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Classroom Adaptations for Autism Support

The document discusses several environmental and curricular adaptations that can help students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the classroom. These include using visual schedules to represent the daily routine, providing sensory tools like fidget spinners to help with focus, and offering flexible seating options to accommodate different learning styles. Sensory rooms with calming activities and weighted blankets can also help students self-regulate when feeling stressed. By implementing these adaptations, teachers can decrease anxiety around transitions, promote self-regulation of emotions, and help students focus and learn in a busy classroom environment.

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64 views2 pages

Classroom Adaptations for Autism Support

The document discusses several environmental and curricular adaptations that can help students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the classroom. These include using visual schedules to represent the daily routine, providing sensory tools like fidget spinners to help with focus, and offering flexible seating options to accommodate different learning styles. Sensory rooms with calming activities and weighted blankets can also help students self-regulate when feeling stressed. By implementing these adaptations, teachers can decrease anxiety around transitions, promote self-regulation of emotions, and help students focus and learn in a busy classroom environment.

Uploaded by

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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Environmental and Curricular Adaptations – Michelle Lau

Environmental Adaptations Example How/Why does this help?


Provide “Shape of the Day” - Students with ASD sometimes struggle with
- Write on the board to represent how the day transitions between activities or changes in
is going to move and look like daily routines
- For emergent readers, use pictures to - Shape of the day primes the student in terms
represent the subject/activity of what is next and aids in decreasing their
- Consider having a smaller, personal shape of anxiety about the unknown since they know
the day at the corner of the student’s desk exactly what is coming next
and cross off/remove (if using Velcro) when - Use of 3-2-1 allows student to gauge how
activity is completed [Link] long is left before the end of the activity,
- For non-verbal students, use PECS to decreasing the stress that comes with abrupt
communicate ideas and promote choosing transitions
between 2 choices (do you want to do this or
that?)
- Use countdown strip of 3-2-1 to signal a
transition
o PECS version can include “First” and
“Then” [Link]
Cozy Corner/Sensory room - Explicitly teach student signs that their
- Promote the use of cozy/quiet corner in low bodies are stressed, practice identifying
traffic area of the classroom to aid in self- theses signs, and
regulation - Learn to identify signs that body is stress
- Learn when to ask for a body break and -
engage in activities they could do to calm
and refocus their bodies
- Engage in use of sensory activities and tools
o Noise cancelling headphones [Link]
o Sleep masks [Link]/2013/09/check-out-our-
o Weighted blankets [Link]
o Day tent
o Egg chair (from IKEA)
- Feel safe asking to use the sensory room as
needed (ex: cozy corner in classroom is still
too loud or overwhelming)
Provide Sensory Tools - Up to 95% of children with ASD have sensory
- Promote the use of fidget tools to help processing disorder, which makes it difficult
regulate stress and improve focus for them to learn and focus in a busy
o Wiggle chair, fidget spinner, stress classroom environment
ball, gel floor tiles, pencil toppers, - Fidget tools promotes self-regulation of
tangle puzzles, clay, weighted lap emotions
pads, resistant bands, foot rollers, - Students with repetitive behavior can use
pressure vests, etc. fidget tools to maintain their motions while
still being able to participate in classroom
learning and not distract other students
[Link]
feel/[Link]
Provide flexible seating options - students are able to learn more about
- allow student to choose where they want to themselves and their learning styles when
work they are actively choosing how they want to
- provide seating options like group tables vs engage in their learning
single tables, standing vs regular tables, soft
carpet, wobbly cushion

[Link]
[Link]

References
Caring 4 Our Kids. (2018, May 30). 5 Important Classroom Accommodations For Children With Autism. Retrieved from Caring 4 Our Kids:
[Link]
Hearing Aid Buyer Today. (2020, January 3). 2020 guide to buying TV Ears – Hearing Aids for Watching TV. Retrieved from Hearing Aid Buyer Today:
[Link]
PsychCentral. (2017, March 13). 14 Possible IEP Accommodations for Children with Autism & ADHD. Retrieved from PsychCentral:
[Link]

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