Coding (writing programs for computers) is really trendy now in schools, and I think it's a great skill for students with autism to learn. Even if they don't become a computer programmer in the future, coding teaches kids problem solving and thinking skills. Many of my students also really enjoy it, so it's a great recreational/leisure skill.
Don't be afraid of teaching coding to your children or students if you don't have a computer science background. I'll share a few resources below that make coding easy and fun to teach. I think you and your students or children will love it!
Resource 1: Code.org
This website has great free online lessons that make it really simple to teach and learn. The lessons have short levels that seem like games, featuring popular characters such as the "Angry Birds." The classes walk you through programming step-by-step so that you can even learn alongside your students.
You can find their free online lessons here. Scroll down to where it says, "Curriculum Overview" and you'll find the links to the different lessons. They are arranged in order of difficulty, so it's easy to use. You don't have to log in or make an account, but you can make an account so your students can save their progress.
Don't be afraid of teaching coding to your children or students if you don't have a computer science background. I'll share a few resources below that make coding easy and fun to teach. I think you and your students or children will love it!
Resource 1: Code.org
This website has great free online lessons that make it really simple to teach and learn. The lessons have short levels that seem like games, featuring popular characters such as the "Angry Birds." The classes walk you through programming step-by-step so that you can even learn alongside your students.
You can find their free online lessons here. Scroll down to where it says, "Curriculum Overview" and you'll find the links to the different lessons. They are arranged in order of difficulty, so it's easy to use. You don't have to log in or make an account, but you can make an account so your students can save their progress.
Resource 2: Scratch
Scratch is a program that you can use to create simple games and animations using coding. It has some tutorials built into the program, but it is not as "step-by-step" as Code.org or Hour of Code. When I use Scratch with my students, I use a book of activities that tells you step-by-step how to use Scratch to make different projects. Scratch is available free from MIT at https://scratch.mit.edu/
Here are some examples of books about Scratch:
Scratch is a program that you can use to create simple games and animations using coding. It has some tutorials built into the program, but it is not as "step-by-step" as Code.org or Hour of Code. When I use Scratch with my students, I use a book of activities that tells you step-by-step how to use Scratch to make different projects. Scratch is available free from MIT at https://scratch.mit.edu/
Here are some examples of books about Scratch:
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Resource 3: Hour of Code
Hour of Code is a website that has lots of one-hour tutorials for coding. There are tutorials for all different ages, and the tutorials have fun themes with popular characters such as Star Wars, Anna and Elsa (from "Frozen"), and Minecraft. I think they are all free to use.
Here's the website: https://hourofcode.com/us/learn
Hour of Code is a website that has lots of one-hour tutorials for coding. There are tutorials for all different ages, and the tutorials have fun themes with popular characters such as Star Wars, Anna and Elsa (from "Frozen"), and Minecraft. I think they are all free to use.
Here's the website: https://hourofcode.com/us/learn
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