Sorting and Packaging Taskboxes

As adults, many of my students may have jobs in a factory or workshop setting. After visiting several of these facilities, I realized that it would be very important for these students to be able to sort objects and match them to a grid in order to package them.

Here are several examples of taskboxes addressing these skills:

Link Sort by Color: Separate the link from the chain (great fine motor task), sort by color, and "package" in correct bag

Poker Chip Packaging: Place poker chip on matching color. Once one row is complete, package in  bag and repeat

Plasticware Sort: Sort plasticware into bag

Matching Taskboxes

After students have begun to master some of the simple Fine Motor Taskboxes I begin to introduce some of these matching taskboxes.

Egg Carton Color Match: Match the block to the corresponding color

Shape Sequence Match: Velcro the shape to the correct sequence

Lid Match: Match the lid to the corresponding container. This is also a great fine motor and life skills activity.

Environmental Print Match: Slide environmental print card into matching slot

Calendar Picture Match: Use small pictures typically found on back of calendar. Laminate and bind calendar and attach velcro to smaller picture. Match small picture to larger picture. I LOVE this one because you can make them of varying difficulty based on picture detail and it's a great way to recycle last year's calendar!

Fine Motor Taskboxes

When first preparing a student for the TEACCH structured work system, we first start with simple fine motor taskboxes. Most of the time, students at this level are working on fine motor goals anyway so this is a great starting point.

In my classroom, the purpose for the structured work system is primarily INDEPENDENT task completion. Therefore, we always introduce each of our taskboxes during an isolated one-on-one session and continue working on it until the student can complete it independently in isolation. During this time we may begin introducing the TEACCH structured work system through using VERY simple tasks such as lacing one bead on a string or putting three pegs in a pegboard.

This goes back to a very fundamental part of special education especially in the MD classroom which is focusing on one goal at a time and typically performing a task analysis of each goal to see what the steps to reaching that goal would be. This is exactly what I do when planning student IEPs and even though a student may not have a goal for the TEACCH center, it is a routine in my classroom and each routine needs to be broken down just like each IEP goal to ensure my students' success.

Therefore, I would not put a child at the TEACCH work system center with for the first time with three taskboxes they are also seeing for the first time. This is just asking for a meltdown! It would be the equivalent to expecting a student to complete an addition with regrouping worksheet when they haven't even begun addition yet.

Here are some examples of where we would start:

Pegs: place pegs in hole (for some students you may need to remove the lid if this is too hard)

Pom-Pom Tweezers: use tweezers to move pom-poms from one cup to the other. This is a tricky one!  Variations could include using beginner's chopsticks or tongs and/or bigger pom-poms or cotton balls. To make it tricker add a lid to the second cup.

Clothespins: pinch the clothespins to get them off the box, then push them through X slot on canister (remove lid to make it easier)

Some wonderful other ideas can be found in these awesome books:

• How Do I Teach this Kid?
• Tasks Galore
• Tasks Galore for the Real World

Math Taskboxes

In my classroom, I use the TEACCH structured work system  approach for my students' independent work area. The structured work system area is a system of typically 3 tasks (usually "taskboxes" or work bins) which are set up on the left (in the picture they are in the clear bins on the table) and completed at a surface in front of the student, and then placed in a "finished" area (in the picture they are placed in the white laundry basket). The structure of the TEACCH work system and of taskboxes is especially helpful when working with students with autism because they have a clear beginning, middle, and end, therefore the student is aware when they will be done. In my classroom, once all three tasks are completed the student with have a break to complete an activity of their choice.

Over the past few years we have made TONS of "taskboxes" or work bins for students to complete at this area. Here are a few of my math taskboxes:

Count out sets: put given number of erasers in egg carton

Coin "Counting": put coins needed for snack in bag by matching to picture

Number Words: Match word to numeral and slide notecard in pocket

Quarter Counting: Sequence quarters to $1.00

Coin Sorting: Sort coins and place in slot (index card dividers on the inside are used to check accuracy)

Which Shape Doesn't Belong?: Place red X (using sticky tack on back) on shape that does not belong in sequence