Autistic son, Need of help to talk to SpEd teacher

[Unregistered]

Hi, I hope I'm not intruding here as I am not a teacher. However, I have a problem that I think teachers with experience can assist me in, so I thought I'd give it a try.

My 9 yr old boy is high functioning autistic, with normal intelligence. He is assisted in his school by an OT, SpTh, Social Worker, Aide, Academic support Aide and SpEd teacher. His greatest functional limitation is socialization. He is prone to severe frustration and "upsets" or what can more accurately be described as rages. In a good week, he experiences 1-2 severe upsets while at school. In a bad week he can have 1-2 severe upsets every day.

Since Spring break his performance in school has gone down steadily. I've attended all the ieps, kept up regular daily contact with the school to see how he's doing during the day. I've remained open to suggestions by the staff and have put a great number of those suggestions to use. Some worked, some didn't. I've made every effort to work with the school staff in helping my son in his academic pursuits, making it clear that I wish to work with them and support their efforts, and making myself available when they wish to call me, as I call them.

The problem concerns the school's obligation to report abuse to the child protective services. Over this year, this school has called the CPS on me based on my son's outbursts during his severe upsets. I have been accused of a number of things which were completely unfounded, from my son being beaten up by his brothers, to my not giving my son his medications. The latest accusation was that I was allowing my son to play violent video games. My son doesn't play video games at all.

I have been investigated twice by the CPS. It has been explained to me that school reports to the CPS are considered priority cases, since the teachers have qualifications to recognize abuse. Yet at the end of each one time visit, the CPS worker apologized to me and reassured me that they found the school reports as unsubstantiated.

I am facing a challenge here. Someone on the school staff (and I believe it is only one person, as the rest of the staff I have complete faith in) harbors significant judgmental feelings against me. I believe it is the special ed teacher. She only sees my son when he is in the throes of one of his severe upsets, for that is the only time he is taken to the special ed room. That explains her bias in one way. I have told her flat out, in a polite manner of course, that I feel she is unfairly judging me. It didn't help, and probably was a mistake. Yet I feel I must do something to protect my family from her. Somehow, her misconceptions about my home need to be rectified, but I don't have a clue how. I have good working relationships with everyone else on the staff, particularly my son's teacher (herself a former SpEd teacher and a wonderful woman) and the social worker, who have been very supportive.

There are only 5 weeks left in the school year. I simply wish to get through them without further incident, and look to start out fresh in a new school. I'm not particularly angry with the person who has been calling the CPS. I realise that person has my son's best interests at heart, but it is frustrating to have to deal with ignorance and judgmental behaviors from someone I hoped to rely on as a source of education and support for my son.

I will appreciate any suggestions given to help me deal with this situation in a polite, professional and efficient manner. Thanks for reading.

[Unregistered]

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I don't think that it is always the fault of the school. I believe that our schools have not been properly trained in autism. Trust me, I'm a mom whose son has Kanner's Syndrome. My year has been bad, too. I have done a lot of research and I would be glad to share it with you.

As the child moves into middle school and high school, the most difficult areas continue to be those related to socialization and behavioral adjustment. Paradoxically, because children are frequently managed in mainstream educational settings, and because their specific developmental problems may be more easily overlooked (especially if they are bright and do not act too "strange"), they are often misunderstood at this age by both teachers and other students. At the secondary level, teachers often have less opportunity to get to know a child well and problems with behavior or work/study habits may be misattributed to emotional or motivational problems.

In middle school, where the pressures for conformity are greatest and tolerance for differences the least, children may be left out, misunderstood or teased and persecuted. Wanting to make friends and fit in, but unable to, they may withdraw even more, or their behavior may become increasingly problematic in the form of outbursts or non-cooperation. Some degree of depression is not uncommon as a complicating feature. If there are no significant learning disabilities, academic performance can continue strong, particularly in those areas of particular interest; often, however, there will be ongoing subtle tendencies to misinterpret information, particularly abstract or figurative/idiomatic language. Learning difficulties are frequent and attentional and organizational difficulties may be present.

