What comes to mind when you think about your dream autism classroom? For me it’s lots of space for movement, bright light shining in from windows, plenty of storage, and NO carpet please! As teachers, the room we’re given is hardly a choice. Chances are, you just have to make the most of what you have to work with.
This Summer, my school is under construction and I will be moving into a new classroom. One that needs a *little* bit of a makeover. Although I’ve taught several years, changing classrooms can be nerve-wracking. It’s easy to become comfortable in a space and feel anxious about change. If you feel this way, you’re not alone! Simple design concepts can help any room become an effective learning space. I’m eager to get to work in my room. Until then, I’ve sketched out some ideas on how I can make next year’s room the best one yet! Follow along with me on a tour of my (soon to be) K-4th grade self-contained autism classroom.
Classroom Entry & Student Storage
When students first enter our room, it’s so important that we set a positive tone for the day! I don’t want them to feel overwhelmed, so the past fews years I’ve implemented what I call a “Soft Start”. Our daily routine allows students the time they need to transition to the school environment. This time for adjustment has been very successful!
Student Cubbies: After students are greeted at the door, their first stop is the cubbies. They will take out their daily communication folders and place them in a bin and hang up their backpack. I check these folders for notes from parents and complete a new communication form each day.
Morning Bins: The time before breakfast is spent building, reading, or solving puzzles. I love how this helps students adjust to school and by the time we have returned from breakfast, students are ready to begin calendar time and start our day!
Whole Group/Morning Meeting Area
The whole group space of my classroom is where we start and end each day as a classroom family. It’s the hub of our classroom for read alouds and mini lessons as well. It’s the central space that ties our room together. For this reason, it’s essential that I clean up any visual clutter and make sure each visual has purpose.
Daily Slides: I have my SMART Board on at all times during the day. I use these slides as a constant visual support for each part of our schedule. The slide shown is what appears as students enter the room each morning as a reminder to put away their folder and backpack before beginning our morning bins. As we go through our day, the visuals change. For example, the next slide shows students lining up to go to breakfast. The slides also include interactive pages for our morning meeting/calendar time as well as stations assignments and visual timers.
Morning Meeting Pieces & Visual Schedule: On each side of the SMART Board, you’ll see our visuals for our morning meeting/calendar time and our daily schedule. I keep our schedule pieces in a pocket chart because, as you know, change in routine happens. Pocket chart cards allow me to add, remove, or switch around the schedule cards as needed. I review this schedule with my students each morning so they are prepared for the day ahead!
Access to Materials: It’s important to me that my students be as independent as possible. I love having low storage in my classrooms so my students can access the materials they need, when they need it. This is a skill that must be explicitly taught and reinforced, but so worth it to have an efficiently running class!. At the front of the room, I keep my students’ AAC devices for those that do not take it home with them. I use a bin to keep them organized and charged ready for each day. I will also use this shelf to store our morning meeting binders. They will grab these as we come in from breakfast and sit down to begin our calendar time.
Visual Boundaries: I am going to replace the letters and numbers carpet with a foam interlocking puzzle mat. There are so many benefits to mat like this. First of all, it is easy to clean! More importantly, the color squares serve as a visual boundary for each of my students. This visual helps my students keep their body contained within the space provided. It also helps create routine for where the students will sit each time they’re at the mat.
Classroom Quote: In all my years of teaching and in all my classrooms, I’ve had this quote. It is true each and every day. It’s not WHAT is in a classroom that makes it special, but WHO.
Work Stations & Calm Corner
This part of the classroom is where students will complete their independent work tasks and transition through stations. It is a must that this part of the room stay organized and clutter free for smooth transitions. My new room has work stations built into two of the walls. I don’t love them because I feel they limit what I can do with that space. However, I can be creative with how to use them!
Independent Task Desks: Each student will be able to have their own work desk in the room. If more students enroll, these spaces are large enough for two students at each desk. Here will be their individual visual schedules and their work task bins. I use token boards in my classroom. The students will need to complete their 1, 2, and 3, task to earn their reward.
Teacher Desk: When students need a little more prompting and reinforcement for their skills, a paraprofessional is available at the u-shaped desk to provide support. This space is where students are practicing skills that have already been introduced.
Calm Space: This corner to the room creates a perfect calm space that feels secluded from what’s happening in the classroom, but is also visible for me to monitor students while they’re there. I plan on fixing some wall damage, painting over the rainbow, and using the bean bag in the corner. Just outside of the calm space, will be a self-regulation station with visuals and a basket full of calm down strategies. I have a pink speech button outside of the calm space for students to request a break, even if they can’t do so verbally.
Fine Motor Station: Along with independent tasks, students also complete fine motor work each day. I typically place fine motor choice activities in this station and rotate them out weekly. Again, this space is for skills that have already been explicitly taught so students are familiar with the activities in the bins. Activities like the Simple Fine Motor Centers are easy to prep and have great visuals to guide students as they complete their work!
Prep Station: I value the work the paraprofessionals do in my room each day and it’s important to me that they have a spot in the room that they can personalize and call their own. Here, they will be able to log their services and use the prep station to create activities needed throughout the year. In the tub I include a laminator, velcro, cardstock… you name it! The picture frames are just for a homey touch. It’s their classroom too.
Teacher Table
This teacher table is where most direct teach will take place. I typically only have 1-2 students at a time at this table. Here it’s essential that I have all of my materials prepped, organized, and ready ahead of time to eliminate “down time” where I could lose student engagement.
Curriculum Storage: I plan on using the shelf behind the table to keep the curriculum materials organized. Not only due I need curriculum materials readily available, but student materials as well. Each student has their own binder where I keep their data sheets for easy progress monitoring.
Work-For Rewards: I do use the token system in my room. Students choose something they would like to work for and earn it when they have completed their work tasks. What they choose varies so much. Play items like legos or toy cars maybe a great reinforcer for one child, where another may prefer sensory items. These will be stored in the blue bins. I will label them with pictures so students can help return the items to the correct bins when time with them is up.
Bathroom: Outside the student bathroom, I’ve placed a visual routine, reminding students of their bathroom procedures before entering. This visual serves a double purpose. I use this bathroom visual as a coversheet for our bathroom log to help maintain privacy. I’ll also have another speech button so students can request a bathroom break, even if they cannot do so verbally. (I LOVE these speech buttons and try to incorporate them wherever I can in the classroom and our school!)
Use the Simple Self-Contained Setup 101® layout builder as a course member!
Keep it Simple!
Canva is a great tool to turn your great ideas into a visual! It was easy to upload pictures of my classroom and edit it using the built-in tools! The Magic Eraser allowed me to erase anything from the image that I didn’t want visible (such as the ABC carpet). I could then copy and paste an image of what I wanted in it’s place! The Background Remover tool was perfect for a quick fix when I only wanted one item from an image. Using Canva takes some practice, but is definitely worth the effort when creating for your classroom. Did you know Canva is FREE for teachers? Follow this link to learn more about how you can get started with your own account!
Whether you’re a first-year teacher or have years of experience, setting up a new classroom can become overwhelming fast! Take it one step at a time and keep it simple. Thanks for touring my (soon to be) autism classroom with me. For even more information on how to setup your classroom, sign up for the waitlist here for Simple Self-Contained Setup 101, the complete roadmap to a stress-free classroom!
I love how you’ve thought through every detail of your classroom setup! The ‘Soft Start’ routine is such a thoughtful way to help students transition into their day.