The ABCs of Autism in the Classroom: Setting the Stage for Success

What’s the biggest challenge facing teachers today? Behavior. And which students present the most baffling and unique behavior problems? Our awesome kids on the autism spectrum. We love them, but it can be difficult to understand and deal with their challenging behaviors.

But behavior analysts aren’t in the classroom; teachers are. And most teachers can’t call a behavior analyst every time a behavior problem crops up. Even when they do call in a behavior analyst, they might not understand all that talk about the “discriminative stimulus” and the “conditioned reinforcer.” It’s all so dry and confusing. Teachers don’t have time to wade through all that jargon, they’re too busy teaching. So what’s a teacher to do when a student throws a chair, or bites her hand, or refuses to work? It’s up to teachers to figure out solutions before the behavior gets worse. They need help.

The ABCs of Autism in the Classroom: Setting the Stage for Success was written by a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst who was also a teacher for many years, as well as an autism mom. Here you will find evidence-based, research-supported behavioral tools presented in teacher-friendly language. You’ll meet a virtual village of students with problem behaviors you might find in your own classroom. You’ll also read stories shared by kids and adults on the autism spectrum, in their own words.

Dr. Wendela Whitcomb Marsh, MA, BCBA, RSD, has been a special education teacher, school psychologist, autism specialist, speaker, writer, counselor, university instructor, and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. She is the mother of two awesome individuals with autism, and was married for 27 years to an amazing man with Asperger’s syndrome. People on the spectrum, and the dedicated teachers who work with them, are among her favorite people in the world. Dr. Marsh lives in Salem, Oregon with her three children.