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  • Shopping Cart of Accommodations

    Shopping Cart of Accommodations

    Teachers have a thousand tasks to complete every day. Identifying and sharing accommodations is an important one that takes time. This blog post shows a resource that allows teachers to literally shop for accommodations like they shop for items on Amazon or Target. Overview Accomods is an online source of accommodations for special education and…

  • Multiplication by 2-Digit Factor – Scaffolded and Color-Coded

    Multiplication by 2-Digit Factor – Scaffolded and Color-Coded

    This post details a scaffolded approach for multiplying multi-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers. It was originally created for a student with ADHD who understood how to do the multiplication but would rush and repeatedly made simple mistakes. It is useful for all students. This grid and color-coding strategy was used as a means of slowing…

  • Classroom Management – Point Sheets

    Classroom Management – Point Sheets

    Here are some point sheets or check lists I have used to help shape behavior. This is a follow up to the post on classroom management. Left: for groups Middle: for individuals Right: for students with autism who would benefit from visual schedules

  • Information Processing Analogy – Big Picture

    Effective instruction is effective because it addresses the key elements of how the brain processes information. I share an analogy to help adults (parents and educators) fully appreciate this. Information Processing Model Below is a model of information processing first introduced to me in a master’s course at UCONN. Here is a summary of what…

  • Long Term Effects of Disabilities

    Often we view disabilities in the context of the individual as a student, or a child or adolescent. The long term effects may be had to understand or extrapolate based on what we see at the younger ages. There was teacher candidate whom I trained who had ADHD and struggled in the program in which…

  • Token Sheet to Address Target Behaviors

    Perhaps the vast majority of students with disabilities need support with math. Their challenges with math can be directly related to their disability or can be the result the effects of an ongoing struggle with math. The later results in what is termed secondary characteristics. When I work with students with a disability, I first…

  • Multiplying and Carrying a Tens Digit

    Carrying the TENS digit in a multiplication problem is a sticking point for many students. To address this, I use a task analysis approach to zero in on the step of identifying the product for the ONES as a prelude to carrying. In the example below, 5 and 4 are in the ONES place and…

  • Making Sense of Fractions – Regrouping with Mixed Numbers

    It is easy to get caught up in the steps and rote memorization when working with fractions. The brain processes information more effectively when the information is meaningful. ADHD makes paying attention to rote memorization of steps even more challenging. Below is an excerpt of work I completed with a middle school student who has…

  • Twice Exceptional and Neurodiversity

    Twice Exceptional and Neurodiversity

    In his 1992 trip to Australia, President HW Bush gave the backwards V for victory sign. That happens to be the middle finger in Australia. This story parallels what we encounter in special education. Several people may encounter the same idea, image, curriculum objective, lesson etc. but have a totally different perspective (see photo below).…

  • Performance vs Ability

    Performance vs Ability

    In the effort to assess student ability performance factors are likely present. It is incumbent upon the educators to mitigate the performance issues to assess true ability. For example, I conducted an evaluation on a student in middle school who has ADHD. All of her testing records indicated that she would lose focus during the…