# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Multi-purpose Template Create Your Website Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Services About Us Service 1 Service 2 Service 3 Amazing Things for You Always write benefits over features. Mention all the benefits or services with some real examples.

# data[].attributes.body
Positive Reinforcement Defined

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you think accommodations would help your child in school, talk with the teacher. Often, teachers will agree to simple changes without any paperwork. For example, moving your child's seat to a quiet spot with less distraction.

For bigger changes, you may need to seek formal accommodations. Under federal law, kids with disabilities - which can include learning and thinking differences - have the right to accommodations.

Start by asking the school to evaluate your child. The evaluation can lead to an IEP or a 504 plan, with accommodations written into the plan.

Accommodations may also be available in other settings, like summer camp, sports, and even at Disney World.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Accommodations: What they are and how they work

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you think accommodations would help your child in school, talk with the teacher. Often, teachers will agree to simple changes without any paperwork. For example, moving your child's seat to a quiet spot with less distraction. For bigger changes, you may need to seek formal accommodations.

# data[].attributes.body
Concrete & Representational,
ELEM /MS/HS

# data[].attributes.body
Preventing Meltdowns

# data[].attributes.body
Building Bridges Article

# data[].attributes.body
Managing Severe Behavi

# data[].attributes.body
HANDOUT 4

# data[].attributes.body
Free Text to Speech Reader

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dyslexia and other reading-based learning disabilities are most common among students. NaturalReader text-to-speech makes learning more accessible by assisting with any reading, taking tests and promoting independence.

Students can have any text they need to read, read aloud to them so they can read along. Having the text provided both visually and auditory, allows the student to focus less on the act of reading, and more on the comprehension of the content. Other features like dyslexia font, flexible reading speeds, and highlighted text also ease the task of finishing readings.

For most students, learning does not stop when school ends. NaturalReader EDU enables students to be more independent and assists with learning at home. Whether they're doing homework, reading at home, or just surfing the web, our Chrome Extension and Mobile Application are always available.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
NaturalReader: Free Text to Speech for Online, Mobile App, Commercial license and Education with AI voices.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
(Image credit: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-386239p1.html">Zurijeta</a> | <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com">Shutterstock</a>)

Children with autism often have difficulty making eye contact, and now a new study suggests this may be due in part to how their brains process visual information, rather than being purely a social deficit.

In the study, children with autism showed activity over a larger area of the brain's cortex when an image was placed in the periphery of their visual field, compared with when the image was placed in the center of their visual field. The opposite was true in children who did not have the disorder.

When a child with autism avoids eye contact, "we are very much inclined to interpret this as a social deficit," said study researcher John Foxe, a neuroscientist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. "But it may be a much more fundamental issue," stemming from a reduced ability early in life to control the muscles that govern eye movements, he said.

In the study, the researchers looked at 22 children with autism, and 31 kids without the disorder. A checkerboard pattern was flashed in front of the children on a screen, while electrodes were used to measure their brain activity. The researchers tried to determine how much of the cortex's area was dedicated to processing the checkerboard's location.

For most people, a much larger area of the cortex is dedicated to the center of the visual field, as opposed to the periphery. "If you put your thumb up, out in front of you at an arm's length, it takes up about 1 degree of visual space, and your brain has about 4 square centimeters of cortex devoted to it. If you move your thumb six or eight inches to right, now only 1.5 square millimeters of cortex is devoted," Foxe explained.

In the study, "what we found was that indeed, at peripheral locations, children with autism spectrum disorders showed larger responses in the cortex," he said.

The "map" of the cortex, in which the space allotted to each visual field is set, develops early in life. The new finding suggests that "children with autism have a basic difference in how their visual cortex is mapped," Foxe said. "More neurons were being devoted to process information in the periphery."

It's known that children with autism often have deficits in their motor skills, and it may be that during infancy, this extends to a reduced ability to control eye movements, which prevents the cortex from being mapped as it is in people without the condition, Foxe said.

