Push to Open: A Teacher's QuickGuide to Universal Design for Teaching Students on the Autism Spectrum in the General Education Classroom is a practical and simple guide to strategies which will help remove common barriers success for students with autism, while also benefitting many other students in the general education classroom. Instead of being a reactive, “first aid” approach to fixing problems after they occur, Push To Open offers a proactive planning guide to help general education teachers understand some of the most critical characteristics of autism, and plan their classroom environment and teaching methods to avoid pitfalls that can occur around sensory, communication, social and instructional issues In this age of accountability for every student to access, make progress, and show value added through their learning in the general curriculum, “Push to Open” provides no-nonsense, practical guidance to make life easier and outcomes better for teachers and students. This book is going to be popular with classroom teachers who are increasingly serving students with ASD. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the book is that it demonstrates how helping such students will help all students, the idea embodied in the concept of universal design for learning that has gained prominence in recent years. Push to Open ... is easy to read with clearly presented practical information that many teachers will find very useful. --Shirley Cohen, PhD, professor emeritus, Hunter College, author and editor, Everyday Classroom Strategies and Practices for Supporting Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders and The ASD NEST Model A Framework for Inclusive Education for Higher Functioni In my 10 years of teaching in my own classroom and substituting and assisting in many other classroom environments, I have seen many mishaps in the attempted inclusion of students with ASD. Lisa offers an amazing variety of hands-on solutions that are both ASD- and general education student-centered. Not only will these strategies enable general and special education teachers to take ownership of the process of inclusion, they will also motivate and energize teachers, assistants, and students to successfully and cohesively work together in an engaging learning experience for all. --Alexis L. Wright-Schneider, elementary and middle school teacher, Gurnee, Illinois With the growing number of students with ASD in the classroom, general education teachers, intervention specialists, and paraprofessionals will all benefit from the practical wisdom of Push to Open A Teacher s QuickGuide to Universal Design for Teaching Students on the Autism Spectrum in the General Education Classroom. Whether you are a new teacher looking for answers or an experienced teacher looking to reflect on your current classroom, Push to Open provides a framework for implementing best practices for students with ASD. --Allison Officer, MsEd, intervention specialist, Mad River Local Schools Lisa Combs has 27 years of experience in the field of special education. Over the course of her career, she has taught students with a wide range of disabilities in both self-contained and inclusive settings. Additionally, she has supervised regional special education programs, taught at the university level, and has provided consultation and training for school personnel, public and private agencies, and families. She has her Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Special Education from Ball State University, and has done additional graduate work in Educational Supervision through the University of Dayton, and in Behavioral Interventions for Autism through the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Her career long objective has been to create exceptional outcomes for individuals with disabilities in learning and in life.