As special education teachers, there are a few red flags to avoid during an IEP meeting. Here are 10 things not to say in an IEP meeting.

Learn about types of accommodations for special education students in math, reading, writing, homework & tests, and organization. Download a free printable!

Learn about science curriculum created for self-contained special education classrooms by a real special education teacher!

Accommodations to support students in your classroom who have Dyscalculia or other math disabilities be successful in school.

Related Bonnie LandauBonnie Landau is a licensed professional clinical counselor and educational consultant in Ventura County, California. Her goal is to help parents of neurodivergent individuals find strategies and solutions to help their children succeed in school and in life. Bonnie is also the author of Special Ed Mom Survival Guide: How to Prevail in …

Ah Monday mornings... You just had fun all weekend and suddenly are back to reality. And oh my goodness, you forgot that you were going to put together a lesson plan and now you are scrambling...NEVER AGAIN! I planned all of my Monday morning lesson plans for the YEAR with this one language arts / social skills activity.

Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism

Functional morning work for the special education classroom.

Home and school communication is so important! These sheets allow students to participate in sharing their day with their parents using visual supports, checklists, and/or sentences. Multiple levels are included for a variety of students. Print and go OR customize for your students! ALL text is editable (in PowerPoint). 2018 version includes updated b&w images. Original version (still included in the download): Only the checklists are editable (in PowerPoint) so that you can customize in order to easily check off the things you do each day. Customize for your class or for each student. (Symbols are not editable in either version, but ALL text is editable and blank pages (without symbols) are also provided in the newest update so if you need to you can add your own symbols. Be sure to check out the preview to see more sample pages! ______________________________ Learn when I post new products and sales: ✯Click the green star that says "Follow Me" near the top of any page within my store and you will officially be a follower! Get connected! ✎ Follow me on Facebook for lots of great ideas and sales!

ULS, unique learning system, special education, sped curriculum, ULS student view, sped lessons

The process of an IEP is designed to implement strategies and create success in school for children with special needs.

I was in a heated IEP meeting one time, and a teacher angrily blurted out, 'What do you want from me? Do you want me

This visual choice board is a simple social emotional learning resource for your special education or inclusion classroom. Providing a student with this file folder visual support may allow him to express his needs without having to find the words. While this visual was designed for students with autism, it can be beneficial for any struggling students. Even verbal students can have trouble retrieving the words or articulating what they need. Offering this simple visual can aid a student in saying "I feel confused. I need help" or "I feel frustrated. I need a break." Contents: 6 pages of feelings cards 15 feelings in a variety of image options 1 page of needs Sentence starters File folder labels Prep instructions Suggestions for use This is not meant to be a choice board for 'wants' which is why toys, computer, iPad etc is not provided. Rather this is a support to use when a student is struggling, overstimulated, frustrated, overwhelmed, sick, upset, tired, confused etc. Teachers, paras, aides and therapists who have built a relationship with a student can often guess what the student feels and needs in these moments. However, responding to an outburst, problem behavior or refusal with what they are likely looking for reinforces an improper way to request those things. This visual support can help students learn to ask appropriately! ⭐ Teachers like you love this resource ⭐ This resource was a great addition to the communication support I use for my students. I was able to choose a few options at a time for them to choose from and the product comes with many pictures for wants/needs. I love this resource! This has been super helpful with SEL learning and helping kiddos identify what they need and avoiding meltdown. It was easy to put together and it has been a great addition to my classroom! This has been great for my non-verbal and limited verbal to express their needs! The choices are great and it makes a perfect connection between feelings and needs. As we move toward more and more SEL practices, this resource is great at helping students identify how they are feeling and what they can do to help themselves. Other Visual Supports to transform your classroom Behavior Management Flip Book Behavior Management: Self-Calming Book and Choice Board Visual Schedules Bundle Art Visuals and Schedules Music Visuals and Schedules PE Visuals and Schedules Stay up to date! Click here to follow my store and be the first to know about new product releases. Thanks for stopping by!

