When we begin to think about ways to provide supports to students with disabilities we can quickly get overwhelmed. We often “overthink” what supports might be needed. For example, many educators will create elaborate, color-coded, laminated charts for students to help them stay on task or select reinforce-rs. While these are totally fine , I always start small. Can I just create a post-it they can point to for the reinforce r they choose ? Can I simply have a post-it with the question “Am I staying on task right now? YES or NO” and point to it as I walk around the room. Can I provide a written schedule they can put in a notebook instead of a giant visual schedule with pictures that needs to be placed on a wall with Velcro? Can I put a reminder in their phone? Sometimes the answer is “I need the big elaborate support” and that is TOTALLY FINE. But I hope this helps you think about different ways of supporting students. Ways that are more socially appropriate or don’t require so much planning and preparation on your end are ideal.
