO USE THE OBSERVATION GATHERED TO ADDRESS THE BEHAVIORAL PROBLEM OF THE
CHILD WITH AUTISM.

7. FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT METHODS
•THERE ARE THREE SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT METHODS:
- (A) DIRECT OBSERVATION,
-(B) INFORMANT METHODS,
-(C) FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS.
•THE TERMS "FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT" AND "FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS" ARE
SOMETIMES THOUGHT TO BE THE SAME THING BUT THEY ARE NOT; A FUNCTIONAL
ANALYSIS IS ONE SPECIFIC TYPE OF FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT

9. TYPE OF ASSESMENT

10. 1. DIRECT OBSERVATION
AN OBSERVER WOULD WATCH THE CLIENT ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES WITHIN THEIR
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. WHEN THE CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR OCCURS, THE OBSERVER
WOULD RECORD WHAT HAPPENED JUST BEFORE IT, WHAT HAPPENED JUST AFTER IT AND
ALSO TAKE NOTES ON WHAT THEY PERCEIVE TO BE THE POTENTIAL CAUSE OF THE
BEHAVIOR. THIS METHOD IS USED TO DEVELOP A HYPOTHESIS ABOUT THE FUNCTION OF
THE BEHAVIOR.

11. 2. INFORMANT METHODS
THE INFORMANT METHOD INVOLVES INTERVIEWS AND QUESTIONNAIRES THAT CAN BE
COMPLETED BY THE CLIENT, THEIR PARENTS, STAFF MEMBERS, TEACHERS ETC. THESE
INTERVIEWS WOULD BE USED TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS HAPPENING BEFORE THE BEHAVIOR
OCCURS AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE BEHAVIOR. JUST LIKE DIRECT
OBSERVATION, THIS METHOD IS ALSO USED TO DEVELOP A HYPOTHESIS FOR THE
FUNCTION OF THE BEHAVIOR

12. 3. FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS
•INVOLVES PRACTITIONERS DELIBERATELY CHANGING WHAT HAPPENS
BEFORE AND/OR AFTER THE BEHAVIOR IN AN EFFORT TO TEST WHAT MIGHT
BE CAUSING THE BEHAVIOR.
•UNLIKE THE OTHER TWO METHODS THAT ARE USED TO CREATE A
HYPOTHESIS, THIS METHOD IS USED TO ACTUALLY TEST THE HYPOTHESIS
AND IS THE ONLY METHOD THAT CAN TRULY PREDICT WHEN THE BEHAVIOR
WILL OCCUR.

13. SPEECH AND LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT
•DEPENDING ON THE INDIVIDUAL'S AGE AND ABILITIES
•RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE;
•EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE, INCLUDING SOUND AND WORD PRODUCTION AND THE
FREQUENCY AND FUNCTION OF VERBAL (VOCALIZATIONS/VERBALIZATIONS) AND
NONVERBAL (E.G., GESTURES) COMMUNICATION;
•LITERACY SKILLS;
• OF INFORMATION IN CONVERSATIONAL CONTEXTS;

14. SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
•INITIATION OF COMMUNICATION,
•SOCIAL RECIPROCITY AND THE RANGE OF COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTIONS,
•SHARING AFFECT,
•PLAY BEHAVIORS,
•USE OF GESTURES;
•CONVERSATIONAL SKILLS, INCLUDING
•TOPIC MANAGEMENT (INITIATING, MAINTAINING, AND TERMINATING RELEVANT,
SHARED TOPICS);
•TURN-TAKING;
•PROVIDING APPROPRIATE AMOUNTS

15. LANGUAGE CHARACTERISTICS
•ALTHOUGH THE ABILITY TO EXCHANGE MEANINGFUL MESSAGES IS THE
HEART OF COMMUNICATION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LANGUAGE USED TO CONVEY THE MESSAGES.
INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER MAY:
•APPEAR TO HAVE A GOOD VOCABULARY AND A SOPHISTICATED COMMAND
OF THE LANGUAGE SYSTEM BASED ON THEIR VERBAL UTTERANCES.

