Always meet in the same clearly defined place (and always, if possible, at the same time).Because these children often find written and spoken language difficult to understand, visual cues are key to helping them participate. This predictability calms and reassures children with autism and bolsters their self-confidence by helping them participate independently. Set up your meeting space so that it’s very obvious where to go for meeting and what to do once there. These adaptations focus on easing typical classroom challenges for children with autism: communicating verbally using social cues to understand classmates’ thoughts, feelings, and intentions initiating or responding to typical social interactions and managing changes in routine and transitions from one activity to another. I’d like to share some adaptations I’ve gathered from my own practice and from other teachers. The meeting structure gives these children important daily practice in using positive social behaviors with their classmates, while also offering structured opportunities for classmates to get to know and learn to communicate with them.īut as helpful as the structured routine of Morning Meeting is to children with autism, some key adaptations can make it even more helpful. Morning Meeting provides much-needed predictability for children with autism, while also building the sort of compassionate, tolerant, and inclusive classroom community in which they can participate successfully. And their sensory world can be a chaotic one, in which it’s hard to sort out all the messages coming in from their environment. As much as they might want to engage with classmates, autism can make that engagement difficult and stressful. Like Mark, these children often struggle with classroom participation. Morning Meeting, a structured daily routine that builds community and helps children develop key social skills, can be of particular help to children with autism. Holding a small, soft ball that helps him stay calm and focused, Mark is ready for Morning Meeting. He then makes his way to the meeting area and settles onto his carpet square.

Mark presses a small picture of an anaconda against a loop of tape that Mr. The children gather at the easel a few at a time to read the message and respond to their teacher’s social studies question: “What’s your favorite rainforest animal?”Īs other children write their responses, Lisa quietly says to her classmate Mark, a child with autism, “This is where you put your picture,” as she points to a space at the bottom of the chart.

First, there’s the morning message their teacher has written for them. It’s late fall, and the children take pride in knowing just what to do as their school day begins. NovemCategories: Activity Ideas / Getting Started / Message Ideas / Morning Meeting

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