The following cards were made for a child with high functioning autism, asperger's syndrome. This child struggles with high levels of anxiety. Please know that the social stories were not made for a first grader, but could easily be adapted for one of my kiddos. I have learned that more often than not, anxiety plays a huge part in the thought processes of our students. Social stories and The Incredible 5 Point Scale check in are methods for reducing anxiety and stating expectations in a given situation. I laminated and put them on a key chain for this child.
This one actually has the black squares attached under the black and white squares. (Sorry I don't have the finished product pictured) With each breath, the child places the removable square on to the black square. By the time the last (white) square is place, the pending meltdown should be reduced significantly. Counting, deep breaths, and the physical movement of the squares helps to take the child's mind off of the trigger to the meltdown.
I am very intrigued by the adaptive classroom and I am wondering where God will take this desire of mine professionally. I really enjoyed creating these and I would love to hear if you have had experience teaching children with autism.
