Gardening For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders And Special Educational Needs

Winner of the American Horticultural Therapy Association's Book Publication Award 2014 A garden or nature setting presents the perfect opportunity for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and special needs to learn, play and strengthen body and mind. This book empowers teachers and parents with little gardening know-how to get outside and use nature to motivate young learners. Using a mindfulness approach, Natasha Etherington presents a simple gardening program that offers learning experiences beyond those a special needs student can gain within the classroom. The book outlines the many positive physical, cognitive, sensory, emotional and social benefits of getting out into the garden and provides specially adapted gardening activities for a variety of needs, including those with developmental disabilities and behavioural difficulties, as well as wheelchair users. With a focus on the therapeutic potential of nature, the book shows that gardening can help reduce feelings of anxiety, provide an outlet for physical aggression, build self-esteem through the nurturing of plants and much more. With this practical program, teachers and parents can easily adopt gardening activities into their schedules and enjoy the benefits of introducing children with special needs to nature and the rhythms of the seasons.

Presents a program for teachers and parents to use to incorporate gardening into the lives of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and discusses the numerous positive physical, cognitive, sensory, social and emotional benefits gained from the activity. Original.

As a teacher, what are a teacher's personal, social and emotional responsibilities in supporting pupils with diverse learning needs? There is no longer a place for a teacher who denies their role in the education of pupils with diverse needs. But understanding how to meet these challenges, particularly in amongst the other challenges of teaching and the classroom, can seem daunting. Drawing on examples from early years to college, this book looks at what inclusion and inclusive practice means in practice and how it relates to different aspects of teaching. Covering issues related to teacher well-being, resilience and other professional skills this book offers the reader the opportunity to use case studies and research to reflect on their own professional practice. Expertly crafted by Sue Soan, drawing on the expertise of a team of practitioners and academics, this book brings together the latest research and current practice. International case studies showcase examples of practice and reflexive questions encourage the reader to explore their experiences, knowledge and expectations to help them to develop as a practitioner.

A public school guide to gardening activities for students with autism and other special needs

This comprehensive and authoritative guide offers an evidence-based overview of healing gardens and therapeutic landscapes from planning to post-occupancy evaluation. It provides general guidelines for designers and other stakeholders in a variety of projects, as well as patient-specific guidelines covering twelve categories ranging from burn patients, psychiatric patients, to hospice and Alzheimer's patients, among others. Sections on participatory design and funding offer valuable guidance to the entire team, not just designers, while a planting and maintenance chapter gives critical information to ensure that safety, longevity, and budgetary concerns are addressed.

Millions of children have been diagnosed with autism or fall somewhere within the autism spectrum. Early intervention, education, and training programs have been found to support these students immensely, leading to a higher level of independent social life than has previously been seen. Anxiety, bullying, communication, and learning abstract concepts can be a great challenge for autistic children and can also provide an obstacle for social interaction with other children. It is important to continue offering these students access to a broad, enriched, and balanced curriculum while also devising new approaches and alternative systems of communication that will help to facilitate their access to the educational process and foster adaptive behaviors. Interventions for Improving Adaptive Behaviors in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders offers a current overview of modern practices regarding the teaching of autistic children. This book seeks to update the current practices for professionals working with autistic children, offer practical information regarding interventions, and provide tools for managing autistic children in critical situations. Covering topics such as autism diagnostic observation schedule, inclusivity in schools, and vocational training for autistic people, this text is essential for teachers, special education teachers, administrators, speech therapists, academicians, researchers, students, and professionals and practitioners involved in the upbringing, education, social, and vocational inclusion of people with ASD.

Visual supports have been proven to be a highly effective way to communicate with, and teach, a student with an autism spectrum disorder or other learning difficulty. This book is packed with simple, effective tools to assist in the education of students with special education needs. They can be adapted to be used with young children and older learners with a range of educational needs, including nonverbal learners. Based on the author's years of teaching experience, the book covers how the classroom environment is laid out, how to use schedules and time planning aids, different education approaches and the teaching of social rules and appropriate behavior. All the visual supports are clearly explained alongside examples and photos showing them in use in the classroom. The supports are also included on the accompanying CD as blank templates. This will be a welcome resource of easy-to-use ideas for mainstream and special education teachers. Therapists, parents and anyone working with students with learning difficulties will also find many of the ideas useful.