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Below is a video that explains the accommodations and modifications section of a child with autism's IEP. This is a great video for parents' of children with autism who have either come out of an IEP or about to go into an IEP meeting. This will just give a good explanation of what to expect when discussing modifications and accommodations in an IEP meeting. This will also allow for parents to go into an IEP with some good questions to ask or to even participate in suggesting accommodations. Videos like these will help parents become more involved in a child with an disability's learning path.

IEP Section 6 Modifications and SDIS for your autistic child. (2017, August 07). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cWbX3dLvC4

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IEP Section 6 Modifications and SDIS for your autistic child

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In this website you will find templates for important documents a parent or family member may need to understand an IEP or express concerns. For example a few templates you may find would be a sample letter that a parent may right to the MDT that is assigned to your child's IEP. Also, there is an IEP guide for specific disorders that will give enough detail for a family member or parent to be able to understand the different parts of their child's IEP.

IEP Cheat Sheets. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://familyadvocacyresources.com/IEP_Cheat_sheet.html

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Sample accommodations, modifications and goals for Individual Education Plans

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IEP Information for Children with Autism

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IEP Information for Children with Autism

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In this article you will be able to gain the base knowledge of an individualized educational plan for children with autism. IEP's for any student can become confusing and sometimes intimidating so this website should be able to help you understand the different aspects of an IEP for a student with autism in particular.

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for Autism. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/individualized-education-programs-ieps-for-autism#1

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that all children in the U.S. have a right to a "free appropriate public education."

For children with autism and children with certain other disabilities, this act mandates the creation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each IEP is designed for one child. Its purpose is to meet that child's specific special education needs. It sets goals and objectives and describes what services a child will receive as part of his or her special education program.

Who determines eligibility for an IEP?

Before an IEP can be created for a child with autism, there is a process to determine whether he or she is eligible for special education.

To start the process, your child needs to be evaluated for a disability. That includes autism spectrum disorder or ASD. Either you as a parent or an educational professional in your child's school district needs to request evaluation. If the district makes the request, your consent is needed before the evaluation can be done.

Professionals within your child's district are usually the ones who do the evaluation, but it can also be done by a developmental pediatrician or psychologist.The evaluation is what determines that your child is eligible for special education. It also helps identify the special services your child might need.

If you think your child's evaluation isn't accurate, you can ask for an independent evaluation. That will be done by a professional from outside the school district. Your child's district may pay for that evaluation.

If the evaluation shows your child needs special education or services, creating an Individualized Education Program is the next step. The IEP will be tailored to your child's needs and abilities.

What is the process for creating an IEP?

The next step after evaluation is the IEP meeting, which is required by law. The Individualized Education Program is supposed to address all aspects of your child's education. So, a number of different people will need to attend the meeting. At the very least, the meeting should include you, your child's teacher, and a special education teacher. Others who are familiar with different aspects of your child's needs and abilities -- social workers, school psychologists, therapists, or doctors -- also should attend. When appropriate, your child may also participate and offer input at the meeting.

Continued

The people who attend make up a team. That team will discuss how to best meet your child's educational needs. To prepare for the meeting -- and if your child is able to articulate answers -- you may find it helpful to ask your child questions about school such as:

"What is your favorite subject?"

"What is the hardest thing for you at school?"

"What is the easiest thing for you at school?"

Understanding how your child and his or her team view your child's strengths and weaknesses can be a big help in the development of the IEP.

You should also come prepared with questions for the team, such as how their recommendations will benefit your child and which services will likely be the most effective.

After it's written, the IEP will include information about your child's current performance in school. It will also contain a series of annual goals, and each goal will have a set of measurable objectives. Those objectives will be used to determine whether your child has moved toward or reached a particular goal. That way, your child's progress can be assessed each year.

The IEP will also identify the special education and services your child will receive. For instance, it could list and describe the assistive-technology devices your child will be able to use. The IEP document will also describe in detail how your child will interact with children who don't have disabilities. In addition, it will specify whether your child needs any modifications to standardized tests.

According to the law, the IEP needs to be reviewed annually. The purpose of the review is to assess your child's progress and make any needed modifications in the educational program.

How does an IEP work for a child with autism?

How autism hinders a child's educational progress depends on each child. By carefully designing an IEP for autism, it is possible to create a plan that will help your child develop in many ways -- academically, socially and behaviorally.

An IEP for a child with ASD might contain goals like the following:

Academic: The child will learn new skills, such as adding or subtracting.

Social: The child will develop appropriate play skills, such as interacting with classmates during group activities.

Behavioral: The child will acquire new coping mechanisms, such as asking for help and replacing problem behaviors, such as yelling or hitting, with socially acceptable ones.

Motor: The child will work on ADL skills or handwriting to assist his or her academic progression.

