The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

The most difficult part of supporting individuals with Autism Spectrum differences is often the professionals and parents who act in counter productive ways. We’ll do a Functional Behavior Assessment, Social Stories, Visual Cues and other positive practices for the adults. This session has some tongue in cheek humor but also some good suggestions to get us working together as a team for our kids. Sometimes the most difficult part of supporting individuals with Autism Spectrum differences, is not the individuals, but the professionals and parents who act in counter productive ways. Couldn't we use some of our great behavior technology on them? For instance, let's do a Functional Behavior Assessment on the teacher who will not make appropriate adaptations for the student with Aspergers. Let's write a social story for the parent who wants a one to one aide for a student who needs to become more independent. Let's look at our effective practices and use them to get adults working together for our kids.

For instance, here is a Functional Behavior Assessment of a teacher who will not make appropriate adaptations for a student in the a regular classroom who has high functioning autism / Asperger Syndrome.

Functional Behavior Assessment for Teacher Smith Description of the Behavior: Teacher Smith sees the student struggling, being overwhelmed and under organized but she chooses to use the school's punishment based behavior system and/or to give him poor grades. Baseline Frequency of the Behavior: Charted at 2 to 3 times per day. Function of the Behavior: Escape and Avoidance of gaining new understanding or trying new techniques. Positive Behavior Supports for Teacher Smith: -Teacher Smith is given training to increase her understanding of autism spectrum differences. -Teacher Smith is given training to teach her specific strategies. -Additional school staff are assigned to help her implement the strategies. -Teacher Smith is shown a video, given a pamphlet to read, or exposed to a speaker to help her connect emotionally with the concerns. -Improved strategies are modeled by another teacher whom she respects. -The parents conference with Teacher Smith to articulate their son's differences and help her gain understanding. -An Autism Consultant or Administrator observes Teacher Smith frequently and gives positive reinforcements for using good strategies. A reinforcement survey is done to see if the best reinforcrs are tangible (chocolate or Starbucks) or whether she responds well to social reinforcers (Praise in front of peers). -The parents send positive notes to Teacher Smith's administrator when she has made an appropriate effort.

Reactive Behavior Plan -When Teacher Smith makes poor behavior choices she must spend her lunch time in the Principal's office and write a Think Sheet about why she did the behavior and how she will use a better strategy next time.

Here is a Social Story for a parent who wants a one on one aide for a student who needs to develop more independent behaviors.

The “Just Right” Amount of Support

The goal for all students is to become independent citizens in home, school and community. Sometimes this is a difficult goal for students with differences. Some students need more help than others. Each student needs the “Just right” amount of support.

With too little support, a student might not be successful. They might not make their best academic progress. They might have social problems or be unable to take care of their personal needs. They need adults around to be sure that they have their needs met and are learning.

Too much adult support causes a student to look and feel different from their peers. Some students get very used to an adult doing too much for them. They become dependent instead of growing more independent. Actually, we are all interdependent. Many students ask each other or the classroom teachers for help. When there is an adult who is always with a student, he sometimes does not learn to refer to the classroom teacher or talk to a peer when he needs help.

It is important that a student's team make good decisions about what the “Just Right” level of support is for each student. Teams hope that they give enough support and then fade that support so that the students are becoming i ndependent citizens.

This session will consider a number of “Behavior” concerns among adults who work with students on the autism spectrum and give examples using the application of strategies such as: Positive Behavior Supports, Visual Cues, Power Card stories, Rating scales, Sensory Diet, Language Therapy, Music Therapy, Behavior Management Plans, Discrete Trial Training, Pivotal Response Training, Relational Development Intervention, Incidental Teaching, Integrated Play groups and/or Social Skills training, Although some of the examples of strategies may contain elements of humor, the intent is also to use positive strategies to change the adults who affect the lives of the individuals on the autism spectrum whom we care about.

Learning Objectives: