Michelle, a special education teacher with 20 years working with autistic students, shows how visual schedules, timers, and a calm regulation area reduce anxiety and help students work independently. She uses wireless doorbells for transitions and magnets to prompt behavior without speaking, keeping power struggles out of the classroom.
This is not a classroom tour about decorations. This is a tour about how every part of my classroom is designed to help students become independent. Hi, I'm Michelle. I've worked with autistic students for about 20 years, and today I'm going to show you how my classroom is set up to reduce anxiety, reduce behavior, and build independence. Let's start at the first place my students go every morning. This right here is probably the most important system that I have in my classroom. This is my daily visual schedule. We do circle time here and morning meeting here as well, but by using this, my students are able to see what is happening, in what order, when things are finished, and this just reduces anxiety because there are fewer surprises. When my students know what's coming, their behavior decreases. This is where independence really grows. My students learn how to start work, how to finish work, what done looks like. I'm not standing here prompting every step. The system teaches them. First and then boards. These are huge for transitions. Instead of saying, "Finish your work, then we go outside," Students see first work, then the preferred activity. Visual language is clearer and faster for many autistic students. I have some amazing transition systems in my classroom. I use a wireless doorbell, I use digital timers, and I use kitchen timers. Um, with kids with autism, transitions can be so hard. So instead of yelling across the room or repeating directions, I use these 3 consistent cues, and my students learn that the sound equals check your schedule and move. Predictability reduces stress. All done. Okay. Yeah. Great. Thank you. This is my calm regulation area. This is not a punishment area. It is a regulation support area. Students learn that it's okay to need a break. It's okay to reset, and then we return to learning. In this area, I have some calming pillows with some sequins. I have a little weighted blanket, and I also just have some soothing animals and visuals for the students. Next are my expectation visuals. I do not like to verbally correct all day, so my expectations live here on this easel. They're laminated. We've placed a piece of magnet behind them so that we can easily take off and show our students. My students see these constantly all day long, and my staff and I, we can point instead of lecture. Not only does this protect student dignity, it reduces power struggles. Now, if I'm looking for a student to follow an expectation, I'm going to take this off and quietly show it to my student and wait 7 to 10 seconds for that student to show me that expectation. Achoo! Achoo! Now my goal is not a quiet classroom. My goal is a classroom where students know what to do even when I'm not right next to them. That is independence, and that is dignity. My biggest tip if you're setting up an autism classroom is don't start with decoration, start with systems, because the systems support students when adults are busy, tired, or helping someone else. Check out the next video that I've linked to this video. Talks about this center, my independent task center, and how it builds my students' executive function skills.
