Social Skills & Interactions for Children with Special Needs

My child has a very difficult time going to family-style restaurants. In particular, he has difficulty sitting and waiting quietly, eating neatly, and interacting with the waiter or waitress. How can I help my child learn to be more appropriate in this setting?

I have a new child in my preschool classroom that has a disability. I tell the children to play with him, but they ignore him. He does not know how to play very well and is hard to understand when he talks. How can I motivate the other children to play with him?

I have a student with Asperger Syndrome in my regular education classroom. So many workshops indicate we should be teaching social skills in the environment. There is so little time during the day. What is a quick and doable way to provide social skills instruction in the crunched time we have?

My son will not sit when we go to church. He continually tries to crawl under the pew, turns around, and slides up and down the pew. What can we do to make going to church easier…and less distracting for our family and those around us?

So many times I have to deal with calling out behavior or tears because I did not call on a particular student. How can I decrease this behavior? I can’t call on everyone all the time.

Sometimes I feel like the students in my Life Skills class are rather isolated from the rest of the school, even though they have lunch and specials with their peers. What can I do to increase opportunities for interactions and help my students feel more a part of their school?

How can I help students learn their classmate’s names and faces?

I have a student who tends to make comments to classmates and teachers that result in hurt feelings, confusion, and ultimately avoidance (i.e. “Your shirt is ugly”, “This is stupid”, etc.) He seems to want to make friends and be liked by his teachers and classmates but these comments are really bothering the people around him. How can I help this student understand how his behavior affects others?

I’m a special education teacher and a few of my 5th grade students are getting nervous about moving to the Middle School in the fall.  We always visit the new school towards the end of the year, but I don’t think it’s enough to calm their anxiety.  Any ideas to help make the transition smoother?

Several students in my Learning Support class become very upset when I make corrections on their papers.  I’ve tried calling them up to my desk for a private review of their errors, and they still cry, protest, or shut down.  How can I get them to fix their mistakes without the negative reactions?