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Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
ContributorJenna Wharff is a special education teacher at HOPEhouse at Cotting School, a transitional boarding school for students age 17-22 with special needs, in Lexington, MA. She specializes in helping her students prepare for life after high school by teaching independent living, vocational, and social skills as well as practical academics and providing opportunities for her students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to their everyday lives. She aims to help students and their families make the transition from special education to adult services as smooth as possible, while providing her students with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead productive and meaningful lives after leaving HOPEhouse. Jenna received her Master's degree in Mind, Brain, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2007.
Articles by Jenna
ARIS & Curriculum 12 Popular Games Adapted for Children with Autism
This resource was created as a supplement for the Language Builder: Academic Readiness Intervention System (ARIS) complete early autism curriculum, Lesson #73, Playing Games with an Adult. Download a free copy of lesson 73 and learn more about the ARIS curriculum . Play is often
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Jun 26, 2019 · 14 min read
Classroom Strategies World Autism Awareness Day 2019: A Look Back and a Look Forward
Tracing the journey of improved diagnoses, treatment and educational outcomes for children with autism April 2, 2019 marks the twelfth annual observation of World Autism Awareness Day. As described by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, World Autism Awareness Day exists to
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Apr 1, 2019 · 6 min read
ARIS & Curriculum Receptive Labeling Lesson Plan
Lesson Overview: By touching or pointing to the appropriate card, students show that they recognize the word and can identify the corresponding picture. This activity can be prefaced by the Picture ID lesson to familiarize the student with the pictures he/she is finding.
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Jul 30, 2015 · 4 min read
Expressive Labeling Lesson Plan
Lesson Overview: Students will practice expressive language skills by verbally identifying a picture on a card. Skills practiced include expressive language, picture identification and photo identification.
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Jun 30, 2015 · 2 min read
Talking about Puberty with Children with Autism
All bodies go through puberty, regardless of the developmental "age" of a child or the level of their cognitive or academic skills. It can be startling for parents to see their child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) begin to develop an adult body and characteristics when t
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Jun 30, 2015 · 11 min read
Teaching Stranger Safety to Kids with Autism
Teaching young children about safety around strangers is nothing new. In fact, most adults can remember their own parents and teachers talking to them about the dangers of “taking candy from a stranger” or “getting in a car with someone you don’t know” at an early age. For today
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
May 30, 2015 · 10 min read
Picture ID Lesson Plan
Lesson Overview: Students will learn picture identification based on word association. Skills practiced include receptive language and photo discrimination.
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
May 30, 2015 · 2 min read
3 Ways to Build Skills for Transition Now!
Planning for a young adult with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or other special needs to transition from special education to adult services can be overwhelming for children and their parents alike! Many parents are so intimidated by the transition process that they refuse to t
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Apr 27, 2015 · 11 min read
Guess Who Lesson Plan
Lesson Overview: Students increase their understanding of jobs, tools used for certain jobs and identify features of particular workers by guessing which occupation the teacher is describing.
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Apr 22, 2015 · 4 min read
ARIS & Curriculum Grief and Loss: Helping Children with Autism Cope
Coping with the death of a loved one is difficult for everyone. The idea of death can be particularly scary for kids, and the thought of not being able to see or talk to a loved one again may be confusing and overwhelming. Download FREE Language Builder Emotion Cards! {{cta('c5b
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Mar 25, 2015 · 6 min read
Identical Matching Lesson Plan
Lesson Overview: This lesson plan teaches fine motor and receptive language skills in order to have students match identical pictures of familiar objects.
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Mar 18, 2015 · 4 min read
Functions Lesson Plan
Lesson Overview: This lesson plan practices sentence building, picture identification and vocabulary development. Students look at pictures of objects and describe the function of each item.
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Mar 16, 2015 · 2 min read
About Autism Autism is on the Rise
Autism – you see it on the news and hear about it from advocacy campaigns and you likely know someone whose life is affected by someone with the diagnosis. Undoubtedly, there are students with autism in your local public schools. Simply put, autism is more prevalent than ever, a
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Feb 18, 2015 · 4 min read
"I Need Help" Lesson Plan
Lesson Overview: This lesson plan reinforces the idea that sometimes, you just need a little help! Students use their problem-solving skills to identify when they need help, then advocate appropriately to get the assistance they need to complete a puzzle that is missing a piece.
Jenna Wharff, Ed.M.
Oct 4, 2014 · 7 min read