Instruction for Children with Special Needs

I have a student who has difficulty working in groups. He either moves away, tries to work alone or he is giving “orders” to everyone. Inevitably the group falls apart with arguments or work uncompleted. How can I help this student work positively in groups?

I am a middle school Learning Support teacher and have 2 very bright students (above average IQ) with Asperger’s Syndrome that surprisingly have a tough time understanding some of the words or concepts in our reading selections, even though their expressive vocabulary seems pretty “profession-like” at times.  Any ideas of how I can build their receptive vocabulary?

I am a Learning Support teacher and have a 5th grade student with High Functioning Autism. He has been putting his hands down his pants while in the classroom. It appears that he is masturbating and I am not quite sure how to handle this…any ideas?

What do I do when my student keeps her head in her desk playing when I’m teaching and the class is doing a worksheet? She won’t answer me when I correct her.

I am a 5^th and 6^th grade Learning Support Teacher and have several kids that struggle with reading comprehension and just can’t seem to  go back into a text to find an answer to a question when needed.  They just give up… At times I have highlighted where they can find some answers but that is time consuming and I’d like them to become more independent!  Any ideas?

The students in my Life Skills class need more practice with social skills, but they always seem to clam up in those unstructured times like lunch and in between classes.  Is there something I can do to help them have more opportunities to interact?

I have a student in my class whom I know is very bright, but his test scores sure don’t show it!  He’s attentive during class and participates on occasion, so it seems like he’s following along but then freezes on the exam.  What can I do to help him prepare more effectively?

My older middle school Life Skills students need some community-based work experiences, but our school is located in a rural area without many opportunities nearby.  What can I do to help them learn some beneficial work skills?

As a math teacher, I must have students practice new problems daily. We typically use paper or worksheets I have prepared. When this part of class begins, I have some students who just sit and do not participate. They are not disruptive but there is also no attempt to try the problems. I know they can probably do the work – or at least attempt it. I do have a few other students who just start talking during this part of class. Is there any way to change these behaviors or motivate them to try the problems?

I have a great team in my classroom but sometimes we are not on the same page when it comes to providing preventative or consequential interventions with students. One person might talk too much to a student giving attention to behaviors of concern and inadvertently increase the behavior, while another person may not do enough. Sometimes the basics of student interactions are just not there. What can I do to make us a more cohesive team with our interventions?