Distance learning brings a new level of challenges for all of our students. Katie McKenna, MS OTR/L, shares 5 sensory friendly trips for distance learning that will be helpful for both teachers and parents. 5 Sensory Friendly Tips for Distance Learning: 1. Give frequent breaks. 2. Make sensory tools available. 3. Utilize heavy work. 4. Reduce visual clutter on the screen. 5. Consider auditory needs. Katie shares more details on best practices for how and when to implement these strategies! Click...
Oct 05, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 86
As we move towards the school year, one skill that may be rusty is your communication skills. Effectively communicating with your team is essential for working collaboratively and being effective as a leader. In this episode I share some strategies I learned from Michael Hyatt's Podcast: Lead to Win on communication breakdowns. Most communication breakdowns come as a result of vague or clear communication or a lack of communication. I share examples of how this commonly happens within the classr...
Sep 14, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 85
The Autism Helper Professional Development Membership provides access to ongoing training, digital resources, and community. Now more than ever, special educators need each other! The membership is now open for enrollment from 9/9/2020 - 9/15-2020. Let's tackle the challenges of this year together. In this episode, I share how the membership provided value during the initial COVID shutdown, how members are currently utilizing our resources, and what you can expect from the membership if you join...
Sep 09, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Your goal is simple. But it may not be easy. Be a chocolate chip cookie. Be so amazing and delicious that your students can't help but want to be around you and be in your classroom. In this episode, I explain the importance of pairing and establishing yourself and your classroom as reinforcer. This sets the stage for success for the entire school year. Learn not only why this is important to do but how. I share strategies for decreasing demands and becoming the "giver of all things good." I als...
Aug 24, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 83
This back to school season will be unlike any other. Whether you are doing distance learning, in-person, or a hybrid model there will be new challenges and obstacles to overcome. In this episode, I'm sharing 5 tips for going back to school. I'm also sharing specific strategies and action items that you can implement in your virtual or in-person classroom right away. Teachers and professionals from The Autism Helper Professional Development Membership shared their best practices and ideas for han...
Aug 17, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 81
On this podcast, my blog, my social media, and during my live professional development sessions, I find myself unable to stop talking about schedules. They are just so important and essential to all students. In this episode learn how schedules are functional, increase independence, and decrease negative behaviors. Creating and using schedules isn't always so straightforward. Learn how to teach schedule use and how to fade the type of schedule. Click here to find out more info about The Autism H...
Aug 10, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Conducting a thorough functional behavior assessment is critical for a successful behavior plan and causing real, positive behavior change. In this episode, school based BCBA, Abbey Mix, shares the rubric she and her team created to guide the creation of an FBA. Abbey talks through how her team uses this rubric and how both teams and individual teachers can utilize this tool to create FBAs that are more effective. This rubric can be used as a reminder for including all important steps within the...
Jul 27, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 80
There are a few questions I get asked a lot that don't have a quick answer for. One of these questions is "How did you get this job? How can I become a consultant or trainer too?" I previously haven't had a good way to answer this question. So in the episode, I'm sharing my whole story. I can’t necessarily tell you how to become a consultant too but I can share the story of my path and how that changed and evolved and how I landed up where I am today. Click here to find out more info about The A...
Jul 13, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 79
On this episode, Sasha answers listener questions on a range of topics from behavior management to collaborating with parents. Send in your questions to get answered on The Autism Helper Podcast! Questions answered in this episode: What are your biggest tips for new teachers? What are some must haves for a new classroom? What are some tips to stay organized and manage your time? What is your most recommended data collection system? How do you deal with parents who don’t stand firm with consequen...
Jun 29, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 78
The transition to adulthood can be scary or overwhelming for our families and even more so for families of students with special needs. There is a lot to consider and a lot of unknown. In this episode, parent and advocate, Malinda Dalton Cook, shares her experiences with the transition process. Malinda created a group called Autism Masterminds to bring together parents who are facing the same journey with their children into adulthood. This community helps support parents as they face difficult ...
