Unfortunately, far too often, I find both parents and teachers seem to think that by the time a kid gets to high school, they are who they are and that they don’t have the same potential for growth as they once did. DON’T THINK THAT! I have literally seen students come out of segregated “special” program classrooms in middle school, get what they need and become honor roll students in high school, or get the job offer of their dreams when finishing up their high school experience. Yes, it is hard to constantly be told how low your child’s FAST scores or iReady scores or Brigance scores or…. are and not have a sense of dread and defeat, but I encourage you to dig down deep and push that garbage right out the window. If you’re anything like me, you learn something new ALL of the time, and I am certainly NO spring-chicken. If we’re breathing, we can be learning, and it doesn’t matter who you are, what your needs are, what someone else with fancy letters after their name has determined your IQ to be – you CAN learn new things and create better outcomes towards a more meaningful future.
EASY TO USE HIGH SCHOOL TIPS
Provide objects, gestures, pictures, or written cues to
support comprehension and expressive communication in the classroom.
• Use pictures or writing with verbal directions and
questions to support understanding.
• Give cards with conversation starters, topics, or jokes to
promote interaction during lunch or other times during the day.
2. 2. Additional Processing Time
Build in extra time for support in processing and responding
to directions or questions presented to the class.
• Make sure to pause for at least 5 seconds after giving a
direction or asking a question
3. 3. Opportunities for Communication
Arrange the environment in a way that encourages, and even
necessitates communication.
• On occasion, put away materials that are necessary for a
familiar routine (e.g., worksheet) so the student has to communicate in order
to get the materials.
• Embed times for casual conversation during the day, just
as you would see students doing during the day, similar to what you may see
during passing time between classes.
• Use topics of interest to the student during class to
increase interactions.
• Offer students the opportunity to communicate a choice
whenever possible.
4. Modeling
Demonstrate and identify appropriate use of communication
and social skills.
• Take short videos of other high school students (or your
student) modeling appropriate communication and social skills and show the
videos to your student. (I LOVE THIS ONE)
• Use classroom staff or peers to model skills live (e.g.,
turn taking in conversation, initiating an interaction)
5. Peer Supports and Social Connections
Find other high school students that may be able to support
the student with communication and social connections in class or around school.
• Find clubs or sports teams for the student to join that
align with his/her interests
• Arrange a lunch group with other high school students (e.g.,
Lunch Bunch)
• Start peer programs or have high school student interns in
your classroom
About six years ago, I heard about the Peers as Partners in
Learning program that was developed by the Florida Inclusion Network at Timber
Creek High School in Orlando. This program CAN be replicated, and you can see a
video on it here.
If you’ve got a kid in high school (or you one day will), check out what they
have accomplished, talk to your administration, and find out when they can
start. π Many of the above suggestions are part of
the work they’ve done at Timber Creek and can be replicated on any high school
campus – What is needed (as is in most cases) is a little push by a passionate
parent!
For more blogs packed with lots of info, check out this page or this page or this page.
Happy Advocating!
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