Many kids and young adults struggle with executive functioning challenges. Some are easy to spot, such as when a student can't focus on a lesson or comes to class without their entire binder. Other EF challenges are less obvious, though. A learner might take two times as long on homework because th

When a meme describes how you feel about special education...

I have a new favorite chart! I found this on pinterest and knew it would be great to use during the first week with my new little first graders. Amanda (the smartie who made this) from First Grade Garden graciously allowed me to share a printable I made to go along with her anchor chart. I was so busy my first week that I never got around do doing this activity with the kids, so I'm saving it for one of those days when I think they need a big reminder about being good listeners. Also, I may tie it in with a writing lesson on labeling. Click the image to download this document. 

One of the most frequent questions I have been asked is how I use Unique in my classroom and how I plan! I have to admit, I am an avid fan of Unique Learning System, however, I do not use ALL components of the unit. I have been using ULS for about 5 years now, enough to have figured out which pieces of the unit fit best with my students. One of the good things about Unique is that they provide you with an abundance of materials. I have not met one teacher yet that is able to use ALL of the plans from the unit (and if you are one of those teachers more power to ya!). For me, the key is to find what works best for your students! Monthly Mapping The first thing I do is grab a monthly calendar and my blank planning template (I will post the link to this free resource below). I mark all the days that we will be off and out of school. Once I have those days crossed off I start my planning. I print the first page from the unit that lists all the lessons. I plan when I will give my pre-assessment and then when I want my students to have their post assessment. If you do not use the Unique GPS, I highly recommend it! You can see student weak areas, what they need to focus on and you can see their growth over the month. I love it! Next, I choose the activities that I feel best introduce the topics to my students and highlight them. After I have all the activities chosen, I add them into my calendar. Unique GPS data FREE Blank Template Download Template Here Selecting the Activities I have used Unique long enough to discover what works best for me and my students. It has changed yearly. This year, I used the following activities consistently every month: Leveled Book (Lesson 1) and corresponding activity Leveled Book Comprehension (Lesson 2) Easy Read Book (Lesson 3) and corresponding activity Easy Read Book Comprehension (Lesson 4) Vocabulary (Lesson 12) Literary Experience (Lessons 15 and 16) Vocabulary Sort (Lesson 18) Science Experiment (Lesson 28) History Timeline (Lesson 29) Supplemental Activities I use: Adapted Book Packs (samples of the packs in the picks below!) I created these book packs to help me supplement the curriculum because I needed more books! I started creating differentiated activities to go along with the books. Each adapted book set comes with at least 3 adpated books each book with 3 differentiated corresponding comprehension activities. 1 file folder game to cover vocabulary, 2 differentiated levels of vocabulary task boxes, and 1 counting card activity directly related to the monthly theme. Some packs include bonus materials! Science Adapted Book Packs I currently have 11 science themed activities listed and 5 science themed adapted book packs available. You can find the link to them above. I also have them available in a BUNDLE. Social Studies Adapted Book Packs I currently have 6 adapted book packs available. I also have these bundled for convenience. You can find the bundle here. Craft Activities related to topic Extension Activities from higher level unit N2Y activities Summer Themes: Summer Camp Theme Amusement Park Theme Planning the Lessons I don't have a ton of time in my classroom to teach science and social studies content. On top of all the IEP work, speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, specials, and getting them out to gen ed, I needed to integrate my lessons. So, my planning had to be simplified and integrated. During my small group/morning meeting I decided that when I was reading books, they needed to be adapted and content related. So my first step in my planning is mapping out my literacy activities. You can see those in the picture below color-coded in purple. After I have those planned, I go back and plan on my specific content related activities, which are usually only 15 minutes long. Those are in the picture below color-coded in green. The best part about planning this way, is once I have one month planned, I can pretty much easily plug in the rest of the year's lesson plans! I just re-use the same format and timeline from the first month. Some adjustments might need to be made based on days off, special activities, but for the most part, it's quick and easy to plug in my plans for the month! Ideas for Lessons