Toolbox of Strategies for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities by Lindsey Leibert

Noise-canceling headphones

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 21:49:22 UTC

Noise-canceling headphones help reduce auditory overstimulation and support focus for students who are sensitive to loud or unpredictable sounds. They are especially helpful in classrooms with high sensory input.

Link: https://www.buildingblockstherapy.org/blog/headphones-for-autism

Fidget Tools

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 21:52:34 UTC

Fidget tools provide tactile input that helps students regulate their attention, anxiety, and behavior. These tools can be discreetly offered during lessons to enhance engagement without disrupting the learning process.

Link: https://napacenter.org/sensory-toys-ot/

Calming Corner

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:06:54 UTC

A calming corner is a quiet space that features self-regulating items, such as fidgets, weighted vests, soft chairs, calming visuals, and de-escalation techniques. It provides students with the opportunity to self-regulate during periods of overstimulation or distress.

Link: Calming Corner - Starr Commonwealth

Visual Schedules

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:13:28 UTC

Visual schedules help students understand routines, transitions, and expectations using pictures or written cues. They provide structure and reduce anxiety by clarifying what comes next.

Link: The Efficacy of Visual Activity Schedule Intervention in Reducing Problem Behaviors in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Between the Age of 5 and 12 Years: A Systematic Review - PubMed

First-Then Boards

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:18:58 UTC

First-Then boards use simple visual sequences to help students understand task expectations and increase motivation. They are especially effective for managing transitions or task avoidance.

Link: First–Then Board - An Overview

Choice Boards

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:25:43 UTC

Choice boards are visual tools that present multiple options using pictures, allowing students with moderate to severe disabilities to make choices about activities, items, or tasks. They promote autonomy, reduce frustration, and support communication for learners who are nonverbal or minimally verbal.

Link: Choice Board | Texas SPED Support

Social Stories

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:28:45 UTC

Social stories are short narratives that teach appropriate social interactions, routines, and behaviors. They describe specific situations and outline expected responses to help individuals understand and navigate them.

Link: Effects of social stories intervention for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - PMC

Role-Playing

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:35:42 UTC

Role-playing offers students the opportunity to practice social interactions in a structured and supportive environment. It helps improve perspective-taking, emotional expression, and the ability to respond appropriately in real-life social situations.

Link: Social skills training with a tabletop role-playing game, before and during the pandemic of 2020: in-person and online group sessions - PMC

Peer Buddy

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:39:57 UTC

Peer buddy programs pair students with exceptionalities, such as autism, with trained peers to promote inclusion through shared activities and social interaction. These partnerships help model appropriate social behaviors, support skill development, and foster meaningful relationships within the school community.

Link: Reverse Inclusion and the Use of Peer Buddies to Teach Social Skills in a Public School Setting - Autism Spectrum News

Zones of Regulation

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:43:35 UTC

The Zones of Regulation uses color-coded zones to help students identify their emotional states and understand how their feelings affect their behavior. It promotes self-awareness and supports emotional regulation by teaching appropriate strategies for each zone.

Link: How it Works | The Zones of Regulation

Feelings Chart

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:46:25 UTC

Feelings charts use visual representations to help students recognize, label, and express their emotions in a concrete way. They support the development of emotional literacy and improve communication by making abstract feelings more accessible.

Link: Emotion Regulation: Concepts & Practice in Autism Spectrum Disorder - PMC

Breathing Boards

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:49:42 UTC

Breathing boards are visual tools that guide students through slow, deep breathing exercises to help them calm down and regain control during moments of stress or dysregulation. They support mindfulness, reduce anxiety, and promote emotional regulation in a simple, student-friendly format.

Link: Autism Center Grab and Go Resource Gallery of Interventions | OCALI

Task Analysis

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:54:37 UTC

Task analysis breaks down complex daily living skills into smaller, teachable steps that are easier for students with moderate to severe disabilities to learn. This method promotes independence by allowing students to master each part of the task gradually.

Link: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED595409.pdf

Community-Based Instruction

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 22:57:55 UTC

CBI teaches life skills in real-world environments, such as grocery stores, public transportation, and restaurants. It helps students apply classroom learning to everyday situations, promoting independence and community engagement.

Link: Making the Most of Community-Based Instruction: Progress Monitoring for Strategic Decision Making | Council for Exceptional Children

Safety Signs

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 23:03:37 UTC

Teaching students to recognize and understand common safety signs such as Stop, Exit, and Do Not Enter helps them stay safe at school, in the community, and at home. This skill supports functional independence and prepares students to navigate everyday environments with more confidence.

Link: Teaching Safety Skills to Children on the Spectrum | Spectrum360

Self-Advocacy

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 23:11:34 UTC

Teaching self-advocacy helps students understand their needs and communicate them clearly to others, such as asking for help or requesting a break. These skills support independence, confidence, and active participation in school and community settings.

Link: Ideas for Teaching Self-Advocacy and Contribution in the Classroom - BELONG Partners

Environmental Navigation

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 23:16:37 UTC

Environmental navigation involves teaching students how to move safely and independently through school and community spaces using tools like signs, maps, or visual cues. This skill supports real world functioning and helps students build confidence outside the classroom.

Link: The Benefits of Natural Environment Teaching in ABA Therapy

Waiting and Flexibility Skills

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 23:20:13 UTC

Teaching waiting and flexibility skills helps students manage changes in routines, tolerate delays, and cope with unexpected situations. These skills build emotional regulation, reduce problem behaviors, and support adaptability in both structured and unstructured environments.

Link: Teaching patience with autism | Autism Speaks

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 23:23:43 UTC

AAC devices help students with limited speech or language express themselves clearly and effectively. These tools support participation in classroom activities, social interaction, and everyday communication.

Link: What is Augmentative and Alternative Communication and how can it benefit autistic people?

Self-Management System

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 23:30:31 UTC

Self-management systems teach students to track their own behavior using tools like checklists, timers, or point charts, helping them stay on task and meet personal goals. When paired with examples like behavior charts that visually outline expected behaviors and transitions, these strategies support self-regulation, independence, and the development of adaptive life skills.

Link: SELF-MANAGEMENT: AN EVIDENCED-BASED INTERVENTION FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS (ASD) - Living Autism

Personal Responsibility

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 23:39:26 UTC

Teaching a student the steps to make a bed, for example, is an effective way to build personal responsibility, a key adaptive skill. Making a bed helps students contribute to maintaining a clean and organized environment, while also reinforcing independence and self-care. This functional routine supports the development of daily living skills and promotes a sense of accomplishment and ownership in their personal space.

Link: Adaptive Skills for Autism

lindseysalinas — 2025-07-22 23:40:11 UTC

Chen, T., Yang, W., Wang, Q., Zhang, Y., & Ma, Z. (2020). Effects of social stories intervention for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine, 99(37), e22018. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000022018

Thomas, N., & Karuppali, S. (2022). The Efficacy of Visual Activity Schedule Intervention in Reducing Problem Behaviors in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Between the Age of 5 and 12 Years: A Systematic Review. Soa--ch'ongsonyon chongsin uihak = Journal of child & adolescent psychiatry, 33(1), 2–15. https://doi.org/10.5765/jkacap.210021

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center TRIAD. (2025). First–Then Board: An overview [PDF]. Vanderbilt University Medical Center https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/first_then.pdf