Teaching Child Communication Skills

I have a 3^rd grader with Autism who is fully included. He is trying to gain attention from his peers by imitating their actions. His peers are becoming frustrated. How can we encourage him to interact better with his peers?

I’m a primary school special educator in a large school district where students transition to several different upper elementary schools when they leave second grade.  Due to the size of our district, it’s nearly impossible to meet with all of the receiving teachers for my students at the end of the school year.  I’d like these teachers to know more about my kids before they start in the fall.  I know they’ll get the IEPs, but I wondered if you had any suggestions on how I can help the new teachers learn about my students?

I am going to visit my non-verbal, six year old grandson. I only see him once a year in his “space” but he knows me from Skype. I always try to approach him gently until he acknowledges me. What are some tips on making this process easier for him? I only have one week with him and want to love him to pieces while I’m there.

My child has a very difficult time going to family-style restaurants. In particular, he has difficulty sitting and waiting quietly, eating neatly, and interacting with the waiter or waitress. How can I help my child learn to be more appropriate in this setting?

I have a student who uses a communication book. At times he will just point to an item on the snack table instead of using his book in response to a question. Sometimes he will indicate yes or no with a headshake instead of using his book. We keep prompting but then he becomes frustrated and displays other behaviors such as throwing materials or yelling. How can we increase his communication book usage?

I have a student who tends to make comments to classmates and teachers that result in hurt feelings, confusion, and ultimately avoidance (i.e. “Your shirt is ugly”, “This is stupid”, etc.) He seems to want to make friends and be liked by his teachers and classmates but these comments are really bothering the people around him. How can I help this student understand how his behavior affects others?

I’m a special education teacher and a few of my 5th grade students are getting nervous about moving to the Middle School in the fall.  We always visit the new school towards the end of the year, but I don’t think it’s enough to calm their anxiety.  Any ideas to help make the transition smoother?

My son is non-verbal.  Recently he has begun screaming.  This is not out of anger, but to hear his own voice.  It is quite loud and can be very distracting at home to his siblings and out  in public.  I don’t want to discourage his trying to communicate, so am not sure how to handle it.

I would like to help my 3 year old son to communicate better. He’s very smart and can do just about anything on a computer. When I ask him questions he seems to understand, but sometimes he just repeats what I ask him. What are some ways to teach him how to communicate better? What can I do to help?

The students in my Life Skills class need more practice with social skills, but they always seem to clam up in those unstructured times like lunch and in between classes.  Is there something I can do to help them have more opportunities to interact?