Andrea Jefferies
all messages by user
6/22/2017
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Andrea Jefferies
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I had a student who has ASD and is language impaired. His disability affected his learning in ways such as inability to communicate verbally, short attention span and inability at times to stay on tasks. He would have tantrums/meltdowns if there were any minor changes in his routine. One way I would work with him was to allow him more time to complete tasks assigned to him. He liked this because he was able to work at his own pace and when he would complete something he would applaud himself.
One thing he loved to do was paint. If he was having a hard time in class for whatever reason, I would pull out paint, paper and brushes and he would quickly calm down and paint the most amazing art pieces. I would frame them and send them home with him. It got to the point that when he even did his work, afterwards he wanted to paint. Art integration helped him learn to calm himself and also gave him a way to communicate his feelings. He is now entering second grade with not only an immense art collection but also he has begun to verbally communicate in one to two word phrases. Watching him grow and change has been rewarding. |