On a flight to Dallas last week I had quite a unique experience. It’s called turbulence. More than usual. I got up to use the bathroom. As I waited for my turn, the plane started to bounce. Just a little at first. Then more and more. Then enough bouncing that I made what they call an “executive decision.” Go sit down.

By now I was clutching to the seats along the isle to hold on as I tried to make my way back to my seat, which was way too far away. Then the airplane did a really big bounce. It threw me up in the air like I was on one of those mini exercise tramps. As I came down I landed right-smack-dab on the lap of a very kindly grandfather type.

I turned around and greeted him with “hi there” which generated a bit of laughter from our region of the plane. This kind man put his arms around me to hold me tight because the plane was still tossing around. Lots of turbulence for 10 more minutes. Another executive decision. Stay seated in this unconventional seat.

Eventually the sky became quiet so I could move back to the comfort of my own seat and seatbelt. I wish I knew his name to send a heartfelt thank you to this man. I hope that in his heart he knows that his good deed was appreciated.

This event reminded me of some of the situations I have been in with my students. Those “all of a sudden” moments that you’re not really prepared for. Have you ever had one? Please click on the comments link to share yours. I’ll share mine next time.

I receive correspondence from lots of people who read my books and newsletters or attend my Visual Strategies Workshops.

Here’s what one Mom wrote:

. . .but I have learned through my journey that many times their behavior is communication and often times they do not understand the situation or what is expected of them.

This is where visual aids really do work in helping these children understand. Time after time I have had success and little by little I have seen these challenging behaviors fade away.
Leslie (Matthew’s Mom)

These are the kind of mini-testimonials that keep me going.  I KNOW visual strategies work.  I know they make a difference for our kids.  Thanks for writing, Leslie.

Tuesday Tip – Learned Responses

As students react to specific significant events, they may repeat that same behavior or response every time the memory of that event is repeated.  This can be particularly obvious when they react strongly to something that they perceive as frightening or highly undesirable.  Even though the surrounding factors may change, they may still react strongly every time that event is triggered.  Example:  Several years ago I saw a dog that frightened me enough that I cried.  Now I cry every time I see a dog.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Communication Breakdowns

Communication difficulties can be a primary reason for many behavior problems.  It is critical to remember that communication is more than just speech.

These students can experience significant difficulty effectively expressing themselves.  Whether they are verbal or non-verbal, the strategies these students use to get their wants and needs met and to interact socially with others may not work efficiently.  Inappropriate behaviors may actually work more effectively for a student than other forms of communication.

Understanding why communication problems exist and where communication breakdowns contribute to behavior difficulties is a significant step toward developing successful solutions.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Learned Routines

If we don’t teach them a routine to accomplish a task, they will develop their own routine.  The problem results when the routine that they develop is not appropriate or efficient.  Once their routine is established, it is difficult to make changes.  Consequently, it is better to make sure that new tasks are learned in appropriate sequences.  It is also prudent to teach tasks and routines with a long-term view so students won’t have to spend valuable time unlearning behavior appropriate only for younger children to relearn more mature behavior as they get older.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Generalization

What we learn from one experience gets stored into our brains in a “storage data base.”  When we become involved in another situation, our brains go back to the data base to see if there are any similarities or if something was learned in the first situation that will have application for handling the second situation.  Some students with disabilities, particularly those with autism, are observed experiencing considerable difficulty generalizing learning from one situation or setting to another.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – How Do You Define Behavior Problems?

Here are some descriptions that people would classify as behavior problems:

1.  When a student’s behavior is causing injury or harm to himself or others
2.  When a student’s behavior prevents him from participating effectively in his life routines
3.  When an individual uses behavior as an inappropriate or ineffective means of communicating
4.  When he is engaging in behaviors or activities that are different from what is expected from him because of age, ability level, location, event, or activity
5.  When she is not following or complying with the rules, routines, or expectations of specific occasions or environments
6.  When the student is not performing skills or engaging in actions or interactions effectively
7.  When the individual is not performing his life routines at the level of independence expected for his age and ability level
8.  When a student does anything that calls attention to himself, making him significantly different from his peers

Accurately describing a behavior problem is the first step toward solving it.
For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – When does behavior become a problem?