16. •IN SOME INSTANCES SOPHISTICATED LANGUAGE MAY REFLECT
REPETITION OF BITS OF DIALOGUE HEARD ON TELEVISION OR IN THE
CONVERSATION OF OTHERS. THIS MITIGATED ECHOLALIA MAY OR MAY
NOT BE USED IN APPROPRIATE CONTEXTS.
•FOR THE MAJORITY OF INDIVIDUALS, THE DEPTH OF MEANING FOR
SPECIFIC WORDS USED MAY BE RESTRICTED AND/OR THE BREATH OF
VOCABULARY MAY NOT BE AS EXPANSIVE AS UTTERANCES MAY
SUGGEST. OF COURSE, SOME INDIVIDUALS MAY HAVE AN EXCELLENT
VERBAL REPERTOIRE.

17. •APPEAR TO HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE SUCH AS IDIOMS,
METAPHORS, SIMILES, AND IRONY.
•APPEAR TO HAVE DIFFICULTY RECOGNIZING IN CONTEXTUAL (CONVERSATIONAL) OR TEXT
(PRINT) SITUATIONS THAT CERTAIN VOCABULARY WORDS MAY HAVE ALTERNATIVE
MEANINGS.
•APPEAR TO RESPOND TO SUGGESTIONS, DIRECTIONS, OR INFORMATION IN A VERY LITERAL
MANNER.
•APPEAR TO HAVE SOME DIFFICULTY GRASPING THE MAIN IDEA, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS AND
MAKING OTHER INFERENCES FROM CONVERSATION, TEXT, TV PROGRAMS, AND MOVIES.
•APPEAR TO HAVE DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING HUMOR IN TELEVISION PROGRAMS, MOVIES,
CARTOONS (ANIMATED AND STATIC), AND EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS.

18. •APPEAR TO HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH WH QUESTION FORMS SUCH WHO, WHAT, WHERE,
WHEN, WHY, HOW AND OTHERS.
•APPEAR TO UNDERSTAND BASIC SENTENCE STRUCTURE BUT MAY HAVE MORE
DIFFICULTY WITH MORE COMPLEX SENTENCES THAT CONTAIN EMBEDDED AND
SUBORDINATE CLAUSES.
•MAY PRIMARILY ATTEND TO KEY WORDS RATHER THAN TO THE MESSAGE CONVEYED BY
THE GRAMMAR; MAY ALSO HAVE DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING THE GRAMMAR AND
THUS RESORT TO THE KEY WORD STRATEGY.
•WILL EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTIES IN READING COMPREHENSION IF COMPREHENSION OF
ORAL LANGUAGE IS POOR.
•MAY NOT BE CONNECTING IDEA TO IDEA FROM CONVERSATION OR TEXT, E.G. NOT
CONNECTING THE CONTENT OF ONE SENTENCE TO THE NEXT.

19. SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
•COMMUNICATION IS A SOCIAL ACT AND UNLESS ONE IS CONDUCTING A MONOLOGUE WITH ONE’S
SELF, IT INVOLVES AT LEAST ONE OTHER PERSON. COMMUNICATION WITHIN A SOCIAL SITUATION
CAN BE MORE CHALLENGING THAN JUST UNDERSTANDING THE WORDS OF OTHERS. THERE ARE
UNWRITTEN RULES THAT GOVERN INTERACTIONS AND THESE MAY CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE
CIRCUMSTANCES AND WHOM ONE IS TALKING TO. THE INDIVIDUAL WITH AN AUTISM SPECTRUM
DISORDER MAY:
•HAVE DIFFICULTY SEEING ANOTHER PERSON’S PERSPECTIVE; TENDENCY TO INTERPRET FROM OWN
POINT OF VIEW. THIS IMPACTS SOCIAL INTERACTION AND THE UNDERSTANDING OF PERSPECTIVE
IN NARRATIVES WHETHER IN TEXT, MOVIES, OR TV FORMAT.

20. •HAVE DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE UNIQUE THOUGHTS,
IDEAS, AND PERSONAL MOTIVATION.
•GIVE NO OR MINIMAL EYE CONTACT DURING AN INTERACTION; EYE CONTACT MAY
BE DISTRACTING OR PROVIDE MORE SENSORY INFORMATION THAN CAN BE
USEFUL OR PROCESSED BY THE PERSON WITH ASD.
•SPEAK TOO LOUDLY OR TOO FAST UNLESS TAUGHT ABOUT THE NEEDS OF HIS OR
HER COMMUNICATION PARTNER.
•HAVE DIFFICULTY STAYING ON TOPIC; MAY BE DISTRACTED BY ASSOCIATIONS
CUED BY HIS OR HER OWN WORDS OR THE DIALOGUE OF OTHERS.

21. Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA)
"People do not engage in self-injury [or] aggression...solely because they
have...developmental disabilities. There is logic to their behaviour, and
functional assessment is an attempt to understand that logic“
- O’Neill, Horner, Albin, Sprague, Storey, and Newton (1997, p. 8)

22. TEACHING
METHODS

24. PHYSICAL STRUCTURE
Definition: Physical structure refers to the way in which we set
up and organize the person's physical environment: It emphasizes
where/how we place the furniture and materials (1) in the various
environments including classrooms, playground, workshop/work area,
bedroom, hallways, locker/cubby areas, etc.
Students with autism can also be taught to keep the physical
environment structured and organized through the use of
pictures, color-coding, numbers, symbols, etc.

25. Design/Layout.
Clear visual and physical boundaries: Each area of the
classroom (or environment) should be clearly, visually
defined through the arrangement of furniture (e.g.,
bookcases, room, dividers, office panels, shelving units,
file cabinets, tables, rugs, etc.) and use of boundary
markers, such as carpet squares or colored floor tape.
Children with autism typically do not automatically
segment their environments like typically developing
children. Large, wide-open areas can be extremely
difficult for children with autism to understand:
By strategically placing furniture to clearly visually define specific areas, it will decrease
the child's tendency to randomly wander/run from area to area. Visual physical
boundaries can also be further defined within a specific area.

26. CLASSROOM SCHEDULE
- Although most teaching unions
negotiate eight-hour work schedules for
teachers, it is not uncommon for special
education teachers to work well beyond
this standard.
.

27. • HOUR 1: ARRIVE AT SCHOOL ONE HOUR BEFORE STUDENTS ARRIVE. MANAGE ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS, RESPOND TO PARENT EMAILS, CHECK IN
WITH THE FRONT OFFICE, WRITE THE DAILY SCHEDULE ON THE BOARD AND PREPARE THE CLASSROOM FOR STUDENTS’ ARRIVAL.
• HOUR 2: MANAGE START-OF-DAY TASKS AND DELEGATE TO INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS AS NEEDED. PREPARE STUDENTS FOR LEARNING, READ
OR LISTEN TO ANNOUNCEMENTS, COLLECT HOMEWORK, REVIEW THE DAILY SCHEDULE, ASSIGN LEARNING GROUPS, ETC.
• HOURS 3-5: SUPERVISE INSTRUCTIONAL TIME, WHICH INCLUDES:
• PREPARING LESSONS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS.
• DELIVERING WHOLE-GROUP INSTRUCTION.
• FACILITATING SMALL-GROUP LEARNING.
• MEETING WITH STUDENTS TO ASSESS PROGRESS ON GOALS.
• OFFERING INTENSIVE, ONE-ON-ONE ACADEMIC OR BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT.
• ASSESSING STUDENTS FOR PROGRESS ON IEP GOALS.
• COLLECTING DATA AND ADDING IT TO IEP FILES.
• OFFERING SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE TO GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS.
• HOUR 6: MANAGE END-OF-DAY TASKS AND DELEGATE TO INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS AS NEEDED. TIDY THE CLASSROOM AND PLAN AND PREPARE
FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY.
• HOUR 7: ATTEND AN IEP MEETING FOR A CURRENT STUDENT ON CASELOAD. REVIEW PROGRESS ON GOALS, WRITE NEW GOALS AND ADDRESS
PARENTAL OR ADMINISTRATIVE CONCERNS. ENSURE THAT THE NEW IEP IS SIGNED BY ALL NECESSARY PARTIES AND DUPLICATE PAPERWORK AND
DISTRIBUTE TO PARENTS, ADMINISTRATORS, SCHOOL DISTRICT, GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AND THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.
• HOUR 8: MANAGE ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS: CONTACT PARENTS, TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS TO SCHEDULE IEP MEETINGS, RESPOND TO
PARENT EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS.
• HOUR 9: ADDITIONAL TASKS THAT MAY INCLUDE LESSON PLANNING, GRADING, FILING, STAFF MEETINGS, EXTRACURRICULAR OR ADJUNCT DUTIES
AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

