Hello everyone! I want to talk about using a task system in the multiple disability classroom. You may wonder “What does that look like?” or “I’m not sure my student can work independently.” That’s okay! We can find work that can be done at independent level for all students and I’d to show you how I do that. So, here is how to set up an activity rotations in the multiple disabilities classroom.
Do I Have To Use Task Boxes?
Absolutely not! Task boxes do not work with all students. Especially if they have mobility issues. A task box system often requires a student to look at a mini schedule, grab their task box, open it, complete the task, put it away, and move on to the next task. Many of our students would love to do that, but are not physical able to at this time. I use task activities instead. To me, these are certain activities that the student has mastered or serve a very specific purpose. I have some students with visual impairments, sometimes that activities purpose is to increase engagement.
The type of activity shown teaches a student how to interact with an activity independently. It’s super high interest. It has lots of interest features involving sound, texture, and color.
What does the this look like?
Good questions! I start by assigning my students activities via picture symbol on a black laminated paper with velcro.
I use a timer to set the length of each activity. I normally have them do fifteen minute rotations. You can get a timer like the one I have here. I pair this with a token board that uses three tokens. At the beginning of each work period the students choose what they want to do when they are done with their work. Are your students visually impaired? No problem. Read this article by Alyssa to see how to make a tactile token board.
I move the objects to my students and I use a clamp to secure large items to the table. If you would like to see how made these items, I highly recommend reading the path to literacy website. I got all of my ideas, besides the switch toys, from reading the sections about students with multiple disabilities.
I hope the post helped you figure out how to implement a structured activity rotation in your multiple disabilities classroom. Let me know if you would like to see me make a tutorial for making on of these items. Thank you for reading How To: Activity Rotations in the Multiple Disabilities Classroom.