Continued

In the IEP, each of these goals should be broken down into measurable objectives so that the IEP team will be able to assess your child's progress. For instance, a goal for a child to learn addition and subtraction might contain the following objective: "The child will correctly subtract two-digit numbers 90% of the time in a one-on-one situation with a special education teacher."

Many children with ASD find it difficult to develop the skills they need. Engaging a child or teen in the IEP process provides an opportunity to teach a child with autism to advocate for himself or herself. For some children, involvement may be limited to attending the IEP meeting. Over time, and depending upon the degree of the disability, some children may be able to take more ownership. When they do, they will more actively participate in designing their IEP for autism. They may be able to identify their own problem areas and help create reasonable goals for themselves. And they may be able to determine which special education services would help them meet their educational potential.

Since an Individualized Education Program details the special services to which a child is entitled, it can be used to guarantee that particular areas of deficit will be addressed. If your child needs special services, such as counseling, occupational therapy, or physical therapy, the IEP should include information about the frequency and length of meetings with appropriate professionals and how progress will be assessed.

Because the plan is reviewed annually, it can be modified over time to meet your child's changing needs and abilities. An IEP can also help your child make the transition to adulthood. When your child turns 14, the IEP must include information about which academic courses are needed to help your child meet his or her post-high-school goals. At age 16, the IEP must detail which transition services, if any, your child will need in preparation for completing school.

Sources

SOURCES:

U.S. Department of Education: "A Guide to the Individualized Education Program."

Autism Society of Greater Cleveland: "Developing Your Child's IEP."

Autism Society of America: "Individualized Education Plan."

Autism Research Society: "Helping Your Child to Help Him/Herself: Beginning Self-Advocacy."

Organization for Autism Research: "Individualized Education Programs."

University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine: "Writing a Good IEP for Student with Autism."

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Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for Autism

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that all children in the U.S. have a right to a "free appropriate public education." For children with autism and children with certain other disabilities, this act mandates the creation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each IEP is designed for one child.

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Example of Assistive Technology for Non-Verbal Student

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Example of Assistive Technology for Non-Verbal Student

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In this video you will discover how a student is able to use a assistive technological advancement to be able to "talk" considering he is non-verbal. This will show how assistive technology can become a source of communication for students with autism when needed.

R. (2012, January 06). "Communication Device" Real Look Autism Episode 8. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIGrxzPMVtw

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Assistive Technology for Children with Autism 

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Assistive Technology for Children with Autism 

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In children with autism, assistive technology may be a very helpful aspect in learning. In this article you will get a brief description of how assistive technology works. Then, you will be able to read in detail different ways assistive technology have been implemented into the classroom using examples and how they have been used.

Stokes, S. (n.d.) Assistive Technology for Children with Autism. Retrieved from  https://www.cesa7.org/sped/autism/assist/asst10.htm

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Assistive Technology for Children with Autism

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For years, different modes of technology have been used to improve the quality of life of people who have various developmental disabilities . However, the varied use of technology for children with autism continues to receive limited attention, despite the fact that technology tends to be a high interest area for many of these children.

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Attached is a website to where you will find information about the different accommodations a child with autism may encounter. In this website you will also find the different statistics on how often these accommodations have been implemented into the classroom.

Facts From NLTS2: Secondary School Experiences of Students with Autism. (2007). Retrieved from https://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20073005/accommodations.asp

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Accommodations, Services, and Supports Provided to Students With Autism

Some youth, particularly those with disabilities, need supports and interventions beyond the traditional classroom experiences to be successful at school ( Tindal and Fuchs 2000). Secondary-school-age students with autism began receiving services as young children; parents report that, on average, youth were 4 years old when they first received disability-related services from a professional ( Wagner, Newman et al. 2003). By the time they are in secondary school, according to teachers, 97 percent of students with autism receive some type of accommodation or modification, learning support, technology aid, or related service to enhance their performance in school.

More than 9 out of 10 secondary students with autism (91 percent) receive accommodations and modifications. Additional time to complete assignments (52 percent) or tests (52 percent) are among the more frequent types of accommodations (table 1). Tests and assignments also are modified; 49 percent of secondary students with autism receive alternative tests, 33 percent are given modified tests, 25 percent have tests read to them, and 38 percent are given shorter or different assignments than the rest of the class. Approximately 2 out of 5 (41 percent) receive slower-paced instruction. Almost one-third (30 percent) have teachers who modify grading criteria. Physical aspects of the classroom are modified for 16 percent of students with autism.

More than 80 percent of students with autism also receive other types of supports or assistance to enhance their participation and performance (table 2). Instructional support is often provided through monitoring of students' progress by special education teachers; 57 percent of students with autism receive this support. More than half (55 percent) of students with autism receive help from teacher aides, instructional one-third (32 percent) receive more frequent feedback from teachers, and 22 percent receive help with learning strategies or study skills. Less than 15 percent receive assistance from peer tutors, tutoring help from an adult, support from readers or interpreters, or self-advocacy training.