The most important starting point in helping a student function effectively in school is for the staff (all who will come into contact with the child) to realize that the child has an inherent developmental disorder which causes him or her to behave and respond in a different way from other students. Too often, behaviors in these children are interpreted as "emotional", or "manipulative", or some other term that misses the point that they respond differently to the world and its stimuli. It follows from that realization that school staff must carefully individualize their approach for each of these children; it will not work out to treat them just the same as other students. Asperger himself realized the central importance of teacher attitude from his own work with these children. In 1944 he wrote, "These children often show a surprising sensitivity to the personality of the teacher...They can be taught, but only by those who give them true understanding and affection, people who show kindness towards them and, yes, humour...The teacher's underlying emotional attitude influences, involuntarily and unconsciously, the mood and behaviour of the child."

Although it is likely that many children can be managed primarily in the regular classroom setting, they often need some educational support services. If learning problems are present, resource room or tutoring can be helpful, to provide individualized explanation and review. Direct speech services may not be needed, but the speech and language clinician at school can be useful as a consultant to the other staff regarding ways to address problems in areas such as pragmatic language. If motor clumsiness is significant, as it sometimes is, the school Occupational Therapist can provide helpful input. The school counselor or social worker can provide direct social skills training, as well as general emotional support. Finally, a few children with very high management needs may benefit from assistance from a classroom aide assigned to them. On the other hand, some of the higher functioning children and those with milder AS, are able to adapt and function with little in the way of formal support services at school, if staff are understanding, supportive and flexible.

Rules should be applied carefully. Many of these children can be fairly rigid about following "rules" quite literally. While clearly expressed rules and guidelines, preferably written down for the student, are helpful, they should be applied with some flexibility. The rules do not automatically have to be exactly the same for the child as for the rest of the students--their needs and abilities are different.

In general, try to keep teaching fairly concrete. Avoid language that may be misunderstood by the child, such as sarcasm, confusing figurative speech, idioms, etc. Work to break down and simplify more abstract language and concepts

Explicit, didactic teaching of strategies can be very helpful, to assist the child gain proficiency in "executive function" areas such as organization and study skills.

In attempting to put a comprehensive teaching and management plan into place at school, it is often helpful for staff and parents to work closely together, since parents often are most familiar with what has worked in the past for a given child. It is also wise to put as many details of the plan as possible into an Individual Educational Plan so that progress can be monitored and carried over from year to year.

[Unregistered]

The above and below are article that I have found. I have shared them with all of my son's team. I would try that yourself. It's one way to let them know that you want to work with them. It also may give them information that they didn't know. Finally, it will show that you have done your best (I hate to say this, but keep copies of everything. I MEAN EVERYTHING)

An increase in unusual or difficult behaviors probably indicates an increase in stress. Sometimes stress is caused by feeling a loss of control. Many times the stress will only be alleviated when the student physically removes himself from the stressful event or situation. If this occurs, a program should be set up to assist the student in re-entering and/or staying in the stressful situation. When this occurs, a "safe-place" or "safe-person" may come in handy.
1. Do not take misbehavior personally. The high-functioning person with autism is not a manipulative, scheming person who is trying to make life difficult. They are seldom, if ever, capable of being manipulative. Usually misbehavior is the result of efforts to survive experiences which may be confusing, disorienting or frightening. People with autism are, by virtue of their disability, egocentric. Most have extreme difficulty reading the reactions of others

2. Behavior management works, but if incorrectly used, it can encourage robot-like behavior, provide only a short term behavior change or result in some form of aggression. Use positive and chronologically age-appropriate behavior procedures.