The inability to control eye movements certainly doesn't cause autism, but may work"like gasoline on a fire," Foxe said. An infant with autism may be unable to direct their eyes to exactly where they want, and people in the child's life react to not having eye contact with the child. People think the child is disengaged from social interactions, so they disengage, and it becomes a cycle, he said.

However, much more research is needed to confirm whether this is true, the new study provides only the first evidence of this idea, he said.

Further research should also test younger children, he said. The youngest children in the new study were 7, but autism can reliably be diagnosed as early as age 3 or 4, and may even be detected during the first months of a child's life, he said.
Follow Karen Rowan @karenjrowan. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook &Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why Kids With Autism May Avoid Eye Contact

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
(Image credit: Zurijeta | Shutterstock ) Children with autism often have difficulty making eye contact, and now a new study suggests this may be due in part to how their brains process visual information, rather than being purely a social deficit.

# data[].attributes.body
Engaging, educational videos to help reinforce concepts taught in your classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Educational Hip-Hop Songs & Videos for All Subjects, K-12

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Flocabulary is a library of songs, videos and activities for K-12 online learning. Hundreds of thousands of teachers use Flocabulary’s educational raps and teaching lesson plans to supplement their instruction and engage students. Our team of artists and educators is not only committed to raising test scores, but also to fostering a love of learning in every child.

# data[].attributes.body
VISUAL SUPPORTS

# data[].attributes.body
Checklist

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Content and assessment platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

# data[].attributes.body
for students to complete

# data[].attributes.body
HANDOUT 5

# data[].attributes.body
For those who have trouble reading, audiobooks are a powerful tool that supports improved comprehension, boosts confidence and leads to better grades.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Audiobooks for Dyslexia & Learning Disabilities | Learning Ally

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learning Ally solutions help struggling readers through audiobooks & support services for educators, parents, and students dealing with dyslexia. Reading accommodations

# data[].attributes.body
Rita Pierson

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson | TED

# data[].attributes.body
HANDOUT 3

# data[].attributes.body
Real-world math activities for students in all grade levels

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
5.NBT.7 slant 5.OA.2 winter solstice HSS-IC.B.4 HSF-IF.C.8.b dollars spent to dollars earned cola per ounce HSN-RN Turkey total cost adding fractions with unlike denominators irrational numbers HSF.TF Starbucks HSF.IF.C.7.B Iditarod 5.MS Data conic surface area

# data[].attributes.body
People First

# data[].attributes.body
Make your own talking pictures!

# data[].attributes.body
Positive Reinforcement Defined

# data[].attributes.body
The Force

# data[].attributes.body
Helps students understand what they are reading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rewordify.com | Understand what you read

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rewordify.com helps you read more, understand better, learn new words, and teach more effectively.

# data[].attributes.body
Outsmarting Explosive Behavior of Individuals with Aspberger Syndrome

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Meltdown behavior is quite common for those with Autism Spectrum Disorders. And, indeed, the most frequently asked question by parents and educators is: "What do I do when my child has meltdowns?"

When the meltdown is occurring, the best reaction is to ensure the safety of all concerned. Know that explosive behavior is not planned but instead is most often caused by subtle and perplexing triggers. When the behavior happens, everyone in its path feels pain, especially the child.
Stages of Explosive Behavior
So, what exactly is explosive behavior? In my book Outsmarting Explosive Behavior: A Visual System of Support and Intervention for Individuals with Autism Spectrum (Endow, 2009), explosive behavior is defined as having four distinct stages, followed by a clearly defined recovery period. In addition, the physiological fight/flight mechanism is triggered immediately prior to the explosion.

In this model, the four stages of explosive behavior are the same for all experiencing explosive behavior and are depicted by four train cars called Starting Out, Picking Up Steam, Point of No Return, and Explosion. The idea is to try to prevent the train cars from hooking up because when they do we have a runaway train that ends in explosion.

