Writing is a very important skill for students with autism to have. They my struggle with holding the pencil. I like to have the students work in this area on a daily basis to not only practing writing, but to work on holding the pencil the correct way. Since my classroom is structured for the TEACCH Model I have a pocket with the writing area symbol on the outside. This is where the students will will match the symbol they took from their schedules. You can see the pocket in the first picture.
In the second picture you can see the overall layout of the writing area. On the right hand side of the picture you can see where the pocket with the symbol is located. Next to the pocket you can see a white hanging container. The container is actually a planter that I got at IKEA. I use this to hold the students writing work for the week. Since I currently only have two students I place their work in file folders and when I am setting up the area their work is ready and at my finger tips. On the left side of the picture you can see a clipboard hanging from the divider. I use this clipboard to collect data on how the student is doing in the area. I would use this data to make modifications for the student as well as use the information I get in the students IEP.
In the third picture I did a close up of the work area. On the left hand side of the picture you can see a board with numbers attached to the partition. This is a work schedule that the student needs to follow. There are numbers one through three and then the students name card is located next to the three. There is also numbers one through three listed on the cart on the desk. The student will start by taking the number one from the work schedule and match it to the one on the basket. They will pull out the work and complete it. Once they complete the work they will put it in the finished basket on the right of the desk. They will continue these steps with work two and three. Once they finish all of the tasks they will go back to their work schedule and get their name card to go and check their schedule. When the students are working they need to complete the tasks from left to right. This will help them stay organized and follow a structure to help them complete the work.
Now you may be thinking that this is great, but your students are unable to write and are unable to grasp a pencil. No worries. I would incorporate writing activities that would use velcro to create work where they could match letters to spell their name or they would put words in order to create sentences. These are just some ways to incorporate tasks for those students who are unable to write.
So that is how I set up the writing area in my classroom. My next post will be how I set up my independent work area.
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