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http://fhautism.com/arc.html. You can print out the customizable worksheets if you prefer to write in the color words yourself, or you can print out ready-to-go worksheets for each variation.

      The animals have been chosen because of the variety of colors they come in. The cat, for instance, can logically be black, gray, brown, or orange. It’s also important that the cat and the table (or the two items that vary on the other worksheets) are two different colors, specifically, two highly contrasting colors. The more vivid the visual, the easier it will ultimately be for them to answer the questions. So for the first worksheet, the color combinations are:

      Worksheet 1, Variation 1: brown cat, yellow table

      Worksheet 1, Variation 2: orange cat, blue table

      Worksheet 1, Variation 3: black cat, pink table

      Worksheet 1, Variation 4: gray cat, red table

      Let’s say you have seven kids in your class and you have distributed Worksheet 1,

      Variation 1 to your students. Their desks should be clear of all writing utensils. Start by having a student volunteer to read the passage. If no one is able to read the passage, read it yourself, or have an aide read it aloud.

      (An additional benefit to the lesson repetition—having the same sentence frame for several lessons—is that it allows children to memorize the simple sentences, ultimately enabling them to “read” them out loud to the class. So even though they’re not actually reading the passage, they feel as if they are and, subsequently, feel successful. The more positive associations they have with reading and words, the better.)

      Once the passage has been read aloud, say to the class, “Now we want to color the picture that goes with the story. What two crayons should we take out of our box?”

      Having the kids stop and focus on the colors like this, right from the beginning, will help them to answer the questions later on. Once someone answers “brown and yellow,” repeat the question and have another child answer. Some kids will still take out the wrong crayons, even if you repeat this question-and-answer round three or four times. Just be patient and get the information out there verbally, as often as you can. Once you do, help them physically take out the two correct crayons and a pencil. Check around the room and make sure that’s all they have on their desks—their worksheet, their pencil, and (with this particular variation) their brown and yellow crayons.

      Once they’ve successfully taken out the brown and yellow crayons, have them return the box of crayons to their pencil box or supply area, wherever the crayons are kept. You could even assign an aide to hang on to the boxes once the two correct crayons have been removed. Even something as simple as leaving a box of crayons out on the desk is distracting in an autism classroom. Children who have autism, through no fault of their own, can be so easily tempted that leaving the crayon box out can lead to disruptions. Trust me. I’ve seen it.

      Have them pick up their pencils and write their name and the date first. You should write the date on the board. If there are students who don’t know how to write their name, this is a good time to have them practice (daily) just the first letter or couple of letters of their first name. Baby steps.

      Once the name and date are completed, remind them that they’re going to be coloring the cat brown and the table yellow. Tell them that they will be starting with the cat. Say, “If we’re starting with the cat, what color do we need?”

      When the color brown is established, make sure that everyone has his or her brown crayon in hand and ready to go. Let them begin coloring ONLY the cat. Have aides dispersed around the room as best you can and be watchful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched the cat, the table, and the pizza all be colored brown in the blink of an eye. (This is another good reason for those back-up copies!) I’ve also tried to make the illustrations as simple as possible, with enough surface area for the students to color and, therefore, focus on the color they’re using.

      Check the room; make sure that all the cats have been colored brown. Repeat the words “brown cat” as often as possible. “Oh, that’s a lovely brown cat,” or “What a wonderful job you did coloring that brown cat.” The more they hear the phrase “brown cat,” the easier it will be for them to answer the upcoming question:

      “Okay, now that we’ve colored the cat brown, what color should we color the table? Let’s look back at our story if we need a reminder.”

      Proceed the same way with the table as you did with the cat, repeating the phrase “yellow table” as often as possible. Once the cat has been colored brown and the table has been colored yellow, have students put aside their two crayons and their pencils and refocus their attention on you. Again, if some students (as many of mine did) have trouble with writing utensils sitting idly on their desks, just have an aide temporarily remove temptation. It’s important that they stay focused through this next section, because the next step is important.

      This next section of the lesson is spoken language. Before any of the answers are going to be written down on the worksheet, the questions are going to be read aloud—by you, the teacher—and answered by the students. Start by playing to your students’ strengths. If you know someone is going to have an easier time with a certain question, give him that question. Frustration is a huge problem for these kids, so allow them opportunities for success whenever and wherever you can. With that in mind, start with the first question, reading it aloud: “What color is the cat?”

      Either ask a volunteer to answer or call on someone. If they can’t get the answer right, coach them through it, guiding them back to the visual cues in front of them. The important thing is to get the right words out into the classroom. The answers are also written directly into the text. There’s no need for conjecture here. Nothing even needs to be rephrased. The answer to the question “What color is the cat?” is directly embedded into the text, word for word, so those capable of reading can actually go back and read it. (This is true of all the questions on all the worksheets. They don’t need to be challenged yet with inferences, so they’re not. I’ve found that inferential and abstract thinking is tough for these kids.) Also, make sure they answer in complete sentences. This is crucial. So many times my students will just want to say, “brown” or “cat brown,” but that’s not enough. The answer must be “The cat is brown.” They can begin building their communication skills on this foundation.

      Remember, no one is writing anything during this phase. This phase is purely verbal.

      Once the questions are asked (and answered) in order, then skip around, asking the questions again in random order. Many students will simply memorize the answers in order. Skipping around FORCES them to pay attention. That’s the key to reading comprehension for students with autism. Forcing them to stop going by rote and to pay active attention to what’s on the page and what’s being asked of them. It also gives a student who may have struggled the first time around a chance to answer correctly, now that he’s heard the correct answer.

      When the questions have been asked in order and at random, and the students have all (hopefully) had a chance to answer a question (or at least have heard the correct answers being spoken by a classmate) have them pick up their pencils and get ready to write down the answers on their worksheets. So we’re now moving from spoken language to written language, with the answers they’ve already processed. This transition is crucial—especially with simple-as-possible sentences—because it helps them to make the connection between spoken and written language, a connection they don’t always make. To them, much of the time, the words on the page are meaningless. Bolstering the connection between those words on the page and the words we speak to communicate with one another is central to these lessons.

      Start with the first question, reading it aloud as before.

      At this point, the kids have practiced answering these questions, so they should be okay. However, there will probably still be some confusion, so go with a student you’re certain can answer the question. It’s now less about assessing individual students and more about giving everyone a clear example of spoken language transitioning into written language. As soon

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