28. TIPS ON MANAGING THE BEHAVIOR OF A
CHILD WITH ASD
1. ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS
AS A TEACHER, YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH A STUDENT STARTS THE MOMENT YOU MEET
THEM. NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT A STUDENT MAY BE, YOU NEED TO EMBRACE THE
CHALLENGE OF GETTING TO KNOW HIM OR HER. EVERY CHILD DESERVES LOVE. LIFE HAS
ENOUGH HARD KNOCKS IN STORE FOR A CHILD WHO STRUGGLES SOCIALLY, AND YOU MAY
BE ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE THAT CHILD BELIEVES CARES ABOUT HIM OR HER. THIS
COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN HIS OR HER LIFE CHOICES, OR AT LEAST IN HIS OR HER
DECISION NOT TO DISRUPT YOUR CLASS.

29. • ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PROACTIVELY MANAGE YOUR CLASS IS
TO ESTABLISH A CLIMATE THAT ENCOURAGES LEARNING. TEACHERS NEED TO BE AWARE OF STUDENTS’
INTELLECTUAL, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL NEEDS AND ESTABLISH RULES AND PROCEDURES TO
MEET THEM. STUDENTS SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AS INDIVIDUALS, EACH OF WHOM HAS SOMETHING TO
OFFER.
• ARRANGE STUDENT SEATING STRATEGICALLY, GROUPING STUDENTS BY SKILL LEVEL OR ARRANGING THEM
IN A MANNER THAT’S CONDUCIVE TO GROUP WORK OR SHARING IN PAIRS. ALSO, PLAN FOR PATTERNS
OF MOVEMENT WITHIN THE CLASSROOM AND HAVE YOUR STUDENTS PRACTICE UNTIL IT’S SECOND NATURE;
MOVING STUDENTS IN A STRUCTURED, TIMED WAY CAN ENLIVEN YOUR CLASSROOM, WHILE MAINTAINING
CONTROL AND ADDING FOCUS. NOTHING IS AS IMPRESSIVE AND COHESIVE AS A CLASS MOVING INTO
PREARRANGED GROUPS FOR AN ACTIVITY IN 30 SECONDS. THIS ALSO ALLOWS FOR MORE VARIETY IN YOUR
LESSONS; FOR INSTANCE, YOU COULD TEACH A 15-MINUTE LESSON TO STUDENTS AT THEIR DESKS,
THEN MOVE THE CLASS TO A DIFFERENT SETTING AND TEACH A DIFFERENT, BUT RELATED 20-MINUTE
LESSON.
• ESTABLISHING STUDENT EXPECTATIONS IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT PART OF ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE
LEARNING CLIMATE. MAKE SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT IS WELCOMED IN A GROUP AND EXPECTED TO
PARTICIPATE. ALSO, PRACTICE GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT AND PLAN TO TEACH FROM THE FIRST DAY OF
SCHOOL.

30. 3. ENCOURAGE HELPFUL HANDS
• LETTING STUDENTS TAKE PART IN THE CLASSROOM HELPS THEM FEEL
INVESTED—AND IT CAN BE A HELP TO YOU AS WELL! SOME EXPERIENCED
TEACHERS USE TASK CARDS ON WHICH STUDENTS’ NAMES ROTATE WEEKLY.
STRATEGIES SUCH AS THIS PROVIDE FAIR WAYS TO DISTRIBUTE CLASSROOM
JOBS. IT CAN ALSO BE HELPFUL TO POST A SIGN THAT TELLS HOW TO DO A JOB.
FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU ASSIGN STUDENTS TO STRAIGHTEN AND CLEAN A
BOOKSHELF, YOU MIGHT PLACE A LIST OF STEPS TO FOLLOW ON THE
BOOKSHELF.
• YOU MIGHT ALSO ALLOW STUDENTS TO HELP IN MORE CASUAL WAYS, SUCH AS
ASSIGNING GROUP RUNNERS FOR SUPPLIES OR ALLOWING STUDENTS TO PASS
OUT PAPERS OR STRAIGHTEN THE ROOM. THESE TASKS CAN SERVE AS HELPFUL
SELF-ESTEEM BUILDERS FOR A CHILD WHO OFTEN FEELS LEFT OUT; HOWEVER,
YOU SHOULD NOTE HOW MANY TIMES A STUDENT HELPS TO AVOID FAVORITISM.

