Working with students who have special needs you often find students who have difficulty with transition. This year I encountered a student who was really struggling with the transition from a preferred activity (typically recess) to a non-preferred activity (lining up). I decided to try to create a transition timer to help this student, who is a very visual person since verbal warnings didn't seem to be helping. I created one and another teachers asked if I could make it more like a flip chart (the first one I used velcro) and so I took those ideas and ran with them. What I came up with has been a great help to this student and we have been able to implement the same transition countdown timer throughout classrooms where this student will be and displays a difficult transition time.
 |
| Flip chart transition timer |
 |
| Directions for end of transition (Sit on the carpet, Line up, Sit at desk) |
 |
| Velcro transition timer with specific direction (Line up to go to lunch) |
Now, is this a solve all? No, the student still struggles at times but the difference has been drastic. We have seen an overall improvement which is all we can ask for.
