Autism Awareness and a Linky to go with it

Autism. What a powerful word. So many of us have been touched by family, friends, and students with autism - probably everyone knows someone.  I have had the pleasure of teaching many students with autism spectrum disorders in my career and I can say, it is definitely a spectrum disorder! Each of my students with autism has taught me so much about compassion, creativity, and hard work.  I was so excited to see this Linky Party in honor of World Autism Day (April 2), which is part of Autism Awareness Month.

Now here is a wonderful freebie for you - a Desk Mat!  

Print out these pictures and add velcro or magnets to the back and you can make a model for students of how their desk should look.  This can help teach organization of materials, it can make directions visual instead of just auditory, and it can be a great reference to teach students to use.  The initial letters are also highlighted so students can work on letter identification, initial sound identification, or they can begin to memorize sight words from the environment - depending on their ability level. You can download it from Google Drive by clicking here. 

There is so much left to learn about individuals with autism and I take such pleasure in teaching all of my students to value each other for who they are to focus on all their similarities instead of their differences.  The world can lean so much when awareness is increased!

-Adie