Behavior becomes a problem when we encounter situations where:

• Students do not conduct themselves properly for the environment
• Their behavior does not match what we expect from their peers
• They do not do what we want them to do, when we want them to do it or how we want it done

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Learned Helplessness:

Without realizing it we can teach students to be dependent on us to do things for them.  The principle that is sometimes difficult for us to remember is: If we do it for them, they don’t need to learn to do it for themselves.  This is as true for the college student with dirty laundry as it is for the two-year-old learning to put on his socks.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Who is Causing the Behavior Problem?

We focus on the individual student whose behavior is not acceptable.  We pay attention to what he or she does that is inappropriate.  We notice what he does or what he does not do.  In honest assessment, sometimes the behavior problems are really caused, not by the student, but by other people.  What the other people are doing or not doing is the real presenting problem.  Our targeted student is simply responding or reacting in the ways he knows.  Perhaps his responses are inappropriate or his communication skills do not adequately handle the situation, but the true cause of the difficulty is the other people.  This is not an attempt to suggest blaming others for the student’s behavior difficulties.  But it is necessary to view the student’s behavior in the context of the people around him.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Responding to Sensory Information

We all respond to sensory information differently.  That means we may be more sensitive or less sensitive to sensory input (sound, touch, taste, etc.) than others.  Think about the teenager who likes the music loud and the parent who wants it quieter.  Although there are variations in the neurotypical population, there are a significantly higher number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders who experience sensory differences.  It is important to discover the individual “sensory profile” of students.  Many things that we call behavior problems may actually have a link to sensory issues.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Learned Chains of Behavior

For as much as it is said that our targeted students have difficulty learning, sometimes they learn a series of behaviors-a chain of behaviors- where one behavior gradually escalates to another behavior which escalates to another, eventually leading to a full-blown incident.  These situations can become a significant challenge because once a chain begins it may be difficult to interrupt or change the student’s behavior to keep him from completing the escalation through the whole chain.  The goal becomes trying to identify what triggers the beginning of the chain.  Careful observation and data collection can help solve the problem.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Finding Solutions to Behavior Problems

The most critical step in attempting to solve behavior problems is to identify WHY the behavior difficulties exist.  Unless you know why a problem is occurring, you will have difficulty finding a good long term solution.  Sometimes the answer is obvious.  Sometimes it takes considerable detective work.  But remember that the goal of discovering why is an important first step.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Changing Inappropriate Behaviors

Learning style differences affect how much the student learns and how rapidly he learns. In order to teach effective skills to replace inappropriate behaviors we must make sure we are teaching those skills in the ways that student learns best.  That means giving him information using the forms of communication he understands best.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – Strengths & Weaknesses Affect Behavior

Learning strengths or weaknesses can affect student behavior.  Consider these: Intellectual ability, memory skills, level of distractibility, ability to express want and needs, and how the student is able to understand the communication in the environment.

Many times the root of problem behaviors can be the result of not understanding.  There are many reasons a student may not understand.  Perhaps he:
1) doesn’t understand the vocabulary
2) doesn’t remember what you told him
3) is paying attention to something else and only hears part of your message.

The list can go on.  Focusing on discovering the CAUSE of the behavior problem will yield strategies for positive long term changes.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip – What is Learned Dependency?

When we teach skills and routines in ways that require our prompting to be a part of the routine, that student will be dependent on our prompting – forever.  Students may learn that our prompt is a form of “turn-taking” that becomes integrated into the learned routine.  What the student learns to do is take a turn by performing one step of the routine and then wait until we take our turn of prompting them before they perform the next step of the routine. Visual tools can become prompts for students so that other people don’t become a necessary part of successfully completing a routine.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com

Tuesday Tip –Never forget

Everything is not about autism.  Never forget that children with a autism are kids and sometimes they do things just because they are kids.

For more tips visit http://AutismFamilyOnline.com