Proven Autism Strategies that Work in the Classroom

AAPC Publishing’s two latest books focus on effective strategies educators can apply to support students with autism spectrum and related disorders in their classrooms. Stuck! Strategies and Push to Open are your go to books for effective straight forward solutions that are proactive, positive, supportive and preventative.

”Teachers can provide appropriate activities and transitional tools in pre-K through high school to break a cycle of negativity, frustration, and uncertainty by using these strategies,”

                        -Paula Dean, MA, assistant superintendent, Los Alamos Public Schools

Stuck! Strategies: What to Do When Students Get Stuck – How to Turn “No” Into “Let’s Go” is filled with proven methods for supporting students with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders, communication disorders, developmental delays, Down Syndrome, and inflexible temperament.

The practical and research-based ideas and strategies found in this book help motivate students who exhibit challenging behavior, ultimately, aiding in their success. This includes removing “barriers” posed by lack of skills, lack of motivation, sensory issues and more. Each of the 15 strategies includes comprehensive instructions for implementation as well as materials, references, and examples.

Push to Open: A Teacher’s QuickGuide to Universal Design for Teaching Students on the Autism Spectrum in the General Education Classroom is a practical and simple guide to strategies that help remove barriers students with autism spectrum disorders often face, while also benefiting many other students in the general education classroom.

Instead of being a reactive, “first aid” approach to fixing problems after they occur, Push to Open offers a proactive planning guide to help general education teachers understand some of the most critical characteristics of autism and subsequently plan their classroom environment and teaching methods to avoid pitfalls that can occur around sensory, communication, social and instructional issues.               

In this age of accountability for students’ success and well-being, Stuck! Strategies and Push to Open provide no-nonsense, practical guidance to make life easier and outcomes better for teachers and their students.

About the Authors:

Stuck! Strategies

Janice Carroll is a speech-language pathologist and early childhood special educator with 37 years of experience serving children with disabilities and their families. She recently retired from the Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) where she was a preschool special education teacher and the SLP on the LAPS District Autism Resource Team. Janice and her husband have two college-age daughters and five rescued dogs. She enjoys reading, living a simple life, and traveling to visit family.

Terry Ellis Izraelevitz is an occupational therapist with more than 30 years’ experience working with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children with multiple disabilities. Terry has worked in schools, early intervention programs, day care centers, and as a private practitioner. She currently practices in the Los Alamos Public Schools in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where she serves on the district’s Autism Resource Team. She and her husband have three adult sons. In her spare time, she is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys running, hiking, cycling, and rock climbing.

Push to Open

Lisa Combs has 27 years of experience in the field of special education. Over the course of her career, she has taught students with a wide range of disabilities in both self-contained and inclusive settings.  Additionally, she has supervised regional special education programs, taught at the university level, and has provided consultation and training for school personnel, public and private agencies, and families. As the supervisor of the Miami Valley Regional Autism Coaching Team, she and her team have provided job-embedded coaching in sensory, communication, behavior and instructional interventions for hundreds of educational teams. Lisa enjoys public speaking and providing professional development to motivate change and inspire action towards more inclusive opportunities for all students.

To order a copy of Stuck! Strategies: What to Do When Students Get Stuck – How to Turn “No” Into “Let’s Go”, click here.

To order a copy of Push to Open: A Teacher’s QuickGuide to Universal Design for Teaching Students on the Autism Spectrum in the General Education Classroom, click here.

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