Jun 15, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Inferencing is an essential skill that impacts academic, functional, and social skills. Many children struggle with 'reading between the lines' and comprehending things that aren't explicitly said. Speech Language Pathologist Hallie Sherman shares some easy to implement activities to teach this important concept. Hallie gives ideas for working on this skill even at the most basic level with our younger learners and learners with limited language skills. Hallie's Website: https://speechtimefun.co...
Jun 01, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Enrollment is open for Behavior Change: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Online learning course until May 31, 2020. This is the LAST time this course will be available this school year. In this episode, I share the background of why I created an online course. It was important for me to set it up in a way that was easy to access, manageable, and could easily fit into any teacher's busy schedule. I choose to create a course on behavior change because this is easily my most commonly asked about sub...
May 27, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Writing a good IEP goal is the first step to planning and creating academic progress, data systems, and overall growth. Good IEP goals can also help you avoid a due process case and create more positive relationships with families. In this episode, Vickie Brett and Amanda Selogie share their expertise as special education attorneys. Vickie and Amanda founded the inclusive Education Project, a legal advocacy non-profit organization that provides support for families of children with special needs...
May 18, 2020•55 min•Season 1Ep. 74
Through her experience as a classroom teacher, Robin Fox developed a curriculum based around improv activities. Robin shares how these improv games can teach mindfulness, cognitive awareness, and social skills in an inviting and engaging way. Robin shares how to get started using improv, which concepts you can build on, and how to differentiate for a wide range of learners. This can be a fun and beneficial way to incorporate social skills instruction into your classroom! Social Eyes: https://www...
May 11, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Julie Hornok is a mom to a daughter with autism and founder of United in Autism. United in Autism is a non-profit that builds community for special needs parents. As a parent and an advocate, Julie has valuable insight into how educators and providers can best connect and build relationships with parents. She shares tips and strategies based on her own experiences. We also discussed school closings during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a time of uncharted waters for everyone, Julie shares valuable ad...
May 04, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 72
In this episode, Dr. Peter Vierno shares important information and action steps regarding the transition to adulthood. Peter discusses how to start building towards the transition process at early childhood, elementary, and high school by both teachers and parents. He explains legal guardianship, the implications transition choices may have, and how to best review these options as a team. We cover a lot of ground in this episode on a truly important topic! More from Peter: http://mvptransitionco...
Apr 27, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 71
In this episode, I interview BCBA Shannon Biagi. Shannon is an author, entrepreneur, and supervisor in organizational behavior management. Shannon shares what OBM is and how teachers can utilize these principles to manage their team more effectively. She shares how to define what behaviors you want to see from your staff and how to troubleshoot when you aren't seeing those things. Shannon explained the application of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist for identifying the reasons why staff perf...
Apr 20, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 70
While schools are closed, teachers can continue to improve and grow professionally. This may actually help bring in a little bit of normalcy to an abnormal situation. Whether you feel like this situation has left you with more time or less time, fitting in small amounts of time to learn something new is good for the mind and the soul. There are many free ways to find professional development opportunities. Find new podcasts or do research on a podcast episode that you found interesting. Check ou...
Apr 14, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 69
With little warning, we have been thrown into a situation most of us were not ready for. With school closures around the world, teachers are suddenly trying to figure out how to make distance learning work for their classrooms. In this episode, I am sharing 4 tips for setting up and running distance learning in a special education classroom. Go with what you know. Keep it simple. Focus on connections. Differentiate your options. We discuss some options for setting up distance learning in special...
Apr 06, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 68
In this episode, I answer 4 questions from listeners that cover everything from behavior to staff training to collaborating with team members. The questions I answer in this episode: - How can I help my paras understand the importance of taking data? - What should I do when behaviors escalate when an iPad or preferred item is taken away? - What are some tips for pushing into a classroom to support students in inclusion settings? - How do you manage self-injurious behaviors? To get your questions...