Vocabulary I always like to introduce the topics from the unit by introducing the new vocabulary. Some things that I have done in the past to make these activities fun and engaging: Mystery Box- add items to a box and have the students feel items and take guesses on what the new unit is going to be about. Example: for the light and sound unit I put a light bulb and a tamborine in the box and had students feel and guess what the items were. Play Hide and Seek- Hide new vocabulary words around the room and have students find them. When they find a vocabulary word have them read it to you. Mystery Word- Put vocabulary words in a brown paper bag and have students choose a word from the bag and tell class and hang up the word Put students in charge of changing the words- Our words are hanging on the wall next to our white board, I like to lay all the vocab words on the table and ask the student to find ______ and hang it on the wall. After I have introduced the vocabulary we play the corresponding match game the next day. I like to incorporate the leveled books during my literacy lessons. Typically, I will introduce the first book, and have students find the vocabulary words and highlight them. For my lower level students, the adapted book packs I use incorporate the vocabulary making it quick and easy for you to assess using the books. I typically read the book and have my students make selections from the icons from a field of 2 or 3 depending on the student. I make sure to emphasize the unit vocabulary words during the story and direct instruction. We do the vocabulary sort around three weeks into instruction so that I know the students have a had good quality time to absorb the content. I usually use this as an assessment, and students complete either individually or with some physical assistance. For my higher level students they complete independently and have very little accommodations. For my lower level students they complete with some assistance (for physical needs) but I color code their sorts to make it more independent for them. Color-Coded Vocabulary Sort (Not from Unique, but strategy I use for differentiation) Adapted Books/Literacy I use both of the leveled books provided in the unit. I adapt them so they are interactive and the students can use icons to engage in the story. If the book warrants, I will use props to keep the kids excited about the story. I use these books to cover content, otherwise I would not have time! My typical routine for literacy is: Introduce the book Read and emphasize vocabulary Have students match icons to story from a field of 2 or 3 Complete literacy activity and discuss vocabulary Re-read book focusing on content Comprehension assessment I repeat these steps for the five books that I use during the unit. I created my adapted book packs so that I would always have a content related book to read and an activity to correlate! It makes my literacy planning so much easier! I love using the literary experience. I use these monthly but pick and choose upon availability of the books that correspond with that lesson. Adapted Books for "Plants Can Grow" Unit Adapted Book Packs Props for acting out story "Bunny in the Garden" Science Experiment I love doing the science experiments with the kids! I love getting them excited about them! I typically do my science experiment the third week of instruction however in this example (May) I needed to do it sooner due to the nature of the experiment (keeping plants healthy). I break my experiments down into smaller sections to increase engagement. Here is my typical routine for science experiments: Day 1- Introduce experiment- show items used in experiment, pass out experiment packet, look through experiment and discuss our steps. Day 2- Re-read experiment, discuss and make hypothesis, "check off" materials to make sure we are ready to go! Day 3- Conduct Experiment - following steps of experiment Day 4- Review our experiment, complete conclusion I try to do experiments on Thursdays because we have extra time on this day because we have no specials! One fun way I like to get them excited is to purposely leave materials for the experiment out around the classroom. When they find them, I say, "I guess you'll have to wait and see for experiment day!" Science Experiment "Keeping Plants Healthy" Crafts I like to do crafts related to the topics of our units. I usually just pinterest or try to think of my own. Also, if you have access to the intermediate level of the unit, they have crafts as part of their lessons! I usually pull from that unit as well. Craft for "Our Impact on the Environment" Unit Craft for "Plants Can Grow" Unit How do you plan your units? I would love to hear new tips and tricks! Drop a comment below if you have any suggestions for me! Follow my classroom journey on instagram for more ideas, tips, and fun!

Whether you're fresh out of college or a veteran teaching who needs a change, it always feels good to be prepared for an upcoming interview. This list of 58 - and growing! - interview questions for special ed teachers will help you feel prepared and confident for your upcoming interview. Blog post at Mrs. D's Corner.