Poor Concentration
Children with AS are often off task, distracted by internal stimuli; are very disorganized; have difficulty sustaining focus on classroom activities (often it is not that the attention is poor but, rather, that the focus is "odd" ; the individual with AS cannot figure out what is relevant [Happe, 1991], so attention is focused on irrelevant stimuli); tend to withdrawl into complex inner worlds in a manner much more intense than is typical of daydreaming and have difficulty learning in a group situation.

In the case of mainstreamed students with AS, poor concentration, slow clerical speed and severe disorganization may make it necessary to lessen his or her homework/classwork load and/or provide time in a resource room where a special education teacher can provide the additional structure the child needs to complete classwork and homework (some children with AS are so unable to concentrate that it places undue stress on parents to expect that they spend hours each night trying to get through homework with their child);

Academic Difficulties
Children with AS usually have average to above-average intelligence (especially in the verbal sphere) but lack high level thinking and comprehension skills. They tend to be very literal: Their images are concrete, and abstraction is poor. Their pedantic speaking style and impressive vocabularies give the false impression that they understand what they are talking about, when in reality they are merely parroting what they have heard or read. The child with AS frequently has an excellent rote memory, but it is mechanical in nature; that is, the child may repond like a video that plays in set

[Unregistered]

sequence. Problem-solving skills are poor.

Provide a highly individualized academic program engineered to offer consistant successes. The child with AS needs great motivation to not follow his or her own impulses. Learning must be rewarding and not anxiety-provoking;

Children with Asperger Syndrome have the intelligence to compete in regular education but they often do not have the emotional resources to cope with the demands of the classroom. These children are easily stressed due to their inflexibility. Self-esteeem is low, and they are often very self-critical and unable to tolerate making mistakes. Individuals with AS, especially adolescents, may be prone to depression (a high percentage of depression in adults with AS has been documented). Rage reactions/temper outbursts are common in response to stress/frustration. Children with AS rarely seem relaxed and are easily overwhelmed when things are not as their rigid views dicate they should be. Interacting with people and coping with the ordinary demands of everyday life take continual Herculean effort.

Affect as reflected in the teacher's voice should be kept to a minimum. Be calm, predictable, and matter-of-fact in interactions with the child with AS, while clearly indicating compassion and patience. Hans Asperger (1991), the psychiatrist for whom this syndrome is named, remarked that "the teacher who does not understand that it is necessary to teach children [with AS] seemingly obvious things will feel impatient and irritated" (p.57);

Teachers must be alert to changes in behavior that may indicate depression, such as even greater levels of disorganization, inattentiveness, and isolation; decreased stress threshold; chronic fatigure; crying; suicidal remarks; and so on. Do not accept the child's assessment in these cases that he or she is "OK"

Children with AS must receive academic assistance as soon as difficulties in a particular area are noted. These children are quickly overwhelmed and react much more severely to failure than do other children;

Children with AS who are very fragile emotionally may need placement in a highly structured special education classroom that can offer individualized academic program. These children require a learning environment in which they see themselves as competent and productive. Accordingly, keeping them in the mainstream, where they cannot grasp concepts or complete assignments, serves only to lower their self-concept, increase their withdrawl, and set the stage for a depressive disorder. (In some situations, a personal aide can be assigned to the child with AS rather than special education placement. The aide offers affective support, structure and consistent feedback.)


Children with Asperger's syndrome are so easily overwhelmed by environmental stressors, and have such profound impairment in the ability to form interpersonal relationships, that it is no wonder they give the impression of "fragile vulnerability and a pathetic childishness" (Wing, 1981, p. 117). Everard (1976)wrote that when these youngsters are compared with their nondisabled peers, "one is instantly aware of how different they are and the enormous effort they have to make to live in a world where no concessions are made and where they are expected to conform" (p.2).

[Unregistered]

Accommodations and Modifications



Textbooks and Curriculum

Books

- Use marker to highlight important textbook sections

- Provide two sets of textbooks, one for home and one for school

- Use word-for-word sentence fill-ins

- Provide summaries of chapters

Curriculum

- Shorten spelling tests to focus on mastering the most functional words

Classroom Environment

- Provide a computer for written work.