Mar 30, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 67
Molly Ola Pinney is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Autism Project, a nonprofit organization that increases the capacity of local individuals working with children with autism worldwide. In this episode, Molly shares how the Global Autism Project started and how far reaching its impacts are today. Molly discusses her focus on empowering others through the guiding principle "Do with not for." Molly and I discuss how this model that she has used to build the Global Autism Pro...
Mar 23, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 66
In this episode, I am chatting with Leah Behrens. Leah is a parent to two children diagnosed with autism and shares her positive, honest, and hilarious point of view over on instagram (@leahbehrens) and her blog. Leah shares the diagnosis process for both of her kids and how she works with them at home. Over the years, Leah has worked with countless teachers, professionals, and therapists. Leah shares her advice on best practices teachers and professionals can have for working collaboratively wi...
Mar 16, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Jenny Friedman is a registered dietician and specializes at working with children with eating challenges and children on the spectrum. In this episode, Jenny shares tons of practical tips on how to encourage children to try new foods and expand the range of preferred healthy foods. Teachers have an important role when it comes to overcoming eating obstacles. Many students eat multiple meals at school and school staff can help students broaden their food repertoires. Jenny's tips are applicable f...
Mar 09, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 64
I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to the mastery criteria in an IEP goal. In this episode, I break down some of the most common pitfalls for this part of the IEP goal and what you can do to avoid it. There are 3 important questions to ask yourself when developing the mastery criteria for an IEP goal: What does mastery of this skill really look like? What can you accomplish in the timeline you have? and How will you be taking data? In this episode, we review these three questions and the i...
Mar 02, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 63
Transitioning is a skill that some of our learners may benefit from more instruction on. In this episode learn my 7 tips for teaching students to tolerate transitions effectively. I focus on evidence based antecedent interventions. We want to prevent the problem behavior before it starts. Identify tweaks or additions you can add to your classroom to make transitions better and less challenging for your learners. Click here to find out more info about The Autism Helper Professional Development Me...
Feb 24, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 62
In this episode, I interview Dr. Megan Miller on strategies for approaching challenging behaviors while consistently looking at maintaining the dignity and respect for students. Megan Miller, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA is the co-founder of Navigation Behavioral Consulting and the Chief Clinical Officer of LifeTribe. Dr. Miller is an author and presenter on best practices within Applied Behavior Analysis. Dr. Miller discusses common strategies and why they may be problematic and what we can do instead. S...
Feb 17, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 61
After doing your due diligence and taking some baseline data, you may uncover what could be an attention seeking behavior. In today's episode, we break down exactly what that means. What can this attention look like? How will your data show you it is attention seeking? Next, I share tips and strategies on how to approach these types of behaviors from a skills perspective. Look to identify the missing skills your students need and focus on increasing those. I also share some ways your data may be...
Feb 10, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 60
There are no prerequisites to social skills! Ashley Rose, BCBA, is an expert at teaching social skills in a behavior analytic way. Ashley Rose is owner/director of Mission Cognition, Social Skills Development Centers. In this episode, Ashley shares tips and strategies to incorporate social skills into all areas of the school day. We discuss the importance of social skills and why, sometimes, this is a daunting area. Ashley breaks down how to select social skills and directly teach these skills t...
Feb 03, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 59
The Autism Helper Professional Development Membership is open for enrollment from 1/23 - 1/29. In this episode, hear from some of our current members on how they are using the membership, what strategies they put into action right away, and what has made the biggest impact in their classrooms. The membership will not reopen again until next school year! The Autism Helper Membership provides ongoing training, resources, and community through short monthly training videos, access to digital resour...
Jan 23, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 58
In this podcast episode, check out a replay of my FB Live from 1/14 where I discuss video 1 from the Behavior Change Masterclass. In the live, we chat about having a behavior change mindset, why it's essential for creating effective behavior plans, and what you can do to get your team on board! I share the strategies I use for keeping my perspective in check and maintaining a growth mindset. I also share what has worked for me for managing teams and shifting the attitude in your school community...
Jan 16, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 57
