What would be some good first day classroom activities for preschool children with autism?

Question

I just got a job as an early childhood autism teacher and I need some ideas on first day of school activities for these children to become established in the classroom.

Answer 1

circle time activities--songs, pictures

sensory play---do an art project with sensory materials--a good one for september is an apple tree-

pre cut a trunk and top-----have students rip up green and a little red tissue paper--scrunch up and glue to the top of teh tree to make an apple tree

gross motor activities

are you using a particualr method such as ABA--they may have programs in place that you willbe working on

Answer 2

1 - have a posted clear schedule - one on their desks or tables one big one on the wall.  Practice a routine.  This is how we walk down the hall, this is what we do for snack (wash hands sit in you spot and wait your turn - or whatever makes sense)

2 - practice saying First we do........then we do.

3 - structure structure structure - free time is not FREE for students on the spectrum.  They need to know

4 - In general keep this phrase in mind "Low and Slow"  Lower the number of words you use (please don't use Tarzan talk though), lower your volumn, lower your register; slow down your rate of speach and increase wait time.

Answer 3

Hi, sounds like you got yourself a great career here.  First off, I am not any teacher or anything, but would love to become involved with children. I currently work with special needs people, and want to broaden my skills.  I would say for first day activities, I would have them put blocks together according to colors, sizes, or have them try drawing anything that they have on their mind. Let them play with toys so you can get a feel for what they like or don't like.  Let them mingle with other kids and see how their interaction skills are, so that down the road you can form little groups and sort them accordingly for future activities.  I know this answer may not make any sense, but I just thought I'd try sharing my opinion.  God bless.

Answer 4

Check out Floortime.org and do some reading about the developmental levels of the students you will be working with.  This will help you understand and approach the students at the level they are functioning at.  Preschool kids could be very low functioning or very high functioning and it would be hard to gear ideas towards a classroom without knowing the functional level of the students.  Do you know anything more about the developmental levels of the students or what their IEP's are working on?  I would concentrate on making the first day as least stressful as possible and beginning a routine that they students understand for the rest of the semester.  Using a large picture schedule will help the children understand that first is X (say free play) then Y is circle Z is lunch and so on throughout the day.  Having small copies of these for each student may be helpful as well.  I would also take a look at minimizing the visual clutter in the classroom for the first few weeks.  Do some reading on sensory integration and sensory preferences as many students with autism have sensory challenges.  Good luck with your class.

Answer 5

Here is what I think my son who is 4 would gravitate towards on his first day of preschool. He is non verbal, has many sensory issues and no independent play skills. I am not sure what the abilities are of the kids in your class but this is what my son would be interested in.

1st activity: show them where to hang their bags/coats boots. Have Name Tags already in place. Put a sticker with the child's name on his/her back so you know who is who.

Sensory tables (large box or container with: Sand, water, beans

Bubbles: Always keep bubbles on hand. Every child in the world loves to pop bubbles.

Swinging

room of balls

Large motor sensory activities, obstacle courses that are simple to figure out but fun to discover, bean bags, exercise balls

Have a large puppet ready to help you talk to the kids. A monkey, or something really cute. Have the puppet say hello to the kids. Tell them what his name is.Let them give him a hi-five to say hello, or pet his head. Use the puppet to help guide the kids through group activities. He could announce snack time or gym time, music time. etc.

Let the kids wander around exploring and getting familiar. Don't rush. Always invite them to join in without forcing. Once you are familiar with the kids you will better be able to plan in detail.

hope this helps