31. •YOU SHOULD TEACH STUDENTS THE SKILLS NEEDED FOR SUCCESS IN
YOUR CLASSROOM. OFTEN, TEACHERS THINK ABOUT TEACHING
CONTENT, WITHOUT REALIZING HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO TEACH OTHER
SKILLS, SUCH AS SOCIAL SKILLS, THINKING SKILLS, STUDY SKILLS, TEST-
TAKING SKILLS, PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS, MEMORY SKILLS AND SELF-
REGULATION.
•MANY SCHOOL ISSUES DISAPPEAR AFTER A FEW LESSONS IN ANGER
MANAGEMENT OR ANOTHER NEEDED SKILL. STUDENTS CAN BENEFIT
GREATLY IF YOU FIND SMALL SEGMENTS OF TIME TO TEACH AND MODEL A
SKILL; HOWEVER, YOU MAY NEED TO BE CREATIVE, SINCE NOT ALL
STUDENTS NEED INSTRUCTION IN THE SAME SKILL. HOWEVER, IF
STUDENTS ARE STRUGGLING TO GET ALONG WITH PEERS, BE ORGANIZED
OR BE ON TIME, WHICH IS BETTER:

32. 5. SET UP STRUCTURE AND PROCEDURES
•STRUCTURE AND PROCEDURES ARE VITAL PARTS OF CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT. EVERY PART OF THE DAY NEEDS TO BE THOUGHT
THROUGH AND BROUGHT INTO ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT WORKS
BEST FOR YOUR TEACHING STYLE, YOUR STUDENTS’
PERSONALITIES, THE AGE GROUP AND ANY SPECIAL CHALLENGES
THAT COULD CAUSE A DISTRACTION.
•START PLANNING AS SOON AS YOU SEE THE CLASSROOM. ENVISION
EACH CLASS; ASK YOURSELF WHAT YOU WILL DO AND HOW IT CAN
BE DONE EASILY. WHEN YOUR STUDENTS ARRIVE, GET THEM ON
BOARD BY TEACHING CLASSROOM PROCEDURES, ALONG WITH YOUR
CONTENT, DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS.

33. •A LESSON THAT ENGAGES ALL STUDENTS, MOVES FORWARD SMOOTHLY AND ALLOWS
THE TEACHER TO TALK TO EVERY CHILD CAN ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH
PREPARATION. YOU NEED TO DESIGN YOUR LESSON WITH CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT IN MIND.
•FIRST, BUILD AS MANY TEACHING STRATEGIES AND INTERVENTIONS AS POSSIBLE
INTO THE LESSON. USE TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES (LIKE SETTING A TIMER TO
HELP THE CLASS TRANSITION THROUGH A SERIES OF ACTIVITIES), AND IMPLEMENT
QUICK FEEDBACK TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS A CHECKLIST TO KEEP UP WITH STUDENT
PROGRESS.
•NEXT, PLAN ONE-ON-ONE AND SMALL GROUP STRATEGIES, DESIGN APPROPRIATE
MOVEMENT AND ALLOW TIME FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION AND REFLECTION TIME.
FOR INSTANCE, YOU COULD ASK STUDENTS TO WRITE IN THEIR JOURNALS AT THE
END OF AN ACTIVITY TO GIVE THEM TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY JUST
LEARNED.
•ORGANIZATION ALSO INVOLVES SPENDING TIME AFTER SCHOOL ARRANGING
HANDOUTS, PREPARING SUPPLIES, WRITING ON THE BOARD AND TAKING CARE OF
OTHER TASKS. IN DOING SO, YOU CAN PREVENT PAUSES DURING THE LESSON AND

34. 7. USE EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE
•CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT CAN HELP YOU AVOID MOST DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS. AT
THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, BE SURE TO EXPLAIN AND POST YOUR
DISCIPLINE PLAN, ESTABLISHING THAT NO ONE WILL BE PUT DOWN, BULLIED OR
MADE FUN OF IN CLASS BECAUSE IT IS A “SAFE ZONE” WHERE EVERYONE,
INCLUDING THE TEACHER, IS ALLOWED TO MAKE MISTAKES AND LEARN FROM THEM.
•USUALLY, THIS FORMS A COHESIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, WHERE STUDENTS
TRUST YOU TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR NEEDS AND WHERE THEY RESPECT ONE
ANOTHER. MUCH CAN BE SAID ABOUT POSITIVE (OR NEGATIVE) PEER PRESSURE IN A
CLASS. IF THERE ARE STUDENTS WHO WANT TO LEARN AND THEY ACT
ACCORDINGLY, THE DYNAMIC OF THE CLASS WILL LIKELY REMAIN FAIRLY STABLE;
HOWEVER, IF STUDENTS WHO DON’T WANT TO LEARN DISRUPT AND INFLUENCE
THEIR PEERS, YOU MAY NEED STRONGER DISCIPLINE SKILLS OR EVEN AN
ADMINISTRATOR TO FALL BACK ON.

