Education Commons^™

Homework Plans: A Tool For Promoting Independence, Patricia Hampshire, Gretchen Butera, Jack Hourcade

Jack Hourcade

With long brown braids and a huge smile, Kelly is a 12-year-old sixth grader attending an intermediate school in a large suburban community. Kelly is currently receiving special education services to address academic and behavioral learning needs. When given extended time and reminded (sometimes repeatedly) to think about what she has to do, Kelly usually completes at least part of her school and homework assignments.

At school, Kelly spends the majority of her day in the general education classroom. Debbie, her general education teacher, works hard to include Kelly in daily classroom activities. Kelly's special education teacher, Tina, works with …

Teaching Play Skills To Children With Autism Using Visually Structured Tasks, Patricia Hampshire, Jack Hourcade

Jack Hourcade

Young students with autism typically exhibit lower levels of play behaviors than their typical peers. These play behaviors may be idiosyncratic and/or unusual (e.g., stereotyped or inappropriately repetitive), further inhibiting the possibilities for successful social interactions with classmates. Learners with autism can be systematically taught appropriate toy play behaviors that can then lead to enhanced social opportunities for these students. In this paper, we discuss how teachers can develop and implement systematic instructional strategies incorporating visual structuring to elicit more successful play behaviors in these students.