Working backwards, the Explosion is the stage where the meltdown behavior is evident. Immediately prior to this is the Point of No Return, which is exactly what it implies - there is no going back from the meltdown because this stage is where the fight/flight response is triggered. The pupils dilate, and breathing and heart rates increase. Physiologically, our bodies respond as if our very lives are at stake, and we automatically behave accordingly: We fight for our lives. It is entirely impossible to reason with anyone in this survival mode. As soon as you see the child's identified Point of No Return behavior you can know the Explosion is coming and need to do your best to quickly create and maintain a safe environment.

The place to impact explosive behavior is ahead of when it occurs. In the Starting Out phase, whispers of behaviors are evident. The Picking Up Steam phase is just that-the whispers become louder. Though you can learn to successfully intervene at these stages, the most effective way to manage explosive behavior is proactively, before the whispers even start.
Strategies to Prevent Meltdowns Before They Start
An individual mix of three major supports and interventions is usually most effective in preventing the first stage of meltdown behavior from starting. These three major supports include proactive use of a sensory diet to maintain optimal sensory regulation, visual supports, and managing emotions that are too big (Endow, 2011).

People with AS usually do not have sensory systems that automatically regulate; instead, they must discover how to keep themselves regulated. This is most often accomplished by employing a sensory diet. A sensory diet for a person with autism is like insulin for a person with diabetes. It is easy to understand that a person with diabetes has a pancreas that is unable to regulate insulin effectively. We can measure blood sugar and know the exact state of affairs, and from there figure out how much insulin the person needs.

Sensory Diet: Unfortunately, medical science does not allow us to take a blood sample to measure sensory dysregulation. However, we can figure out and employ a sensory diet to prevent dysregulation, and just like insulin prevents serious consequences for a diabetic, a sensory diet prevents serious troubles for an individual with ASD. As an adult with autism, I spend time every day on sensory integration activities in order to be able to function well in my everyday life. A sensory diet employed proactively goes a long way in preventing the Starting Out stage of explosive behavior from ever occurring (Brack, 2004).

Visual Supports: Another crucial area of support to put in place proactively is that of visual supports. As an autistic, I can tell you the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" is the monumental truth. Although each person with ASD has a unique experience, processing written and spoken words is not considered by most of us to be our "first language." For me, the meaning I get from spoken words can drop out entirely when I am under stress, my sensory system is dysregulated or my felt emotions are too big. Visual supports can be anything that shows rather than tells. Visual schedules are very commonly used successfully with many individuals with ASD. Having a clear way to show beginnings and endings to the activities depicted on the visual schedule can support smooth transitions, thus keeping a meltdown at bay. For maximum effectiveness, visual supports need to be in place proactively rather than waiting until behavior unravels to pull them out.

Managing Felt Emotions: A third area in which many with ASD need proactive support is in managing felt emotions. Most often, felt feelings are way too big for the situation. An example in my life is when I discover the grocery store is out of a specific item; I get a visceral reaction very similar to the horror I felt when first hearing about the 9/11 tragedy. I know cognitively the two events have no comparison and, yet, my visceral reaction is present and I need to consciously bring my too big feelings down to something more workable in the immediate situation. Managing felt emotions does not come automatically, but can be learned over time with systematic instruction and visual supports such as The Incredible 5-Point Scale (Buron & Curtis, 2004).

The good news is that explosive behavior can be positively impacted. With proactive supports, explosive behavior can be outsmarted so individuals with ASD can move on to living purposeful and self-fulfilling lives.

BOOKS BY JUDY ENDOW

Endow, J. (2019).  Autistically Thriving: Reading Comprehension, Conversational Engagement, and Living a Self-Determined Life Based on Autistic Neurology.  Lancaster, PA: Judy Endow.

Endow, J. (2012). Learning the Hidden Curriculum: The Odyssey of One Autistic Adult. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2006).  Making Lemonade: Hints for Autism's Helpers. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2013).  Painted Words: Aspects of Autism Translated. Cambridge, WI: CBR Press.