Technology aids are provided to 57 percent of students with autism. More than one-quarter (28 percent) use a calculator in the classroom when other students are not permitted to use one, and 16 percent use a computer for activities in which one is not allowed for other students (table 3). Approximately one out of four (23 percent) use computer software specifically designed for students with disabilities, and 16 percent use communication aids. Books on tape and specialized computer hardware each are used by 8 percent of students with autism.

In addition to the accommodations and supports they receive in their classes, more than 70 percent of secondary students with autism receive a variety of related services deemed necessary for the students to benefit from their special education programs (table 4). The types of services youth with autism receive address a wide range of needs and functional issues. Speech-language pathology services is the most frequently received type of service, with two-thirds receiving this assistance. More than half receive special transportation because of their disability or participate in adaptive physical education (54 percent and 51 percent, respectively). The services of a behavior interventionist are provided to 35 percent of students with autism. Communication services, psychological or mental health counseling or services, and social work services each are provided to 22 percent of secondary students with autism. Assistive technology services or devices are used by 30 percent of students with autism. In addition, 24 percent receive occupational therapy, 14 percent receive health services, and 6 percent receive physical therapy.

The related services and supports provided to students with autism are meant to be coordinated and integrated into a student's overall educational program. To facilitate this coordination and integration of services, a case manager is assigned to some students by their schools. A case manager "-coordinates and oversees services on behalf of the student. In some schools, this person might be the child's special education teacher. In other schools, supervisory school district personnel may assume this responsibility" ( Mattson 2001, p. 14). Almost half (45 percent) of secondary students with autism have a case manager provided from or through their school.

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Facts From NLTS2: Secondary School Experiences of Students With Autism - Accommodations, Services, and Supports Provided to Students With Autism

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Some youth, particularly those with disabilities, need supports and interventions beyond the traditional classroom experiences to be successful at school

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A classroom that includes children with autism must fulfill certain needs based off an IEP or specialized plan for the student. This checklist from autismspeaks allows for a teacher to make sure that all needs are met for each child.

Ernsperger, L. (2008). Classroom Checklist. Retrieved from https://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/documents/family-services/classroom_checklist.pdf

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In this video you will discover a successful accommodation used in a classroom with children with autism. This video will show how the teacher uses a portion of her morning to use direct instruction to her students with autism. As she shows the different aids that she has in the area, we gain an idea of how the use of visuals also plays a big role in accommodating her students.

T. (2013, December 29). Video Tutorial of a Direct Instruction Area in an Autism Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QOfDu38Fbs

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Video Tutorial of a Direct Instruction Area in an Autism Classroom

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Attached below is a list of 20 modification ideas that will help a teacher modify the content taught in their classroom to where expectations are at an achievable level for the student.

Wright, K. (2001). 20 Classroom Modifications for Students with Autism. Retrieved from http://tcsps.sharpschool.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_981069/File/Migrated%20Documents/20_classrm_modifications_for_students_with_autism.pdf

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Important Accommodations for kids with Autism 

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Important Accommodations for kids with Autism 

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Children with autism always have a variance of symptoms and end up showing signs at different levels. With these difference in symptoms and levels it becomes hard for a teacher to figure out the best modifications for a student with autism. These are just 5 accommodations a teacher can integrate into their classrooms to not only help students with autism but to help "regular" students as well.

5 Important Classroom Accommodations For Autistic Children. (2016, May 19). Retrieved from http://caring4ourkids.com/important-classroom-accommodations-for-autistic-children/

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Since autism spectrum disorder cause a wide range of learning disabilities that are unique to each child, classrooms must remain equipped to help every student work around those difficulties. Each individual's executive function level and sensory processing difficulties play a role in the resulting learning disability types and severity. With 1 in 68 kids diagnosed on the autism spectrum, with many high functioning individuals, teachers at all grade levels must remain prepared to provide accommodations designed to mitigate those learning difficulties. With the right classroom accommodations, it is possible to overcome barriers to learning and help children with autism tackle schoolwork with confidence.

Daily Outlines

Difficulties with transitions between tasks and activities is common through the full range of the autism spectrum. Therefore, a daily class schedule detailing the broad activity categories for the day is a must. A detailed daily schedule will greatly assist with the transitions related to moving between the classroom, lunchroom, schoolyard and other destinations throughout the day.

It does not, however, have the power to assist with lesson micromanagement. Students with autism perform best when they know how to break up their time between each tasks required to complete the exercise or project in front of them. Teachers can provide an outline for each assignment to help students transition between the required tasks.

