#002: Autism Teletherapy Strategies

I have a great routine established for my students when we’re in person. I love working on yoga with them because I think it’s a lifelong leisure skill. I use cards to demonstrate the yoga pose we’re going to practice and then together we hold the pose for ten seconds. This year, as so many of my tools have had to be adjusted to fit into teletherapy, I’ve been happy to see that I can still do yoga with my students virtually.

For many of us, flexing into the teletherapy space has proven to be a challenge. In addition to dealing with unfamiliar technology, we’ve also had to come up with creative ways to teach the same skills without being in person. And we’ve had to find how to get around new barriers for therapy, including the challenge of scheduling and having students at home without parental support.

My five favorite autism teletherapy strategies can help you set up boundaries and expectations for students that will help them thrive in this challenging season.

1. Set up expectations for how the environment should be structured around the student.
2. Decide how we can engage students during therapy.
3. Use resources that are engaging, including my 3 favorite ones that I’ve just discovered this year.
4. Include some parent training that will help parents become better therapy partners.
5. Recap the therapy session so that everyone is on the same page at the end of the session.

Despite the challenges of this year, I’ve found that teletherapy has made it easier to communicate with families, and it’s led to more frequent communications as well. This opportunity can help us build stronger relationships with our students’ families.

What's Inside:

• Three of my favorite resources for engaging students over distance learning.
• The ways that you can support parents as they navigate teletherapy.
• As you recap the therapy session, you’ll get a chance to frame the session in a way that parents can understand what was addressed in that session.
•  My favorite virtual field trips that will improve your therapy experience and help you connect with your students.