- Seat the student close to the teacher or a positive role model

- Seat the student away from windows or doorways

- Provide an unobstructed view of the chalkboard, teacher, movie screen, etc

- Develop individualized rules for the student

Instruction and Assignments


Directions

- Use both oral and printed directions

- Give directions in small steps and in as few words as possible

- Number and sequence the steps in a task

- Provide visual aids

Time/transitions

- Alert student several minutes before a transition from one activity to another is planned; give several reminders

- Provide additional time to complete a task

- Allow extra time to turn in homework without penalty

Handwriting

- Use worksheets that require minimal writing

- Use fill-in questions with space for a brief response rather than a short essay

- Provide a “designated notetaker” or photocopy of other student or teacher notes.

- Provide a print copy of any assignments or directions written on the blackboard

- Provide use of a scribe

Tests

- Go over directions orally

- Provide a vocabulary list with definitions

- Permit as much time as needed to finish tests

- Allow tests to be taken in a room with few distractions (small group testing)

- Have test materials read to the student

- Divide tests into small sections of similar questions or problems

- Grade spelling separately from content

Math

- Use enlarged graph paper to write problems to help the student keep numbers in columns

- Read and explain story problems, or break problems into smaller steps.

- Use pictures or graphics

Other

- Use Post-it notes to mark assignments in textbooks

- Check progress and provide feedback often in the first few minutes of each assignment

- Break long-term assignments into small, sequential steps, with daily monitoring and frequent grading

- Sequence work, with the easiest part first

- Provide study guides and study questions that directly relate to tests

- Provide directions in a variety of ways

- Check often for understanding/review

- Provide visual supports

- Provide adult support for organization

- Provide adult support for make-up work and turning in assignments

Behavior

- Pair the student with a student who is a good behavior model for class projects

- Modify school rules that may discriminate against the student

- Amend consequences for rule violations

- Minimize the use of punishment; provide positive as well as negative consequences

- Develop an individualized behavior intervention plan that is positive and consistent with the student’s ability and skills

- Increase the frequency and immediacy of reinforcement

- Arrange for the student to leave the classroom voluntarily and go to a designated “safe place” when under high stress

- Develop a system or a code word to let the student know when behavior is not appropriate

- Ignore behaviors that are not seriously disruptive

- Develop interventions for behaviors that are annoying but not deliberate

[Unregistered]

Learning Styles of Students with Autism
1. by Gary B. Mesibov, Ph.D.,
Director Division TEACCH
University of North Carolina


Parents and professionals are well aware of the difficulties children with autism have in many educational settings. In response they have developed alternative programs and intervention strategies. Although some of these have been useful, most emphasize remediating behavioral difficulties to improve educational functioning. Another aspect of the problem, however, has received less attention: the specific learning needs of this unique population. This article will identify some unique learning characteristics of students with autism and their implications of these educational practices. Needs addressed will include organizational difficulties, distractibility, sequencing problems, inability to generalize, and uneven patterns of strengths and weaknesses. Although none of these applies to the entire population of students with autism, these learning problems are seen in a large percentage of these students to a significant degree.
Organization is difficult for each of us and especially for students with autism. It requires an understanding of what one wants to do and a plan for implementation. These requirements are sufficiently complex, interrelated, and abstract to present formidable obstacles for students with autism. When faced with complex organizational demands, they are frequently immobilized and sometimes never even able to begin their required tasks.
Developing systematic habits and work routines have been effective strategies for minimizing these organizational difficulties. Students with established left to right and top to bottom work routines do not stop working in order to plan where to begin and how to proceed. Organizational difficulties are also minimized through checklists, visual schedules, and visual instructions concretely showing autistic students what has been completed, what remains to be done, and how to proceed.
Distractibility is another common problem of students with autism. It takes many forms in the classroom: reacting to outside car noises, visually following movements in the classroom, or studying the teacher's pencil on the desk instead of completing the required work Although most autistic students are distracted by something, the specific distractions differ considerably from child to child.
Identifying what is distracting to each student is the first step in helping them. For some it might be visual stimuli, while for others it might be auditory. Distractions can be responding to extraneous noises or visual movements as well as not focusing on central aspects of required tasks. Careful assessments of individual distractions is crucial. Following these assessments environmental modifications can be made, which might involve the physical make-up of a student's work area, the presentation of work-related tasks, or many other possibilities.
Sequencing is another area of difficulty. These students often cannot remember the precise order of tasks because they focus concretely on specific details and do not always see relationships between them. Because sequences involve these relationships, they are often disregarded.
Consistent work routines and visual instructions compensate for these difficulties. Visual instructions can highlight sequences of events and remind autistic students of the proper order to follow. The visual picture remains present and concrete, helping the student to follow the desired sequence. The establishment of systematic work habits is also helpful; a student who always works from left to right can have work presented in the correct sequence.
Difficulties with generalization are well-known in autism and have important implications for educational practices. Students with autism frequently cannot apply what they have learned in one situation to similar settings. Appropriate generalization requires an understanding of the central principles in learned sequences and the subtle ways in which they are applicable to other situations. Focusing on specific details, students with autism frequently miss these central principles and their applications.
Parent-professional collaboration and community based instruction are important ways to improve generalization in students with autism. The more coordinated between the home and the school teaching efforts can be, the more likely it is that the students will apply what they learn to different settings. Using similar approaches and emphasizing similar skills are ways in which parents and professionals can collaborate to improve the generalization skills of their students.
Community-based teaching is also important for improving generalization skills. Because our ultimate goal is successful community-based training, activities must be available throughout educational programs. These should include regular field trips of increasing frequency as the students grow older, community-based work opportunities in 'real' job settings, and community-based leisure activities.
Uneven profiles of skills and deficits are well-documented characteristics of students with autism. They are also among the most difficult to program for. An autistic student can have the extraordinary ability to see spatial relationships or understand numerical concepts but be unable to use these strengths because of organizational and communicative limitations. Skilled teachers with experience teaching to these unique strengths and weaknesses are a necessity!
Teaching students with these wide ranges of abilities requires thorough assessments of all aspects of their functioning. These cannot be restricted to academic skills but must also include learning styles, distractibility, functioning in group situations, independent skills, and everything else that might impact the learning situation. Learning styles are especially important for the assessment process because they are keys to releasing learning potential.
How does each child with autism process information and what are the best teaching strategies given unique strengths, interests, and potential skills? A skilled teacher can open the door to many lean-ting opportunities. Adults with autism working in libraries, with computers, in food service establishments, and many other settings are evidence that they can be productive adults if given appropriate instruction. Too many education programs, however, do not recognize the unique strengths and deficits of this puzzling group of learners. A greater appreciation of their uniqueness and more training for professionals to help them understand these learning styles are the main possibilities for continued progress.

[Unregistered]