I've been asked to share my assessments and those that I use. Assessments are snapshots of a child's current ability to perform a certain skill. This can show normal development, regression or advancement in the different areas. It can also identify areas of concern or where additional support may be needed. Providers see children for many hours every day, can compare them to current and former students, and see them in a variety of motor, cognitive and emotional/social situations. Often providers are the first to notice a potential developmental issue. Assessments give an additional, unbiased, tool in determining developmental growth. Parents are often resistant to being told that there may be something wrong with their child, even if they feel in their gut that this is true. Please seek assistance in presenting concerns to them, and do so delicately and factually, without opinion or unprofessional diagnosis. If not trained, then please do not rely on any informal assessment as an indicator of developmental concern. If you feel there is some indication that a child is delayed, then please provide the parents specific things you have observed and assessment results, and encourage them to ask their pediatrician and/or to take their child for professional assessment. In the United States, developmental screenings are free through the school districts and if concerns are found, resources are made available for professional interventions. These are the types of assessments I utilize and have included below: Developmental Profiles ASQ Journal Assessment Preschool Skill Assessment Reading Assessments Multiple Intelligence Assessment Giftedness Assessment Autism Assessment ADD/ADHD Learning Styles Assessment Personality Assessment Since my formal education is in Human Resources, I have master's level classes behind me in creating, implementing and utilizing assessments. I'm sure that's why I have always used them since doing care. It was just something I KNEW to do. HOWEVER, please keep in mind that every child is different, develops at a different rate, and has personality traits that drastically impact each one's progress. Additionally, children often take two steps forward, one step back, a cha-cha to the left, and a polka to the right as they meander or zip or leap along the path of development. That path, though, is linear. All children follow a very prescribed path of development. Only their steps along it vary. Note as well, that a child's brain focuses on EITHER motor skills or language skills at any given time, and not both at once. For most children, it switches between the two skill sets regularly, so that their motor and language skills stay in relative sinc as they mature. Some children, though, may be so focused on one or the other that they become exceptional at motor skills and seem delayed in language, OR they become exceptional in language and seem delayed in motor skills. When the brain is focusing on one area or the other, a child may seem to LOSE some of the other set of skills. For instance, they can stop speaking as well or as often when learning a new motor skill. Or, they can seem to become clumsy as they focus on new language skills. This is normal. As long as a child is noticeably progressing in one area or the other, there is usually no reason for concern in the pre-school years. DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILES Developmental profiles specify the type of development that is usually observed in an average child at a specific age in the areas of motor, cognitive, language and social/emotional growth. As I said, development is linear. Children normally progress at a very steady pace along the developmental path. That progress can be assessed through developmental profiles/checklists. Mine are set up for 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 year evaluations. Since mine are a compilation taken directly from three texts, I can not publish them. However, there are others out there available for your use. While mine are much more in-depth than this one from Syracuse University, I think it is a WONDERFUL one for providers to use, especially since it is based in part upon ASQ and is relatively short and easy to complete. If you would like to explore the subject more, and create more in-depth assessments like mine, this is the book that I own and would HIGHLY recommend. It is pricey, but you may be able to get your local library to purchase it for you to borrow. Since this was a text book I had when I went back for some Early Childhood Education college credits, it's simply just what I have always used. I felt it was important that I make my own developmental assessments that went farther than age 5, since my students have historically had skills FAR beyond what was covered in a normal checklist. Hence the need for me to have profiles up to age 7. My current pre-k students are 4-5 years old and are working at a 2nd grade level. I've been able to track that advanced progress since they arrived as babies, noting skills they may be accomplishing one to two years ahead. For instance, little Miss H just turned 3, but has been swinging independently on a swing for over 6 months. That is a developmental checklist item for age 5. By having all the developmental profiles/checklists, I can mark off that skill and the date at which I first observed it and the date when I viewed it as mastered. 