Stages Connect
L.F. Stebbins
ContributorM.Ed. M.L.I.S.
L.F. is a Connect contributor writing on autism education and special-education practice.
Articles by L.F.
Classroom Strategies Flexible Furniture in K-12 Schools: Recommendations for Supporting Neurodiverse and Autistic Students
Flexible furniture is increasingly seen as a critical tool in supporting the diverse needs of all students—including those who are autistic or neurodiverse. Research and expert advice underscore that the right classroom…
L.F. Stebbins
Aug 20, 2025 · 5 min read
Behavior & Sensory Optimizing K-12 Classrooms for Autistic Learners: 6 Design Strategies that Benefit All Students
The link between classroom design and learning outcomes is clear. In the past two decades much has been learned about ways to structure classrooms to reduce behavioral challenges and improve learning outcomes for student…
L.F. Stebbins
Aug 20, 2025 · 6 min read
Classroom Strategies How Can AI Best Serve Special Education Students? Let Me Count the Ways...
Jen, a neurodiverse student, struggles to communicate her needs. She wants to ask her teacher for an extension because she didn’t finish her homework. She asks an AI-powered robot in her classroom to present her with a f…
L.F. Stebbins
Feb 4, 2024 · 9 min read
Classroom Strategies How to Set Up a Homeschool Classroom for Your Child with Autism: 10 Key Strategies
Setting up space in your home to homeschool your child with autism is where your own creativity can come into play. Even in a small home and on a tight budget there are ways to design your space that...
L.F. Stebbins
Oct 5, 2023 · 8 min read
ABA & Therapy How ARIS® Supports MTSS Tier 3 Interventions
Supporting Preschool Students with Language Acquisition or School Readiness Challenges MTSS is a multi-tiered system of support that provides a framework for teaching that is proactive and...
L.F. Stebbins
Apr 1, 2023 · 9 min read
Classroom Strategies How Universal Design for Learning Powers the ARIS Autism Curriculum
A Research White Paper What is UDL? Based on extensive research into the science of learning, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that can be used to optimize the design of...
L.F. Stebbins
Jan 20, 2023 · 9 min read
Language & Communication Language Delays: How to Rule out Hearing Loss for Autistic Children
Language delays in children can occur for many reasons including cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, or autism. If a child has a language delay ruling out hearing loss is an important...
L.F. Stebbins
Dec 12, 2021 · 2 min read
Classroom Strategies School Guide to Expanding Medicaid Reimbursements for Special Education and other Health and Behavioral Services
NOTE: New Guide Just Released to Help Schools Give Care to Children Covered by Medicaid Is your school or district doing all it can to take advantage of these new funds? Any...
L.F. Stebbins
Aug 27, 2021 · 10 min read
ARIS & Curriculum Autism, Art, Music and One Father’s Connection to his Autistic* Son
Justin Morell is a composer and guitarist whose work crosses genres between classical and jazz styles and is featured on several acclaimed recordings including the recent Concerto for Guitar...
L.F. Stebbins
Apr 25, 2021 · 3 min read
ABA & Therapy Teletherapy for Children with Autism: Research Based Best Practices
Stages Learning Materials is hard at work building an online distance learning platform designed specifically to provide teletherapy to children with autism. Distance Learning, also called remote...
L.F. Stebbins
Jan 23, 2021 · 8 min read
ARIS & Curriculum Social Narratives: Helping Children with Autism Understand Social Situations
This resource was created as a supplement for the Language Builder: Academic Readiness Intervention System (ARIS) complete early autism curriculum, Lesson #68, Social Stories and Lesson #152, Tell Me...
L.F. Stebbins
Oct 4, 2020 · 6 min read
Life Skills & Transitions Follow Your Passion: 5 Steps to Finding the Best Career Match for a Young Adult with Autism
1. Follow Your Passion I love flying! All my life I have been interested in anything aviation related: airports, travel, planes. All of us have things we are passionate about, but for a young...
L.F. Stebbins
Apr 2, 2020 · 6 min read
ABA & Therapy A New Curriculum for All Children with Autism
The new Language Builder: ARIS (Academic Readiness Intervention System) was developed to provide a curriculum to any teacher or parent interested in helping a child with autism develop to their full...
L.F. Stebbins
Apr 2, 2020 · 4 min read
ARIS & Curriculum A New Curriculum for Autism: ARIS
Teachers, parents and Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) have been asking for an “all in one” autism education curriculum for years. Language Builder: ARIS (Academic Readiness Intervention System)...
L.F. Stebbins
Mar 22, 2020 · 3 min read
ARIS & Curriculum The Most Popular Action and Movement Songs for Children with Autism
FREE ARIS Lesson Plan Download: Participation in Group Songs with Action {{cta('dd592bfe-679e-4e5a-9f99-6923f3082c63')}} Many classrooms use movement and action songs as a way to help young...
L.F. Stebbins
Apr 13, 2019 · 6 min read
Emotions & Social Skills 5 Ways We Can Make the World More Autism Friendly
What it Means to be Autism Friendly and How You Can Help An exciting and fast moving effort is under way to create “Autism Friendly” spaces so that children and adults with autism can feel more...
L.F. Stebbins
Apr 1, 2016 · 5 min read
ABA & Therapy The Therapeutic Power of Pets for Children with Autism
Jackson Tillman is in third grade, lives in Kentucky, and has autism. The biggest challenge Jackson’s family has is that when a situation becomes overwhelming Jackson bolts, and when Jackson is with...
L.F. Stebbins
Jan 27, 2016 · 5 min read
ABA & Therapy Grandparent's Guide to Shopping for a Grandchild who has Autism
As a grandparent it can be a struggle to find presents for a granddaughter or grandson who has autism. Sometimes traditional gifts can backfire for the child with autism. Stages Learning has...
L.F. Stebbins
Dec 18, 2015 · 1 min read
Family & Home Life How to Enjoy the Holidays with a Loved One Who Has Autism
Holidays can be a time of great joy and excitement, but they can also be stressful and disruptive. For families who have children with autism, extra planning is essential to keep everyone on an even...
L.F. Stebbins
Dec 18, 2015 · 5 min read
ABA & Therapy New Tools to Help Your Child Sleep
Research [i] confirms what many parents of children with autism already know: children with autism have a higher incidence of sleep challenges, and the more severe the autism symptoms the more severe...
L.F. Stebbins
Nov 18, 2015 · 6 min read
Life Skills & Transitions Autism Parents: How Do You Rate on Self-Care?
As a parent our needs are often the first to be postponed or set aside. Sometimes there is no choice: we have to attend to the immediate needs of our children. But in the long run we could be doing...
L.F. Stebbins
Oct 2, 2015 · 7 min read
ABA & Therapy A Closer Look: Pivotal Response Training (PRT)
Overview Pivotal Response Training (PRT) is a variation of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) type therapy. It focuses on more comprehensive “pivotal” areas such as increasing a child’s motivation to...
L.F. Stebbins
Jul 30, 2015 · 5 min read
ABA & Therapy A Closer Look: Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI)
Overview EIBI is a type of Applied Behavioral Analysis focused on children under five years of age. New research has shown that while intensive behavioral interventions work well with all...
L.F. Stebbins
Jul 30, 2015 · 4 min read
Life Skills & Transitions Effective Treatment for Autism: It’s Never Too Early to Start
There are many promising treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Decades of research and a recent synthesis of 6 major research reviews indicate that the therapies listed below are all...
L.F. Stebbins
Jul 29, 2015 · 6 min read