Strategies for Teachers
1. Many of the strategies for teaching students with autism are applicable for students with AS. The professional literature often does not differentiate between high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome when outlining recommended practices. However, it is important to give consideration to the unique learning characteristics, to provide support when needed, and to build on the student’s many strengths.
The following identifies the specific learning diffculty and suggests a number of possible classroom strategies: Adapted from Attwood (1998), Donnelly & Levy (1995), Grandin (1998), Moreno & O’Neal (1997), Myles & Simpson (1998), Williams, (1995).
Learning Difficulty
Classroom Strategies
Difficulties with language
tendency to make irrelevant comments
tendency to interrupt
tendency to talk on one topic and to talk over thespeech of others
difficulty understanding complex language, following directions, and understanding intent of words with multiple meanings
Comic Strip Conversations (Gray, 1994) can be applied to a range of problems with conversation skills
teach appropriate opening comments
teach student to seek assistance when confused
small group instruction for conversational skills
teach rules and cues regarding turn-taking in conversation and when to reply, interrupt or change the topic
use audio taped and videotaped conversations
explain metaphors and words with double meanings
encourage the student to ask for an instruction to be repeated, simplified or written down if he does not understand
pause between instructions and check for understanding
limit oral questions to a number the student can manage
watch videos to identify nonverbal expressions and their meanings
Insistence on sameness
wherever possible prepare the student for potential change
use pictures, schedules and social stories to indicate impending changes
Impairment in social interaction
difficulty understanding the rules of social interaction
may be naïve
interprets literally what is said
difficulty reading the emotions of others
lacks tact
problems with social distance
difficulty understanding "unwritten rules" and when they do learn them, may apply them rigidly
Restricted range of interests
Limit extended discussions and questions
set firm expectations for the classroom, but also provide opportunities for the student to pursue his own interests
incorporate and expand on interest in activities and assignments
Poor concentration
often off task
distractible
may be disorganized
difficulty sustaining attention
frequent teacher feedback and redirection
break down assignments
timed work sessions
reduced homework assignments
seating at the front
use nonverbal cues to get attention
Poor organizational skills
use schedules and calendars
maintain lists of assignments
help the student to use "to do" lists and checklists
pictures on containers and locker
picture cues in lockers
Poor motor coordination
take slower writing speed into account when giving assignments (length often needs to be reduced)
provide extra time for tests
consider the use of a computer for written assignments, as some students may be more skilled at using a keyboard than writing
Academic difficulties
usually average to above average intelligence
good recall of factual information
areas of difficulty include poor problem solving, comprehension problems and difficulty with abstract concepts
Often strong in word recognition and may learn to read very early, but difficulty with comprehension
May do well at mathematical computations, but have difficulty with problem solving don’t assume that the student has understood simply because he/she can re-state the information
be as concrete as possible in presenting new concepts and abstract material
use activity-based learning where possible
use graphic organizers such as semantic maps
break down tasks into smaller steps or present it another way
provide direct instruction as well as modeling
show examples of what is required
use outlines to help student take notes and organize and categorize information
avoid verbal overload
capitalize on strengths, e.g., memory
do not assume that they have understood what they have read – check for comprehension, supplement instruction and use visual supports
Emotional vulnerability
may have difficulties coping with the social and emotional demands of school
easily stressed due to inflexibility
often have low self-esteem
may have difficulty tolerating making mistakes
may be prone to depression
provide positive praise and tell the student what she/he does right or well
teach the student to ask for help
teach techniques for coping with difficult situations and for dealing with stress
Sensory Sensitivities
most common sensitivities involve sound and touch, but may also include taste, light intensity, colors and aromas
types of noises that may be perceived as extremely intense are:
sudden, unexpected noises such as a telephone ringing,
fire alarm
high-pitched continuous noise
confusing, complex or multiple sounds such as in shopping centers
be aware that normal levels of auditory and visual input can be perceived by the student as too much or too little
keep the level of stimulation within the student’s ability to cope
it may be necessary to avoid some sounds
minimize background noise
teach and model relaxation strategies and diversions to reduce anxiety
MANAGING CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR
Children with autism may present with some unusual and challenging behaviors, and do not always respond to the usual methods of discipline. It is frequently necessary to develop a systematic plan for changing behaviors. It is important that any behavior intervention plan is based on an understanding of the characteristics of autism, as well as knowledge of the strengths and needs of the individual student.

