Tag: Behavior strategies

Effective Behavior Management Tips for Special Ed Teachers

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Are you tired of spending your day as a teacher constantly battling disruptive student behaviors! Well, you’re not alone. In this article, we’ll provide you with some handy ideas for behavior management in your Special Ed Classroom!

As educators we understand the importance of creating an inclusive and positive learning environment for our students, particularly those with Special Needs. So with this logical flow of ideas, lets dive in and explore some creative and effective strategies for Behavior Management you can use.

1. Token Rewards

Token Rewards – A powerful method of strengthening new skills, the tokens are a way of reinforcing positive behavior and rewarding students for completing tasks, they then trade the tokens for desired activities or items they choose beforehand.

QUICK TIP – I use this board when I start teaching the Token Reward strategy, its a classroom resource that I can adapt with motivator choices that’s adapted for individual needs.

2. Critical Communication Cards

Critical Communication Cards – To teach new skills such as requesting “break please”, “help” and “wait” self -management strategies.

QUICK TIP – I place them on the edge of tables to remind students on their choices.

3. Self Regulation Tools

Self regulation tools – I’ve made tools individually accessible for my students to use in a handy little booklet.

QUICK TIP – I bind then as a book and keep them on hand for self management, each one tailored to individual needs that help them to self-regulate.

4. First and Then Strategies

First and Then – By using this strategy my students know what they must complete before having what they want, it also provides structure in their behaviour support plans.

QUICK TIP – If my students are finding it difficult to stay on track, I use the first and then strategy to remind them of what they are working for before they can get the item or activity they want.

5. Calm Down Corner

Calm Down Area – Sort out a corner of the room with a beanbag on the floor and a little book shelf for privacy, I kept it very plain and simple with just the calm down tools on hand… WOW it looks great, and my kids love it! Next I wanted to gave my kids a chance to take a break before things got to tricky, so I made these colourful break cards and purchased a sand timer.

QUICK TIP – Have a visual choice board ready with pictures of nice, peaceful activities that would help to distract from upset and some visual calm down tools to practice.

6. Classroom Posters

Posters – Visual Support reminders to Teach essential emotional regulation techniques and set them up in calm areas, display class rules and social skills posters in easy to see areas.

QUICK TIP – Print and display posters around the classroom or in a calm down area, use them to remind students of your classroom behavior expectations.

Find more Resources see below

Reward Systems

Self Regulation

Bundles

All TPT Resources

Visual Behavior Support Folder – Token Rewards Tools, schedules, First & Then,

Visual Supports: Token Reward System/First & Then – Strategies for Special Ed

Classroom Behavior Management Strategies: First, Next and Then Tools

Token Reward folder: Visual support tools with “first & then” Behavior Strategy

First, Next and Then table Schedule Templates with Visual Supports

First Then boards and Help cards: Autism visual supports

Visual Supports:”First, next, then” with Token Rewards Systems

Visual Support Cards for Functional Communication

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These printable cards help non-verbal children to communicate and regulate in Preschool, kindergarten and Special Education.

As a teacher our goal is to plan and make lessons accessible and these visual support cards are made to teach Functional communication skills to enable students with Special needs, be ready for the lessons you’ve planned.

These supports for social and emotional learning each have visual directions at the bottom of each card, which can help before unwanted behavior escalates by giving cue images for kids to know what alternative behaviors they can follow to regulate.

How to prepare

To prepare these cards, print out on cardstock, cut out and laminate for durability.

How to use

Add to Calm Down Corners. Have them handy on workstations and centers. Use “Wait” cards with a fidget box for students to use while they wait.

Visit my TPT Store for more great Classroom Behavior Management Tools

Visual Behavior Support Folder – Token Rewards Tools, schedules, First & Then,

Visual Supports: Token Reward System/First & Then – Strategies for Special Ed

Classroom Behavior Management Strategies: First, Next and Then Tools

Token Reward folder: Visual support tools with “first & then” Behavior Strategy

First, Next and Then table Schedule Templates with Visual Supports

First Then boards and Help cards: Autism visual supports

Visual Supports:”First, next, then” with Token Rewards Systems

How to Use Social Narratives for Behavior Management

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Social narratives are always available in my calm down area! I keep them on the book shelf ready to remind my young learners how to respond in difficult social situations. This type of visual guide describes social interactions helps with understanding social skills and cues that they might of missed. 

Social supports help my young learners understand how to behave or respond in particular situations by using visuals to describe various social interactions, situations, behaviours, and skills.

The main goal of a Social narrative is to share social information that describes how to behave in them instances.

Reading these stories, one to one and as a whole class lesson has enabled me to reinforce these important social skills. I’ve displayed a poster on classroom rules as a quick reminder and added supporting activities to generalise learning.

“Class Rules and “Inside voice,” are the ones I often read within a class lesson, usually when a reminder is needed on how behavior affects the class and disrupts others.

I use a quick reminder booklet to reinforce outside, inside and class voices!

“Be Kind” or “Listen to your Teacher” Might be needed for individuals or to target a more tricky behavior that is reoccurring.

I use Social Strips to support the skills outlined in the stories

My Daily Planner Binder – Back to School for Kids with Autism

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On the first day back to school I always introduce my Interactive Planner Binder to keep my young learners focused and motivated! Its full of visual strategies to help them plan their day, choose they’re reinforcer and stay in the area where they need to work.

I laminated the ones i made but you could easily place them in a pocket folder and use a dry wipe marker.

I’ve incorporated pages for my new students to jot down their name, grade and class, followed by their teachers name, their friends name, things they like and things they don’t.

There are pages with the days of the week for them to practice and tick off what day it is and same for seasons.

Having a schedule is so important so I’ve added spaces where i can write the order of the day and they can tick off as they go though it, handy to keep them on track!

Working for cards and reward choice keep them motivated!

Reminders of what to do when they feel angry, “first and then” when they get frustrated and what “I need” visuals for them to choose from.

Self-Regulation strategies for Managing Behavior

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Being able to regulate behavior is an essential critical skill to learn, so I’ve designed booklets for my students with Autism, Special Ed and the Preschool students in my school. This visual tool is intended to help them identify how they feel and what they would need to be ready for work! They turned out to be a great asset in my classroom calm down area.

Each of my kiddos are constantly using the visuals to remind themselves on how to get in the “ready” for work area. They can choose the supports they need and attach them on the page if they find themselves wandering out!
There are some books with three area tabs and some with four areas identified and each have visual supports for students to check how they feel, what area they are in and what they would need to do to get back area ready to work.

I’ve also added a “Tool Book” to this collection, which my kiddos equally love using!