35. WHAT ARE ANNUAL GOALS?
•ANNUAL GOALS ARE STATEMENTS THAT IDENTIFY WHAT
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND/OR BEHAVIORS A STUDENT IS
EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE WITHIN THE YEAR
DURING WHICH THE IEP WILL BE IN EFFECT. THE IEP MUST LIST
MEASURABLE ANNUAL GOALS CONSISTENT WITH THE STUDENT’S
NEEDS AND ABILITIES, AS IDENTIFIED IN THE PRESENT LEVELS OF
PERFORMANCE

36. • ANNUAL GOALS SHOULD FOCUS ON THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, BEHAVIORS AND STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE STUDENT’S
NEEDS. A STUDENT’S NEEDS GENERALLY RELATE TO KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL DOMAINS SUCH AS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
READING, WRITING, LISTENING, ORGANIZATION, STUDY SKILLS, COMMUNICATION, PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT, MOTOR
SKILLS, COGNITIVE PROCESSING, PROBLEM-SOLVING, SOCIAL SKILLS, PLAY SKILLS, MEMORY, VISUAL PERCEPTION,
AUDITORY PERCEPTION, ATTENTION, BEHAVIOR, AND CAREER AND COMMUNITY LIVING SKILLS.

37. • TO BE MEASURABLE, AN ANNUAL GOAL SHOULD, IN LANGUAGE PARENTS AND EDUCATORS CAN UNDERSTAND, DESCRIBE THE
SKILL, BEHAVIOR OR KNOWLEDGE THE STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH IT WILL BE
DEMONSTRATED.
• EXAMPLES:
• GIVEN A 4-FUNCTION CALCULATOR, SUE WILL SOLVE ONE-STEP WORD PROBLEMS USING ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION WITH
90% ACCURACY.
• GIVEN 5TH GRADE MATERIAL, MIKE WILL READ ORALLY AT 80-100 WORDS PER MINUTE.
• GIVEN 15 MINUTES OF FREE PLAY TIME, SAM WILL ENGAGE IN INTERACTIVE PLAY WITH PEERS FOR AT LEAST 10
MINUTES.
• TERMS SUCH AS "WILL IMPROVE…," "WILL INCREASE…" AND "WILL DECREASE…" ARE NOT SPECIFIC ENOUGH TO DESCRIBE
WHAT IT IS THE STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO DO. TO BE MEASURABLE, A BEHAVIOR MUST BE OBSERVABLE OR ABLE
TO BE COUNTED. IN GENERAL, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT GOALS DESCRIBE WHAT THE STUDENT WILL DO, AS OPPOSED TO
WHAT THE STUDENT WILL NOT DO.
• EXAMPLE:
"THE STUDENT WILL ASK FOR A BREAK FROM WORK..." VERSUS "THE STUDENT WILL NOT WALK OUT OF THE CLASSROOM
WITHOUT PERMISSION."

38. HOW DOES THE IEP MEASURE PROGRESS
TOWARD THE ANNUAL GOAL?
• FOR EACH ANNUAL GOAL, THE IEP MUST INDICATE THE EVALUATIVE CRITERIA, EVALUATION PROCEDURES
AND SCHEDULES TO BE USED TO MEASURE PROGRESS TOWARD MEETING THEANNUAL GOAL.

39. SHORT-TERM INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES
AND/OR BENCHMARKS
• SHORT-TERM INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES AND/OR BENCHMARKS ARE THE INTERMEDIATE STEPS BETWEEN THE
STUDENT’S PRESENT LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE AND THE MEASURABLE ANNUAL GOAL. SHORT-TERM
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES AND BENCHMARKS SHOULD BE GENERAL INDICATORS OF PROGRESS, NOT DETAILED
INSTRUCTIONAL PLANS, THAT PROVIDE THE BASIS TO DETERMINE HOW WELL THE STUDENT IS PROGRESSING
TOWARD HIS OR HER ANNUAL GOAL AND WHICH SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR REPORTING TO PARENTS.