[Unregistered]

A behavior plan can be developed through a collaborative problem-solving process involving the significant people in the student’s life, including the parent(s)/guardian, classroom teacher, and special educator. It may also include other involved persons such as the principal, a consultant, speech language pathologist, and psychologist. The major components of the process (adapted from Dalrymple & Porco, 1993) to develop a behavior plan are:
Identification of the Problem Behavior
Identification of the Function and Contributing Factors
Identification of an Alternative Behavior
Strategies for Changing Behavior
Environmental Adaptations
Positive Program Strategies
Reactive Strategies
Development of the Behavior Intervention Plan
Evaluation of the Intervention Plan
Identification of the Problem Behavior
Identify and describe the behavior in observable terms, including where and when it occurs, what usually happens before the behavior, and the typical reactions of other people. It is important to determine whether the behavior actually does pose a problem. Some key considerations are:
Is the behavior potentially harmful to the student or others?
Does it interfere with the student’s learning or the learning of others?
Does it result in negative reactions and/or avoidance by peers and adults?

[Unregistered]

Identification of the Function of the Behavior and Contributing Factors
The function or purpose of a behavior is not always obvious. It is frequently necessary to collect information about the student, behavior, environment, and consequences to determine what purpose the behavior serves and what factors are maintaining the behavior.

A comprehensive behavior plan should include a thorough assessment of the behavior and the context in which it occurs, to determine the underlying contributing factors. Assessment should also include gathering significant information about the student, such as likes and dislikes, fears and frustrations, communication skills, strengths and needs, how the student interacts socially, and the typical responses tosensory stimuli. Problem behaviors may be a result of other characteristics associated with autism, such as attending difficulties, problems with interpreting verbal information, limited verbal expression, impairment in social skills, and different responses to sensory stimulation. For example, what appears to be a lack of cooperation may be the result of not understanding expectations or not knowing what is going to happen. Functional Analysis of Behavior is the process of identifying the function(s) that a specific behavior serves for the individual, and is based on the premise that all behavior serves some purpose.
The purpose may be to (1) gain attention, (2) gain a tangible consequence, (3) escape from an unpleasant situation, (4) gain a sensory consequence, (5) self-regulate, (6) make a comment or declaration, (7) release tension, or (8) it may be habitual (Donnellan, Mirenda, Mesaros, & Fassbender, 1984; Durand & Crimmins, 1988).
The process for collecting the information for a functional analysis involves identifying:
Antecedents (what happened just before the behavior, where did the behavior occur, and with whom)
Behavior description
Consequence (what happened after, and as a result of, the behavior)
When describing the students behavior:
include the frequency, intensity and duration of the behavior be specific; for example, hollering and screaming can vary in intensity and duration, and may or may not be a priority; clearly identify the situation where the behavior does and does not occur.
Information can be acquired through observation and data collection. Parents, teachers and others involved with the student on a regular basis can provide information. The information is analyzed to identify patterns, possible reinforcers and anything that may be triggering the behavior. In some situations, a questionnaire such as the Motivation Assessment Scale (Durand & Crimmins, 1988) can assist in determining possible functions of behaviors.

[Unregistered]

Identification of an Alternate Behavior
Functional analysis of behavior serves as the foundation for developing the behavior plan. Once the possible purpose of a behavior is determined or hypothesized, it is possible to identify an alternate, more appropriate behavior that can serve the same function.
The focus of the behavior intervention is on instruction rather than discipline. The goal is to increase the student’s alternate appropriate means of achieving the same purpose. The success of the plan is more dependent on the instructional and proactive components, and less influenced by the reactive strategies. The following may assist in identification of alternate behaviors:
The targeted alternate behavior frequently includes communication and/or social skill development.
· The alternate behavior might also be a more appropriate means of seeking sensory stimulation, or an appropriate method for reducing anxiety (i.e, relaxation exercises, visual imagery, going to a quiet place).
It cannot be assumed that the student has the skills necessary to engage in the alternate behavior. Systematic instruction and reinforcement are usually necessary.
The targeted behaviors may be those involved in anger management and self-control.
· In most situations, teaching of the alternate behavior will need to be combined with other positive program strategies.

[Real Live WI Teacher]

To the Mom that originally posted- how did it work out?

If you'd like to email me, I'll share my thoughts in a non-public forum =)
sweet_p_wisconsin@yahoo.com