Graphic Organizers – Let's Make It Visual!

Graphic organizers are offered as one of the many accommodations on IEPs (Individual Education Plan) in the United States, but often parents are unsure of what they actually are and how they can help their student. Because of this lack of knowledge they may pass over this much needed accommodation or even fail to see the usefulness of such a tool in the home. Let me assure you that you want to make certain your child's teacher is utilizing these types of visual organizers with your child if he or she is a visual learner.

Graphic organizers are tools designed to break down and teach important information in a visual way. It also takes the abstract and allows for it to be taught in chunks or sections. By teaching difficult concepts in such a visual manner you are allowing the student to absorb each piece of information at their own pace and for the student to build on information that has been previously taught.

Do2Learn offers several different types of graphic organizers that were developed in conjunction with Spectrum Resources of North Carolina, Inc. Please click on the links to get more detailed explanations of each graphic organizer and the best way to use each one. We also have links there to free printable blank ones for your own use.

• Behavioral Thermometer

• Brainstorming Map
• Circle Organizer
• Concept Map
• Data Chart

• Data Diagram
• Decision Making Guide
• Hierarchical Organizer
• Relationship Target
• T-Chart
• Topic Tree

These organizers can be modified to suit your child's/students individual learning needs. Again, please be sure that if you have a child who is a visual learner, that graphic organizers are an accommodation that is checked on the IEP and used in the class and at home.  Good luck and have fun!

Self-regulation and The Classroom

Self-regulation means to bring order to one's self or by one's self. Not an easy task for a child with special needs in a classroom of 8-28 other children. Not an easy task for that child in any situation due to the difficulties in communication, sensory problems, attention issues, etc. that accompany most developmental delays and special needs.  How do we know that a child with special needs is having an issue with self-regulation in a classroom? Typically we can see the above difficulties lead to behavior problems that disrupt the class.

Often these behaviors are misinterpreted as intentional. Let's take a look at some of the behaviors you might see from a child with special needs in the classroom and the possible strategies to try.  These strategies may be very helpful in ending/preventing behavior problems all together in some cases. 

Child can not sit still: self-regulation issue is the child is overstimulated and cannot calm themselves.

• Provide frequent breaks
• More ideas here.
• Have student sit on a barrel seat so they can move with out disturbing others. See Example below.

Child shows aggressive behavior: self-regulation issue is the child may not be able to control actions and/or emotions.

• Use social stories to help the child understand the cause and effect of their actions. See example below.

• More ideas here.

Child appears unmotivated: self-regulation issue is the child has problem sustaining consistent energy output.

• Provide consistent feedback.
• Use genuine praise.
• More ideas here.

Child appears defiant: self-regulation issue is inefficient intake and sustaining attention causing poor understanding.

• Maintain predictable work schedule. See example below.

• More ideas here.

Child is impulsive: self-regulation issue is the child can not inhibit responses and has in-the-moment thinking.

• Teach student to count to 10 before making a response.
• Use a schedule to maintain consistent daily routine to limit the impulsive actions. See example below.

• More ideas here.

Child appears uncaring: self-regulation issue is that the child lacks awareness of cause and effect reasoning.

• Practice role playing games to teach appropriate social skills.
• Try using the Feelings game to demonstrate facial expressions.
• More ideas here.

Children with poor self-regulation can interrupt an entire classroom. They can be overly sensitive to change and transitions, inattentive or physically hyperactive. The good news is these children benefit from structure and predictability!  

FACELAND: A Fun Game to Practice Recognizing Emotions

Many folks with autism spectrum disorder struggle with recognizing others facial expressions. There are many ways to teach recognizing emotions in others: through flash cards, comics, role plays, and even watching television shows and labeling the characters emotions can be helpful. Another option is FACELAND, a game developed by Do2Learn that teaches kids to recognize six important emotions: Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear, Surprise, and Happiness. These skills are taught through a video game format with an amusement park theme. The effective strategies in FACELAND include:

• Breaking the entire face down into a smaller concept (a clue). For example, raised eyebrows might indicate surprise or fear
• Promoting clue acquisition via spaced repetition
• Checking for understanding of clues using new examples
• Combining clues for “part to whole” learning
• Utilizing instruction that incorporates photos, mirror mimic sessions, and varied interaction

FACELAND was awarded with the Children's Technology Review's Editor's Choice Award in 2009. Click here to watch a demo of how FACELAND works!

What strategies have you tried for teaching emotion recognition?