succeeding with difficult students presented by toni gullekson and jennifer byse
TRANSCRIPT
WHO????
Students with Emotional
Disturbance
Any other student having
difficulty in the school
setting
Students with Autism
Students with Attention
Deficit Disorder
Autism:What is it??? A complex brain developmental disorder
Appears during the first three years of life
Affect the person the rest of his/her life
No known single cause
Defined as collection of behavioral symptoms that are
characterized by impaired social interaction &
communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior.
Autism:What is it??? A spectrum disorder: Pervasive
Developmental Disorder (aka Autism Spectrum Disorders
AutismAsperger’sPDD-NOS
Childhood Disintegrative DisorderRett’s Disorder
Facts and Statistics from the Centers
for
Disease Control and Prevention
(2007):
1 in 150 births, almost 1 in 94 boys (4 times more prevalent in boys than in girls)
1 in 1.5 million Americans Fastest-growing developmental disability 10-17% annual growth Estimated $3.5 million to $5 million lifetime cost for
care $90 billion annual cost to the US 90% of costs are in adult services Cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3 with
early diagnosis and intervention In 10 years, the annual cost will be $200-400 billion
Autism Spectrum
Characteristics
Impaired relatedness
Impaired communication
Insistence on sameness or
resistance to change
Ritualistic behaviors
Sensory abnormalities
Functions of Behavior
Attention
Power / Control
Justice / Revenge
Escape / Avoidance
Expression of Self
AttentionWhat does this
look like?
Student is seeking attention.
Could be positive or negative attention
Attention from ANYONE will reinforce this behavior
Appropriate Responses
Ignore the behavior
Redirect and walk away
Avoid verbal interaction
Train other students and staff to ignore the behavior
Power and ControlWhat does this
look like? Student is attempting to
feel a sense of power by controlling their own actions.
Student refuses to get in line when you ask, but will wait until they are “good and ready”
Student appears to have his/her own agenda that they do not want to share with the rest of us
Appropriate Response
Offer choices so that the student feels in control.
Do not change the expectation once stated.
Realize that you can not make a student do something they don’t want to do.
Avoid power struggles
Justice / RevengeWhat does this
look like? Student is looking for
something to be “FAIR”
Could be revenge against other students or teacher
Targets another student
Cuts in line, turns around and pushes
Appropriate Responses
Separate student from targeted student(s)
Immediate feedback on appropriateness of behavior
Escape / AvoidanceWhat does this
look like? Students is avoiding
a given request or assignment
Student has difficulties during the same activities every day (IE, math, lunch, tutoring, lunch)
Appropriate Responses
Be observant of the things that occur before the behavior
Follow through on activities after the behavior subsides
Expression of selfWhat does this
look like? Student has difficulty
with social situations understanding rules and appropriate behavior
Ex) Students are playing tag and one student throws another on the ground.
Appropriate Responses
Use social stories to teach appropriate behavior
PRACTICE… PRACTICE… PRACTICE!!!!
Visual schedules…picture or written
Remind students and parents and have a visual cue for change in schedule
Be aware of physical environmental
State clear expectations (state name and simple concrete language)
check for understanding (student should restate expectation not just yes or no)
Build “break time” into the schedule and teach what to do during this time.
Clarify work routines for every activity (the 4 W’s)
Prevention StrategiesEstablish and Teach Routines
Prevention
Strategies
Establish a support system for
the student
Power Cards/ Social storiesKeychain Rules
Meet sensory needsTeach social skills
Motivators linked to subject obsessions
Be aware of physical environmental
Know the background of the student(review behavior contract or BIP if
applicable)**remember confidentiality**
Intervention Strategies
What to do when the crisis occurs
Back off, avoid confrontation. Don’t get into a power struggle.
Don’t take it personally. It’s not about you or anything he/she may say. In fact, LATER, may be the time to review behavior/social skills… NOT in the heat of the moment.
Sometimes ignoring (not responding/agreeing) helps. Especially if they are perseverating about the incident.
Signaling with a visual cue (stop sign or a be quiet sign) may help to de-personalize the incident.
Intervention Strategies Cont.
What to do when the crisis occurs
Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say much (quote from John Wayne). In fact, writing it down may be more effective than saying anything to him.
Just walk, but don’t talk-walk around the school, use muscle power.
Stay cool. Watch you own body language.
Important: Strategies used during intervention must be taught during the preventative stages.
Get the student moving. Send him on an errand
Follow through on consequences and be consistent.
PostventionDebriefing the student (visual,
verbal & supportive) Make sure the student
is ready to discuss (compliance steps)
What happened??
What should you have done??
What will you do next time??
Action to prevent incident from
occurring again Review existing
prevention techniques
If needed, develop new ways to teach alternative or appropriate behavior
Model and Practice strategies
Things to remember
Keep your cool…adults need break time too!
Consistency…Consistency…Consistency!!!!
Don’t take it personally
Have a plan
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