This website is dedicated to promoting inclusive schooling and exploring positive ways of supporting students with autism and other disabilities. Most of my work involves collaborating with schools to create environments, lessons, and experiences that are inclusive, respectful, and accessible for all learners.

In this web space you will find articles, web links, and resources that can be used to inspire positive change in schools and communities. You will find the following beliefs reflected in the pages of this website:

• Students with disabilities are experts in their own lives;
• Students with disabilities should have opportunities to educate, collaborate with and learn from their peers and their teachers;
• The families of students with disabilities should be given meaningful opportunities to partner with their child’s school;
• All students deserve schools that are welcoming;
• All students deserve curriculum and instruction that is engaging, appropriate, challenging, and respectful;
• All students should be valued and viewed as making unique and worthwhile contributions to the school community.

We Thought You'd Never Ask : Voices of People With Autism
A film by Paula Kluth, John Hussman, Beret Strong and John Tweedy
This powerful new documentary film features compelling interviews of six adults with autism labels, and is currently being broadcast on PBS stations nationwide under the name "Autism: We Thought You'd Never Ask." Check your local PBS affiliate for broadcast times in your area. To order a copy on DVD, click here.

My latest books (click here to see all of my books)

The most recent website articles are posted below. For more articles on particular subjects, please visit the subject pages in the main menu

20 Ways to Adapt the Science Lab Too often, students with disabilities, especially those with more moderate and significant disabilities, are excluded from the rich and complex experience of the science lab. This is unfortunate as many a science teacher would argue that if students are not engaged in hands-on science, then they are not really “doing” science.

Don’t Lecture Me! 5 Ways to Keep Whole Class Instruction Active & Memorable In a differentiated classroom, students can expect to experience a wide range of strategies, learning experiences, and approaches. These strategies, formats, experiences, and approaches include, but are not limited to, cooperative learning, partner work, peer tutoring, drama, simulations, group problem solving, self-directed learning, project-based instruction, and games.

Hanging In There: Keeping Students with Autism Comfortable, Relaxed, and Focused Learners with autism often struggle to stay seated, remain focused, and engage in required work or assigned tasks. With proper supports and adaptations, however, students may be able to increase their time on-task and remain comfortable even during longer periods of whole-class instruction.

20 Ways to Adapt the Read Aloud The read aloud helps us to build and experience a sense of community, it provides us with common ground for discussion, it entertains us, it requires no (or very little) formal student response so it gives all learners a time to feel confident and competent, and it connects us to reading and to books as a way to learn and enjoy. For all of these reasons, it is heartbreaking to see students in inclusive classrooms excluded from the read aloud.

Do You See What I Mean? Creating Visual Literacy Supports for Special Needs Students Many learners with disability labels are visual learners and are best able to understand and remember content when they can see it represented in some way; in other words, they need to “see what we mean.”

Honoring and Including Students with Communication Differences "I have a new student coming to my sixth-grade classroom and I am stumped. Ben does not speak very much but he sometimes uses an electronic device to make choices and greet people. He also knows some sign language. I am not sure how to include him in the class or how to build a relationship with him. HELP! "

Making Relationships a Priority One of the biggest myths I hear in my work in inclusive education is about friendship. Teachers commonly share that they struggle to facilitate relationships during the middle and high school years because older students simply are not interested in socializing with students with disabilities.

Encouraging Differentiation: The Role of School Leaders Administrators wanting to encourage teachers to stretch and modify their teaching approaches can do so by encouraging role sharing, providing planning time, and supporting internal staff development.

Everyone Can Do Something: Using Service Learning to Differentiate Instruction Service learning, instruction that involves helping, contributing, or volunteering in the school or community, seems to be gaining in popularity for students of all ages…and for good reason!