16 Gestures by 16 Months "Research with young children indicates that the development of gestures from 9 to 16 months predicts language ability two years later, which is significant because preschool language skills predict academic success. Find out what gestures children should be learning each month from 9 to 16 months. By 16 months, children should use at least 16 gestures." 9 months: give, shake head 10 months: reach, raise arms 11 months: show, wave 12 months: open-hand point, tap 13 months: clap, blow a kiss 14 months: index finger point, "shhh" gesture 15 months: head nod, thumbs up, hand up 16 months: other symbolic gestures like high 5, fist bump, etc. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/baby-and-toddler-milestones-16-gestures-16-months ASQ Unlike the developmental profiles/checklists that you can use at any time and track progression over the years, the Ages & Stages Questionnaires are very simple, accurate professional assessment tools conducted at very specific ages. ASQ certification is being offered to child care providers through a very short training session. This is one of the assessments most often performed through the school districts and is offered by some pediatricians. Even if you aren't trained, this one is pretty idiot-proof, and this link has them all, 2 months through 5 years, broken down by 2 month intervals through age 2 and pacing farther out through age 5. It also includes a listing of intervention activities. It's a good one for the parents as well. Some states mandate that the ASQ be conducted by child care professionals on the children in their care. I can see this being expanded to other states. JOURNAL ASSESSMENTS Scheduled journaling provides a snapshot of a child's fine motor and cognitive advancement. We journal every Monday starting as soon as they can hold a crayon and not eat all of it. They draw a picture and when done, I ask them to tell me about it and journal their response at the bottom. Above my desk I keep these two assessment matrices for reference. From HeidiSongs: From Susan Donley: This topic was covered thoroughly in my writing post, so you can get more information there. For assessment purposes, though, I am looking for leaps in development as they start including in their drawings lines, circles, shapes, letters, recognizable figures, recognizable scenery, signage, notes, etc. and assessing whether their progress is in line with development for their age. PRESCHOOL ASSESSMENTS My initial preschool assessment was based upon the first one my son had received from kindergarten. Since my goal was to have my students kindergarten ready when they graduated pre-k, I felt that was a good starting point. Since then, it has been DRASTICALLY overhauled, since I teach a lot of skills that were not on it. Even now, I am tweaking it to add even more skills that these children are accomplishing that previous students have not. It is always a work in progress. The Progress Report, cutting assessment sheets, and all master assessment sheets are available for FREE via my TPT Store. On the back side, I have the children draw a self portrait and write their names. On the side, I note the physical features they point out. The goal is to have a self-portrait with at least 5 identifiable features before kindergarten. At the bottom, I have room to make notes. I also do 2 cutting assessments. The second one, is a cut and paste activity. On this one, in addition to the cutting, I am assessing their placement choice in how they utilize the space given on the assessment sheet. To do these preschool assessments, I have master assessment sheets that I have in a binder, such as this one for identification of numbers 1-20. We do these over several days, and I always ask if they WANT to do them and let them choose which area they want to do. Between subjects, I ask if they wish to continue. I make it pretty fun, and they like to show off what they know. If they get them all correct for two assessments in a row, I consider the item mastered and will not assess it again. On the Progress Report form is a place for how many of the 120 graphemes the child knows I did not include a list. If you know what it is, then you probably don't need one, and if you don't, then you probably need to read up on it some. Debbie Hepplewhite has a good listing of the 44 phenomes and 120 graphemes to reference. Most of these are covered in the Now I'm Reading! series that we use. She also has some wonderful teaching resources at her website Phonics International. Additional information is included with the file. It is a Word file, so you will need that program to open. READING ASSESSMENTS I use the emergent reading program I Can Read! by Nora Gaydos and am aware of where the children are at any given time while doing this program. Once completed, they move on to more advanced readers. While Grade Level Equivalent and Lexile scores of the books they read can give some indication of a child's reading level, often at the preschool level they simply prefer books with more pictures, or books of a certain genre, or to not push themselves. So, their actual reading level can be masked. The reading program All About Reading just happens to have FREE reading assessments for each of their levels, pre-reader through level 4. I just tested one of my pre-k students by having her read all of the bold words and phrases in a particular assessment and checking the other criteria against what I have observed her knowing. It was a very good tool. The assessments are about half way down the page. Sonlight curriculum also has a good reading assessment. It is a single assessment that builds in complexity until the child reveals their level. There are two reading assessments available on A2Zhomeschooling.com. One is the San Diego Quick Reading Assessment Test. These tests are simple read throughs until the child gets stuck, and that shows their level. KINDERGARTEN READINESS ASSESSMENT If you are simply wondering if a child has all the components in place to be successful in kindergarten, there are many checklists available for this assessment. This one from Education.com seems to be pretty inclusive. Just Google "kindergarten readiness checklist" for a ton more options. MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT All children have different strengths and weaknesses. Laura Candler has a FREE multiple intelligences assessment available at her TPT store. I used this on my son and it was nice to have my suspicions confirmed. It's easy to use. Mrs. Hugh's Place also has several downloadable pdf files on multiple intelligence. GIFTEDNESS ASSESSMENT It is often not possible to assess for giftedness in the preschool years and most school districts will not do so until at least half way through first grade. Usually giftedness shows itself through speaking and reading at a very young age in comparison to the norm. However, this chart gives some other good indicators as to whether a child may be gifted. Here's an on-line quiz that asks questions about 2 year-olds to determine potential giftedness. There is also a post on this site where I discuss the differences I see in normal vs. advanced vs. gifted preschoolers. AUTISM ASSESSMENT Early signs of autism can often be detected in infants as young as 6-18 months. For example, if a baby fixates on objects or does not respond to people, he or she may be exhibiting early signs of an autism spectrum disorder. Older babies and toddlers may fail to respond to their names, avoid eye contact, lack joint attention (sharing an experience of observing an object or event by gazing or pointing), or engage in repetitive movements such as rocking or arm flapping. They may play with toys in unusual ways, like lining them up or focusing on parts of toys rather than the whole. - Autism Science Foundation An early assessment tool that can be used as early as 6 months is the head lag assessment. The link includes information and a video of how it is done. While this is not at all something that I would discuss with parents or use as a basis to form a strong opinion, in doing this at 6 months, I can see if there is an issue with motor control, work with that, and if it doesn't correct, then I keep in the back of my mind that this could be a potential issue. Many providers wonder if a child is showing signs of potentially having autism. Again, most parents do NOT want to hear that there may be something wrong with their child. This is more to make sure that YOU are possibly on the right track and can begin to make note to the parents of specific, observable behavior that may indicate an issue. This is the full FREE Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. ADD/ADHD ASSESSMENT This is a fairly comprehensive questionnaire, by Dr. Amen on his site Soul Healers, that determines the 7 types of ADD/ADHD a person can have. The questions are relevant for children to adults. LEARNING STYLE ASSESSMENT While I try to incorporate ALL learning styles into my teaching, if I feel that I'm just not reaching a particular student, I will do a learning style assessment to ensure that my methods are appropriate for that child, or if I need to tweak my teaching to better address that particular child's learning. This one is from Scholastic for ages 3-5 years old. PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT I LOVE this Harkey-Jourgensen Early Childhood Temperament Sorter for ages 4-8 personality assessment by Parenting by Temperament. I think every time I've done it, it has come out spot on for the child. It uses the same types as the Myer's Briggs Personality Type that is usually given in corporations. It just gives an additional insight into a child's temperament and the website is excellent for guiding you when your personality may not be the best match for the child in your care, and how to handle issues that may arise. It is also good for parents who may have a personality type drastically different from their child. They can see that their child is different, not JUST acting up. There is also a teen and adult version, also FREE. RESOURCES: Phonological Awareness has games to teach specific sounds. Reading Rockets has excellent information on how to read so children will learn. The Child Whisperer 4 personality types of children. Tags: reading, assessment, preschool assessment, infant assessment, toddler assessment, infant, toddler, parenting, child care, preschool, pre-k, daycare, developmental assessment, teaching, why is my toddler, is my toddler,

This life skill vocabulary pack about items in the laundry room includes flashcards, worksheets, a file folder activity, an adapted book, task cards, coloring book, a data sheet, and SO MUCH MORE. Perfect for special education classrooms and speech therapy.Laundry room pictures/words include: washe...