In this video, speech-language pathologist Carrie Clark explores ideas for group activities that can be conducted in a self-contained autism classroom to improve speech and language skills in children with varying skill levels.
Book-Reading Activities:
Read one book but have different expectations for every student in the class.
Possible skills to target:
- Sitting with a quiet voice and quiet body
- Participation: filling in repeating lines
- Following basic directions (point to the ____, imitate an action from the book)
- Answering basic questions about the story or pictures (wh- or yes/no)
- Vocabulary: asking students “what’s this” or giving them specific words to listen for
- Speech sounds: having students repeat certain words or phrases with their target sounds
Cooking Activities:
Have one visual recipe with enough steps for everyone to participate.
Possible skills to target:
- Tolerating hand-over-hand and staying with the group
- Following simple directions (visual and written)
- Answering questions about what is happening
- Recalling and sequencing events to the activity
- Tolerating touching, tasting, or eating a new food
Sensory Activities:
Bring in a sensory-heavy activity that everyone participates in, like a bean box with small objects hidden inside.
Possible skills to target:
- Tolerating hand-over-hand and staying with the group
- Following directions with the sensory medium
- Vocabulary: labeling objects as they are found
- Answering questions about what everyone is doing and finding
- Using descriptive vocabulary to talk about the experience
- Giving clues to guess what object was found (describe something that you’re feeling inside the beans)
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Thanks for the suggestions. Where can I find the bean box? What things go inside it? Sorry I’m new to slp and not familiar with many toys and games. I just got a new job working with various self contained classes at middle school and really feel lost. From what I remember from the interview, I believe one classroom is intellectual disability, the other is hearing impaired, and one is autism and the other is orthopedic ally disabled.
Please help!
Thanks
Hey there! The bean box is just a plastic tub or container that you fill with dried beans. You can put anything inside: articulation cards, language cards, small toys, etc. Best of luck with your new job!!
Do you have any good food ideas for the cooking lessons. It would have to be something that doesn’t actually have to be cooked. Thanks!