40. SHORT-TERM INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES
• SHORT-TERM INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES ARE THE INTERMEDIATE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT MUST BE LEARNED IN ORDER
FOR THE STUDENT TO REACH THE ANNUAL GOAL. SHORT-TERM INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES BREAK DOWN THE SKILLS OR STEPS
NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH AN ANNUAL GOAL INTO DISCRETE COMPONENTS.
• FOR EXAMPLE, THE SEQUENTIAL STEPS THAT ONE STUDENT MUST DEMONSTRATE IN ORDER FOR HIM TO REACH THE ANNUAL GOAL
TO “READ ORALLY AT 80-100 WORDS PER MINUTE WITH 95% ACCURACY” ARE AS FOLLOWS:
• MIKE WILL IDENTIFY AND RECORD UNFAMILIAR WORDS PRIOR TO ENGAGING IN ORAL READING.
• MIKE WILL MAKE A PREDICTION ABOUT THE TOPIC OF THE PASSAGE(S) HE WILL READ.
• MIKE WILL SELF-MONITOR HIS READING FLUENCY AND ACCURACY ON A DAILY BASIS.

41. BENCHMARKS
• BENCHMARKS ARE THE MAJOR MILESTONES THAT THE STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE THAT WILL LEAD TO THE
ANNUAL GOAL. BENCHMARKS USUALLY DESIGNATE A TARGET TIME PERIOD FOR A BEHAVIOR TO OCCUR (I.E., THE
AMOUNT OF PROGRESS THE STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO MAKE WITHIN SPECIFIED SEGMENTS OF THE YEAR).
GENERALLY, BENCHMARKS ESTABLISH EXPECTED PERFORMANCE LEVELS THAT ALLOW FOR REGULAR CHECKS OF
PROGRESS THAT COINCIDE WITH THE REPORTING PERIODS FOR INFORMING PARENTS OF THEIR CHILD’S
PROGRESS TOWARD THE ANNUAL GOALS. FOR EXAMPLE:
• BY NOVEMBER, MIKE WILL ORALLY READ 70 – 80 WORDS PER MINUTE
• BY FEBRUARY, MIKE WILL ORALLY READ 80 – 90 WORDS PER MINUTE
• BY APRIL, MIKE WILL ORALLY READ 90 – 100 WORDS PER MINUT

42. TASK ANALYSIS
THE PROCESS OF LEARNING ABOUT ORDINARY USERS BY
OBSERVING THEM IN ACTION TO UNDERSTAND IN DETAIL HOW
THEY PERFORM THEIR TASKS AND ACHIEVE THEIR INTENDED
GOALS.

43. CHAINING
•CHAINING IS A METHOD FOR TEACHING SEQUENTIAL SKILLS
•SKILLS THAT REQUIRE SEVERAL STEPS, ACCOMPLISHED IN A SET ORDER.
•FOR EXAMPLE, ALL KINDS OF HOUSEHOLD JOBS (DOING LAUNDRY, COOKING) AND
HYGIENE TASKS (TOOTH BRUSHING, SHAMPOOING HAIR) HAVE MULTIPLE STEPS, WITH
A PARTICULAR ORDER TO THEM. SO DO MANY ACADEMIC SKILLS, SUCH AS
MULTIPLYING TWO DOUBLE-DIGIT NUMBERS IN MATH CLASS

