what do i do monday morning: behavioral strategies, part 1

CSHA District 7

What Do I Do Monday Morning?

Behavioral Strategies for

the SLPA

Gwendolyn Eberhard, SLP, MT

Director of Speech & Language

Villa Esperanza Services, Pasadena

Our Clinic Today

2014 - 8 st af

4 speech-language pat hologist s

3 SL P assist ant s

3 volunt eer s

1 gr aduate st udent int er n

1 administ r at ive assist ant

Today’s Agenda

9:00-10:30 Communicative functions of problem

behavior, power struggles and students who

have special needs, engagement, affect &

motivation

10:30-10:45 BREAK

10:45-11:45 Practical tools and strategies to

improve understanding, expression, and self

regulation

11:45-12:00 WRAP UP

Learning Objectives

1. Identify four possible functions of

problematic behavior.

2. Describe the role that affect plays in

development and learning.

3. List four strategies that can be used to

improve student motivation.

4. Describe the role visual supports can play in

supporting language comprehension,

expression and self-regulation.

Slideshow & Resources

scaacn.blogspot.com

GETTING STARTED

What is Behavior?

• Everything we do is “behavior”

• Behavior problems refer to:

– When won’t do what we want them to

– When they do things we don’t want them to

Behavior Problems are

Normal!

• In typical development

– Sleeping, Eating, Toilet training

– Terrible Two’s

– Self control

– Responsibility

– Independence

– Academic achievement

• With different developmental

trajectories…

Behavior Problems

• In special needs:

– Same stages, different speeds

– May match mental age (not chronological)

– Uneven development

– Learning expectations may take more time,

help

– May not master some

Why Focus on Problematic

Behaviors?

• Studies have shown, individuals with

communication and learning difficulties

are much more to have behavioral

challenges

• Great source of stress for educators

and families

Why is it important?

• Relationships are negatively impacted

by problematic behaviors

• May stigmatize

• Effect attitudes and practices of

professionals and school communities

• Impact the individual’s quality of life

Additional Challenges• Learners with special needs must

overcome:

Everyone Communicates

• Crying

• Reaching

• Pointing

• Gestures

• Facial expression

• Body language

• Tone of voice

• Sounds

• Words

• Phrases

• Sentences

Everyone Communicates

• Crying

• Reaching

• Pointing

• Gestures

• Facial expression

• Body language

• Tone of voice

• Sounds

• Words

• Phrases

• Sentences

• Silence, refusal

• Screaming

• Pulling hair

• Falling asleep

• Aggression

Examples:

HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Human Behavior

• SOME behavior is biologically driven

or reflexive

• MOST behavior occurs because it

serves a function and/or produces an

outcome.

Eating - satisfying hunger

Covering our ears - softens the impact of

the loud noise

Human Behavior

• Behavior also serves as a form of

communication.

Pushing your plate away

Looking away

Facial expressions & body language

Consider:

• Behavior is often an individual’s best

attempt to communicate in a situation:

Given his skills,

Education,

Physical and emotional state, and

Past experiences.

Human Behavior

• It is often helpful to think of an

individual’s actions as a response,

rather than a pre-determined or willful

behavior.

Human Behavior

• “Problematic behaviors” - we as

individuals or a society find them to be

difficult to accept.

Examples of Problem

Behavior – NONVERBAL

• Withdrawl, not responding to requests,

refusing, resisting

• Tantrums, grabbing, throwing objects,

pushing, bolting, dropping to the ground

• Mouthing, spitting

• Jumping, flapping, rocking

• Self-injurious – biting, hitting head

Examples of Problem

Behavior – VERBAL

• Staying on topic

• “Blurting out”

• Arguing, correcting

• Speech patterns – echolalia,

perseverative speech

• Extreme language

Our job:

• Observe

• Try to understand the purpose of

behaviors

• Only then can we hope to offer help.

Purpose of Behavior

1. Access - Obtaining a

desired object or

outcome

2. Escape - from a task

or situation

Attempting to gain control

over an environment or

situation (self-advocacy)

3. Attention - either

positive (praise) or

negative (yelling)

4. Sensory -

Trying to self-calm, self-

regulate or feel good

(sensory input)

Blocking or staying away

from something painful or

bothersome (sensory

avoidance)

Responding to pain or

discomfort

Many Factors Contribute

• Within-Child Factors – sleep

deprivation, nutritional issues, GI

distress, arousal/energy, illness


• Environmental Factors

Noise

Movement

Space

Temperature

Lighting


• Psychological factors

Cognitive level

Language skills

Negative emotional memory – persons,

places, or activities that are attached to

high degrees of stress for them


• Social Factors

Complexity of a social environment

Demand to interact/engage

Partner Behavior – Our behavior can be a

trigger or a contributing (talk to quickly,

punitive tone with hypersensitive student)


• Multi-Risk Families

Socio-economic disadvantage

Testing Limits

• Intentionally engaging in problematic

behavior

• “Testing limits”

Cursing and looking at teacher

Refusal without signs of overwhelm

• Expectations clear

• Supports in place

The most effective…

• The most effective teachers and parents

match their teaching style and

expectations to the individual student

The most effective…

HOW ABOUT YOU?

What motivates/ed you to do well

in school?

Intrinsic Motivation:

The activity itself is generating motivation

to participate

Extrinsic Motivation:

Factors outside of oneself influence

your choice to participate

Intrinsic Motivation: Children

• The activity itself is generating

motivation to participate

• Newness, novelty

• It has meaning/value to them

• More learning & greater retention

because it’s FUN!!!

Extrinsic Motivation: Children

• Factors outside of oneself influence your

choice to participate

Grades

Adult approval

Competition

The children that challenge

us…

• What intrinsically motivates them?

• If we can’t include that in our therapy –

what extrinsic motivation can we offer?

HOW ABOUT YOU?

What happens when you are not

motivated by a class, an

instructor or lecturer?

Emotion Regulation

• Is the ability to respond to the ongoing

demands of experience with the range

of emotions in a manner that is socially

tolerable

Permitting spontaneous reactions

And the ability to delay spontaneous

reactions as needed

Emotion Regulation

• Is a complex process that involves

initiating, inhibiting, or modulating one's

state or behavior in a given situation

Feelings

Observable

Behavior

ThoughtsPhysiological

Responses

Problem Behavior &

Emotional State

• Most problem behavior is an outcome of

a dysregulated emotional state

• Child is not able to stay regulated

• Most likely NOT intentionally engaging

in problematic behavior

Emotional & Behavioral

Regulation

• Focus on the child’s ability to regulate

their emotional arousal

• Prioritizes supporting emotional well-

being

• And results in better behavioral control

Emotional & Behavioral

Regulation

• “Availability” for learning and social

engagement

• Resilience to try new things

MY EMOTION

REGULATION

PLAN

Affect

• Definition:

• An experience of bodily tension that

occurs as a result of perception.

• The way a person reacts to their

emotions.

Affect

• It reminds you of something you know

• Affect drives ALL memory

• Emotional memory plays a huge role in

emotional regulation

Affect

• Affective reciprocity allows children to

find meaning and to symbolize their

experiences

Affect supports:

Regulation

Attention

Engagement

Learning in the classroom

Emotions & Memory

• Emotions are the affective component

of memory

• Feelings experienced associated with:

A person (joyful or stressful)

A place (safe or threatening)

An activity or experience (fun, interesting,

boring, challenging)

2014, B. Prizant, SLP

When kids refuse…

…an activity, or even the transition to

speech sessions

• It may be a result of negative emotional

memory

Increase Motivation & Avoid

Power Struggles

• Try and understand the factors at play

• Offer choices and shared control

• Provide a “hook” for each activity at the

beginning to keep them interested

Motivation & Positive Affect

Typical social development:

• Response to social and environmental

cues are fundamental to development of

language (and other skills)

Reduced MotivationWhen Communication & Learning

Disorders are present:

• Vicious cycle: Repeated exposure to

failure and/or correction can reduce the

desire to attempt

Low levels of

correct

responding

Low levels or

reinforcement

Our job:

• Plan learning experiences and

opportunities that will provide:

Success + Positive

Emotion

Our job:

• Success + Positive Emotion result in:

• Increased motivation

• Enhanced learning

• More rapid acquisition of target

behaviors, and

• Fewer avoidance behaviors

Motivation

In Autism Spectrum Disorders:

• Learners often appear poorly motivated

to engage in and respond to the social

world around them

• Social praise may not be enough of a

“hook”

Increasing Motivation

6 Strategies:

1. Positive Affect

2. Shared Control, Turn Taking &

Incorporating Learner Choice

3. Interspersing Acquisition and

Maintenance Tasks

4. Reinforcing Reasonable Attempts

5. Varying Tasks and Responses

6. Using Natural & Direct Reinforcers

From Pivotal Response Training, Koegel & Koegel, UC Santa Barbara


1. Positive Affect

– Are you being fun?

– Are you having fun?

– Does your voice entice?

– Is your praise enthusiastic?

– Is there a way that everyone could be

experiencing more enjoyment in this task?


2. Shared Control, Turn Taking &

Incorporating Learner Choice

– Who is making the decisions?

– Are turns balanced?

– Are you sharing in the choice-making?


3. Interspersing Acquisition and

Maintenance Tasks

– If every task was a 7 or 8, I’d give up too!

– How are you planning for success?

– Are your prompts sufficient?

– What does the data say?

• No matter the criteria in the goal, you want to

push for a 90% success rate


4. Reinforcing Reasonable Attempts

– This goes along with interspersing

– Praise and gentle correction

• Many students are sensitive to “No”

• Alternatives:

– Let me help you

– I might say…

– Let’s try it this way


5. Varying Tasks and Responses

– Hooray for the NEW!

– Repetition with variation

– Mix your targets

• To intersperse drills

– Freshen up your flashcard activities

Flashcard Fun• Magnetic pole

• Paper clips

• Some surprise fish

Flashcard Fun


6. Using Natural & Direct Reinforcers

– Along the lines of incorporating child

choice

– Preferred topics

– Manipulatives that motivate

– Cool pens

– White boards

– Leadership opportunities

Emotion (& Behavioral)

Regulation

• Self Regulation

Independent

• Mutual Regulation

With help

Emotion Regulation

Ideally:

• They can perceive their own

anxiety or overwhelm

• Students will ask for support,

help, break

Self and Mutual Regulation

Allow Students to:

• Be organized and focused

• Solve problems

• Communicate

• Maintain social engagement

• Be “available” for learning

When Power Struggles Occur

• Use disagreement as a teaching

moment for problem solving,

appropriate negotiation and

compromise

• React in a way that allows the student

to “save face”

15 min BREAK

When we return…

Practical tools and strategies to improve

understanding, expression, and self

regulation

15 min Break – Return at 10:45

TIME REMAINING