Post by Hands in Autism

🌟 Day 1 of our HANDS 3-Day Early Childhood Development Intensive Training delivered clarity, structure, and powerful insight into what truly drives effective early childhood environments. 🌟 The Perry Central Community School Corporation team leaned in from the start — observing real interactions, analyzing environmental setup, and identifying the practices that make learning more accessible, predictable, and meaningful for young learners. 💙 💡 Key Takeaways from Day 1 • Real classroom observation — seeing trainers work with students and watching strategies applied in real time • Visual schedules + work systems — understanding formats, object schedules, matching systems, and the importance of consistency • Environmental setup — thoughtful furniture placement, clear learning zones, and seeing what worked (and didn’t) in previous setups • Hands-on practice — prompts, processing time, pairing challenging tasks with preferred ones, and adjusting expectations • Informal assessment — observing with intention and recognizing how context and new people can impact what a child demonstrates • Data collection — tight structure, clear visuals, and capturing meaningful data to inform next steps • Flexibility + problem solving — working smarter, not harder; adapting when something isn’t working; and thinking 5 years ahead Day 1 of the #HANDSModel Early Childhood Intensive highlighted a core truth: when environments are intentionally designed and adults observe with purpose, children show us exactly where they are — and where they’re ready to go next. Looking forward to Day 2 and the continued growth ahead. 💙✨ #EarlyChildhood #AutismEducation #StructuredTeaching #VisualSupports #DataDriven #ProfessionalDevelopment #IndianaEducation #LeadershipInLearning Indiana Institute on Disability and Community Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Research