44. THE TWO MAJOR TYPES OF CHAINING
ARE BACKWARD CHAINING AND FORWARD CHAINING

45. BACKWARD CHAINING
• THE TEACHER PROVIDES SUBSTANTIAL ASSISTANCE, EVEN HAND-OVER-HAND GUIDANCE, THROUGH THE INITIAL STEPS IN THE TASK
ANALYSIS ...UNTIL SHE GETS TO THE LAST STEP THAT THE STUDENT CAN'T DO INDEPENDENTLY. IT'S ON THAT STEP THAT PROMPTING
AND THEN PROMPT FADING METHODS ARE USED, UNTIL THE STUDENT COMPLETES THE STEP INDEPENDENTLY (WITHOUT PROMPTS).
ONCE THAT OCCURS REGULARLY, THE TEACHER MOVES BACKWARD AND APPLIES PROMPTING AND PROMPT FADING TO THE NEXT
PREVIOUS STEP THAT THE STUDENT HAS NOT YET MASTERED. ONE BIG ADVANTAGE TO BACKWARD CHAINING IS THAT THE
STUDENT'S HARDEST WORK AT LEARNING A NEW STEP OCCURS NEAR THE END OF THE CHAIN, AND LEADS IMMEDIATELY TO THE
REINFORCERS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPLETING THE WHOLE CHAIN. WHEN TEACHING A CHILD TO MAKE FRENCH TOAST, FOR
EXAMPLE, IT'S THE FINAL FLIPS WITH A SPATULA THAT LEAD TO A MEAL THAT SMELLS GREAT AND IS READY TO EAT. TEACHING CAN
THEN PROCEED BACKWARD TO THE MESSY STEPS OF COATING THE BREAD WITH EGGS!
• BACKWARD CHAINING DOES NOT INVOLVE TEACHING A BEHAVIOR CHAIN IN REVERSE ORDER, AS THE NAME SUGGESTS. RATHER IT
INVOLVES REINFORCING LINKS IN THE CHAIN, BEGINNING AT THE BACK END OF THE CHAIN AND WORKING TOWARD THE
BEGINNING.

46. FORWARD CHAINING
• IT INVOLVES TEACHING THE INITIAL STEP FIRST, WITH CONDITIONED REINFORCEMENT FOLLOWING THAT
FIRST LINK. INSTEAD OF DIRECTING YOUR TEACHING EFFORTS ON THE LAST STEP THAT ISN'T DONE
INDEPENDENTLY, YOU FIND THE FIRST STEP THE CHILD NEEDS TO LEARN AND WORK FORWARD THROUGH
THE TASK ANALYSIS. FOR INSTANCE, YOU MAY FIRST TEACH A CHILD TO MEASURE THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF
LAUNDRY DETERGENT ON HIS OWN BEFORE PROCEEDING TO TEACH THE NEXT STEPS IN ORDER. IN
FORWARD CHAINING, THE TEACHER THEN USUALLY GUIDES THE CHILD THROUGH THE REMAINING NOT-
YET-LEARNED STEPS IN THE TASK ANALYSIS.

47. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORMATIVE AND
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT?
• FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• THE GOAL OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IS TO MONITOR STUDENT LEARNING TO PROVIDE ONGOING FEEDBACK THAT
CAN BE USED BY INSTRUCTORS TO IMPROVE THEIR TEACHING AND BY STUDENTS TO IMPROVE THEIR LEARNING.
MORE SPECIFICALLY, FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS:
• HELP STUDENTS IDENTIFY THEIR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES AND TARGET AREAS THAT NEED WORK
• HELP FACULTY RECOGNIZE WHERE STUDENTS ARE STRUGGLING AND ADDRESS PROBLEMS IMMEDIATELY
• FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS ARE GENERALLY LOW STAKES, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY HAVE LOW OR NO POINT VALUE.
EXAMPLES OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE ASKING STUDENTS TO:

48. • DRAW A CONCEPT MAP IN CLASS TO REPRESENT THEIR UNDERSTANDING OFA TOPIC
• SUBMIT ONE OR TWO SENTENCES IDENTIFYING THE MAIN POINT OF A LECTURE
• TURN IN A RESEARCH PROPOSAL FOR EARLY FEEDBACK
• SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• THE GOAL OF SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT IS TOEVALUATE STUDENT LEARNING AT THE END OF AN INSTRUCTIONAL UNIT BY
COMPARING IT AGAINST SOME STANDARD OR BENCHMARK.
• SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS ARE OFTENHIGH STAKES, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY HAVE A HIGH POINT VALUE. EXAMPLES OF
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE:
• A MIDTERM EXAM
• A FINAL PROJECT
• A PAPER
• A SENIOR RECITAL
• INFORMATION FROM SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS CAN BE USED FORMATIVELY WHEN STUDENTS OR FACULTY USE IT TO
GUIDE THEIR EFFORTS AND ACTIVITIES IN SUBSEQUENT COURSES.

49. THANK YOU 