The REACH (Reaching to Educate All Children for Heaven) initiative provides teachers with resources, training, and ongoing support.
| SOCIAL |
| May demonstrate excellent memory skills |
| May seem like the “little professor” and have extraordinary skills in various areas—science, math, drawing, music, history, social studies, map knowledge, etc. |
| Frequently do not like surprise changes to the daily schedule or routine |
| May have difficulty maintaining eye contact |
| May become overly focused on a particular object, topic—obsessive interests |
| May have hard time transitions form one activity to another |
| Higher levels of anxiety compared to peers |
| May insist on sameness of activities or surroundings |
| May seem rigid in wanting things to go their way |
| May be content to be alone |
| May be very literal—generally don’t participate in “pretend” games |
| May have difficulty interacting with peers |
| COMMUNICATION |
| May have a hard time interpreting facial cues or body language |
| May have delayed speech and language skills |
| May repeat words, phrases, lines from a movie or story, etc. |
| Conversations can be one-sided or focused mainly on their interest area |
| Frequently have difficulty with reciprocity in communication—the give and take of conversation |
| SENSORY PROCESSING |
| May not respond to their name when called |
| Often have over sensitive or under-sensitive sensory processing systems |
| May have unusual reactions (over-/under-sensitivity) to the way things sound, taste, smell, look, and feel |
| May lack fine motor coordination which affects output on paper—poor handwriting, difficulty putting thoughts/ideas on paper |
| May lack physical coordination skills—awkward gait or physical movement |
| May have visual fascination with lights or movements |
| Frequently has difficulty regulating own emotions—gets unexpectedly angry or have emotional outbursts that seem extreme for the setting or situation |
| May flap hands, rock body, spin in circles, walk on toes |
| May avoid or resist physical contact |
| More information | |
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| SOCIAL | |
| Provide a written daily schedule or agenda for the day |
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| Use a schedule with pictures for younger children |
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| Create predictable classroom routines and procedures |
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| Give advanced notice of changes to the daily schedule/routines/absence of teacher, etc. |
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| Help student practice using eye contact— begin with short times and build up |
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| COMMUNICATION | |
| Model conversation skills |
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| Model listening skills, body language |
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| Teach peers to prompt specific skills—ask for turn, initiate verbal interaction, face your friend when talking, etc. |
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| Model self-talk as often as possible |
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| Use pictures of facial expressions to help recognize emotions and nonverbal cues of others |
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| Role-play use of language to engage with others — how to greet someone, how to join in play, the back and forth of conversation |
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| Get student’s attention before giving directions — call name, touch shoulder, tap desk, etc. |
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| SENSORY | |
| Provide a quiet place in the classroom for the student to de-stress |
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| Try sensory soothing bins to lower stress — dried lentils, rice, water beads, play-dough |
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| Use headphones for quiet |
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| Set a study carrel for seatwork to block out distractions as needed |
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| Provide movement breaks — carry a box to the office, take a note, get a drink |
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| Allow a wiggle cushion to sit on or a bouncy band for feet/legs |
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