WEBSITE ACTIVITIES DIANE K. ELLIS AAC CONSULTANT ...

(Appendix B – data collection forms)
4. Strategies to Develop Friendships: Students with severe disabilities need
planned and direct intervention to develop friendships. Several strategies
have proven successful with students with severe disabilities including
developing awareness of disabilities in their peers.
• Circle of Friends – is a tool that helps kids get over the friendship barrier
of students with disabilities by increasing awareness and creating
empathy. Circle of Friends: A Guide For Facilitators Handout (adapted
from Barbara Gill, 1991) provides step-by-step procedure to complete the
activity with a classroom.
(Appendix C – Circle of Friends Handout)
• Individual Differences Awareness activities from Heartland Hand-in-Hand
Model for Teaching Students with Autism, Heartland AEA #11, Johnston,
IA. Suggested activities include setting up stations for students to feel
what it might be like to have a disability.
Cerebral Palsy station – place beanbag between your knees and at
sides with elbows while doing a variety of physical activities i.e.
jumping jacks, etc.
Autism – use a strobe light when trying to watch a teacher's
demonstration, shake hands with gloves lined with sandpaper, put
headphones with radio static while trying to follow directions, etc.
• Structured Teaching Strategies: Adults directly teach peers the visual
structure and instruction that give cues to the student for social
interaction skills including communication cues, behavior cue cards and
turn-taking cue cards. Communication cue cards could include
picture/written greetings, photo cues to use names and picture/written
cues to answer questions. Behavior cue cards could include graphic/written