Endow, J. (2009).  Paper Words: Discovering and Living With My Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2009).  Outsmarting Explosive Behavior: A Visual System of Support and Intervention for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Endow, J. (2010).  Practical Solutions for Stabilizing Students With Classic Autism to Be Ready to Learn: Getting to Go. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

Myles, B. S., Endow, J., & Mayfield, M. (2013).  The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Brack, J.C. (2004). Learn to Move, Move to Learn! Sensorimotor Early Childhood Activity Themes. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing. Buron, K.D., & Curtis, M. (2004). The Incredible 5-Point Scale. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing. First printed on Education.com with permission of the Autism Society. http://www.education.com/reference/article/explosive-behavior-asperger-syndrome

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Preventing Meltdowns: Outsmarting the Explosive Behavior of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Meltdown behavior is quite common for those with Autism Spectrum Disorders. And, indeed, the most frequently asked question by parents and educators is: "What do I do when my child has meltdowns?" When the meltdown is occurring, the best reaction is to ensure the safety of all concerned.

# data[].attributes.body
Ghost Boy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Accommodation Rubric Enhancing the Role of the Paraprofessional Paraeducator Weekly Log Paraeducator Effectiveness Self-Check Paraprofessional Schedule Possible Paraeducator Roles in

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a new teacher, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the wide range of abilities in my classroom. How was I supposed to meet all of my students' needs while simultaneously covering grade level content? As I learned more about differentiation, this became easier, but it still remained one of the most challenging aspects of teaching.

Now that I coach teachers in their first and second years, I can safely say that differentiation remains a huge challenge. I went out and asked the members of Teaching Channel's Coaching Think Tank to share their top differentiation strategies for new teachers. Check out these six tips for meeting the needs of diverse learners.

Equity Sticks

Autumn Bell, a math coach for Fresno Unified School District, recommends using equity sticks to randomly call on students during direct instruction. Autumn suggests that teachers plan a variety of different questions to ask. When calling on specific students, teachers can then ask them a question at their level. Autumn stresses that it's important to have high expectations for all students, but starting with leveled questions can help to build students' confidence in sharing their thoughts.

Sentence Frames

When supporting students to participate in discussions, Autumn shares how sentence frames can help students in answering questions. Michelle Rooks, an instructional coach for Teton County School District, also emphasizes the value of using sentence frames in both speaking and writing. The frames can give students a way to begin or access the task, and support all students' participation in the discussions and/or writing. Sentence frames also extend language skills and support organized thinking.

Multiple Ways to Express Understanding

All students are different, so why require them to all work on the same tasks? Stacy Davidson, an instructional mentor for Bellevue Public Schools, shares the importance of giving students different ways to respond to a task. Depending on their needs, students can respond verbally, through sketching, or by writing. When you're hoping to assess students' content rather than process knowledge, multiple ways of expressing understanding is key. Watch Learning Menus.

Share Air Time

During small group work, Stacy shares how teachers can use a colored cotton ball system to encourage equitable participation. Each student gets a set of colored cotton balls or cubes (one color per student), and put one of their balls in the center of the table every time they add to the discussion. Teachers can encourage groups to pay attention to the colors in the center, and to support each other in order to have a balance of colors. If a student hasn't contributed or has contributed very little, students can be supported to encourage their peer to join in. For example, they might say something like, "Amanda, do you have something to add?"

Excerpt Texts

According to Shelia Banks, an instructional coach for Jefferson Parish School District, excerpting texts can be a great way to meet the needs of diverse readers. Shelia shares how an excerpt from a complex text can be sufficient to give students access to the text. Struggling learners can work with shorter excerpts as long as the excerpt conveys the ideas and claims of the whole text. Shelia also shares how advanced learners can read longer texts, and suggests pairing those texts with additional texts representing contrary or similar information, expanding the students' access to claims and details.

Differentiate Rubrics

When creating rubrics to evaluate student performance, Shelia suggests differentiating rubric elements to meet the needs of all students. In one classroom, there will be a diverse mix of elements that need to be targeted for improvement. Some students may have mastered focusing on the task, but struggle with organizing their writing. Others may write well-developed papers, but lack focus. After identifying which rubrics elements certain students should focus on, Shelia suggests arranging students into homogeneous groups. These groups can work together to revise their papers using common rubric elements, and teachers can conduct mini writer's workshops based on what the groups need to grow.
What differentiation strategies have been working well for you?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners: Six Differentiation Strategies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a new teacher, I remember feeling overwhelmed by the wide range of abilities in my classroom. How was I supposed to meet all of my students' needs while simultaneously covering grade level content? As I learned more about differentiation, this became easier, but it still remained one of the most challenging aspects of teaching.