Alternate Media

Kids on the autism spectrum often have difficulties with visual or auditory learning styles. Teachers should provide multiple media options to suit each child's specific learning style. For visual learners, a combination of literature, videos, pictures and charts relays the lesson information best. Auditory learners, on the other hand, often require an audio tape or recording of the written information for the lesson.

For children exhibiting difficulties with both visual or auditory learning styles, it is possible to provide tactile tools to convey the information provided with each lesson. Tactile tools may include flashcards, board games, pads for notetaking, computer games and craft projects. Although it can be beneficial for the students to try the other types of media from time to time, the best progress will be made with the child's preferred learning style. It's important to remember that not all autistic children are the same. Whilst one may experience trouble hearing, another may not. That's why it's important to be able to facilitate both. Those children who do experience trouble hearing may need some earphones, similar to tv ears, to better understand and participate in learning. If the class is watching a video, these earphones can be connected to the computer or TV to allow autistic children to hear too. There are a number of different devices out there to help people with autism, be sure to find out what each child struggles with.

Sensory Tools

Up to 95% of autistic children have difficulties regulating their sensory system, which is often referred to as sensory processing disorder. Therefore, sensory tools, or fidgets, can help relieve the resulting stress and improve focus for autistic children as they attempt to learn in a busy classroom environment. The fidgets allow these kids to self-regulate their emotions and keep themselves on task when distractions compete for their attention. Many kids who are prone to repetitive behavior can keep their typical motions under control with a fidget in hand or under foot.

There are many different types of sensory tools suitable for classrooms, including stress balls, pencil toppers, tangle puzzles, clay, wiggle cushions, weighted lap pads, chair bands and foot rollers. Since fidgets are fun, yet low key, they are a nice tool to have available to all of the students to avoid having anyone feeling singled out or left out.

Quiet Corner

Classrooms are full of distractions that students with autism frequently find difficult to drown out. The screech of chairs moving across the floor, other students walking around, intercom announcements, flickering lights and school bells are all bothersome distractions that are near impossible for children with autism to ignore. Even strong smells can overpower the senses and dominate the mind of students sensitive to that type of stimuli. These distractions often become incredibly overwhelming to the sensory system, especially as the day goes on, which can lead to a meltdown.

To prevent sensory overload, teachers can provide their students with a place to escape the constant barrage of noise and visual stimulus by creating a quiet corner in a low traffic area of the classroom. The corner should have somewhere for the students to comfortably rest and allow their sensory system to calm down. Noise canceling headphones or ear plugs, sleep masks and weighted blankets can all help the student overcome sensory overload and prepare to begin the learning process anew. Plus, nowadays they are all easily purchasable online, from weighted blanket uk vendors on Amazon to more specialized stores.

Extra Breaks

Teachers can help the school day go much smoother by building breaks into the schedule. A single five minute break every hour provides much needed time to transition between tasks and recover from the demands of the classroom environment.

Breaks should also be available on an as-needed basis to allow students with autism to learn how to respond to internal cues and take the actions required to regulate their being. Without an adequate number of breaks each day, students may be prone to meltdowns from sensory overload and fatigue from constantly attempting to regulate themselves.

Kids with autism tend to return from the break reorganized and ready to focus on the task at hand. Teachers may want to suggest extra breaks at first to help kids become mindful of their feelings. Guided breaks also give kids a chance to see which break time activities provide the biggest benefits. Kids who seek stimulus may prefer to listen to music, while overwhelmed students may benefit from quietly working on a puzzle.

Playing It By Ear

There are always going to be opportunities for teachers to further customize the classroom in an effort to mitigate the challenges autistic children face in school. Each child with autism provides a chance to observe the classroom accommodations that provide the biggest benefits and identify discrepancies in the learning environment. As teachers navigate the process of providing support for all students, it is important to utilize all of the available resources to create a learning environment friendly to all.

Additional Resources
Accommodating Children With Autism Within An Inclusive Setting
https://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/134_AutismintheClassroom.pdf
Technology Tools For Students With Autism
http://archive.brookespublishing.com/documents/boser-technology-tools.pdf
Autism Preparation Kit For Teachers
https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Documents/Eligibility%20Areas/Autism/autismpreparationkitforteacherspdf.pdf
Autism Speaks Family Services School Community Tool Kit
https://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/school_community_tool_kit.pdf
A Comprehensive Guide To Finding The Right Toy For Your Child With Special Needs
http://www.redwoodnky.org/assets/redwood/files/$cms$/100/1434.pdf

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5 Important Classroom Accommodations For Children With Autism

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Since autism spectrum disorder cause a wide range of learning disabilities that are unique to each child, classrooms must remain equipped to help every student work around those difficulties. Each individual's executive function level and sensory processing difficulties play a role in the resulting learning disability types and severity.