Organizing the Physical Space

• Seat the student with FASD/ARND at the front of the class where there are fewer distractions.
• Make sure that the desk and chair fit the child, so that the child’s feet touch the floor when sitting.
• Reduce visual and auditory distractions in the classroom (e.g., remove hangings from the ceiling, organize bulletin boards and bookshelves so they are uncluttered and close the door to reduce hallway noise).
• Design a “calm corner” (e.g., using a rocking chair, beanbag chair, or large, open cardboard box filled with pillows) to be used as a privilege, not a punishment.
• Help define students’ physical boundaries by providing rug squares for activities in which children sit on the floor, taping a line on the floor where students line up, and/or taping a square around the student’s desk and chair.
• Keep the lights low and your voice calm.

Reinforcing Routines and Assisting with Transitions

• Keep the classroom schedule the same all year, and use visuals to reinforce the schedule (e.g., hold up a book for reading time, show a picture of children playing for recess).
• Post the schedule in an obvious place (even for older students), and/or tape a copy to the desk of the child with FAS/ARND.
• Keep the seating assignment consistent all year long.
• Post the alphabet or any other information that students refer to frequently on the child’s desk or inside the cover of the appropriate notebook (e.g., grammar rules inside a writing workbook)
• Whenever possible, remind students about schedule and/or seating changes well in advance. Repeat the reminders several times. Send a notice home prior to a schedule change so that parents can reinforce the upcoming change.
• Use a consistent signal when a change in routine is about to happen (e.g., a soft bell, a tap on the board, a song, a raised hand).

Making Learning Accommodations

• Institute simple assists like the use of a calculator, a manila folder placed upright in front of the student on the desk to block out distractions, and/or a ruler on the page while reading to help the student keep his or her place.
• Before giving instructions, say the child’s name and use eye contact and/or touch to get his/her attention.
• To verify understanding, have the student explain instructions in his/her own words and/or demonstrate what he/she learned.
• Provide a daily list of homework assignments with a check box next to each assignment.
• If possible, email the daily list of homework assignments to the parent.
• Allow the child to stand and work at the back of the room for part of the day.
• Alert the child before touching him or her.
• Encourage the student to tape record classroom lessons to review at home.

Assisting Social Development and Improving Behavior

• Give the fidgety child routine jobs that allow him or her to get up and move around (e.g., running an errand to the office, emptying the wastebasket, sharpening pencils, watering plants, feeding the fish),
• Place the student at the beginning or end of a line or the edge of a group to minimize bumping and give extra space.
• Learn the child’s signs of frustration and intervene early.
• Use a student from an upper grade to tutor or be a buddy and model appropriate behavior for the child with FAS/ARND (e.g., a fifth grader is a buddy to a third grader). This also helps the younger student gain status in his or her peers’ eyes.
• Teach personal space (e.g., do not stand closer than arm’s length to someone, do not touch other people’s clothing or body, when it is appropriate to sit in someone’s lap and when it isn’t).
• Post and enforce specific consequences for good and bad behavior in the classroom.
• Use visual cues to signal to the student that his/her behavior is deteriorating (e.g., green piece of paper signifies appropriate behavior, yellow is a warning signal, red indicates the student is out of control and needs to take a time out).
• Reinforce appropriate behavior (e.g., give the student a ticket for appropriate behavior; five tickets earn the student five extra minutes at recess).

CDC Funded Virginia Education Program