"Just Give Him the Whale!"
20 Ways to Use Fascinations, Areas of Expertise, and Strengths to Support Students with Autism
Paula Kluth & Patrick Schwarz
When learners with autism have deep, consuming fascinations—trains, triangles, basketballs, whales—teachers often wonder what to do. This concise, highly practical guidebook gives educators across grade levels a powerful new way to think about students' "obsessions": as positive teaching tools that calm, motivate, and improve learning.
Written by top autism experts and nationally renowned speakers Paula Kluth and Patrick Schwarz, this guide is brimming with easy tips and strategies for folding students' special interests, strengths, and areas of expertise into classroom lessons and routines. Teachers will discover how making the most of fascinations can help their students:
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learn standards-based academic content
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boost literacy learning and mathematics skills
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develop social connections
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expand communication skills
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minimize anxiety
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and much more
Just Give Him the Whale! is packed from start to finish with unforgettable stories based on the authors' experience, firsthand perspectives from people with autism themselves, research-based recommendations that are easy to use right away, and sample forms teachers can adapt for use in their own classrooms. An enjoyable read with an eye-opening message, this short book will have a long-lasting impact on teachers' understanding of autism—and on their students' social and academic success.
Contents:
1: To Develop a Relationship with the Student
2. To Expand Social Opportunities
3. To Expand Communication Skills and Opportunities
4. To Help Minimize Anxiety
5. To Plan for Inclusive Schooling
6. To Build Classroom Expertise
7. To Boost Literacy Learning
8. To Comfort
9. To Inspire Career Ideas
10. To Encourage Risk Taking
11. To Connect Students to Standards-Based Content
12. To Encourage In-Depth Study
13. To Make Sense of a Confusing World
14. To Let Students Shine and Showcase Talents
15. To Give Students "Power"
16. To Encourage Chit-Chat
17. To Boost Mathematics Skills and Competencies
18. To Teach Manners, Cooperation, and the Expression of Empathy
19. To Encourage Greatness
20. To Make Life Worth Living
References
Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions
Appendix B: Additional Resources Focused on Strengths, Abilities, and Interests
2008, 160 pages, large softcover format
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