Setting Up Classroom Spaces That Support Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Product Description

With even the best curricula and interventions, students with autism spectrum disorders will not learn unless the classroom environment is organized with their specific needs in mind. Setting Up Classroom Spaces That Support Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders shows through clear and brief text and lots of photos how to determine what type of furniture and materials to choose for various types of classrooms and how to arrange them in a way that creates an effective learning environment while reducing anxiety and preventing problem behaviors. It uses evidence-based practices of structure and visual supports to enhance the well-being and success of students. Examples are given for students across the age span with lots of lists and helpful resources, making it a must-have resource for every classroom. Foreword by Juane Heflin, PhD.

Review

This is the book I have wanted for MANY years. Each year thousands of educators are faced with having to set up new classrooms — in general education, resource rooms, or self-contained settings. And each year these teachers create from scratch a plan to accomplish this task. What a waste of valuable time! Drs. Kabot and Reeve have now created the book that every educator needs. Using evidence-based practices and what we know about students with ASD and other special needs, the authors explain, and show, how to set up classroom spaces. The book contains dozens of pictures of actual classrooms for individuals with ASD across ages, presentation of ASD (classic to high-functioning/Asperger Syndrome), and settings. Every educational professional should own this book. –Brenda Smith Myles, PhD, international speaker and writer on autism spectrum disorders

Setting up the classroom environment for student success is something that many teachers know in theory, but struggle to put into practice. In SETTING UP CLASSROOM SPACES THE SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS, Susan Kabot and Christine Reeve have not only answered questions related to why environmental supports are needed, they have also provided a step-by-step guide describing how to accomplish this task. This book is a ‘must-have’ for anyone setting up an environment for students with autism spectrum disorders. –Elisa Gagnon, ASD consultant, Blue Valley Schools, Overland Park, Kansas; author of POWER CARDS

As a special educator with 34 years in the field, this is the best and most practical guide for teachers and administrators I have ever read. The book provides all the critical information needed to set up a general education or special education classroom to support students who have autism, including selecting and furniture and materials, and developing student and staff schedules. Each recommendation is research-based and addresses specific student needs. This resource should be found in every teacher/administrator library. I cannot wait to share this book with my daughter who is a kindergarten teacher. –Charlotte Kerr, director of student services, Homewood City Schools, Homewood, Alabama

About the Author

Susan Kabot, EdD, CCC-SLP, is the executive director of the Autism Institute at Nova Southeastern University, where she oversees the Baudhuin Preschool; Starting Right, a parent-child early intervention program for children 18-36 months; the Autism Consortium, which provides outreach services to school districts around the country; and the Unicorn Children’s Foundation Clinic. She also teaches autism courses at both the master’s and doctoral levels at NSU and serves as a dissertation chair and member. Susan has been active at the local, state and national level in a variety of organizations addressing the needs of individuals with autism, their families and the professionals who serve them. She was appointed to the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council and serves on the Health Care and Self-Advocacy Leadership Task Forces. She is also a member of the Panel of Professional Advisors fo