School Bus Fleet, February 2020

AUTISM ASSISTANCE TIPS tation supervisor for help Wolf adds 5 Use special tools to communicate with nonverbal students Communicating with students who are nonverbal requires the right tools Some children respond to specific phrases or hand signals which school bus staf can learn from teachers and parents Others respond to story cards or picture strips The cards show students how to respond in diferent situations ranging from covering ones ears when it gets too noisy to the steps to take in an emergency Rather than asking the child to make eye contact when using these cards the school bus driver or aide should place them where the student is looking Shutrump recommends 6 Cover details for emergencies Students with autism should be drilled repeatedly on emergency procedures and include as many details as possible sirens evacuations other students and emergency personnel Otherwise the with Transf inder 25 FEBRUARY 2020 SCHOOL BUS FLEET Tripp special education professor at East Carolina University The bus driver aide or the childs teacher or behavior specialist can review the video to learn what set the child off 4 Calmly give clear direction When approaching a child with autism who is upset the bus driver or aide should speak in a calm modulated voice and give clear concise directions devoid of options or rationalizations They also should not tell the student what not to do advises Shutrump If the student is engaging in dangerous behavior school bus staff should try to redirect them with something they like Tripp adds Some techniques that often work include specific phrases provided by the teacher weighted blankets vests or wrist weights stickers and sensory balls If the student has a behavior management plan that should be followed If none of these tactics work school bus drivers should call the school or transpormissing element can throw the students off as Wolf affirmed when firefighters boarded a school bus in her district They were in full gear and the kids freaked out she says They thought they were looking at Darth Vader 7 Communicate with teachers parents School bus drivers and aides should communicate regularly with the parents and teachers of these students Asking the parents how the child is in the morning and sending a note to the teacher when an incident occurs should be common practice Also whenever there is a recurring problem the school bus driver should ask to meet with the childs education team School bus drivers are related service providers They can and should request an IEP meeting to discuss a problem Shutrump says When we come up with a plan for these students it keeps them comfortable and makes them feel like theyre in control 8003733609 trans nder com Safety f i rst Transf inder is your partner in providing safe reliable and timely solutions ensuring that your department is meeting the unique transportation needs for all of your students Automatic right side curbside pick up option Prohibit students crossing option Select one or many kids on the map and build routes from those in the selected area Easily build routes based on vehicle type Attach documents IEPs and specialized notes to student records Accommodate individual student boarding times based on type of disability or speci c need Transf inders Routef inder PLUS and Stop nder solutions help you become faster safer and smarter