# data[].attributes.body
Free, standards aligned online math game

# data[].attributes.body
Explained

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Stimming, or self-stimulatory behaviors, are behaviors people with autism may exhibit to counteract an overwhelming sensory environment or alleviate the high levels of internal anxiety, according to Temple Grandin's post in Autism Digest. Some examples of stimming are rocking, spinning, pacing, repeating words or flapping of arms or hands.

Autistic people aren't the only ones who stim, although occasionally people on the spectrum stim in more obvious ways and may attract attention. Many people have a hard time grasping why someone would stim.

We asked our readers with autism how they explain what stimming is like.
This is what they had to say:
1. "It helps my body regulate the sensory information of the world." - Laura Ivanova Smith

2. "You know how when you're cooking something on a stove, you sometimes move the lid slightly off the pot to let the steam out? How you put pressure on a bleeding wound to get the blood flow to stop, or at least lessen? For me, stimming is that relief and release - the preventing of inward things from exploding or running out by doing things outwardly to soothe the inward." - Paula Gomez

3. "Stimming is like turning down the radio when you think you smell something burning. It's a way of turning off the other senses so you can make sure nothings burning." - Lamar Hardwick told The Mighty in an email

4. "Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed, upset or angry, I need to let it out. I feel antsy when I'm overstimulated, so I need to move around and let out some noise. It's the only way I know how to cope. It calms me down. A common one for me is humming loudly to myself (sometimes with my ears plugged or covered) and most commonly, I'll bounce my leg. It's involuntary, so I don't always realize I'm bouncing my leg. It bothers some people, but I can't help it."- Sydney Brown

5. "What's it like to stim? You tell me. Most non-autistic people impulsively tap their feet, drum their fingers or let out exasperated sighs. They're all natural forms of self-expression. The theory behind autistic stimming is the same - we're just the ones who get called out for expressing ourselves more visibly than you!" - Chris Bonnello from Autistic Not Weird, told The Mighty in an email.

6. "Sometimes the sensory input gets too much, and I feel like I might explode. Stimming releases the tension and makes me feel a lot calmer." - Lucy Clapham

7. "It's the ability and opportunity to shut out external effects. I can tune into myself, reign in my energy and feel completely wrapped and enveloped in my own bubble of comfort and total relaxation. It helps ground me to reality, breathe, slow down and soothes my nervous system that is overtaxed. At best, I feel like there is no one else around and I am completely calm, free and one with the world." - Laura Spoerl

8. "It's a comforting thing to do. Neurotypical people probably understand and do similar things, but the difference is that autism stims feel more necessary, and trying to stop them causes unpleasantness for us. It makes me feel uncomfortable when [it] cannot be done." - Elizabeth Alford

9. "It's a combination of habit and releasing build-up of stress or internal energy in the body. It isn't something you do only when you have anxiety or negative feelings, it feels good. It's kind of necessary." - Planet Autism

10. "When I'm stressed and overstimulated, I quietly hum or groan. When I'm extremely happy, I smile a 'Cheshire Cat' grin, rock back and forth and voice a little. Stimming is comforting, and it lets off pressure from good and bad emotions. I don't necessarily think 'I need to stim,' I just do." -

11. "Stimming is like breathing... just as natural, just as important." -
*Answers have been edited and shortened.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
11 People With Autism Explain What Stimming Feels Like

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stimming, or self-stimulatory behaviors, are behaviors people with autism may exhibit to counteract an overwhelming sensory environment or alleviate the high levels of internal anxiety, according to Temple Grandin's post in Autism Digest. Some examples of stimming are rocking, spinning, pacing, repeating words or flapping of arms or hands.

# data[].attributes.body
Power of Belief

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Power of belief -- mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach