Structured Teaching:Building Independence

with Task Boxes

Presented by: Diane BrownHigh Plains Education Cooperative

Summer 2015

S

Small Group-teach social skills, games and turn taking, appropriate play and communication exchange.

Self-Choice-Student engages in an independent leisure activity by following visual instructions and work systems. Important for ASD students to learn how to fill down time.

Independent Work-purpose is to work independently, practice following a visual schedule, and build stamina. They complete mastered task without adult help.

Your Role: Quietly prompt from behind but only when needed. Don’t over prompt, give students time to respond before prompting. Let them work at their own pace!

Direct Instruction-purposeis to work on new learningskills. Teacher should beinteracting with student and actively teach new skills

Structured Teaching Brief Overview

• Direct Teaching –teach new concepts• Independent Work-work with out the help of an

adult• Self-Choice Center-independent leisure activity• Small Group-work on social skills through games,

art, science and communication exchange.• Each center is 15 minutes long• Student checks schedule at the end of each

activity.

Structured Work Systems

Building Independence with Task Boxes

Structured Work Systems

• Most individuals on the autism spectrum are visual learners

• They learn best when information is presented in a structured format with a clear beginning and ending point.

• Structured work systems are designed to take advantage of their strengths to help them learn to complete tasks independently.

Benefits of Work Systems

• Promotes independence• Maintain previously mastered skills• Maintain engagement with task when not directly

receiving instruction• Builds fluency• Provides structure for introducing new skills with less

frustration• Allows teacher to work with other students while one

or more students are using structured work system.

• Train paraprofessionals on peer mentors to teach and monitor tasks

• Actively engage students without teacher instruction.

• Calm by reducing social demands.• Support positive self-esteem and pride in work

completed.

Why Structured Work Systems are Important

• They help students to start and complete assigned task

• Practice skills they have previously mastered• Generalize skills to new material and situations• Learn to work without assistance from others• Understand the expectations of the task, the

work that needs to be completed, what to do when the work is finished

• Individuals with ASD have difficulty learning to work by themselves

• Work systems provide clear cues to the individual that he or she is expected to work independently of adults

• Provide opportunity to work without assistance from paraprofessional in general education classroom

Design of Structured Work Systems

Design to answer four questions:-what work needs to be done?-how much work needs to be done? -number of symbols or number of containers-when the work is complete? -everything has been moved to finished basket -no task left on his work space-what will happen next? -they need information about where to go or what to do next.

What Work Do I Need to Do?

• The task are often organized in clear plastic containers or in containers without lids that allow her to see exactly what needs to be done.

• Sometimes teachers organize work in file folders or Trapper Keepers that the student has to open to see the items that need to be completed

How Much Work Do I Need to Do?

• The individual can see how much work he has to do in two ways:

1. if he is able to use a visual work schedule the number of symbols or the written list will tell him how many task to accomplish. 2. if he can’t use visual task list, the number of baskets at work area will provide the necessary information.

How much work needs to be done?

Components and Use of Work Systems(How much work needs to be done)

• Within each work task, only the amount of work expected to be completed is place in the container.

• If student is expected to sort 10 items, only ten items would be placed in the work system.

• Student knows exactly what is expected.

How Do I Know When I Am Finished

• The student knows he is finished in two ways: 1. He know that he is done when he has moved each of the completed task to the “finished” basket and there are not task left on his work space. 2. If using a visual work schedule, he knows he has finished when there are no more symbols left in the sequence or he has crossed everything off his list.

What Do I Do Next?

• Students do best when they know what the expectations are. When they finish their assigned task at the structured work area, they need information about where to go or what to do next.

• If structure work is in a rotation and student finishes before it is time to change stations, he should be directed to something else to do in that area. For example, a box of fidget toys to play with, a book to look at, or a puzzle to complete.

• There may also be a symbol directing the the child to check his schedule, which will take him to his visual schedule and the next area of the room or activity he needs to participate in.

Structured Work Area

• In the special education room, a separate area of the room is often dedicated to structured work.

• In the general education classroom, the student’s desk typically serves as the work area, or a separated area or desk is designated as such.

Arranging the Physical Enviornment

• Important to think about an area where individual can work without being distracted by others or other activities taking place at the same time.

• Often, they are developed so that the worker has her back to the rest of the room to avoid distractions.

• Work areas can also be segregated from other areas of the room by using furniture to create visual barriers.

• Portable dividers can be used to reduce or eliminate visual distractions.

Examples of Work Systems Work Area

• All the information in this power point was taken from Building Independence: How to Create and Use Structured Work Systems by Christina E. Reeve PhD. BCBA-D and Susan Kabot EdD. CCC-SLP