Attach clothespins to spell words
Simple sentence construction with pictures
Simple sentence construction with words
Math tasks
1:1 correspondence with pegs and film canisters
1:1 correspondence with cotton balls and ice cube tray
Count dots, match to number
Count sets of items, match to number
Sequence numbers on strip
Make sets on a box
Fill in the sequence with missing number
Sequence by skip counting
Size seriation
Make sets in ice cube tray
Make sets in cups
Extend pattern with stickers
Appendix I: Sample IEP goals
Appendix II: Data sheets for tracking independence
Over the years, the work of many has contributed to wonderful advancements in the lives of autistic children and those close to them. Ms. Kimberly Henry and Future Horizons would like to accredit and extend personal gratitude to several entities and outstanding individuals that have, through their hard work, laid the foundation for How Do I Teach This Kid:
North Carolina’s TEACCH program
Laurie Eckenrode, Pat Fennell, and Kathy Hearsey,
creators of Tasks Galore
Ron and Linda Larsen of Centering on Children, Inc.,
creators of ShoeboxTasks
We hope that our readers will utilize these resources, too, as we work to improve the lives of people touched by autism.
Credit is also given to Ginna Drahan for use of her photographs of Raimee, one of my first students with autism, on the chapter divider pages.
Students with developmental delays such as those on the autistic spectrum often need direct instruction to learn to stay on task and complete assignments independently. The ideas presented in this book are designed to increase the independent work skills of beginning-level learners. The tasks are designed as starting points for students who are learning how to work independently. The visual work task system described in this book can be used by anyone teaching a child to become more independent: special education teachers, parents, and home-based therapists. The tasks can be used with preschoolers through adolescents. The tasks can even be incorporated into work times within general education classrooms. Work systems help provide students with the skills and task commitment to work independently for a sustained period of time. Students who can work independently and maintain attention to several tasks in a row typically experience a higher rate of success, both at school and in the work force.
Ideas for over 80 independent work tasks are presented in this practical resource. Each task description includes a photograph and a detailed list of materials needed to create the task. Suggestions for differentiating the task to meet the needs of learners at different levels are also included with each idea. Introductory material describes work tasks in more detail and suggests ways to establish an independent work system for your student. The Appendix contains sample goals for reflecting a student’s need for developing independent work skills in an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The Appendix also includes sample data sheets for tracking student progress with the work tasks.
Much research has been done that shows that children with autism are strong visual learners. Additionally, children with autism thrive on routine, consistency and clear expectations. Task boxes provide visual cues to enable students to work independently of adults—to derive from the task what is to be done and when it is to be finished. Teaching a child to work independently through a work system of task boxes allows them to use this need for routine and consistency to learn new skills and achieve success. Most importantly, however, task boxes enable a child to develop independence—the ultimate goal of any educational program.
Task boxes are single, organized activities with a clear beginning and end. All task materials are contained within clearly defined boundaries—trays, boxes, baskets, tubs, folders, binders. Each task is presented with visual organization and clarity. The materials clearly define the activity for the student and tell him how to complete the task. For example, one task may have four cups —one red, one green, one blue, and one yellow—pushed through holes cut in the top of a shoebox, and a container of red, green, blue, and yellow blocks attached to the side of the box. The organization of the task shows the child that he is to sort the blocks by color and place them in the corresponding cups. Additionally, the organization of the task itself teaches the concept of “finished” since the student knows that the task is completed when all of the materials have been used.
Task boxes emphasize students’ visual learning styles, avoiding the need for auditory processing of verbal directions, an area of deficit for many students with autism. The manipulative nature of task boxes provides students with tactile and kinesthetic activities; however, the visual structure and organization of the manipulatives prevents stereotypical spinning, tossing, or stimming with the materials since students can “see” the task to be completed.
The task boxes presented in this resource address six different skill areas: motor tasks, matching, sorting, reading, writing, and math. Motor task boxes are the first step for many children who are just learning to work independently. Skills such as “pulling off” and “putting in” are presented in a visual format to make the task expectation clear to the child. The concept of “finished” is taught by showing the child that the task is finished when all of the materials are gone.
Matching and sorting task boxes are useful for students who have visual discrimination skills and are able to recognize items as being the same or different. Various materials can be used to teach students to match and sort colors, pictures, shapes, and objects. Higher level skills such as sorting by category and filing can also be presented in task box format.
Beginning academic skills in reading, writing, and math can be taught through the use of task boxes. Students can follow a visual structure to sequence letters and numbers, place words in alphabetical order, construct a simple sentence, spell words, demonstrate one-to-one correspondence, extend a pattern—the possibilities are endless! All you need is a little creativity, some organizational containers, and a few manipulatives that you either find or create. You can tailor task boxes to the individual needs of one student or create them to be used by multiple students at different levels.
Initially, the tasks are usually taught within structured teaching sessions and then incorporated into an independent work system as students develop proficiency. Once students have mastered the tasks of three or four boxes, begin to transfer them to an independent work system.
Like task boxes, work systems capitalize on students’ visual