Help for Special Educators

Are you a teacher who needs advice on getting started with AAC (augmentative and alternative communication)? My guest, Heather Cacioppo, and I have been in your shoes and will help answer your questions and give you the next steps to pursue. This episode gives a quick introduction to AAC for teachers  just getting a student with a communication device and don't know where to start. (We've been in your shoes!) Today I have a conversation with Heather Cacioppo of the Teachers Pay Teachers store, Full Sped Ahead. We discuss what AAC is, what things teachers can do to effectively support students who use augmentative or alternative communication, commonly referred to as the acronym "AAC." Listen in for some great advice and tips to help you out, including who to get information and training from, how to incorporate AAC into your usual lessons, getting your paras involved, advice on successful implementation, and much more. And check out all the resource links and full transcript at https://lisagoodell.com/podcast33

In this podcast episode, I will share strategies to improve one-handed scissor skills, which is helpful when a child cannot use one hand/arm due to weakness, paralysis, missing fingers, etc.First I go over some strategies for beginning cutters, whether the child has a weakness/disability with a hand/arm or not. Then I go over strategies and adaptations for holding the paper and rotating paper when cutting with one hand. Finally, I also talk a little bit about adaptive scissors.Bonus: May is Teacher Appreciation Month so I am doing a give-a-way!! Listen to the full episode to play and enter. Deadline to enter: May 10, 2022.The full show notes are at lisagoodell.com/podcast32

Think out the box to make morning meetings work for everyone in your special ed class.We are close to the middle of the school year so I thought I would discuss morning meetings in multi-grade self-contained classes. By this time of year, you might have gotten more students, with more grade levels, and are finding that your morning meeting activities don't meet the needs of all of your students anymore. So you need to make changes. I taught mild/moderate self-contained classes for years and found that whole class circle/calendar times (calling morning meetings) did not work for my kids when I had more than three grade levels in my class. (Please note that I am not advocating for there to be more than three grades levels in a class!!! I am not. It is very difficult to teach kids on so many levels). However, many teachers find themselves in impossible situations, so I thought I would share some ideas that I have tried over the years. Some worked really well, and one idea didn't work for me at all, but it might work for you if you have more adult staff members than I did.When I had a wider variety of grades, I found that the older grades got bored with morning meeting activities for the younger students, which led to the younger kids being distracted by the older students. So I had to totally think out of the box and change everything around. I loved how it worked out and it helped with transitions at the end of the day. In this podcast episode, I talk about ways to change WHEN you have morning meeting, WHAT activities you might do for different levels of students, and HOW you might consider changing your schedule. You might end up solving other issues as well!! This podcast episode is pretty short so give it a listen! Click on the audio player below or listen wherever you get your podcasts.You can get show notes and links at the podcast website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast31

How can we better prepare students for when the teacher or other staff member takes a sick day?Many special ed teachers say they cannot stay home for even a day because of the interruptions it will cause in their class. Not to mention the fact that the school might not even be able to find a substitute teacher when they need a sick day. In this podcast episode, we are going to talk about why you shouldn’t feel guilty when you need to take a sick day from school (even if the 2021-22 school year has the worst substitute teacher shortage ever). We will also give some ideas on how to prepare your students to be ready for when any staff member has a sick day, and how to plan activities that will help everyone have a positive day.Get links, resources, and the full written transcript at: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast30

Have you seen or heard of wheelchair costumes where a child's wheelchair (or other mobility device) is turned into part of the costume? Well, it’s October 15th, and many kids have probably already planned out their Halloween costumes. But what about kids who use wheelchairs? Do they feel like they can't join in the festivities because they are in a wheelchair?   Well, I believe that with a little cardboard, paint, tape, and creativity they can turn their wheelchair into part of their costume which will have all the neighborhood kids wishing they had wheels on Halloween!!For example. Being Batman is cool, but what about Batman in his Batmobile? Getting around in a princess carriage or Hello Kitty car is pretty awesome! Listen to this podcast episode to hear about how to find more wheelchair costume ideas! See show notes for links, photos, resources,  and a written transcript. https://lisagoodell.com/podcast29

Today we’re going to tackle a tough topic: Puberty and Sexuality in Special Education Classes. We will look at several real-life scenarios teachers face and how to respond!However, if you think that topic doesn't apply to your grade levels or student population, think again. (I learned a lot I didn't know in this episode!) My guest, Dr. Rachel Schwartz, helps us to understand that sex ed starts with how we build trust with even our youngest students. All humans are sexual beings, whether they have significant special needs or not. We will talk about:***How should special ed teachers respond to acts by students?***How should one get information to teaching staff in your class and school, which might include administration and parents?***What should actually be taught to children with significant needs?We will discuss, teaching privacy, context, personal self-care, self-regulation, social skills, public exposure, how to convince parents to teach their kids about these topics, and more!Dr. Schwartz is a board-certified behavior analyst with the Watson Institute in Pittsburgh. She specializes in sexuality and improving the quality of life for individuals with special needs. She shared MANY resources and links for activities and curriculum (some free) to help special educators with this topic.Please note that due to the nature of this episode, you might NOT want to listen with children. This topic is considered explicit, but the topics are covered with care and professionalism.Please go to https://lisagoodell.com/podcast for the extensive list of resources and links to the materials that Dr. Schwartz talks about.

The Emmy and Golden Globe winner Harvey Korman was a staple on the Carol Burnett Show making America laugh in the 1960s and 1970s. During that time he was also raising a family, including his son, Christopher, who had a learning disability and speech impediment. In this episode, you will learn how Harvey Korman's legacy lives on through his son and their contributions to the special education community. Special Educators will hear about techniques Chris learned from his dad and the theater that helped him overcome his learning and speech challenges.After listening to the podcast, be sure to purchase a copy of Chris's book entitled, OMG! It's Harvey Korman's Son, which is a love letter to Harvey Korman's fans. You can get a written transcript, show notes and links at the podcast website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast27

In Part 2 of my interview with Emma Haring, we discuss schedules and lesson plans for moderate/severe classes. Emma gives some great ideas on how to write everything out so all adults and visitors know what is going on with her students who may be medically fragile in a multiple disabilities classroom. She gives ideas on how to set up your schedule and remember to include everything on it. In fact, she created a freebie to help teachers out as a supplement to the podcast episode. There are sample weekly lesson plan pages. In addition, there are extra pages that explain it all...and some other goodies as well. Link to it in the Resources and Links section below.Emma also shares how it is important to prepare for emergencies daily at the beginning of the year. She also gives tips on other things to include in your class as well. Even if you do not teach in a medically fragile or multiple disabilities class, you will get ideas you can use. And the rest will give you perspective on your coworkers who teach this population.Get the full show note,  resources, and links (including Emma's freebie for you) at:https://lisagoodell.com/podcast26

In Part 1 of this two-part series, Emma Haring and I discuss tips for teaching students with Multiple Disabilities. Emma has been a teacher in this type of class (we called it a medically fragile class in our district) for many years. She has a ton of experience and wisdom that she shares generously! In Part 1 (Episode 25), she gives a lot of tips on how to discover what your students like and dislike, how to care for them as people, and how to give them a voice (even if they are nonverbal). Pre-service, new, and even veteran teachers will want to have a paper and pen nearby to take notes!Then be sure to join us again for Part 2 (Episode 26), which will focus more on the daily schedule and some of Emma's favorite things to teach this population. Emma has also prepared a supplement to go with the episode, which includes sample schedules and other goodies.Get the full show notes here:https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST25

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access individual activities easier. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. "Activity 10: Prayer/Silence" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class.  Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get the show notes for this episode.   Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST