Georgia PBS Interventions - Florida's Positive Behavior Support ...
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Laura A. Riffel, Ph.D.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 1 - 2005
Table of ContentsThe Green Zone ..................................................................................................................................11Rules You Need to Know........................................................................................................... 12The Magic Wand ........................................................................................................................ 13The Real Magic of Changing <strong>Behavior</strong>................................................................................... 14Deportment: The Hybrid Cross of Mary Poppins and Sergeant Carter ....................... 15<strong>Behavior</strong>al Matrix:.................................................................................................................... 16What will be your 3-5 <strong>Behavior</strong>al Expectations for your Class? ................................... 18Sample Lesson Plan on Teaching Respect: ........................................................................... 19Follow up Classroom Lesson................................................................................................. 21Routines: ..................................................................................................................................... 23Individual Contingency/Group Consequence....................................................................... 25Secret Soldier or Secret Student................................................................................... 25Links on a chain ..................................................................................................................... 25Ego Booster............................................................................................................................ 25How Do You Compliment High School Students?.............................................................. 27How Do You Win Over Parents?............................................................................................ 27Free or Inexpensive Rewards for Your Class:................................................................... 28Enforceable Statements......................................................................................................... 29Things you say all the time:.................................................................................................... 29Now Change it to an enforceable statement: .................................................................... 29Example: Quit yelling and I’ll listen. ................................................................................... 29I’ll be happy to listen when your voice matches mine...................................................... 29Choices ........................................................................................................................................ 30Things we do all the time........................................................................................................ 30How I could turn it into a choice. ......................................................................................... 30Read a book after lunch.......................................................................................................... 30Let the students vote on which book to read.................................................................... 30Class Meetings: .......................................................................................................................... 31Rules: ............................................................................................................................................ 31Class Meeting: ............................................................................................................................ 31Problems: ..................................................................................................................................... 31Learning from others’ misteaks mistakes........................................................................... 32SKIPPING SCHOOL................................................................................................................. 32Love Notes ................................................................................................................................. 34Hierarchy of <strong>Behavior</strong>al Responses (www.loveandlogic.com) ........................................ 35LEVEL I................................................................................................................................... 35LEVEL II................................................................................................................................. 36LEVEL III............................................................................................................................... 36LEVEL IV ................................................................................................................................ 36<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 2 -
The Yellow Zone................................................................................................................................ 38How to Give Problems Back to Kids So They Aren’t Yours: ........................................... 39What’s a Problem in Your Classroom?.................................................................................. 40Social Skill Groups.................................................................................................................... 43Books on Teaching Social Skills ............................................................................................ 44The Red Zone .................................................................................................................................... 46ERASE Problem <strong>Behavior</strong>........................................................................................................ 47Function of <strong>Behavior</strong>:............................................................................................................... 47If the Function is “To Gain Attention” from Adults or Peers:...................................... 48If the Function is “To Gain Access to Materials” or Preferred Items: ..................... 49The Gumball Machine........................................................................................................... 49The Cereal Aisle.................................................................................................................... 50If the function is to “access preferred sensory input”:.................................................. 51If the function of the behavior is to escape work .......................................................... 52NOW/THEN schedule......................................................................................................... 52Token Economy...................................................................................................................... 52If the function is to Escape from Peers: ........................................................................... 53If the function is to Escape from Adults: ......................................................................... 53If the Function is to Escape “Sensory Overload” ............................................................ 54<strong>Interventions</strong>............................................................................................................................. 55Aggressive <strong>Behavior</strong>s............................................................................................................... 56Biting ....................................................................................................................................... 56Pinching ................................................................................................................................... 56Plopping ................................................................................................................................... 56Scratching.............................................................................................................................. 56Tantrums................................................................................................................................. 56Categories .................................................................................................................................. 57Gatekeeper............................................................................................................................. 58Choices ........................................................................................................................................ 59Communication........................................................................................................................... 60Communication Devices ............................................................................................................ 61PECS.......................................................................................................................................... 61Big Mac Switches................................................................................................................... 61Super-Talker ......................................................................................................................... 62Step by Step ......................................................................................................................... 62Step-by-Step with levels.................................................................................................... 62Criterion Reference Competency Test................................................................................ 63Have a Ball.............................................................................................................................. 63Ladies and Gentlemen…”In this corner”.......................................................................... 63Then…. (shape the learning toward the test) ................................................................ 63Flash Cards............................................................................................................................. 63Practice Tests ....................................................................................................................... 63<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 3 -
Fecal Smearing.......................................................................................................................... 64Zipped One-piece Jumpsuit ............................................................................................... 64Intervention........................................................................................................................... 64Fidgets ........................................................................................................................................ 65DISC'O'SIT JUNIOR ........................................................................................................ 65Pilates Ball Chair................................................................................................................... 65Massage Chair ....................................................................................................................... 65Filtering Therapy...................................................................................................................... 66Getting <strong>Behavior</strong> in Shape at Home- (Letter to share with parents).......................... 67Younger children................................................................................................................... 67Tips for older children........................................................................................................ 70Ideas to change the environment to suit the needs of the child:................................ 72Light Therapy ............................................................................................................................ 73Math Skills ................................................................................................................................. 74Math Ball..................................................................................................................................... 74Michenbaum’s 5-Step Cognitive Learning Theory and Spelling ..................................... 75Music Therapy........................................................................................................................... 76Easter Eggs............................................................................................................................ 76Scarves ................................................................................................................................... 76Posters .................................................................................................................................... 76Music to Teach:..................................................................................................................... 76Piggy Back Song Examples:..................................................................................................... 77Sixty Beats per Minute........................................................................................................... 77Object Schedule or Object Calendar.................................................................................. 78The One Sentence Intervention........................................................................................... 79My One Sentence Intervention Project: ............................................................................ 80Prompting..................................................................................................................................... 81Visual Assistant ..................................................................................................................... 81Type of Prompting ................................................................................................................. 81Portable Stimulation ................................................................................................................ 82Reading Open Court ................................................................................................................. 83Sensory Diet.............................................................................................................................. 84Pro-prioception...................................................................................................................... 84Pro-prioceptive input ........................................................................................................... 84Vestibular ............................................................................................................................... 84Tactile ..................................................................................................................................... 85Auditory.................................................................................................................................. 85Visual Environment ............................................................................................................... 86Scents ..................................................................................................................................... 86Taste ............................................................................................................................................ 87Sensory Diet Ideas:................................................................................................................. 87Sensory Integration ................................................................................................................ 88<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 4 -
Social Stories............................................................................................................................ 89Spelling........................................................................................................................................ 90Sorting ......................................................................................................................................... 91Time .............................................................................................................................................. 91Time ............................................................................................................................................. 92Time Out..................................................................................................................................... 93Token Economy.......................................................................................................................... 94Token Ideas:.............................................................................................................................. 94Using Visuals to Teach ............................................................................................................ 95Visual Schedules ....................................................................................................................... 98Visual Puzzle Schedule ............................................................................................................ 99Boardmaker Schedules............................................................................................................ 99Water Therapy.........................................................................................................................100Writing Strategy..................................................................................................................... 101Final Thoughts..................................................................................................................................102Remember..........................................................................................................................................103Resources: .........................................................................................................................................104<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 5 -
A parable to define the philosophy of this book:Once upon a time there was a man who loved to fish.He spent many Saturdays from dawn to dusk sitting inhis boat dreaming of the “big one that got away.” Oneday, as he was fishing from his boat he noticed a snakeswimming by with a frog in his mouth.Feeling sorry for the frog, he gently released it and itswam away. He then looked down and saw the snakelooking sad and forlorn. Knowing the snake was hungry hequickly looked around the boat for something to feed thesnake. He had caught no fish and he had eaten his entiresandwich, his chips, and his cookies. All he had was abottle of whiskey which he slowly fed to the greedilyslurping snake.The snake swam happily away and thefisherman went back to fishing.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 6 -
You will notice that the largest section of this book is in the red zone. Why would this section be thelargest if only 5% of the population needs interventions from the red zone? The answer is simple. Doyou lie awake at night thinking about the children in the green and yellow zones or do you lie awakethinking about little Alfonzo who takes up 80% of your teaching time creating road blocks for the classto continue?This book is dedicated to the Alfonzo’s of the world; may they not cause sleepless nights any longer.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 9 -
The Green ZoneAlthough this section is small, it is in reality one of the most important sections of the book.Classroom structure is the single most important factor in creating a quality climate for yourself andthe students in the room. If this is in place and delivered with consistency then there will be fewerproblems.The ideas in this section are to help you consider your 3-5 behavioral expectations. If your school hasschool-wide <strong>PBS</strong> in place then you can use those rules and apply them to your classroom. If your schoolhasn’t adopted School-Wide <strong>PBS</strong> yet’; you can adopt your own expectations.However, just writing the rules on the wall doesn’t set you free to begin teaching. As a matter of fact,if you write “Don’t yell” on your rule poster you will have given the students the key to “how to pushyour buttons”. You just told them what “sets you off.” If you write “Be Respectful” on your ruleposter, you have told the students what you expect when they enter your room if you teach them what“Be Respectful” means.The first few weeks of the year must be dedicated to teaching and modeling these rules andexpectations. Once you have taught and modeled them and given non-examples and exemplars then youmust give the students an opportunity to practice what these look like in a wide variety of schoolsettings. Once you have done these three things, you need to catch students exhibiting thesebehaviors and compliment them for exhibiting excellent behavior. It’s important that the praise isspecific.“Good job,” doesn’t cut it for praise. You need to say things like, “Thank you for holding the door openfor Mary while her hands were full, and that was very respectful of others.” This lets the studentsknow exactly what they did that exhibited the behavior and how they can get your attention in apositive way in the future.I once worked in a school where a first grade teacher was absent and none of us realized it until lunchtime when the students brought themselves down sans teacher, each carrying their lunch cards andlunch boxes as they would any other day. Her classroom was so well set up that the students knewwhat to do from the minute they walked in the door. Someone took roll call. Someone else took the rolland lunch count to the office. Another child had the job of passing out the morning work. Otherchildren had the jobs of watching for recess, picking up the playground equipment, and so on. Theyknew exactly what to do and when to do it. Now you might think that this was some remote classroomand that’s why no one noticed the teacher was missing. It was a pod of three classrooms with no doorson the class. The students had to be well behaved for no one to notice that there wasn’t an adultoverseeing their actions.I’m not condoning children teaching themselves, but imagine how much teaching time exists in a daywhen the children can manage themselves in this manner. This would not have been possible if theteacher didn’t have her routines and expectations clearly taught. She taught behaviors the same wayshe taught reading. She taught it, modeled it, practiced it, and caught the students portraying theappropriate behavior and gave them incentives for “doing it right.”If children know what is expected in the home and at school they will rise to the occasion. If yourschool is part of a school-wide positive behavior support effort then the school has identified three to<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 11 -
five behavioral expectations. If your school is not one of the SW-<strong>PBS</strong> Schools, then you can deviseyour own for the classroom or if you are a parent you can devise them for your home. You’ll read moreabout this when you get to the behavioral matrix.In real estate the motto is“Location, location, location.”In behavior management the motto is“Consistency, consistency, consistency.”Rules You Need to Know:1. <strong>Behavior</strong> is learned and serves a specific purpose.2. <strong>Behavior</strong> is related to the context within which it occurs.a. This is why parents and teachers don’t see the same behaviors3. Children comply with the rules 80% of the time. Guess how often they arecomplimented for appropriate behavior?a. Less than 2 percentb. We can increase appropriate behavior by 80% just by recognizing andrewarding appropriate behavior.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 12 -
The Magic WandAll too often when we visit parents or classrooms, they tell us about the problematic behaviors of thechild. Then they expect us to give them a magic pill or wave our magic wand and the behavior willmagically appear. Very often, we give up on a good intervention because we expected faster results.Here’s a rule of thumb:• For every year that a behavior has been in place it takes one month of consistent interventionto see a major decrease in the behaviors.• If the intervention is not implemented consistently, the intervention will take longer to work.Let’s say that a child is engaging in physical aggression to escape work because they are getting to goto time out every time they hit. The team decides to stop sending the child to time out and theyemploy another intervention. Suppose that things were going well and the behaviors were decreasing;however, after about a month, the student slapped another child up side the head and the teacherresorted to sending the child to time out. The child didn’t have to do their work in time out.Now they have had an intermittent reinforcement of their behavior. The child will employ thatbehavior again the next time they don’t want to do work. The intervention will take longer because thechild will think…”hmmm, I had to hit someone 18 different times before I got to go to time out so nowI have to hit 18 more people to get to time out again.” (Okay, it’s not that concrete…but they do makea connection.)The Rule:For every year that a behavior has been in place, it takes approximately one month of intensiveintervention to see a change.a. If a behavior has been in place for four years, it could be four months of interventionbefore you see a change**I always tell audiences about the one month for every year rule andI started thinking one day…You know I say this all the time but Idon’t live it. Every January 1 st I start a diet and I expect somemagic wand to appear and to be thin by February and it neverhappens so I quit my diet. This year I thought, I’ve beenoverweight for 12 years so it’s going to take me 12 months ofintervention to see a change. I started on February 7 th (I wanted tobreak the New Year’s Resolution cycle) and in the first 4 months Ihave lost 26 pounds. I have had a whole mindset change in dietingand I haven’t wanted to cheat once because I know this is a year long intervention. I assume that nextFebruary 7 th my eating habits will have become routine and I won’t even think about going off of it bythen.All too often when we have a behavior we want to change in children or ourselves, we expect somemagic wand to appear and it never does. We need a mindset change instead.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 13 -
The Real Magic of Changing <strong>Behavior</strong>Some researchers went into classrooms across a region of the United Statesand studied student and teacher behavior. They discovered children complywith the rules 80% of the time. Sadly, when the researchers tabulated datafor compliments on appropriate behavior they discovered that children were “caughtbeing good” less than two percent of the time. Why is this? Sadly, adults expectchildren to know what they mean when they say words like: “behave”, “straighten up”, or“cut that out”. We need to look at this from the child’s point of view. Sometimes theyhave learned a misrule. To make this point I’d like to tell a story about my son, Brandon.When Brandon was three years old I took him shopping with me. Since we lived in a small town with noshopping mall, we had driven three hours to the nearest mall. I was so proud of the fact that he wasbehaving appropriately. We were looking for shoes for my father’s birthday with special soles thatreduce slipping on the deck of a boat. Unfortunately, my father wears the most popular size of men’sshoes. I went from store to store asking for 10 ¹ boat deck shoes and time after time the clerk cameback with the sad news that he had a size 10 or a size 11. As we approached the final store in the mall,I was still in awe at how well my three year old son was taking this shopping excursion. As the clerkcame back to tell me the news that he had a 10 and an 11; my darling, three year old looked up at himand said, “Well, damn.” I apologized and we left the store.I learned three years earlier not to overreact when a child said a word that I didn’t like. I had takenmy daughter to see the Fox and the Hound when she was two and half. Her verbal skills were stilldeveloping and the word Fox sounded very much like a very bad hound dog. She went around the housepointing to pictures and saying “f…ing hound”, “f….ing hound.” Since I was studying speech and languagepathology at the time, I would respond, “Yes, honey that’s the fox and the hound,” enunciating eachsyllable of fox and hound. My husband was not as calm and he had a freak fest every time he heardher say it. She quickly learned that daddy turned a lovely shade of red every time she said thosewords, so we heard them frequently. We didn’t go to church for a month or so, in fear that she wouldtalk about that bad hound.Back to the mall….I took my darling, three year old son who had just embarrassed me beyond words tothe food court where I purchased a sprite and cookie. I said, “Honey, you used a new word today.Damn is a new word. Can you tell mommy why you used that word?” He said, “Isn’t that what you saywhen you can’t find your shoes? That’s what the babysitter says when she can’t find her shoes?”My son had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use his new skill. He had learned a misrule. Wehad a discussion about another choice of words and why that one wasn’t appropriate. Our new word was“holy cow”; which, were words we heard frequently for quite awhile. I never heard “well damn” come outof us mouth until he was a teenager…but that’s another story.Our students have learned many misrules and it’s our job to teach them the appropriate rules. We haveto teach behavior the same way we teach reading, math, and science. We introduce it, we model it, wegive them opportunities to practice and then we reward their good efforts. It’s the only way to effecta change in the adult to child relationship and childhood behavior.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 14 -
Deportment: The Hybrid Cross of Mary Poppins and Sergeant CarterA good teacher finds a happy niche somewhere between being sweet and being a task master. I callthat the hybrid-cross of Mary Poppins and Sergeant Carter. We want the children to “love” us in a waythat they would attempt any academic task we require of them; despite the difficulty level. We alsowant them to understand that when we have expectations in place, we expect them to be followed,without having to come across as a drill sergeant.How does a teacher get this kind of deportment going in his or her classroom? There are two keyfactors that will be repeated throughout this book. You’ve heard one already: consistency. If it’s notokay to chew gum on Tuesday then it better not be okay to chew gum on Thursday. If Johnny can notthrow paper basketballs into the trash then Sammy better not be allowed to throw paper basketballseither.The second factor is reciprocal respect and admiration.Think about it this way. Let’s say that you used to go to the lake to fish. You had fishing poles, campstools, bait and tackle boxes, mosquito repellant etc. Let’s say in 1990 you went fishing and spent amiserable day at the lake. You found yourself being eaten alive by mosquitoes. You fell in the lake andgot your new tennis shoes all dirty. Your best pole was lying on the ground while you were baiting asecond pole and just at that very moment a fish came and took the line along with your very expensiverod and reel to the bottom of the lake. You ended up not catching a thing. You came home and tossedeverything you own into the nearest dumpster and swore off fishing.Then, in 1992 you met the love of your life. You started dating this person. You respected theiropinions and they respected yours. You admired them tremendously. They just called and invited youto go fishing.On your way home from work you stopped at Wal-Mart that very evening to purchase a new rod andreel, tackle box, sinkers, hooks, fly assortments, and stink bait. You’d go fishing….but not for anyoneelse except this person that you admired so much.We can get children to the point that they would do these sorts of things for us because they respectand admire us. We have to show them that we respect and admire them. Not for anyone else would Itry to do these 20 algebra problems…but since Mr. Johnson asked; I’ll try them.How do we show respect and admiration to children? We tell them what they are doing when they aredoing the right things; instead of only pointing out the things they are doing incorrect. “I love the wayyou were so helpful bringing in the recess equipment.” “I love the way you are paying attention.” Thisworks at home as well. Think about it. Would you rather hear the things you did wrong or the thingsyou did right? We have to teach children the behaviors we want and then reward them with specificpraise.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 15 -
<strong>Behavior</strong>al Matrix:So how do we teach these behaviors? Children need to be taught behaviors the same way they aretaught reading and arithmetic. <strong>Behavior</strong>s need to be taught, modeled, practiced, and correct attemptsrewarded. A great way to do this is to develop 3-5 behavioral expectations for your class. These needto be positively stated. Then the students need non-examples and exemplars of what each behaviorlooks like in different settings. You can do this by making a <strong>Behavior</strong>al Matrix for your room. Have thestudents generate the examples. Here’s what one would look like:<strong>Behavior</strong>alExpectationsBe Respectfulof SelfClassroom Hallway Restroom Playground LunchroomGet plentyof sleep thenightbefore.Walkstraight andtall.Give yourselfplenty oftime to getto therestroom.Get plenty ofexercise.Eathealthyfoods.Be Respectfulof OthersRaise handto speak.Walk quietlywhen passingclasses.Flush toiletwhen you arefinished.Wait yourturn whenplaying games.Talkwith asix inchvoice.Be RespectfulofSurroundingsPick uplitter onthe floor.Reportwater on thefloor.Throw awaypaper towelsin trash can.Return ballsand equipmentto properreceptacle.Throwtrayaway.Due to space in this book there is only one example for each. You will need two to three positivelystated examples in each category. On the next page are some examples with pictures for youngerchildren.RespectOthersSelfEnvironment<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 16 -
Respect Self Respect Others Respect PropertyHallwayBathroomPlaygroundLunchroom<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 17 -
What will be your 3-5 <strong>Behavior</strong>al Expectations for your Class?1.2.3.4.5.Make sure they are positively stated and have an action verb….“Polite” is not a behavioral expectation but “BEE POLITE” isBe ready to share with your neighbor in 7 minutes.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 18 -
Sample Lesson Plan on Teaching Respect:Middle School LevelSKIT for Whole School Assembly or Grade Level Assembly1) Focus:Play Aretha Franklin’s “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” recording.Have several teachers in costume dressed as Aretha with microphones like they are singing to theaudience: (Gowns and gloves and handbags- if you have a male teacher willing that would be funny forthe students)Here are the words:What you want, baby, I got. (Hold up books)What you need, you know I got it. (Point to your heads for knowledge)All I askin' is for a little respect (Have one teacher take another’s hand like they are helping themacross the street)when you come home, baby. (ring an old fashioned school bell)When you come home,respect.I ain't gonna do you wrong while you gone, (Wag fingers at students)I ain't gonna do you wrong 'cause I don't wanna.All I askin' is for a little respect (Hold up a sign that looks like a road sign that says “Two-WayStreet on one side and R-E-S-P-E-C-T” on the other)when you come home, baby. (Ring old fashioned school bell)When you come home,respect.I'm out to give you all my money (open up pocket books that are empty and hold up school suppliesthat you bought with your money)but all I'm askin in return, honey,is to give me my proper respect (One teacher drops books and another picks them up)when you get home, yeah baby,when you get home.Ooh, your kisses sweeter than honey (blow kisses at the students)but guess what, so here's my money.All I want you to do for me is give me some here (motion for the students to blow kisses back)when you get home, yeah baby,when you get home.R-E-S-P-E-C-T, (Everybody sing it) (You can put the words up on an overhead for all to see andhave everyone chant along)find out what it means to me.R-E-S-P-E-C-T,Hey Boy, T-C-B.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 19 -
A little respect...2) Objective:Note: (The more you make this a fun experience, the more the students will “buy in”. If this comesacross as a fire and brimstone command they will not be as quick to catch the message).Tell the audience that the school has a new discipline policy. Give the students the 3-5 behavioralexpectations that your school has adopted. Tell them that today you are focusing on Be Respectful.Tell them you are going to help them see what respect looks like in all areas of the school. Explain thematrix to them by showing it on a large screen projection.At this time, have a teacher come in dressed like a spy (trench coat, hat, sunglasses) carrying abriefcase. They will say: “My mission and I choose to accept it, is to catch you….being good.” All ofthe staff at _______________ middle school have accepted this mission. We will be out in the hallslooking for students who are exhibiting the appropriate behaviors. If we catch you, you will get a___________ (whatever your school is using). These can be redeemed for: ______________(whatever your school has chosen as rewards- drawings, etc.) Tell them “There are spies everywhere.”(At this point have all staff take out a pair of sunglasses and put them on and point at someonewho is sitting nicely.)3) InputShow on the large screen the part of the matrix for Be Respectful. Go over what it looks like in eachof the areas that you have on your matrix.4) ModelingShow a movie that you made which is a skit of teachers being respectful in all of the areas on yourmatrix. Have the teachers who perform in the movie dress like students. Here’s a movie example:Dick and Jane are running down the hall, pushing each other, and hollering. From out ofnowhere appears fairy godmother (a male teacher dressed as a fairy godmother- preferablyone who is hair challenged with a braid of yarn taped to his head, a pair of wings, and maybe atee shirt and shorts with a tutu over the top and a magic wand.) and the fairy godmother says:“Time freeze: (Dick and Jane freeze in a funny position) Dick and Jane you are heading downthe wrong path. You will never get anywhere in life if you don’t show respect. I’m going tosprinkle you with respect from a role model adult. (sprinkles glitter on Dick and Jane). Now, Iknow you’ll both grow up to be respected members of society.” (Fairy Godmother disappearsshouting “Time unfreeze” as he goes). Dick and Jane walk side by side down the hallway, usinga ten inch voice. Jane bends down and picks up litter that is on the floor and puts it in a trashcan and Dick holds open the door for her going into class. From nowhere a beautiful teachersteps out in the hall with an angel halo and wings and hands Dick and Jane a “gotcha being good”pass and tells them to take it to the office for the daily drawing for a trip to the Bahamas. -Teacher turns to camera: “And that boys and girls is how you show respect in the hallway.You can do skits like this for all the areas you have on your matrix. Show the good, the bad,and the ugly- ☺ Don’t forget the bus. I’m sure the bus drivers would be willing to come overwith a bus and let you film because they certainly want better behavior.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 20 -
5) Guided PracticeCall several students out of the audience to show respect. Have them show it the wrong way and thenthe right way. You can give them scenarios (You are in the bathroom and you see that one of yourfriends is getting ready to write a joke on the bathroom stall. What could you do? A) find him abigger pen, B) get him a dictionary so he spells the words correctly, or C) ask him not to do it out ofrespect for the building. As the students perform the correct task or give the correct answer givethem one of the first “gotcha being good” passes in front of the student body.6) Checking For UnderstandingMake a PowerPoint Quiz to show the students: Ask them questions about what respect looks like indifferent areas: Example: Is it respectful to throw litter on the school grounds? Etc. When you arefinished tell them that they did so well on the test that everyone’s home-room teacher will be givingthem a “gotcha pass for the day” Make sure this first day that you make a really big deal out of thepasses and have the drawing at the end of the day - Make the prize really special, like a pizza lunchwith the principal at a special table in the cafeteria and they get to choose one friend to eat withthem…or something like that.7) Independent PracticeThe key to this is to make sure every staff member is out there catching students being good. Makesure in the beginning to tell them exactly how they are showing respect.8) Closure –This can be a variety of activities, but one I would love to see is some artwork that can be put uparound the school on what respect looks like, or poems, songs, stories etc. Let them be creative. It willbe time well spent because the displays will be constant reminders.Here are some other ideas:PowerPoints developed by the students on what respect looks like. These can be shown on the schoolwebsiteSkits to be performed during morning announcementsA school song written by a student, sung by one of your students with vocal talentInterview community members about what respect would look like in different community areas.Report that the manager at JC Penney’s saw two ___________ middle school students picking up someclothing that had fallen on the floor and he wanted to compliment the school on their respect for hisstore. Things like that.Once a week, it would be fun to play Aretha Franklin’s song as the students are coming into school orleaving school.Follow up Classroom Lesson<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 21 -
1) Focus: Ask the students why people take off their hats at ball games when the star spangledbanner is played. Hopefully, you will elicit the response that it is out of respect for the flag.You can go into a short discussion about why we choose to show respect for the American flag.2) Objective: The objective of this lesson is to further identify what respect means at yourschool and in your classroom.3) Input: Give each student a copy of the matrix. (Some schools are printing it in the agendabooks) Go over the matrix with the students for the respectful section- not the whole matrix.4) Modeling: Give examples of how you (the teacher) show respect at home, in the teacher’slounge, at the grocery store, in church, etc. Make this personal so they can see that adults userespect. Then ask the students how they think you respect them. Talk to them about yourespect them by spending your summers planning lessons, shopping for items to make the roompretty, taking time to grade their papers, etc. Ask one of them to be the teacher for amoment. Ask them to teach something that you know they will be able to teach the class.While they are teaching, you will take a seat as a student and then “be obnoxious”. (raise yourhand but blurt out the answers without waiting to be called on, run up to the board and writethe answer on the board etc.- or choose the one thing that drives you crazy that students do inthe classroom) Then stop the class and ask them if they’ve ever been in a class where someoneacted like that. Ask them to model the correct behavior. Choose another student to be theteacher and then have another student model the correct way to answer the questions etc.5) Guided Practice:a. Take your class out in the hallway and ask two students to show you non-respect andrespect in the hallway.b. Take your class to the bathroom and (don’t go in) but have two students give scenariosof not showing respect in the bathroom and showing respect in the bathroom. (alwaysgive the positive last so it is fresh in their mind)c. Take your class to the lunchroom, office, nurse’s office etc. discuss all of the places onyour matrix with non-examples and proper examples.6) Checking for Understanding: Give your class a quick quiz (oral) on the right and wrong way toshow respect. You can ask them to show you thumb up, thumbs down when you give scenariosetc.7) Independent Practice: Make a contest in your class (everyone will be doing it) Tell them thatyou are having a contest to see how many “Gotchas” each class can get. The class with themost “Gotchas” for showing respect at the end of the week will get a (whatever you choose)(ice cream break, music break, go outside and read on the lawn break- anything you think will berewarding)8) Closure: Have them write down a short paragraph about what they learned and how they willcarry that over to home and community.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 22 -
Routines:Ideas from other teachers on how they handle the following routines:Passing in the Hallway• One square away from the wall• Hands off the wall at all times• Hands at side, in back (one even had them put them in their pockets- however, that could leadto smashed noses if the children fall)• Stop at the corners• Teacher walks in the middle so he or she can scan entire group-• This teacher made a two-way sign so the students could read the directions from behind theline leader:Pencil Sharpening• Have every student bring a box of pencils at the beginning of the year. Let a couple ofstudents sharpen them all and put them in a large coffee can. When the students’ pencilsbreak, they put their broken pencil in another coffee can and take a good one. This eliminateschildren asking to sharpen pencils during class. At the middle and high school level, eachteacher could ask for a box of pencils and keep them in each class.Restroom Breaks• Secret signals: For some students who have overactive bladders they can signal to you by usingsign language that they need to use the restroom.• Some teachers use a key system hanging on the wall and only one student at a time is allowed tobe out of the classroom.Water Fountain• Water bottles under desks• Secret signal to go get a drink• Reward students with trip to the coldest water fountain in the school for good behavior duringpassing period etc.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 23 -
Group Contingencies:ComplimentsLinksThe teacher writes the word“Compliments” on the board. (Where itwon’t get erased.) The children aretold that when another teachercompliments them on their behaviorthey will receive a tally mark under theword “Compliments”. If the principalcompliments them they earn five tallymarks. They are told that if anyoneasks for a compliment it cannot begiven. The group sets a goal of 25 ormore compliments for the week and apre-determined prize is earned. Seereinforcers that are free or nearlyfree for ideas.Plastic links from the ceiling- Hang linksfrom the ceiling to the point wherethere is about 4 feet left. Tell theclass that they are so good they get tostart each week with this many links.Then tell them every time they get acompliment you will add a link to thechain. When the chain hits the floorthey will earn a reward.ComplimentsIIII IIII IIIIIIIIWay to go class!Marbles, Pennies,gumballs, rocks,marshmallows,Lego’s, Halloweencandy, etc.Using a mason jar (not too big) tell theclass that you will put the tangible inthe jar every time they get acompliment from another teacher.When the jar is full, they will earn areward.Apple Tree,Flower bush etc.Design a tree or bush on the bulletinboard and every time a child is caughtbehaving in an exemplary way, add anapple. Once the tree or bush is fullcelebrate with 5 minutes of extrarecess.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 24 -
Individual Contingency/Group ConsequenceSecret Soldier or Secret StudentTell the class that every day you will put the name of one person in an envelope. You will be watchingthat one person and if they are: Respectful of Self, Respectful of Others, and Respectful of Property(or whatever expectations you choose to focus on) the class will earn a reward. There are twoimportant things to note here: 1) if the secret student does not follow the rules it is important not toturn the class against them by stating who it was. Just say, —I‘m sorry the secret student didn‘t meetexpectations today, we‘ll try again tomorrow.“ 2) If the secret student had a great day then you cantell the class who the secret student was that day. This will help the class identify with the behaviorof that student and boost the ego of that particular student on that day.Links on a chainTell the class that you see someone being respectful of others by sitting up straight and tall andpaying attention and add a link on the chain (see suggestion on previous page). Every student in theclass will think you were talking about them and sit up a little taller. We know from research that thequickest way to change behavior is to point out what someone is doing right. As a matter of fact,research indicates that you can improve behavior by 80% by doing just that.Ego BoosterHave a child who really needs an ego boost? Pass out double the amount of problems you want thestudents to do. Tell the class that —Johnny “was caught exhibiting excellent behavior in the hallwayby a secret spy and because of that he gets to pick whether they do the odd or the even problems.”The students will never know that the secret spy is you. They will be constantly looking out for anyadult to make sure they look good in front of that adult so they can get picked the next time you dothis activity.Want an idea about how to pick a student fairly? Put all the names of your students on separatepopsicle sticks and then put them all in a can. Draw one out in the morning and you’ll know whoto pick.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 25 -
How Do You Compliment High School Students?Some students are not particularly fond of public displays toward their appropriate behavior. One wayto circumvent this is to send private post cards to the students’ homes. The post card would just saysomething like, “Thank you for your respectful attitude toward others. I appreciate the way you heldthe door open for me when my hands were full. Best Regards, Mrs. Jones.”A high school in <strong>Georgia</strong> wanted to implement this program. They asked the teachers to choose tenstudents each nine week period and send them a post card. The school said they would supply the postcards and pay for the postage. At Winter-Break they realized they had only sent out 20 post cardstotal. The principal and assistant principal sat down and wrote a post card to each teacher and toldeach one of them something specific that they appreciated about their contributions to the school.When the teachers returned after Winter-Break they were abuzz about the cards. The principalasked them how it made them feel to receive the post card. All responses were positive. The principalsaid, “Well, that’s how your students will fell when you send them one.” Post cards immediately startedgoing out. The teachers reported noticing marked improvement in the attitudes of all the studentswho were hoping to garner enough attention to warrant their own post card.How Do You Win Over Parents?Parents rarely get phone calls or correspondence about the good things their children do. For someparents, they actually cringe every time the caller ID shows the school number because they arethinking; “What did he do now?”Start sending letters to parents telling them something like this:March 31, 2005Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jones,Your daughter Star was caught red handed exhibiting excellent behavior. We would like tocompliment your daughter on her showing respect to herself and others by never being tardyfor a nine week period.We know that parents play an important role in instilling respect for school. We would liketo thank you for sending your daughter to us every day ready to learn. Our friends at PizzaHut would like to present your family with this coupon for $5 off a large family size pizza inrecognition of Star’s great work.Sincerely,Your fourth grade teacherMany businesses are happy to provide schools with discount coupons for things likemovie rentals, fast food, delivery food, oil changes, etc. It’s great public relationsfor them and a great way for you to reward parents. Imagine the public rating scoreof a school that sends out letters like this.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 27 -
Free or Inexpensive Rewards for Your Class:Extra RecessNational Silence Day- No one inthe room is allowed to use spokenwords. They must use: signlanguage, drawings, writtennotes, pantomimes etc. to conveytheir thoughts. This means theteacher too. It’s a lot of fun for1 day.Picnic Lunch- All students bring asack lunch from home (or ask thecafeteria to provide) – bringlarge quilts and go out on theschool lawn-or in the middle ofyour classroom if the weather isbad and have lunch on a quilt.Popcorn during reading time-Popcorn is a “cheap” treat and ifyou really want to make it specialyou can drizzle butter over itwith cinnamon sugar. Kids love itand think you really didsomething special.Visit this website:http://www.sunkist.com/takeastand/ then set up the lemonadestand in your school with preadvertising.Your students willlearn a lot of business skills inrunning a business, and learnabout contributing to a charity.This could be tied into ShowingRespect for Others if that is oneof your behavioral expectations.Pajama Day- Wear pajamas,bring pillows and all learningtakes place on the floor with thedesks pushed out of the way.Home baked cookies-Surprisethe class by bringing in homebaked cookies telling them it’sbecause they have beenso…whatever behavioralexpectation you have beenworking on.DEAR- “Drop Everything andRead” - Walk over to the boardand say “Everyone is working sowell that you have 15 minutes todo this…”Write DEAR on theboard. The students get 15minutes to read leisurematerials.Popcorn on a blanket. Have thestudents form a large circleaway from the center. Put apopcorn popper in the center ofthe circle without the lid. Thestudents can watch the popcornpop out of the popper all overthe blanket. Once the popper isoff they can eat.Visit this website:http://www.bestfreestuffonline.com/kidstuff.htm and have thestudents choose one to write tofor a free item. (This will helpthem learn proper letter writingetiquette) then have all theitems delivered to yourclassroom. Once they have allarrived- wait for a great day ofbehavior and pass them out.Teacher Day- Divide the classinto teams and each team isresponsible for teaching onesection of the day. This takesplanning but gives students anappreciation of how hard it is toprepare for a lesson from theteacher’s viewpoint.Music day- Play “approved” CD’swhile the students are workingat their desks for a reward.DEAD- “Drop Everything andDraw” Walk over to the boardand say “Everyone is working sowell that you have 15 minutes todo this…” Write DEAD on theboard. The students get 15minutes to draw.Soda Pop day- Send home a notethe night before and tell theparents that their child hasearned a reward and tomorrowthey can bring a soda pop fromhome to drink after lunch.Slipper day- Variation on Pajamaday (especially if you have olderstudents).<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 28 -
Enforceable Statements (Love and Logic Technique) www.loveandlogic.comSometimes the way we word things sets us up for failure in the classroom. Instead of saying “Clean upthis room right now and I mean it or you don’t get any recess.” We need to say things like “I’ll behappy to take you to recess as soon as the room is clean.”When we tell students what we are going to do it is so much easier to control the situation. I used torun a portion of the children’s Sunday school program with over 1000 children in one hour. We had tomove 1000 children between three activities: a) story telling, b) music, and c) life application. We hadapproximately 300 children every 15 minutes moving into each area with an adult to child ratio of 1-10approximately. This would have been like herding cats. However, we put two things into place: 1)<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Behavior</strong> <strong>Support</strong> and 2) Enforceable Statements. We first taught the behaviors we expected.We had Edith Anne come in and model it for them- the wrong way and the right way. Edith Anne gotthe students to help her practice it. Then we caught them “being good”. We spent four Sundaysworking on this. Then we used Enforceable Statements. We will begin the storytelling as soon aseveryone is sitting “criss-cross” applesauce.We didn’t stand up there and tell 300 children to get quiet over and over; it would have never worked.The children did get quiet and we were known throughout the Midwest as church after church sentpeople to figure out what we were doing to happily contain 1000 children for an hour every Sunday. Wedid this for 3 hours straight every Sunday. We would have gone insane if we hadn’t figured out thebest way to do this.List three things you say all the time in your classroom:Things you say all the time:Example: Quit yelling and I’ll listen.Now Change it to an enforceablestatement:I’ll be happy to listen when your voicematches mine.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 29 -
Choices (Love and Logic Technique) www.loveandlogic.comChildren want control; especially this is true for those children who come from homes where theparents want to be the child’s best friend, instead of the enforcer. We can’t give children control orwe would never get any teaching done- but we can give them controlled control. Anything you want achild to do can be turned into a choice. You want a child to do 20 math problems? Give the students 40problems and tell them to do half and no more than half. You will honestly have someone argue with youthat they want to do more. You’ll hear more about choices in the individual section but this is a goodtechnique to use with the whole class as well. Jim Fay tells the story of a teacher who gave herstudents double all the time and one time gave them exactly what she wanted them to do. The childrensaid, “Hey wait a minute, no choice?” She said, “Well today’s choice is you can answer it on the front ofthe paper or the back of the paper and it doesn’t matter to me.” Jim said he couldn’t believe anyonewould be that gullible. But lo and behold, the students were flipping the paper this way and that waytrying to decide which side they were going to write their answers on. Choices work.List some things you normally do in the classroom that you could turn into choices forthe whole class:Things we do all the time.Read a book after lunch.How I could turn it into a choice.Let the students vote on whichbook to read.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 30 -
Class Meetings:Class meetings are a great way to end your week. Here’s what you need:• A class• A circle for them to sit in (chairs or no chairs- doesn’t matter)• An item that you can toss (Koosh Balls work great)• A problem box for students to turn in problems on slips of paperAll class meetings start out the same:Rules: You can only talk if you are holding the Koosh Ball. You must try to toss the Koosh Ball so thatthe other person can catch it. All tossing of the Koosh Ball is underhand.Compliments: The teacher starts by modeling the incorrect and correct way to give a compliment. Bybeing careful not to compliment things like Susie’s shoes, but choosing observable behaviors that arepreferred the teacher can guide the kind of compliments that the students choose to give. Eachperson can only receive one compliment. The ball has to keep going until everyone has had a compliment.Students begin to be on the look-out all week for different people to compliment so they are readywhen the Koosh ball comes to them.Class Meeting: The teacher leads the class meeting after that and brings up things that will behappening the next week so the students have something to look forward to on Monday. You candiscuss new units, field trips, visitors, and books you will be reading aloud. Whatever is of interest tothe class and will keep them interested in upcoming events. It can be as simple or complex as you want.The students can ask questions by raising their hands and you toss the Koosh ball to them so they cantalk.Problem Box: All week the students have either written or dictated to you a problem that they wouldlike discussed at the class meeting. Anonymously, you will describe a problem and have the studentscome up with solutions to the problem. After discussing two or three possible solutions, the classvotes on the solution they would like to try and then everyone agrees that this is how they are going tohandle the problem the following week to give it a try and see if that will work for them. If not, it goesback into the problem box for further discussion.Problems: Follow up on problems that were discussed the week before are brought up the next week tosee how the solutions worked. The class votes on whether they will continue to use the solutions theytried during the week or try something new. This gives them control over handling their own problemsand they serve as reminders to each other about how to handle particular problems.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 31 -
Learning from others’ misteaks mistakesSKIPPING SCHOOLI was called in one time as a consultant to help a school that had the highest out of school suspensionrate in the state. I asked them to talk to me about what offenses could result in an out of schoolsuspension. It seems the number one thing that was happening in the school was that when a studentskipped school they got an automatic out of school suspension for two days. (Yes, you read that right.)Being as tactful as possible, I asked them what they thought the function of skipping school might befor a child. They knew the right answer; the child wanted to escape school. However, the light bulbdidn’t go on when they heard themselves say that. I had to say “…and you give them two more escapedays when they skip?” “Why?” To which they replied, “That’s what we’ve always done.”Mark Twain said it best when he said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and overagain and expecting different results. Which always floors me when I hear “We’ve always done it thisway” given as an excuse for anything.It actually took me a year to convince them to change and assign Saturday school for children whoskipped. Incredulously their out of school suspension rate dropped and so did their attendanceproblem. It seems children don’t like to come to school on Saturday.There is a proverb which says, “If you’ve told a child 1000 times to do something and they don’tdo it…it isn’t the child that is a slow learner.”Dress Code ViolationsI have to confess that I was once expelled from school for a day for dress code violation. I wore pantsto school. This gives you an idea about how old I am, in that this was a mortal sin. I walked about a mileto school. This was my choice because I didn’t like the noise on the bus and I was way too cool to ridethe bus anyway. I wore pants in the winter time because it was cold in Kansas. I carried my skirt in abag. When I got to school I went to the restroom and changed. One day when I arrived at school thebag was missing. I lost it somewhere between home and school. I had to decide, did I want to face mymother and tell her I lost a brand new skirt or did I want to take a chance getting caught with pantson in school?I decided I could sneak around the halls and no one would notice that I had pants on. I didn’t make itmore than 15 minutes before Mrs. Sedorwitcz caught me and sent me to the office. I was sent homefor the day. Now when you hear this story you are thinking that’s a silly thing to have cost me losing aday of education. However, it’s still happening. Children are getting sent home for bagging pants,piercings, jell-o hair, and shirts with beer slogans. It’s not worth missing a day of education for thesethings. The best defense is a good offense.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 32 -
If you find these things offensive then keep items in the building that would make the child neverwant to do that again. Here are some ideas:Baggy pants saggingto the kneesPiercingsJell-O HairT-Shirts that areinappropriateThose ties that slide through and lock – sort of like temporaryhandcuffs going through the loops of the pants until they are waisthigh. Not very comfortable and definitely not cool looking.Explaining to the students where this tradition came from. It’s fromthe prison system and if you don’t know the symbolism; ask someone.Having them come in every day after the first violation to check inwith someone who will praise when they start wearing appropriatepants.Alterations on site-Give the home-economics class a chance to learnalterations and take in the pants so they are the right size aroundthe waist.Well, they did it for attention and they definitely get it when theyget sent to the office for it. If you give them attention then therewill be six more that do it to get the attention. The best bet is toignore it- it’s really not that disruptive. Their parents are probablygiving them more grief than you ever could, so let them take theheat.If you don’t know what this is, children dye their hair with Jell-Omaking it bright red, blue, orange, purple. It is distracting. Keepshampoo at school. Have them wash it out and send them on theirway. Once again, they did it for attention and they got it. Your bestbet is not being negative about it. Talk to them like an adult. Askthem to save it for the football game on Friday night. Tell them youcan understand how they thought it would be cool but appeal to theirsense of decency and how disruptive it would be to smell Jell-O whenyou’re hungry.Take the shirt and trade them. Tell them you’ll trade them back atthe end of the day. Keep some regular T-shirts on hand. Nothing toocool or they won’t bring them back, but nothing too horrible. I was inone school one time where they had lab coats painted with big redwords “DRESS CODE VIOLATION” on them. I couldn’t believe theythought that was a good idea. The kid wore a shirt like that to getattention and they gave them a bigger bang for their buck.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 33 -
Love NotesI used to carry a packet of post-it notes in my pocket every day when I taught. Before the day began,I would write the name of each student on the pages of the post-it note pad. As the day went along Iwould notice something that each student did and write it down on the post-it note accompanying theirname. It looked like this:Dustin, I love the way you picked up Krystal‘s crayons for her when they fell on the floor. Love, Mrs. R.When the students went home they would not leave until they got their love note. They loved it andtheir parents loved it.Half-way through the year I got a new student, Casey. I gave Casey love notes along with everyoneelse. After several weeks, Casey’s mom came up to me and said, “I thought I had a really wonderfulson until I realized you gave those out to everyone.” How sad, that she didn’t realize she had awonderful son whether I gave those out to everyone or not.Whenever I tell this story, I always have someone say, “I don’t have time to do that.” Now I’m going totell you that I did this when I taught Kindergarten. In Kansas, Kindergarten is half a day and we havetwo groups per day. Not only did I do it everyday, I did it twice a day, all year long. You can do it too.It only takes a second to notice something good.Sometimes, I bought the special shaped pads and pre-wrote things on them like:Frog Shape…..Danny, I’m so “hoppy” that you…….Love, Mrs. R Duck Shape… Susie, It was so “ducky”when you…..Love, Mrs. R. Bee Shape…Paul, It was bee-u-ti-ful when you…..Love, Mrs. R. BearShape…Pamela, It was bear-y nice of you to…..Love, Mrs. R.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 34 -
Hierarchy of <strong>Behavior</strong>al Responses (www.loveandlogic.com)Conference(3 Bs)IgnoringProximitySignalcontrolDifferentialReinforcementContractsBx Reduction:EXT, RC, OC, TOAversivesLEVEL I (USE THIS LEVEL FIRST BEFORE ADVANCING TO NEXT LEVEL)• Signal Controlo A secret signal between you and the child œ It can be to let them know they need tochange their behavioro It can be to let you know they need help.• Proximityo Continue teaching and move closer to the childo Never make eye contacto Continue teaching standing right next to the child• Ignoringo Not reinforcing a behavior that you previously reinforced with attention• Conferencingo Be Quicko Be Quieto Be Gone<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 35 -
LEVEL IIoooContractso A written or verbal agreement between the adult and child. œ You do this for me andI’ll do this for youo Differential ReinforcementIgnoring target behaviorGiving praise for appropriate behaviorLEVEL III• Extinctiono No longer reinforcing a previously reinforced response (using either positive ornegative reinforcement) results in the weakening of the frequency of the response.• Response Costo This has been proven by research to not be effective. This is where the student isgiven something and then it is taken away when a target behavior occurs.o An example of this is the stoplight cards that many classrooms use for behaviormanagement.• Operant Conditioningo Operant conditioning forms an association between a behavior and a consequence. (It isalso called response-stimulus or RS conditioning because it forms an associationbetween the animal's response [behavior] and the stimulus that follows [consequence])• Time Outo serves as a punishment by denying a student, for a fixed period of time, theopportunity to receive reinforcementLEVEL IVAversive reactions are to be avoided at all costs. Research indicates they do not change behavior andare demeaning and lower the quality of life for the individual.• Examples:o Spankingo Yellingo Belittlingo Placing in embarrassing position• Corner• Dunce cap• Pig nose (I have seen this done sadly)<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 36 -
<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 37 -
Yellow zone students are those little groups that can sometimes take up a lot of yourtime. In the younger grades they are the tattle tales. Back in the 1970’s when Ifirst started teaching it was a common practice by some of the seasoned teachers toput a little yarn braided tail on students who tattled. Almost as bad as putting a“dunce” cap on a student. Thankfully, I never bought into that philosophy.This group includes children with impulsivity disorders who need the little boostershots from the green zone more frequently than the rest of the class. They mightneed a secret signal to remind them where to keep their hands in line etc.There are the whiners, complainers, and Chicken Littles in every group. (True in theadult world as well.) The following strategies will help you deal with these children.These students have master’s degrees in how to bait adults into a power struggle.These are the children who say things like:• I don’t need this stinking classo “Stinking” may be substituted with a less desirable word, the olderthe student gets• This is irrelevant• This sucks• You’re mean• I hate youThese are also the students who are good at letting youenable them to be dependent on you for work, friends, andexcuses.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 38 -
How to Give Problems Back to Kids So They Aren’t Yours:(www.loveandlogic.com)1. Show empathy2. Lay the problem back on them3. Ask them if they would like to hear what others have done in similar situations (this gives youpermission to give advice)a. Give the worst solution firstb. Always end by saying “How would that work out?”c. Give them as many solutions as you can think of at the timed. Tell them that you are all out of ideas4. Tell them good luck and to let you know what they decide to do.Here’s how it sounds:Daughter: Mom, I was in Best Buy and I just couldn’t resist. There was a new cell phone that takespictures and I just wasn’t thinking and I bought it and it cost $220 and now I don’t have enough moneyfor my car payment. (Hidden message: I need $220 for my car payment)Mom: That’s a bummer. I can understand how cool that phone must be for you to spend your carpayment money without thinking. What are you going to do about your car payment? (Hidden message:You are not getting it from me)Daughter: I dunnoh! (Hidden message: I need $220 for my car payment. You can put it in my bankaccount for me.)Mom: Well, would you like to hear what some other kids have done when they found themselves in thatsituation?Daughter: I guess. (Hidden message: Okay- bore me with your ideas. I just need the money)Mom: Well, some kids let the bank know they will be late with their car payment and take a chance onthat hurting their credit. How would that work for you?Daughter: I can’t do that. My credit rating is very important to me.Mom: Well, some kids take the phone back to Best Buy and get them to take it back since it was animpulse purchase. How would that work out for you?Daughter: I can’t do that. Best Buy doesn’t take things back. (Hidden message: I want this phonereally bad.)Mom: Well, some kids borrow a little here and a little there from their friends until they have enoughto pay their car payment and then they work really hard to pay their friends back. (Hidden message:the MOM ATM is closed.) How would that work for you?Daughter: My friends don’t have that kind of money.Mom: Well, some kids would just sell the phone to a friend for the same money and then they’d havethe money to pay their car payment…and honey, I’ve got to go. I’m all out of ideas. Good luck with thisdilemma. Let me know what you decide to do. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love Ya. MOMDaughter: Next day, “MOM, guess what? I went to Best Buy and believeitor not they took the phone back. Now I can make my car payment.”<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 39 -
What’s a Problem in Your Classroom?How can you:Show empathy for that problem?Lay the problem back on the student?Ask them if they’d like to hear how others would handle that problem?Give the worst case scenario first:Ask every time how that would work for them.Tell them you are all out of ideas to let you know when they have it worked out.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 40 -
WhiningI did a search on the Internet looking to see what others did with classroom whiners and couldn’tbelieve the negative things I found. One teacher actually made a “Whiner’s Trophy” which consistedof a cup with Kleenex; which, she placed on her student’s desks when they whined. Most of thesuggestions focused on giving the class tokens and then taking them away when they whined. This isresponse cost and research supports the fact that this doesn’t work.Here’s response cost and how I see it used in classrooms:Red, Yellow, and Green cards in library pockets with each child’s name on a pocketMoney system where students are given amount and totals subtracted for misdeedsStars crossed out when misdeeds occurWhatever the system… it’s all response cost. What happens when the card is on red, or the money isgone? You have just given the child permission to be as “bad” as they want because they have nothingleft to lose.I teach a University class called “Applied <strong>Behavior</strong> Analysis” to first year teachers. Every year, I havea young teacher come up to me and tell me it’s working for her in her classroom. I always say, “Okay,keep using it as long as it’s working but come tell me when it stops working.” They always come inbefore the end of the semester with their heads down and tell me it stopped working. It doesn’tmatter how cute you make it- it isn’t a good idea to post who’s good and who’s bad.It works so much better to give the students nothing to start with and then apply tokens to themwhen they are caught exhibiting excellent behavior. This is called a token economy and it can be setup for every student in the class or 3-5 students in the class. Let’s suppose you have three students inyour class who whine about every little assignment. You could have a small group meeting with themand discuss tone of voice. Teach the correct tone of voice, model it, give the students opportunity topractice it and then use the token economy to reward that behavior. After awhile you will be able tofade the tokens.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 41 -
The Monday GangI used to set up a plastic backyard table in my classroom- the kind you get at Wal-Mart for $39.99with four plastic chairs and a beach umbrella. I used this for those children who needed a little extrapre-correction for the week. On Monday morning we ate breakfast at the table together. We wentover the calendar for the week. We talked about what they did over the weekend. We then talkedabout the typical rules that got broken and how we could avoid them. In essence, I was doing socialstories with them. Sometimes I had pictures, cues to remind them, or secret signals we would giveeach other when we needed to remind each other of things. If the students needed a break we had asecret signal for that-they moved their name tag from one side of the desk to the other. This let meknow they needed to take a break. We had our “I need a break folders” ready to go with word gamesin them that they could do until I got to them. We talked about what to say if they needed to go for awalk. They knew there was always a book on my desk that needed to be returned to the library (thiswas a code that my librarian and I had worked out. If a particular book came to the library she knew itmeant that student needed to go for a walk to get the wiggles out. She talked to them, sent anotherbook to me through them and they were on their way.) They knew this privilege would be revoked ifthey used it too much. We were able to talk about these things in my Monday Morning Get-Togethers.We talked about anything that might be bothering them. It was a great way to head problems off atthe pass, be proactive, and start the week out on a good note for all the students in the group. Iusually only had 4 students at a time who needed this type of pre-correction for the week.The ADHD GangOne of the years that I taught inclusion classes I had a wonderful class of 17 students. Five of thesestudents were identified ADHD. I had to come up with some solutions to meet their needs. I tookdata for a few weeks and noticed how much they seemed to need to move. I realized first that I wasnot giving them enough time to move around during the day to meet their needs. My first interventionwas to set up 3 extra desks in the room. These were free desks for my 5 students to move to whenthey felt the need to move. They knew that at any time during the day if they needed to move, theycould take what they were working on and move to one of these desks to work. As long as they did notcreate a problem for anyone else in the room, they could have this privilege. This helped a lot, but stillI needed more. I discovered a really wonderful tool from School Specialty:DISC 'O' SITDisc'O'Sit This 15" diameter inflatable disc with smooth tactile bumps enables yourstudent to sit in their seat and yet move side to side without getting out of their seat.This alleviates some of their need to get up and walk around the room. Item #: 121787694Your Price: $29.99We also walked the track first thing in the morning several mornings a week to alleviate the wigglefactor. Once I put all of these interventions into place, I had a much calmer classroom. Beingproactive helped alleviate a lot of their impulsivity.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 42 -
Social Skill GroupsSome children don’t pick up on the non-verbal cues that others do. We have to teach them what itmeans to “pay attention”, “be quiet”, and “behave.” There is a wonderful line in the book The CuriousIncident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon. The main character, Christopher, who hasAsperger Syndrome basically said “I didn’t like it when my teacher told me to be quiet because shedidn’t say for how long I had to be quiet. I didn’t know if it was for five minutes or the rest of theday.” Many of our children are this way. I remember once going up and asking my teacher if it was okayto swallow my saliva when she asked us to be quiet; because, in my own head that sounded very loud andI assumed she might be able to hear it if I swallowed.As a behavior specialist, I am privileged to hear all the complaints of teachers. I frequently hearthings like: 1) “Kids should just behave”, 2) “They know better”, 3) “I shouldn’t have to tell them to begood”, and 4) “I’m not going to reward them for something they should be doing anyway.”So let me ask you this: How many of you drove today? How many of you possibly went over the speedlimit at some point either intentionally or unintentionally? Personally, there have been many times thatI have been running late and it was worth the risk of a $75 ticket for me to go over the speed limit.However, if the police worked it different and at any moment a police officer could pull behind me,clock my speed, and pull me over and give me a check for $75 for going the correct speed limit; I canguarantee you that I would rarely speed. I would be much more inclined to follow the posted speedlimit if I were rewarded for doing so.Children need to be taught what it means to pay attention, be respectful, be polite, be responsible andso on. They need opportunities to practice these skills and we need to catch them doing it and rewardthem for it. If you don’t believe this then you might want to make a career move because you are goingto be miserable and think that children were born to be bad. Children weren’t born to be bad; theywere born, not knowing what you expect of them.Role playing and videos are the best ways to teach these skills to students. They need to see what youmean when you tell them what you want. I used to spend a week teaching my little first graders what Iwanted when we walked down the hallway. We would go out in the hallway and practice it over and overagain. I gave booster shots of practice from time to time. When my cohorts were scolding theirstudents in May for pushing and shoving down the hallway, my students were appropriately walkingdown the hall because I had taken the time to teach what I expected. I bragged to them consistentlyabout how well they were carrying out the rules of walking down the hall.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 43 -
Books on Teaching Social Skills:You don’t have to reinvent the wheel; here are some books on Social Skills found in a quick search onthe Internet. You might find them in your school library.104 Activities That Build: Selfesteem,Teamwork, Communication,Anger Management, Self-discovery,and Coping Skillsby Alanna Jones "Teamwork activities are fun tolead, exciting to participate in, challenging, andalmost always the favorite type of therapeuticgames to play..."Basic Social Skills for Youth: AHandbook from Boys Townby Boys Town Press, Father Flanagan's Boys' Home,Val J. Peter (Designer)Hot Stuff to Help Kids Chill Out: TheAnger Management BookReaching Out, Joining In: TeachingSocial Skills to Young Children withAutismReady-To-Use Social Skills Lessons &Activities for Grades 7 - 12 (J-B Ed:Ready-to-Use Activities)Six Steps to an Emotionally IntelligentTeenager: Teaching Social Skills toYour TeenSocial Skills Activities : forSecondary Students with SpecialNeedsby Jerry WildeExpert clinicians introduce social skills programsfor preschool & kindergarten children with autism,with a focus on play, rules, empathy, & inclusion.by: Harris, Sandra L.Publisher: Woodbine HousePublication Date: July 2001Number of pages: 150by Ruth Weltmann Begun "<strong>Behavior</strong>al Objectives:The student will exhibit good listening andconcentration skills that are appropriate forclassroom learning and everyday life..." (more)by: Windell, JamesPublisher: WileyPublication Date: August 1999Number of pages: 213by Darlene Mannix "Rationale: Being able to listento others is probably one of the most importantsocial skills that an individual can acquire..."<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 44 -
<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 45 -
The Red ZoneChildren in the red zone need more than the green and yellow zone interventions. Approximately fivepercent of the class will need interventions like this if everything else is in place. This means that in aclass of 20, most likely only one student would need this level of intervention at any given time. Theinterventions listed on the following pages are not just for children on an IEP. These interventionswork for children who have intensive behavioral needs. The most important thing is to first complete afunctional behavior assessment (FBA) and figure out the “function” or the reason behind the behavior.To learn more about functional behavior assessments visit www.pbsga.org and check out FBA Workbookin the form section. This is a workbook that takes you through one way to collect data on behavior todetermine the function.80% of behavior can be changed just by pointing out what someone is doing right. Here’s a typicalscenario that I play out when I’m visiting schools. One day I was in an elementary school. A thirdgrade class was lined up in the hallway and the teacher had stepped into the restroom leaving themunattended. As I walked toward the restroom, I noticed the line leader turned backwards with herfists up in the air. A boy standing in the fifth place in line had his hands up and was ready to “duke itout” with her. I walked by them and said to the third child in line, “I love the way you are standingthere so straight and tall. I know your teacher will really appreciate that. May I have your name so Ican tell her who I caught doing such a good job?” The child told me her name and I told the teacherher name in front of the class and what I saw her doing. I never mentioned the two that werefighting, who by the way, were now standing straight and tall looking like angels. I disrupted themoment.I was once in a Dillard’s store at the mall checking out the suit racks. There was a little boy abouteight year’s old standing there beside his mother and here’s how it sounded:Mom: “That’s it. You have six chores to do when we get home. I told you to cut it out.”Me: (I never saw or heard the child do a thing that even looked out of place)Child: nothingMom: “You now have seven chores to do when we get home.”Child: nothingMom: “I have had it with you. I told you to cut it out. You have eight chores to do when we gethome.”Child: absolutely nothingMe: (Incredulously, I moved closer so I could discern possible heavy breathing or rolling of eyes of thechild. Nothing was noted.)Mom: By this time, she was slamming suit hangers around the rack as she blasts, “Your father is goingto hear about this, I have had it with you. You have nine chores to do when we get home.”By the time they left the suit department the young man had 11 chores to do at home. Not once did Ihear her tell him what it was that he was doing wrong, nor did I see or hear him do anything that wouldcause him to earn chores. However, I did want to turn the mother around to a mirror and have hertake a good hard look at herself and ask her what was bugging her. Whatever was yanking her chaincould have been solved by her telling her son what he was doing that was correct instead of assigningchores for some unseen sins against the mother.I get a lot of my information when shopping in malls and grocery stores. If you see me you might want to walk tothe other way if you are feeling particularly cranky toward your children because you might hear about yourself inone of my future seminars.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 46 -
ERASE Problem <strong>Behavior</strong> (From Dr. Terry Scott; University of Florida)Explain - What is the problem?Reason - What is he/she getting out of it or avoiding?Appropriate - What do you want him/her to do instead?<strong>Support</strong> - How can you help this happen more often?Evaluate - How will you know if it works?This is a good motto to follow when setting up a behavior support team. Be ready to answer the abovequestions before implementing any intervention plan. If you intervene based on the wrong function,then you will increase the undesired behavior.For more information on functional behavior assessments go to www.pbsga.org under forms anddownload the FBA workbook.Function of <strong>Behavior</strong>:Remember children have target behaviors for two reasons:<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 47 -
If the Function is “To Gain Attention” from Adults or Peers:The reinforcer for the intervention should be attention from either peers or adults depending on thetarget behavior’s function. If the target behavior was to gain attention from peers then thereinforcer should be giving the student attention from peers in a more appropriate manner. Here aresome examples:Intervention that may bepaired with behaviorFunctionReinforcer ExamplesteachingToken Economy Peer Attention Ten Tickets = time to teachclass a mini lesson.Class Messenger Adult Attention Takes messages to office,other teachers etc. Alladults who receive thismessage will know to givestudent some extraattention at the time ofdelivery.Class Leader Peer Attention Student is in charge of visualschedule in the classroom.Student guides others intothe next activity by turningthe schedule over andannouncing the next activity.Diary Adult Attention Student earns 5 minutes ofone-on-one time with anadult first thing in themorning to go over diary ofwhat they did the nightbefore at home. They comein at the end of the day toget a new diary and todiscuss how the day atschool went.Lunch Bunch Peer Attention The student earns privilegeof eating at a special table inthe lunch room with peers ofhis or her choosing. Thetable can be decorated witha tablecloth etc.Lunch with Dignitary Adult Attention Student earns lunchprivileges with a specialadult. This could be aprincipal, grandparents, SRO,Governor, Mayor, Businesspartner etc.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 48 -
If the Function is “To Gain Access to Materials” or Preferred Items:There are two ways to handle access to materials. One is to set up a token economy where the studentearns some time with the preferred materials. The second is to use the “How to give problems back tochildren so they aren’t yours” method listed in the yellow section. It will depend on the level of thestudent. The lower the functioning level the more likely you will have to use the preferred itemintermittently with non-preferred items and a token economy is a great way to do this.The reinforcer for the intervention should be the preferred reinforcer. Each child has differentitems that “float their boat” and they may change from day to day or week to week. We always saythat once the adults figure out the answers the children change the test. Here are some examples ofthings that other children have earned. These can be paired with a token economy, a now-thenschedule, or any other system you choose.Sometimes you have to do an interest inventory to determine the preferred items; this is especiallytrue if the child is non-verbal or has intellectual disabilities in the moderate range. These are some ofthe things we have found to be reinforcing to other students.Art Supplies Electronic Games Sport Cards (Baseball, etc.)Beading Food Items StickersBoard Games Favorite Books Word SearchesComic BooksFavorite ToysWe actually have a group ofComputer TimeMusicchildren who are highlyCoupon ClippingPuzzlesmotivated by Ramen NoodlesDeck of Playing Cards Sensory Toysat an alternative school.(You never know until youwatch and ask.)The Gumball MachineWhat parent has not dreaded walking by the gumball machine when their children weresmall? Here’s how you set that up so it’s not a problem. First, I’ll tell you that I tried totell my daughter that what was in those machines was “yucky” and that she wouldn’t likewhat was in there. For two years this worked great. We’d walk by and she’d point and say“yucky” and I would reward her with praise and a goldfish cracker that I thought wasmore appropriate. Unfortunately, one day her grandpa took her to the store and shediscovered that I had been lying all those years. I don’t suggest going down that road.Set up a token economy. Tell your child they have to earn 10 tokens. I like jelly braceletsbecause they are easy to hang on to and keep in your pocket. The child slips them on their wrist andwhen they are young, little boys don’t care that they are for “girls”. Tell them how they are going toearn their jelly bracelets. “You can earn a bracelet for helping mommy or daddy find these items (cutout pictures of items you will be getting.” You can earn two bracelets for staying in the cart. You canearn a bracelet for using a 6 inch voice.” (Only people within six inches could hear you.) “You can earnfour bracelets for not asking for anything all the way around the store. I will allow you to have tworeminders on this.” Then tell them you will give them bracelets throughout the store when you seethem doing these things. However, they can’t ask for a bracelet. They have to be so good you will<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 49 -
notice it on your own. This eliminates a lot of problems that I see parents having with their children ingrocery stores and it’s a relatively cheap investment (unless they are prone to cavities).The Cereal AisleI do a lot of research while I’m shopping in grocery stores and at the mall. Iused to avoid the cereal aisle because there was usually some child having atantrum about what kind of cereal they want. Now I stand around in the aisleresearching what the problem seems to be for parents and children.There are two factors here: 1) health and 2) prizes in the box. As a formerteacher, I can tell you that it is obvious from the front of the classroom on who had a sugary cerealfor breakfast, who had a good healthy breakfast, and who had no breakfast. From a parentperspective, I also know that some days you are just happy you got your kids out the door with clothesthat “sort of “ matched and the fact that they combed their own hair isn’t too apparent. So I’m lookingat this from both sides and I think I have a compromise. I suggest purchasing two boxes of cereal ifyour child eats cereal. This takes preplanning and a family meeting. If you go online to the followingwebsites you can get pictures of available cereals.This website shows them all:http://theimaginaryworld.com/cbarch.htmlThese are some of the major brands:http://www.kelloggs.com/us/http://www.kraftfoods.com/postcereals/cereal_1.htmlhttp://www.generalmills.com/corporate/brands/index.aspxBefore you go into the grocery store have your child choose the two cereals you are going to purchase.One is going to be healthy and one is going to be for fun. Then make a deal with them. They can eatthe healthy cereal on even days of the week and the fun cereal on odd days of the week. The 23rdwould be fun cereal and the 24th would be healthy cereal. Or you could choose to have them eathealthy all week and have the fun cereal on the weekends. Or they could eat healthy for breakfast andhave the fun cereal for afternoon and evening snacks. Whatever fits your belief system. You will haveto tie this to some form of reward for following the rules. Example: “If you follow the cereal plan wehave agreed on you get to choose a movie at Blockbuster for family TV night or you get to choose whatI cook for dinner on Saturday evening.” You choose a reward that you can live with and one that doesn’tstretch your budget. You were probably going to rent movies from Blockbuster anyway or you wereprobably going to cook on Saturday night. You just let the child have some control over something thatdoesn’t really matter to you anyway.The last point is that when you go to the store; take the pictures of the cereal with you. Have anagreement which is ironclad like a contract. Turn it into a contest. Who can go down the cereal aisleand find the cereal the quickest without making anyone notice them in the aisle? (In other wordsit’s not the million dollar one-minute shopping spree; where everyone runs crazily down the aisle.) Ifyou have more than one child and you don’t want to purchase three or four boxes of cereal then youcan let them take turns choosing the fun cereal. You could also use this opportunity to let your childrenlearn the art of negotiation and give them all the pictures, put them in a room and tell them to comeout once they have agreed upon two cereals; one healthy and one fun.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 50 -
1 1 1 1If the function is to “access preferred sensory input”:The team first needs to determine the preferred sensory input and the best person to assist with thisis the occupational therapist.Typically, students who need access to sensory input are those with special needs. However, we allhave stereotypy behaviors that are calming to us. Some people chew their nails. Some twirl their hair.It’s important to understand that this is a need, not a want in some cases and if the team doesn’tprovide for this need, it can create behavioral outbursts. If it’s a need please read the section onsensory input further along in this book. If it’s just a preferred reinforcer then here are some ideas:There are two ways a student could earn preferred sensory input if it’s just a “want” item for thechild.Schedule:You can put it into the child’s visual schedule sandwiched between hard activities. This gives the childan incentive to do the work if the reward of the work is time to sit and play with a cheerleader pompom or twirl a chain for a few minutes.Token EconomyThe child has to earn so many tokens per period of time to earn sensory time. For example, if youwere using pot holder loop bracelets as your token and every time you caught them workingappropriately you gave them one of those to slip on their arm. The student would then be able to trade5 of those in for 5 minutes in the ball pit or 5 minutes swinging on the swing.5=<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 51 -
If the function of the behavior is to escape work:here are some ways to accomplish work so the adult controls the breaks.NOW/THEN scheduleThe student does a required task with thepromotion of a desired task to be gained once therequired task is done. This can be paired with atoken economy if the student is resistant toquitting once the break time is over.Many times we hear that this is bribery. This is notbribery for one good reason and that is thedefinition of bribery is to get someone to dosomething illegal or immoral. Since doing a worktask at school is neither of those; then offering areinforcing activity is not an offense.This is teaching children how to make good use of time. Good college students study before theyparty, do homework before they play, or do the hardest task first. This is teaching good work habits.Token Economy earning small prizes for completing work that can be traded in for larger prizes.Tokens are used to help the child switch from the preferred activity back to a work activity. Theyearn a token if they immediately put their things away when the timer goes off. They are one tokencloser to earning a break.Timer- Set the timer for 15 minutes for work and then 10 minutes for break using apreferred reinforcer for the break activity.Use what they love. For example: Teenagers love listening to music. They sneaktheir CD players, IPODS to school all the time. Let them bring CD players etc. fromhome. Put them on a token economy to earn the right to listen to music while they doseat work, or give them a 5 minute break. So many schools take away these itemsand don’t use it to their advantage. You can use these things as preferredreinforcers instead of making it a “Because I said so” war.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 52 -
If the function is to Escape from Peers:• Student can earn time to visit principal for a friendly visit• Substitute any other adult in the sentence above (SRO, Librarian, etc.)• Student can earn privilege to create their own little office space in the room that isvisually away from other students• Student can earn privilege of staying in at recess to “hang out” for fun• Student can earn privilege of staying after school to “hang out” and be involved in a funactivity with the teacher or preferred adult. The reason for this is sometimes to avoidpeers on the bus ride home and if parents agree to come pick them up, this can be a rewardone day a week.If the function is to Escape from Adults:• Student can earn time to visit another classroom• Student can earn time to visit a preferred adult• Student can earn alone time in the libraryGet Yourself a Q-TIPQuit Taking It Personally (Just don’t take it personally if 100% of the studentsaren’t in love with you. You may remind them of someone in their family that treats themunkind. As long as they don’t all hate you- you’ve got it.)<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 53 -
If the Function is to Escape “Sensory Overload”For some students, especially students with autism spectrum disorders there are many sensory issuesthat can affect their behavior. Here are some examples that have been discussed in literature:Sensory StimulusAnother student crying for long periods of timeBright lightsBuzzing lights (fluorescent)Chairs scooting on the tile floorDoors opening and closingFire AlarmsLunchroom noiseObnoxious smells (like tire smell in Sam’s Club)People talking near the roomMost Simple SolutionEarphones listening to music or aninteractive computer game that hasmusic.Sunglasses, visor, or baseball capAlso, see later in this section aboutcreating a light therapy room where thelights are off and black lights andcolorful Christmas type lights are usedfor sensory input on a calming level.Halogen lamps or floor lamps with regularbulbs.Tennis balls cut and inserted over tips ofchairs.Hinges that stop doors from slammingAdvance warning from administration soa social story can be read prior to theactual bell. Also, the earphones used byairport personnel do a good job ofblocking out loud noises.Social story prior to visiting, music withheadphones gradually fading the volume,sitting off to one end of the cafeteria sonot in the middle of the noise.Coming in toward the end of a lunchperiod so that the majority of thestudent’s lunch time is during the nextperiod’s beginning time while most kidsare still eating and not talking yet.Essential oils on cotton ball and put inshirt pocketReminders of Quiet Zone outsideclassroom.Sometimes it takes more than a sign onthe wall.One school found that lowering the lightswas a good signal to let students knowthis was a Quiet Zone.Another school color coded the ceilingtiles to alert to students to Quiet Zones.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 54 -
<strong>Interventions</strong>:The following pages are in alphabetical order based on the intervention. Rather than pointing outwhich ones are applicable to children with autism, or learning disabilities, or emotional behaviordisorders they are just listed based on the needs of the child.Good classroom management looks at the need of the child and develops a plan based on the need. Notall children with autism need a sensory diet and not all children with attention deficit disorder need aspecial air filled disk on which to sit.The behavior support team is the key to determining a good behavioral intervention. If this teamincludes all the key people in the life of the child then a quality plan can be formed and shapedthroughout the child’s life. Remember it’s a dynamic process.Sometimes behaviors occur because the child is either not challenged or being asked to do repetitivetasks. An example of this is sorting bears. As a statewide presenter who visits numerous classroomsit is sad to see a kindergarten MID child sorting red, yellow, and blue bears and then go across town tothe high school and see a 17 year old MID student sorting red, yellow, and blue bears. For this reason,this book has some teaching techniques to help teach some higher level thinking skills to students inthe MOID, MID, Learning Disabilities, and Autistic learning range.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 55 -
Aggressive <strong>Behavior</strong>s<strong>Behavior</strong> is communication; however, we can not let children with behavior difficulties bite, scratch,kick, or hit themselves or others. Here are some redirections that have worked for other children:Biting Give the child a chewy tube or a chew tube on a keychain and direct them to bite this whenthey feel like biting. If they bite themselves put it where they will see it- keep it clipped to their beltloop. If they bite you or another adult keep it clipped to the adult target; and direct them to bite thatwhen they feel the need to bite. Reward them with praise and or a tangible when they bite the tubeinstead of themselves or others. This usually stems from a sensory need and when they get overloadedthey go for the first thing. How to get out of a bite: Many children bite like snapping turtles; theydon’t let go until it thunders. If you can reach your free hand over to the child’s nose and gently clampit closed the child will open their mouth to get air and you can move out of harm’s way. Many childrenand adults have been hurt by an adult reacting to a bite by pulling away. (Teeth have been pulled out,fingers damaged etc.). Although, it is hard to not react when in pain, it’s best to review this techniquefrom time to time so you can override the emotional level of wanting to pull away. You will damage yourskin less if you stay still and gently pinch the nose.Pinching Place a clothespin on the spot where the child usually pinches you. During times of nonstressdirect them to pinch the clothespin. Reward them with praise or tangibles for pinching theclothespin. When they do forget and pinch you remind them to pinch the clothespin. Once they havemastered pinching the clothespin on you, move the clothespin to their own clothing and direct them topinch that when they feel the need to pinch.Plopping When a child drops to the floor and refuses to move we call that plopping. There could betwo different functions to this but if it happens frequently and at no apparent time interval then it isprobably for attention. Put a mat around the child so that no one can make eye contact with the childand sit them out. Act like it is no big deal to you that they are on the floor. This won’t work if thefunction is escape. If they are trying to escape a particular activity try to sandwich the non-preferredactivity between one that follows that is extremely rewarding. Use a First-Then schedule to showthem what is coming next.Scratching When a child scratches it is usually for attention. The best solution is to wearprotective gear (arm pads or gloves). Don’t react when the child scratches and redirect their hands towhere they belong. Once they stop getting the reaction, the scratching usually stops.Tantrums Children, who have tantrums frequently, tend to build up momentum until they don’trealize where they are in time or space. It’s very hard to come back to reality once you have left thegravitational pull. We have used bean bag chairs to act as shock absorbers for the tantrum energy.The child is directed to sit in the beanbag and communicate a want or need. They are rewarded forthis activity during a non-stress time. Once they are beginning the stages of tantrum they are taken tothe beanbag and returned there every time they get up until they learn to stay in the beanbag duringtimes of stress. Eventually, they are given a communication tool to let them communicate what it isthat is bothering them. A blanket is near so the child can put the blanket over their head if they areon sensory overload and need to escape lights and sounds.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 56 -
Categories (Teaching Classification Skills)Even children with lower cognitive abilities can look for similarities and differences. I had studentswith severe intellectual disabilities who could put things in the proper place in a Venn diagram. Here’show I taught the concept of a Venn diagram:Hula Hoops:I would start with something simple like dark socks and white socks. Then I would move the hula hoopscloser together so it looked like this:And we would sort them again. Then I would add socks with light and dark patterns on them into thepile of socks. I would then move the hula hoops so they looked like this:I would model that the patterned socks went in the middle because they were white and dark both.Once the students understood this concept I moved on to more complex differences and similarities.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 57 -
Categories (Teaching Classification Skills) continued:Here are some examples of things you can put into categories with hula hoops apart:1. Plastic animalsa. Animals with two legs - Animals with four legsb. Animals that fly - Animals that walkc. Animals that walk - Animals that swing through trees2. Vehiclesa. Vehicles with two wheels - Vehicles with four wheelsb. Water vehicles – land vehiclesc. Vehicles that fly - vehicles that go on the road3. Dollhouse peoplea. Men - Womenb. Girls - Boysc. Adults- ChildrenRed and white socks Red, white, and blue socks Blue and white socksBrown animals Brown and white animals White animalsAnimals in the circusAnimals in circus and Animals in Farm Animalsa farm (both)Food from McDonaldsFood that you find at bothMcDonalds and Dairy QueenFood you find at Dairy QueenGatekeeper- For Higher Functioning StudentsTake sentence strips and write animals on them with a coordinating picture.• Give each child a card.• Stand with your arms straight out to the sides.• The children line up and approach you- you either tell them to pass or tell them to go sit down.• You only let children with certain characteristics through: (example: only animals with fourlegs)• The students have to look at who got through the gatekeeper and see what the classificationwas that you were looking for in your entry criteria.This is a game that could be played with inclusion buddies who pair up one on one with the students.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 58 -
ChoicesWe touched on the topic of choices during the green zone; however, they are even more useful in thered zone. Children like control and it is perfectly okay to give away control on our terms. I call it“controlled” control. This is like making a deposit into a little savings account in the child’s head. Thisway, when you must make a withdrawal and say “I need you to__________” the child is more likely tocomply.Here’s how it sounds:• Would you like to brush your teeth with the green toothbrush or the red toothbrush?• Use the blue toothpaste or the red toothpaste?• Drink out of a cup or a glass?• Straw or no straw?Here’s another trick you can play:• If your child’s bedtime is 8:00 and you are still battling them at 8:30 to get in bed you can dothe following:o At 7:45 say to them, “Would you like to go to bed now or wait 15 minutes?”o Fifteen minutes later say, “Now’s the time you picked to go to bed.”Here’s how it sounds in the classroom:• Do you want to sit in the red chair or the blue chair?• Do you want to write on lined paper or unlined paper?• Do you want to write your name on the left side of your paper or the right side of your paper?• Do you want to do Math first or English first?It sounds silly, but if you try this you will be amazed at how well the children start complying withrequests when they feel like they have been making all the decisions up to a certain point.On another note: My husband and I used to live with Jay an adult with autism, intellectual disabilities,obsessive compulsive disorder and bi-polar condition. Prior to our living with him, he would miss 2 or 3days every month because he would be so low he couldn’t get out of bed. I decided this wasn’t going tohappen when we lived with him. After months of researching all his data, I decided that thebarometric pressure might have some bearing on his bi-polar mood swings. I instituted choiceswhenever the barometric pressure fell 15 degrees in one 24 hour period. (I won’t go into all the detailsabout how I came up with that.) The important thing was that when the barometric pressure starteddropping, I started giving Jay more choices. Everything became a choice, “Do you want to set thetable with the blue dishes or the white dishes?” “Do you want to go to bed with the music on or themusic off?”I knew the answer to all these questions. The important thing was Jay felt he was in control. I’mhappy to report that our oldest son now lives with Jay and is using choices when Jay gets low as welland Jay hasn’t missed a day of work for three years due to his bi-polar condition.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 59 -
CommunicationFirst it is important to remember that all behavior is communication. Many times the very behaviorsthat we want to change are the ones that are occurring because the child desires to communicate awant or need to us but is unable to do so with speech. This section is on the dos and don’ts ofcommunication. The don’ts are based on things we have seen being done that were not successful forthe child and the do’s are based on things we have seen have great success for children.DON’Tø Talk about the child as if they were not there.Example: right in front of the child I’ve had a child psychologist say, “He’s not very bright ishe?” I beg to differ whose IQ is lower at the moment. I believe that we always make theassumption that the child understands all language spoken and unspoken in the room.ø Bark commands to the child as if they were a dog.ø Use vague concepts they don’t understand. Be happy vs. Show me a smile.ø Forget to make eye contact with the child even if they aren’t making it with you. They will glanceyour way at times and its best if your eyes are on themWhen you are talking to themDO• Use a lilt in your voice.• Smile when you talk to them.• Make eye contact whenever possible without forcing them to look at you.• Talk to them as if they understand every word you say.• Break requests into progressive steps: (make sure they have 10 consecutive correct responsesat each level before you move to the next)o One step commands first (stand here please)o Two step commands (go get your shoes and bring them to me)o Three step commands (go get a bowl, put it at the table, and sit down for snack)• Label all appropriate behavior:o I like the way you are sitting up straight and tall.o You walked down the hallway next to the wall so well.o You did such a good job of keeping your hands at your sides.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 60 -
Communication DevicesPECSThe Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was developed in 1985 as a unique augmentative/alternative training package that allows children and adults with autism and other communicationdeficits to initiate communication. First used at the Delaware Autistic Program, PECS has receivedworldwide recognition for focusing on the initiation component of communication. PECS does notrequire complex or expensive materials. It was created with educators, resident care providers andfamilies in mind, and so it is readily used in a variety of settings.PECS begins with teaching a student to exchange a picture of a desired item with a “teacher”, whoimmediately honors the request. Verbal prompts are not used, thus building immediate initiation andavoiding prompt dependency. The system goes on to teach discrimination of symbols and then putsthem all together in simple sentences. In the most advanced Phases, individuals are taught to commentand answer direct questions. Many preschoolers using PECS also begin developing speech.The system has been successful with adolescents and adults who have a wide array of communicative,cognitive and physical difficulties. The foundation for the system is the PECS Training Manual, 2ndEdition, written by Lori Frost, MS, CCC/SLP and Andrew Bondy, PhD. The manual provides all of thenecessary information to implement PECS effectively. It guides readers through the six phases oftraining and provides examples, helpful hints and templates for data and progress reporting. Thistraining manual is recognized by professionals in the fields of communication and behavior analysis asan effective and practical guide to one of the most innovative systems available.Information taken from http://www.pecs.com/page5.htmlBig Mac SwitchesThese switches can be pre-recorded with output voices so the child can communicate without his orher own voice. Example: —I need a drink please“ can be coded into a switch and the student can learnto hit the switch to get a drink. Once they learn to use the Big Mac well they can advance to higherlevels of switches.Big Mac Switches are available at:http://www.ablenetinc.com/productLocation.asp?page=/products.asp<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 61 -
Communication Devices continued:Super-TalkerI really like the following because it is a step progression from one voice output all the way up to eight.As the student progresses the teacher can snap in a new grid and they go up to 2 then 4 then 8different output choices that can be matched with pictures so the child can correlate the spoken wordto the picture of the item.SuperTalker progressive communicator (also available athttp://www.ablenetinc.com/productLocation.asp ?page=/products.asp)Step by StepAnother tool that can be used for teaching turn taking and other activities is astep by step. You can start off programming it to say: My turn-Your turn. Thechild is taught to press it when he begins and press it when he ends an activitythat he is sharing with the teacher or another student. “My turn- Your turn”teaches the child reciprocity which is a very difficult task. Taka Perry, our clinicteacher uses it to say “work”, “break” and the child uses it to request a break whenworking. If she doesn’t want him to have a break yet she just presses “work” andhe goes back to work until he presses it again.Step-by-Step with levelsAll the same great features of our Step-by-Step communicators, with theaddition of levels. Levels are ideal for prerecording sequential messages to be usedat specific times during the day, or for recording and storing sequential messagesthat are used on a regular basis. Prerecord grocery lists on level one, knock-knockjokes on level two and the events of the day or any other set of sequential messageson level three. There is no limit to the number of messages per level within the 75seconds of recording time.$159.00 (Also available at:http://www.ablenetinc.com/productLocation.asp?page=/products.asp )<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 62 -
Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT and High School Students)Most students with special needs are required to take the criterion reference tests developed by eachstate. The rote drill and memorization required for these tests are difficult for them. Although, theyneed to practice taking the tests in the same format that they will be taking them (i.e. bubble sheets)for the memorization practice it is good to put large motor skills paired with the memorization. Hereare ideas for how to put large motor movement paired with the questions:Have a BallWrite the questions on 9 inch diameter balls with a Sharpie pen and toss the ball around the roomhaving the students answer the question that their right thumb lands on. Caution: You have to set uprules about how to throw the ball prior to beginning. Once that is done it is not usually a problem.Ladies and Gentlemen…”In this corner”Label the four corners of the room with cards hanging from the ceiling marked “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D”.Then read a question and have the students go to the corner corresponding to the answer they think isthe correct answer. This helps them first learn to listen to all the possible answers before theychoose. It helps them think about associating the answer with letter choices. Caution: It’s importantto set this up so that if one person goes to the wrong corner it’s okay because there is more than oneway to think about answers to questions. Then you can have discussions about why one answer is betterthan another. Start with some really easy questions first.Then…. (shape the learning toward the test)Flash CardsTeach the students a good study skill. Have them make flash cards for questions like they will see onthe test. Then have them pair up and ask each other the questions. Peer mentors work really well inthis situation.Practice, Practice, Practice Turn everything into a bubble test. Have them bubble in their name,address, what they want for lunch etc. Have them write their own tests.Practice TestsAs much as possible, give the child practice tests in the format they will be using during the CRCT.You can start with fun pages like dot to dot pictures, replacing the dots with bubbles to be filled inbefore connecting the dots. Give them their spelling tests in a multiple choice format with fill in thebubble format and so on. This will make it less anxiety ridden when they take the real test because itwill look like all the things they have been doing in the classroom.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 63 -
Fecal SmearingThere are many reasons behind fecal smearing but everyone will agree that it is no joy to clean up andthe worries about safety are of major issue.Zipped One-piece JumpsuitA solution to this that we have discovered at the BIP office is to sew pajamas that zip up the back.We used a child’s Halloween costume pattern (jumpsuit style) and just put the zipper up the backinstead of the front, with elastic at the sleeves and bottom of the legs. If the child has a little HarryHoudini in him or her, the parents can pin under the top of the zipper with a safety pin. This keeps thechild from maneuvering the zipper down.Usually the fecal smearing occurs during the night time so these jumpsuits can be made from flanneland flame retardant materials available at stores like Wal-Mart. However, if they perform this activityduring the day, the suits could be made from denim or any other durable material.Simplicity Pattern #4871 would work – it can be made all one color and minus the tail,head, and neck piece.InterventionThe back zip jumpsuit is only a deterrent to the activity so a replacement behavior needs to be taught.There are two likely reasons behind fecal smearing: 1) attention (the child gains a large amount ofattention albeit negative, but attention just the same) or 2) sensory input (the child has somethingwith a unique texture and a uniquely strong smell. If it is undifferentiated when you determine thefunction then you can employ both of the following techniques:1)Provide absolutely no attention to the child. Clean up the mess without giving the child eyecontact or any verbalizations. Be sure the give the child plenty of attention during times whenthey are using appropriate behavior. (Especially if they eliminate in the toilet)2) Start the child on a sensory diet for smells and textures. This would include many differenttypes of putty and squeeze balls and essential oils that have strong odors. Tea tree oil has anice strong scent and is safe for them to smell.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 64 -
FidgetsAll children fidget in their seats. We used to have three television stations to choose from and whenwe did watch television the commercials came at 15-18 minute intervals. Now children have 600channels to choose from, commercials come in 11-13 minute increments, and they can flip constantlybetween commercials with their attention changing as rapidly as a click of the dial. Children withautism are no different than normally developing peers when it comes to short attention spans forwork tasks. So here are some techniques to use with children with autism or any child who needs toget up and move:DISC'O'SIT JUNIOR MFG:89.12 /12.800 S121986This 12" diameter inflatable disc with smooth tactile bumps enables your client to work on posturaltraining while seated or balance activities in seated or standing positions. Ideal for clients both youngand old who require dynamic seated activities. Inflate by mouth to desired level. Colors may vary.https://www.schoolspecialty.com/ordering/ECommerce;jsessionid=E1D18FED41551E183FB47F820460F008Item #: 121986794 Your Price: $19.99Pilates Ball ChairThese chairs are available at many office supply stores and usually cost around$89.00. They allow the student to sit and keep moving at the same time. The important considerationis whether or not they would self-stimulate by jumping on the ball chair. Each child is different so itwould depend on their need for that sensory input.Massage ChairOf course this picture is a pipe dream but many shops like sharper image and even Kohl’s etc. sell matsthat go inside chairs that vibrate. I believe I bought one for my students about 5 years ago for$39.99 at a place similar to Marshall’s Department Store. I hooked it to a switch so the student couldactivate it easily when they needed the sensory input.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 65 -
Filtering TherapyChildren with autism like to filter the light. They sometimes do this by “wagging” their fingers in frontof their face. You may see them pulling out handfuls of grass and dropping it into the wind in front oftheir face.Here is a center you can make in your room that will give them some things you can let them filter. Thiscan be used as a preferred reinforcer after a more difficult activity.Purchase several under the bed plastic storage boxes and beach toys like shovels, buckets, plasticshapes etc.Here are some things to put in the boxes:1. Ricea. You can color the rice by using food coloring and letting it dry over night, spread out onwax paper before you put it in the box.2. Dry Beans3. Sand (However, custodians tend not to like sand because it scratches the finish on the floor)4. Easter grass5. Shredded paper6. Cut off strands from cheerleader pom-poms7. Christmas tinsel8. Packing peanutsYou can hide small toys in the boxes for the children to find. I used large plastic gold coins and hidthem in the boxes under all these items and the children loved to pull them out and then hide themagain. Be careful to only use edible substances if the children like to put things in their mouths.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 66 -
Getting <strong>Behavior</strong> in Shape at Home- (Letter to share with parents)<strong>Positive</strong> behavior support, often called <strong>PBS</strong>, is not just for schools. Parents can use the same ideas tocreate a better environment for the entire family. First, let’s look at what <strong>PBS</strong> is:1. Deciding what behavior you want to change2. Deciding how you want that behavior to change3. Using behavior science to change that behaviora. Develop a theory about why you think the behavior is occurringb. Test your theory4. Using supports that have been tested and proven to worka. Teach new skills to get the same resultsb. Change environments and daily routinesc. Reward positive behaviors<strong>Positive</strong> behavior support does not mean changing the child; rather, it means creating a newenvironment that supports the positive behavior you want to achieve. It means creating a plan thatdetermines who will help and what you will do differently. So how do you do this?Younger children:Let’s take a hypothetical child: Let’s call the child Taylor.• Taylor refuses to eat dinner almost every night.• Let’s think about what behavior we want:We want Taylor to eat a healthy, balanced dinner.Let’s brainstorm reasons that Taylor may be refusing to eat:• Taylor doesn’t like the food.• Taylor fills up on other things before dinner.• Parents give lots of attention when dinner is refused.· Let’s test the reasons that Taylor won’t eat dinner:• Ask Taylor to help plan the menu with favorite foods.• Limit Taylor on any snacks prior to dinner• Give Taylor lots of attention by helping cook dinner, set the table, etc.· As each reason is tested, note which one causes Taylor to eat more dinner.· Praise positive results· Let’s assume that more is eaten when Taylor plans the menu.• For the first few times, you may have to fix macaroni and cheese and peanut butter and jellysandwiches with jellybeans; however, Taylor eats the entire meal.• Praise Taylor for eating the entire meal.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 67 -
·After several successful meals, as Taylor is planning the meal tell Taylor that you are going to fix 3things. Taylor gets to choose all three but they must be from the choices you present.• Give Taylor five choices and have Taylor choose threeo Macaroni and cheeseo Peanut butter and jellyo Hamburgers shaped like heartso Celery filled with peanut butter and raisin ants (call them “ants on a log”)o Pears decorated to look like a funny animal·Notice how two of the choices were the things that Taylor has already proven likelihood of eating. TellTaylor that if the plate is clean, it will be Taylor’s choice the next evening.· As Taylor eats more and more, give increasing praise for eating dinner and for doing a good job ofplanning a good meal.· Keep changing the choices to healthy choices until you are actually replacing the macaroni and cheeseand peanut butter and jelly with more healthy choices.• Eventually, Taylor will be willing to try new things as taste buds evolve.• Taylor feels powerful because there was choice in the meals and now has acceptance of variedfoods.· We changed the environment, and it produced more positive results than demanding that Taylor eatdinner. How many of us remember sitting at the table until it was bedtime because we refused to eatour vegetables? I doubt it really made us want to eat them again the next time.In the interest of peace and harmony, does it matter if we altered the child’s environment to get whatwe want or do we want him or her to do it because we say so? Most of us do the things we do becausethere is a payoff. Would you go to work every day if you did not get paid? We do not have to pay ourchildren to be good, but we do have to alter the environment so there is a payoff for good behavior.Usually the pay off is more attention from parents or a friend.Most of the time our children misbehave because they want attention and the only way they can thinkof to get it is to misbehave. How many times have you been in the grocery store behind a mother whois asking her child the following questions?• Do you want a spanking?• Do you want me to take you out to the car?• Do you want me to tell your father when we get home?Children cry, grab, scream and beg because they want to communicate something to you. The only wayto change this habit is to teach them what we call “replacement behaviors”. These are new behaviorsthat are socially acceptable. The only way to teach these behaviors is to model and practice them.Have your child switch roles with you. Tell him or her ahead of time that you are going to practiceasking for things and learning the difference between yes and no. Tell your child this is going to be funbecause s/he gets to be the parent for an hour. Don’t worry about what people will think of you in thestore. Think about what they think of you when your child is screaming “I want…”<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 68 -
Walk through the cereal aisle at the store and do the following:· Pick up a box of cereal that has a toy in that you want· Walk over to your child and say, “I’d really like to have this cereal this week because it has a CD gameof Monopoly in the box.”· I promise I will eat this cereal even if it tastes horrible, because I want the game.Tell your child ahead of time to tell you “No” to whatever you ask for.· When your child tells you “no,” ask him or her for a reason.· Accept his or her reason and put the cereal on the shelf.Then have your child do the same thing back to you· Have him or her choose a box of cereal that has a toy in it wants· Have him or her tell you they would like the cereal because of the toy· Have him or her promise he or she will eat the cereal no matter whatTell him or her no· Have him or her ask you for a reason and then give one· When they accept your reason praise him or her for following directions· Practice this several times and then practice it several more time during subsequent trips to variousstores with various items.On the same days that you practice saying “no,” also practice saying “yes.” Have him or her modelsaying “thank you” and then compliment him or her on his or her manners. You will need to model thisthe same way you did for the “no” model.It isn’t a miracle, and it isn’t going to happen over night. But soon, you will start to see a differencewhen you tell your child “no.” It is fair for him or her to understand why you said, “no,” so explainingyour reason is reasonable. Your children will respect you for not using the “I’m the mommy that’s why,”and you will respect him or her for using good manners by accepting your reason. Be honest in yourreason. “It’s too expensive.” “It’s not good for you.” “I don’t have the money this week,” are all goodresponses.The most important lesson is to practice, practice, and practice the new behavior. You have to beconsistent. If you say “no” and give a reason, then don’t give in and purchase the item if furtherbegging ensues. This only tells the child that you have a breaking point and to keep trying. If you’vesaid “no” and given a reason, then you should not say “no” again nor give another reason. When yourchild accepts your answer and your reason, then it is very important for you to compliment him or heron this good behavior. It is also very important that both parents and/or caregivers are consistent.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 69 -
What can you do if the above does not work? The truth is every child is different, even children in thesame family. What works for some children doesn’t work for all. Here are some other ideas:· When you enter a store remind your child that you have “X” dollars to spend and that anything theywant to add will go over the limit which might take away from something else they want (going to themovies).· Give your child $5 or whatever limit you want to set. Tell your child he or she may ask for somethingbut he or she will have to be able to purchase it with the money that you have set aside for extras. Ifyour child wants a certain cereal, then he or she will have to pay for it. Suddenly, your child will likelybecome very choosy about what he or she purchases.Tips for older children:This is a personal experience that worked well for my own children:We quickly became indebted to fast food restaurants, video stores, and the popular teen clothingestablishments. We investigated the reason for this loss of money and determined: 1) we let it happenbecause we kept giving our children more money, and 2) our children didn’t understand the concept ofbudgeting. We decided to remedy this by creating a budget box. We bought a plastic recipe box andput in envelopes and labeled them:• Pizza• Movies• Videos• Fast food• Gas money• Gifts for friends• New clothingEach month we put in a certain amount of money in each envelope. If our children wanted to orderpizza, they had to check the budget box and pay for it from the appropriate envelope. Suddenly,coupons were very important to them when coupons were a dirty word when mom and dad footed thebill. Suddenly, those extra cokes at the drive through were not quite as important. They consideredevery purchase and weighed the options. If we had to drive our children somewhere, each child had topay us one dollar out of the budget box. We wanted our children to understand that when they hadtheir own cars, they would need to budget trips instead of driving all over town wasting gas.We did not have to say “no” when asked about purchases. All we had to say was “check your envelope.”We allowed no trading from one “account” to the other. The children were responsible for their ownbox. They quickly realized that decisions regarding the whole month were more important than livingfor the moment. This created an environment where everyone was happy. Our children learned to thinkbefore they acted, and it was good practice for when they became independent young adults.This method was far superior to ranting and raving about money which was an abstract idea to them.They saw that we had a checkbook, credit cards, and cash and did not understand that we would nothave those items if we spent money every time we saw something we wanted. If they wantedsomething, our children learned to save from one month to next to make major purchases. We did notgive them extra money; when we said “no” we meant “no,” and our reason was our budget.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 70 -
We praised our children:• when we checked their boxes at the end of the month• when they paid for their own purchases• when they saved up for something bigIn the world of <strong>PBS</strong>, we changed the environment (basically we changed our behavior, we didn’t dole outmoney any longer). We taught our children a new skill, and we provided positive feedback when theyperformed their new skills. Our hypothesis was that our children didn’t understand the concept ofbudgeting. We proved that hypothesis when they learned to budget for themselves.Post Script: I recently visited my youngest son and had to hang up an outfit in his closet. There onthe closet shelf was a box labeled with “gas, groceries, clothes, etc.” in his own handwriting. He wasusing the system. I can only imagine that he will use this with his own children when the time comes.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 71 -
Ideas to change the environment to suit the needs of the child:Disk ‘o’ Sit for studentswith ADHD availablefrom Abilitations orSchool Specialty.(air filled pillow)To work in a preferredadult’s classroom oroffice as a reward.Headphones to block outnoises. I have even seennoise blockerheadphones at the DollarStores.Incandescent Lamps insteadof fluorescent lights forstudents who “hear” thehumming of the lights.Inexpensive floor lamps withup lights can be purchased atdiscount stores.Office space-small cubbythey create in corner of room.Special Chairs (bean bags,Pilates chair, etc., RollingChair)Two Desks in the room for onechild so they can move whenthey need to- but still have adesignated place to go.Work at the teacher’s desk as aspecial treat.Opaque overlays to lay overreading materials for childrenwho are distracted by lightsources in the room.Science Fair Posters tomake a student anindividual “office” thatblocks out visual stimuli.Keep a comfort item in theirdesk that they can take outto use to signal you that theyneed help.Example: stuffed Garfieldanimal.available at:http://www.irlen.com/index_autism.htmlKeep a folder in their deskfilled with work pages they cando independently if they getstuck on the current assignmentuntil you have time to helpthem.Water bottles on or inthe desk. Hydratedbrains think better. Iused to have them bringthem from home halffrozen. This alleviatedlong lines at the waterfountain and gave themcold water to drink.I had everyone bring twoboxes of pencils at thebeginning of the year. I putthem all together in a pencilcan in the room. Whensomeone’s pencil broke theyput it in the can and took outone that was alreadysharpened. Volunteerssharpened all the pencilsduring chore time.Keep a book handy in the roomthat needs to go back to thelibrary. Use it for those withthe wiggles and have them takeit back for you. You will beamazed at what a quick changeof scenery does for the wiggles.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 72 -
Light TherapyMany children with autism and ADHD are over-stimulated by fluorescent lights. The lights give off ahumming sound that many of them are unable to filter out. A classroom closet can be cleaned out andturned into a light therapy room. Here’s a good way to set it up.Make sure the room is large enough for the child to enter. If a closet isn’t available a largerefrigerator box can be used. The walls or sides of the box should be painted black. The light sourcefor the closet should be separate from the room lights. Put up any of the following all over the lightsensory room or inside the box:1. Glow in the dark stars, animals, bugs, etc.2. CD disks hanging from the ceiling as they spin and reflect the lights3. Christmas lights that blink and some that don’t4. Holiday themed light shapes available throughout the year at places like Target5. Black lights6. Bubble tubes7. Fan mounted on a shelf above so it blows on the CD’s causing them to move and spin.8. Music hooked in to the same power source.The darkness of the room has a very calming effect and is good for a ten minute break from the overstimulationof the humming lights.Everything should be plugged into a PowerLink control unit available fromhttp://www.ablenetinc.com/cart/Browse.asp The child can hit a Mac switch to turn on each lightindividually. It should be set on a timer so that they have to depress the switch again to make thelights come on each time.PowerLink® 3 control unitThe PowerLink® 3 control unit gives students the ability to control mostelectric appliances, tools and toys with single switches. PowerLink 3 control unitalso gives students the power to take turns operating devices, activate twodevices in sequence or experience the freedom of choice making when decidingbetween two activities.If you can’t set up a light therapy room here are some other ideas:• If the fire marshal allows you can drape opaque material across the ceiling to cut the glare ofthe lights.• Have the custodian disconnect every other fluorescent light in the ceiling• Purchase floor lamps available at discount stores for $14.99 or less. They are halogen bulbsand have up lights which are more conducive for children who are distracted by the hummingnoise and glare of typical lights.• Use natural window light if at all possible.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 73 -
Math SkillsChildren with autism need to have one to one correspondence to understand that one means one objectand two means two objects. Here are some ideas to teach that concept:Games to play:1. Magnetic numbers with toothpicks in baggiesa. put a magnetic number in a baggie with 10 blunt end toothpicks. Have the childmatch the number of toothpicks to the number by picking only that amount out of theten.b. Same as above but use pennies, tiny shells, plastic toys etc.2. Lay out circles on the floora. tell the child to step forward on three dots, then two more, then one more byspinning a large spinner showing the number you tell them to move3. Hide items in the filtering boxes and show the student a number and ask them to find thatmany coins, shells, etc. that are hidden in the filtering boxes.4. Put items in the water therapy tubs and show the student numbers and have them pick upthat many items.5. Give the children some tongs and some fuzzy pom-pom balls and have them use the tongs topick up a certain number of pom-poms based on the number you show them. They could evenhave to put the pom-poms into divided sections in an egg carton. This does two things- smallmotor skills and one to one correspondence of numbers with objects.Math BallThis actually works for any subject. Take a rubber ball- the 8 or 9 inch diameter kind that you find atdiscount stores and a sharpie pen. Write math facts all over the ball by dividing it into 2 inch grids.The game is played by tossing the ball back and forth. The receiver must recite the math fact and theanswer based on where their right thumb is touching. I always put in a few “free” spaces for fun.Students like this because it adds a total body movement for those kinesthetic learners and it makesrote drill fun. When I taught middle school grades I had balls with practice questions for every end ofchapter test that we had. The balls can be geared towards any level from very easy to very difficult.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 74 -
Michenbaum’s 5-Step Cognitive Learning Theory and SpellingWhen I taught an inclusion class every single student made an “A” on their Friday spelling test because Iapplied Michenbaum’s Learning Theory to learning their spelling words. The first thing I did was brainstormwhich words they might have trouble with and made up a mnemonic to help them. Here are just a couple ofthose mnemonics:musclesM-U-S-C-L-E-S, muscles make the very best….biceps (sung to thetune of Nestlé’s Chocolate)theretheirWe go here and there. It’s a place.Prince Charles is their heir to the throne. It belongs to him.friendsheriffI have a friend to the end.She is riff and she is the sheriff (playing on my last name)So after mnemonics are made the students are taught in this manner based on Michenbaum’s 5-stepCognitive Learning Theory:Day of the Week Step Procedure Example:Monday One The teacher models the way towrite and spell the word at theboard with the studentswatching. The teacher tellswhat she’s thinking to herselfout loud so the students canhear what she’s thinking.Tuesday Two The teacher models the way towrite and spell the word at theboard; while the studentsimitate the process at theirseats using paper or small dryerase boards.Wednesday Three The students model by sayingand writing the steps to writethe spelling word while theteacher watches.Thursday Four The students model bywhispering and writing thesteps to write the spellingword while the teacherwatches.Friday- final test Five Students think the processwhile they write the wordSinging M-U-S-C-L-E-S whilewriting it. (see above)Students and Teacher sing thesong together while they bothwrite the word : MusclesStudents sing the song whilewriting the word.Students whisper the song whilewriting the word.Students think the song whilewriting the word.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 75 -
Music TherapyMany people with diagnoses on the autism spectrum have natural musical talents; therefore, musictherapy provides an opportunity for successful experiences. Music is processed in both hemispheres ofthe brain; therefore music can inspire cognitive functioning and may be used for remediation of somespeech/language skills.Musical elements and structures offer a sense of security and familiarity in the music therapy setting,encouraging students to attempt new tasks within this predictable but compliant framework.Music offers concrete, multi-sensory stimulation (auditory, visual, and tactile). The rhythmic factor ofmusic is very organizing for the sensory systems of individuals diagnosed with autism. As a result,auditory processing and other sensory-motor, perceptual/motor, gross and fine motor skills can beimproved through music therapy.Easter EggsFill plastic Easter Eggs with about 1 T. of rice. Superglue the edges shut and they become easy to gripmaracas.ScarvesFilmy scarves can be used to wave to the beat of the music.PostersPoster boards can become giant song boards using Velcro and Boardmaker pictures for repetitive songslike: The Farmer In The Dell (changing pictures for who chooses what) Jack and Jill went up the hill tofetch a pail of (water, Kool-Aid, ice tea, milk, etc.) Mary had a little (lamb, dog, goat, cow etc.)(The students can have matching song books at their desks so they can follow along)Music to Teach:Our good friend Jay Turnbull uses music to learn how to handle many situations. For example, he lovesto watch mouthwash swirl down the sink and empty into the drain. Since mouthwash is not cheapentertainment; his music therapist made up a song about the mouthwash. To the tune of “Let it Be” bythe Beatles, Jay has learned to sing “When I see mouthwash, let it be, let it be, oh let it be, let it be.When I see mouthwash I let it be, let it be.” This song helps Jay remember not to pour it down thedrain. He has other songs for things like crossing the street etc.Many of these songs can be found in books like Piggy Back SongsThese books are available at Amazon.Com<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 76 -
Piggy Back Song Examples:LET’S ALL HELPTune: “Frere Jacques”Let’s all help.Let’s all help.Pick up the toys.Pick up the toys.Then when we are done.We’ll have lots of fun.Let’s all helpPick up the toys.IT’S TIME TO CLEAN-UPTune: “The Farmer In The Dell”It’s time to clean up now.It’s time to clean up now.Heigh-ho, just watch us go.It’s time to clean up now.We’ll put our things away.Ready for another day.Heigh-ho, just watch us go.We’ll put our things away.Jean WarrenSixty Beats per MinuteDr. Rachel Freeman at the University of Kansas researched what happened to heart rates just prior toaggressive behaviors and self-injurious behaviors for children with disabilities. What her researchdiscovered was that heart rates increase up to 90 seconds before an aggressive act occurred whetherit was self-injurious or directed at others.Research is just beginning on the effectiveness of keeping children’s heart rates at the resting heartrate to determine if aggressive acts decreased. The resting heart rate is 60 beats per minute.Gary Lamb is a composer who writes and performs music that is set at 60 beats per minute. This isexcellent music to play during the day- transition time- etc. to keep heart rates at a nice calm level.His CD’s are available online at: http://www.garylamb.com/A series of CD’s each geared toward different functions such as:In the Zone 1. by the light of the moonProblem Solving 2. Language of LoveProductive Flow 3. Return to EdenProjects4. Twelve PromisesReading and Writing 5. Watching the Night FallRelaxed Alertness 6. Winter DreamsYou can listen to samples of Gary’s music at www.garylamb.comI used to play this in my classroom while the children were working and they always voted for me tocontinue it. (Using those choices ☺)<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 77 -
Object Schedule or Object CalendarFor some children the abstractness of pictures or line drawings does not connect in their brain so theyneed to see an actual object, replica, or texture that will help them associate what is next in theirschedule. These can be glued on tag board or put into a special box that is approximately 5 foot inlength with individual compartments. Some have little flaps that cover what’s finished or what’s nextdepending on the needs of the child.These can be purchased from companies; however, at the time of this publication none could belocated. I had my father build one for me. It was five feet long and had 5 inch compartments all theway down the wall so the whole day could be spread out across the object calendar.It looked like this:When the child came in the morning there were objects in each box indicating the task that he was toperform. A tiny backpack in the first box meant he was to take his backpack to his locker. A toiletpaper tube in the second box meant he was to go to the restroom. A spoon in the box meant he was togo to the table for breakfast. This went on throughout his day with the staff filling in his boxes onceit got to the end- since 12 boxes was not enough to make it through the day.Individual SheetsOther teachers have put the objects on a piece of laminated construction paper and handed them tothe child as each activity was to begin. I prefer for the child to see what’s coming next, so I like it toresemble a time line.Here are some pictures I found on the web and the websites where they were discovered:http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/early-childhood/object-calendar.htmThe real objects would beplaced in the wooden box asdepicted below. The childwould know that there was abathroom break followed bybreakfast etc.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 78 -
The One Sentence Intervention (from www.loveandlogic.com )This works on those really tough kids that don’t want you to love them. Here’s why typical complimentsdon’t work on these kids. When you say, “Oh, Bryan you did such a good job on this paper.” They have amind set that they are lower than dirt and what you are saying does not match what they believe aboutthemselves. Therefore, it floats right over their heads. They think, “Oh, she’s just saying thatbecause she has to; she’s my teacher. They pay her to say stuff like that.”However, When someone comes along and says thinks like “You are so stupid.” BINGO that matcheswhat they think about themselves so they hang on to it. Many children like this hear the negative athome.Here’s how you bypass their main circuit board in their brain.Twice a week, for three weeks you pull a one sentence intervention on them.You say “I noticed…. (name something that you noticed about them)….I noticed that.”Non-example: “I noticed you like to talk while I’m talking.” NOT GOOD Non-example: “I noticed youwear really cool tennis shoes.” NOT GOODThese two statements have value attached to them. The sentence has to have non-value.Example: “I noticed you like Dale Earnhart. I noticed that.”Example: “I noticed you have a blue backpack and a red backpack. I noticed that.”Jim Fay (Love and Logic) doesn’t say to sandwich the “I noticed” with thestatement. However, being teachers, it is our nature to add a compliment on to things we say.Sandwiching it between the “I noticed” helps us not to put a value on the sentence.You do this for three weeks, only two times each week. The “I noticed” has to be sincere. At the endof three weeks you will be able to ask that child to do something for you like their Math lesson and youwill be surprised that they will do it.We did this with Bryan. Bryan’s dad had been in and out of jail most of his life. His dad was finally outof jail and things were looking up. Then his mother died. Social services came in and removed Bryanfrom him home. Not only did they remove him from his home, they stopped all contact with all of hisfamily members.Bryan came into class, swung his chair backwards and put his head down. The only conversations he hadin the school were those with the SRO. Bryan’s teacher heard about one sentence interventions anddecided to try them on Bryan.After three weeks, the sky did not open nor the red sea part; however, Bryan stopped turning his chairbackwards. His teacher decided he needed a few more weeks of intervention. Two weeks later, Bryanactually raised his hand and answered a question in class. She continued the intervention. A few weekslater, Bryan actually ate lunch with the rest of class and had a conversation with some classmates. Histeacher continued the intervention. A few weeks later, social services came and moved Bryan toanother foster home but we hear that Bryan is doing better.If this intervention worked on Bryan it will work on the children in your classroom.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 79 -
My One Sentence Intervention Project:My student: ___________________________________________________________________Here are the first three things I can think of that I can notice:I noticed: ___________________________________________________. I noticed that.I noticed: ___________________________________________________. I noticed that.I noticed: ___________________________________________________. I noticed that.Note some positive changes you are starting to see in the child:Here are the last three things I can think of that I can notice:I noticed: ___________________________________________________. I noticed that.I noticed: ___________________________________________________. I noticed that.I noticed: ___________________________________________________. I noticed that.Note the positive changes you have seen so far in this student:Please email riffy@charter.net and let me know how things worked out for you with this. I’d love tohave other examples to share in future trainings.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 80 -
PromptingVisual AssistantFrequently children with autism and other intellectual disabilities are over prompted or become promptdependent. Ablelink Technologies developed a tool to move the person with disability to a moreindependent level. The Spring 2005 issue of JSET (Journal of Special Education Technology) will havean article written by Laura A. Riffel et. al regarding the use of the Visual Assistant for older studentsworking on job sites.Visual Assistant provides powerful task prompting support by including digital pictures along withcustom recorded audio messages to provide step-by-step instructional support. This allows caregiversto set up instructional tasks by recording instructions and incorporating pictures of each step -preferably of the user performing the step in the real-world environment - to provide multi-modal cuesfor task completion. Visual Assistant is ideal for more complex or detailed tasks where the addition ofa picture can increase accuracy. Includes three simplified playback modes to access step-by-stepinstructions; Play Only, Play/Done, and To Do List. A digital camera is included in the Turnkey solution.PRICE: $1,499.00www.ablelinktech.comType of PromptingA colleague recently visited Japan and discovered something unique about prompts. Typically inAmerica, children are physically prompted with light strokes and soft words. In a special school forchildren with autism in Japan, this colleague noticed that the children were poked with a non-physicallyappealing poke. It was not an aversively “hard” poke; however, it was not an enjoyable soft poke. Somechildren like soft strokes and actually crave the sensory input; therefore, they may lag behind just toreceive the sensory input. In Japan, even the para-professionals who work with the children wearblack jumpsuits and refrain from talking. Their total focus is to keep the child focused on what theteacher is requesting. Oddly enough most of the children with autism who enter their school have lessautistic tendencies when they leave the school. The children are focused on the teacher and they arecompliant with requests.Since children with autism typically do not like to be touched this makes perfect sense that they woulddo anything asked to avoid a “prickly” feeling over a “velvety” feeling. (My comparison of the types ofprompts.) The caution here is to ensure that your prompts are not enabling the child to become promptdependent because it is the type of sensory input they are looking for in their day.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 81 -
Portable StimulationChildren with autism are known for their stereotypy or self-stimulatory behavior. This is referring tothe repetitive movements of either their own body or that of objects. It is common and can involveany one or all of the five senses. These activities are calming to them and they usually are not evenaware that they are doing it.We all have stereotypical behaviors such as twirling our hair, drumming to the music, tapping our foot,swinging one leg over the other, playing with key chains etc. Here are some common actions that youmay see in a child that indicate they are engaging in self-stimulatory behaviors.AuditoryTapping ears, snapping fingers, making vocalizations, repeating phrasesSmellTactileTasteVestibularVisualSmelling people, especially their hair, smelling objectsRubbing skin with soft objects like strings, pom-pom strands, ribbons,straps on backpacks, scratching, bitingLicking objects or sticking objects in their mouthRocking (either side to side or back to front)Staring at lights, blinking repetitively, wagging fingers in front of eyes,hand-flapping in front of faceBecause these activities are calming they are good things to allow a child to do when they are in atransition which is difficult for them. Having the self-stimulatory items as a portable item makes itreadily available when needed.Possible Portable Stims: (Not everything is a portable stim; however, these are items that teachershave found successful as possible solutions in the past to students needing certain input)oooooooooooooocarrying a book to the librarycarrying a lunch bucket to the lunch room with table suppliescarrying the ball to PEchewy Tube attached to a key fob-available with chewy tubes from SLP catalogsclip on pony tail available at Dollar Storescotton ball with scent on itkoosh ball keychain attached to backpack or belt-looplanyard with a key on the endmusic headphonesPlastic ring from craft store with satin ribbon tied around it in several placespushing a small grocery cart to do chores around the schoolsmooshy ball keychain available at the Dollar Storeweighted vest (although not technically something children stim on-it does providesensory in a portable avenuewobby-nobby ball attached to a mountain clip available at Wal-Mart<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 82 -
ReadingOpen CourtI love the old Open Court series. It teaches the student a visual to the sounds that letters make.Here are some of the examples that I can remember off the top of my head:M is the ice cream sound. What do you say when you eat ice cream? “mmmmm” it is paired on one sidewith a picture of a girl eating ice cream and the other side just has the letter so you can fade thevisual prompt.S is the flat tire sound. How does a tire sound when it goes flat? “ssssss” it is paired with a pictureof a tire going flat just like the ice cream sound.F is the scared cat sound. What does a cat say when it’s scared? “fffff” Picture of cat with archedback etc.The nice thing is that the system is careful not to put a vowel sound with any of the initial consonantsounds because this is a mistake that many adults make when teaching consonants in isolation tostudents. My friend, Jay Turnbull, an adult with autism learned the read the names of the people heworked with by looking at the first letter of their name. I used the Open Court cards to teach him thesounds. He cued in to the thoughts behind the sounds. He would see the letter “M” and say, that’s theice cream sound and he would say “Mmmm, Michael” when he saw an “M” on an envelope.You can order information from Open Court which is now part of SRA from this website:http://www.sraonline.com/index.php/home/curriculumsolutions/reading/ocphonicskit/1318<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 83 -
Sensory Diet (This is from http://www.sensorysmarts.com/diet.html)The sensory diet, a term coined by OT Patricia Wilbarger, is a carefully designed, personalized activityschedule that provides the sensory input a person's nervous system needs to stay focused andorganized throughout the day. A person whose nervous system is on "high trigger" will need morecalming input, while someone who is more "sluggish" will need more arousing input to "jazz" up his or hernervous system. Infants, young children, teens, and adults can all benefit from a well-designed sensorydiet.To construct an effective sensory diet, you need the sensory smarts to truly understand your child'ssensory difficulties and how they interfere with his life. An OT will use her advanced training andevaluation skills to develop an appropriate sensory diet for your child which you will implementthroughout the course of the day. Meanwhile, here are some activities to get you started. You canmodify them depending on the age, arousal level (does she need stimulation or relaxation?), whethershe is in school, at home, or away, and whether or not you have special equipment available.Pro-prioceptionPro-prioceptive input (sensations from joints, muscles and connective tissues that lead to bodyawareness) can be obtained by lifting, pushing, and pulling heavy objects as well as by engaging inactivities that compress the joints like playing tug-of-war.Toddlers and Preschoolers Make a "sandwich" by firmly pressing on your child's arms legs and backwith pillows or make a "burrito" by rolling her up in a blanket. She can push her own stroller, and astronger child can push a stroller or cart filled with weighted objects such as groceries. Your child canwear a backpack or fanny pack filled with toys (not too heavy!).School age children jump on a mini-trampoline, play hopscotch, vacuum, carry books from one room toanother, and help wash windows or a tabletop.Teenagers and Adults Shovel snow, rake leaves, push heavy objects like firewood in a wheelbarrow, dopush-ups against the wall, wear a heavy backpack or pull it on a luggage cart, mow the lawn with a pushmower, wear a weighted vest available from a sporting goods store that sells equipment for martialarts or weightlifting training.Our friend Jay, loves to 3-hole punch papers for doctoral students to put in notebooks. He not onlygets pro-prioceptive input; even more importantly, he receives social praise for assisting in an arduoustask.VestibularVestibular input (the sense of movement, centered in the inner ear) can be obtained by spinning andswinging, and to a lesser extent, any type of movement.Toddlers and Preschoolers -swing on playground swings, trying various types of swings and movements,such as front and back and side to side. Spin on a Sit n' Spin, Dizzy Disc Jr., or office chair. Run incircles, ride a carousel.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 84 -
School age children -hang upside down from the monkey bars, roll down a grassy or snowy hill (goodpro-prioceptive input as well), ride a roller coaster, and use swings.Teenagers and Adults- swing on a hammock, use playground swings or merry-go-round (you're never tooold!), do cartwheels and dance (also provides pro-prioceptive input).TactileTactile input is the sense of touch and includes texture, temperature, pressure, and more. Don'tforget that the tactile system includes not only the skin covering your body but also inner skin liningssuch as inside the mouth.Toddlers and Preschoolers -Let them drink plain seltzer or carbonated mineral water to experiencebubbles in her mouth (you can flavor with lemon, lime, etc.). Play with foamy soap or shaving cream, addsand for extra texture, use finger-paint, play with glitter glue, mix cookie dough and cake batter, andso on. Let your child use the playground sandbox or create your own at home, filling a bin with drybeans and rice or other materials. Use clay such as Play-Doh (the classic Play-Doh Fun Factory providesexcellent pro-prioceptive input as well). Don't force a child who is unwilling to touch all these "yucky"substances. Let her use a paintbrush, stick, or even a toy for cautious exploration.School age children eat frozen foods (popsicles, frozen fruit or vegetables), dress up in fun costumesto get used to the feel of unfamiliar clothing, garden and repot indoor plants, play with make-up andface painting.Teenagers and Adults sculpt, sew, weave, crochet or knit, create a scrapbook (lots of pasting andworking with different textures), use sandpaper to smooth a woodworking project, take a very cold orhot shower or bath.AuditoryAuditory input is what we hear and is neuroanatomically connected with the vestibular sense. Inaddition to listening to various types of music, both recorded and live, here are some ways to getcalming and organizing auditory input.Get out in nature and listen. Go to the beach or sit still and listen to a thunderstorm or windstorm. Ifyou hear birds singing, try to identify what direction a given bird is calling from.Listen to natural sounds recordings such as a rainstorm, waves crashing against the beach, or birds inthe forest. Sometimes natural sound recordings also feature light instrumentation with flutes,keyboards, etc. Play a listening game: you and your child sit very quietly and try to identify the soundsyou hear (traffic, the hum of the refrigerator, a door shutting, etc.).Listen to Hemi Sync (R) recordings of sounds and music specially engineered to promote calming, focus,energy, or creativity. (Available from www.discoverytoolsandworkshops.com).Encourage your child to play a musical instrument. For a child with auditory sensitivity, controlling thesounds she hears can be especially helpful. If your child is fearful of loud noises, let him control thevolume on the stereo, exploring soft vs. loud music.Get a white noise machine, tabletop rocks-and-water fountain, or aquarium.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 85 -
Visual EnvironmentIf your child is visually distractible, simplify the visual field in his home or schoolfor a calming effect. Alternately, if your child seems visually "tuned out," i.e., does not seem torespond easily to visual stimulation, add brightly colored objects to attract visual attention. Forexample, a child who has trouble getting aroused for play may be attracted by a brightly painted toychest filled with appealing colored toys.Hide clutter in bins or boxes or behind curtains or doors—a simple, solid-color curtain hung over abookshelf instantly reduces visual clutter.Use solid colored rugs instead of patterned ones and solid-colored walls (for example, avoid patternedwallpaper).Have your child sit at the front of a classroom where there is less visual distraction. He may also needto sit away from the window to avoid the distraction of the outdoors. Keep in mind, however, that somechildren do best sitting in the back of the room so they can monitor what other children are doingwithout constantly turning around. Work with the teacher to see which seating arrangement worksbest for your child.Avoid toys, clothes, towels, etc., in colors that your child find stress-inducing such as bright orange,yellow, and red (your child may have a different "hated" color.)ScentsIf your child has sensory problems, certain odors can stimulate, calm, or send him into sensoryoverload. Explore scents with your child to find the ones that work best to meet your goal (either tocalm or to wake up). While everyone has different preferences, lavender, vanilla, and rose are generallycalming. Peppermint and lemon are usually invigorating. Let's say your child needs help staying calm andloves lavender. You can use lavender soaps and bath oils to ease bath time, lavender candles or oils inan aromatherapy burner or machine at bedtime, and lavender body lotion.If your child is overtired at the mall and you know scents help, have her smell her favorite scent orstop into a strongly-smelling store that sells candles and soaps.Play a smelling game with your SI child. Have her close her eyes or wear a blindfold and try to identifysmells such as maple syrup, apple, peanut butter, and soap.Life stinks sometimes. Accept your child's opinion about something she thinks smells "gross." Then helpher find something that smells nice.Strong tastes can stimulate the mouth of a child with SI and make him more willing to try new foods.Before presenting new foods, let the child have one peppermint, sour gummy bear, or other strongflavoredfood.If your child does not have a strong negative reaction to refined sugar (becomes very "hyper" or getsvery sleepy), get an assortment of flavored jellybeans. Eat one at a time, and have her guess whichflavor it is.Children will be more likely to taste something if they help make it. Let him or her help you selectfoods. For example, let him or her choose between chicken or fish, string beans or sugar snaps, and<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 86 -
potato or rice. Then let your child arrange the meat in the baking pan, break off vegetable tips anddump in water, and so on. Let your child help you arrange food on each plate into a pleasingpresentation.TasteDon't forget to play with your food. A so-called picky eater may be more willing to eat "rocks andtrees" than meatballs and broccoli.The sense of taste input is strongly influenced by smell (as an experiment, chew some gum until theflavor is gone, then hold a lemon under your nose; the gum will taste like lemon).Sensory Diet Ideas:Balloons filled with differentliquids- syrup, rice, pudding,flour, corn starch, etc.Massagers- hand held, chairpads, shiatsu electronic, etc.Rolling Pin and play doughBean bags Music Surgery scrub brushesBlack lights Pilates Ball Three hole punchingChristmas lights Rice table Vibrating pensGum MassagersRolled up in exercise mat andhaving ball rolled over body.Water table<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 87 -
Sensory IntegrationChildren and adults with autism spectrum disorder may well have a dysfunctional sensory system. Nowand then one or more senses are either over- or under-reactive to stimulation. Such sensorytribulations may be the underlying reason for such behaviors as spinning, rocking, and hand-flapping. Itis believed that the obstacle stems from neurological dysfunction in the central nervous system--thebrain. As described by individuals with autism, sensory integration techniques, such as deep pressuretouchescan facilitate attention and awareness, and reduce overall arousal.Ideas for Sensory IntegrationAll of these activities would be performed based on the child’s likes and dislikes depending on theirsensory needs they may need to be repeated hourly or daily.Deep Pressure• Wrap the child in a thin mat with their head sticking out (like a burrito)• Roll a weighted medicine ball up and down their back, backs of legs, down arms while the childlies face down on a mat.• Wrap the child in a weighted blanket.• Let the child use a heavy massager for short periods of time.Light Pressure• Rub lightly on the arm with a hospital scrub brush going up and down all the fingers. Run up anddown legs.• Run a feather duster over bare arms and legs.• Tie several satin ribbons on an embroidery loop and run them up and down bare arms and legs.• Let the child use a light massager for short periods of time.Pro-prioceptive• Jumping on a small indoor trampoline (available at Wal-Mart for approximately $40)• Walking on textured half disks with bare feet• Textured sandalsResources• Songames for Sensory Integration by Aubrey Lande, Bob Wiz, and friends available fromSensory Resources available at www.amazon.com This is a great resource with activemovements matched to songs that teach.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 88 -
Social StoriesCarol Gray has written numerous books and articles on how to write a social story. The <strong>Behavior</strong>alIntervention Program has found that PowerPoint social stories are very effective multi-media tools tohelp students achieve social skills. Using the same social story concepts the adult takes digitalpictures and writes a social story incorporating it into a PowerPoint format. The story can be recordedand set to run on its own for the child to watch prior to the time of possible need.Here’s an example of a PowerPoint social story; where each square below is a frame in the social story.Children love technology and a story on the computer seems less “special eddy” than a cardboard homemade book.Shelley’s Book on FriendsMy name is Shelley.I go to ABC School.2005I have friends.When I want to talk tosomeone I should walk over tothem and smile.Sometimes Iforget how to be friendswith someone.I should use my soft voice and say“hello”.If I need to get myfriend’s attention I shoulduse a soft touch on theirarm.Then my friend and I canplay.My teacher is so proud of me whenI use my soft voice and soft touch.The EndSocial stories are alwayswritten in first person,positive, and should use realpictures as much as possible.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 89 -
SpellingChildren with Autism can learn to spell words, even children with autism who are non-verbal. Start withsomething they recognize and put a picture of that and the matching magnetic plastic letters in abaggie. Have them pull the letters out and put them in the right order to match the picture. Example:ball- put a picture of their ball in a baggie and the letters b-a-l-l. At first you will have to teach thatball says ball and then you can shape the behavior from you doing it to them actually doing it all ontheir own. Teach it in this order:• Teacher models by saying “b-a-l-l” as she moves the letters in to place under the picture in thebaggie.• Teacher models by saying “b” and handing the “b” to the student, then “a” and handing theletter to the student.• Teacher models by telling the student to pick up the “b” and put it in the correct place and soon until the word is spelled.• Teacher models by showing the picture and handing the letters to the student in random order.• Teacher hands the baggie to the student and they take the letters out and spell the words.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 90 -
SortingIt’s sad to see children with autism sorting the same thing day after day. Sometimes 18 year olds arestill sorting the same red, yellow, and blue bears they were sorting when they were four years old.If you want them to sort here are some ideas of other things to sort:• socks• laundry by colors (start a laundry business in the school and sort, wash, and fold laundry fordonations that you spend on class treats)• clothespins• samples of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion from hotels• silverware• canned goods• hair bows• hot wheel cars• books- small books vs. big books• pencils vs. pens• balls- (ping pong, tennis, koosh, racquetball)• Go down to the supply closet and see if there are markers or other supplies that the secretarywould like sorted-there will be a social pay off when the job is finished.For sorting activities you can use the following containers:muffin tinsegg cartonsdivided plateslaundry basketssmall plastic basketsbutter tubsswimming pools (the blow up kind you can get at the Dollar Store)<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 91 -
TimeThe concept of time is very difficult for all children but even more difficult for children with autism.When I taught very young children I could tell them an activity would last about the length of acartoon on television and they knew exactly what I meant. In the book, The Curious Incident of theDog in the Night Time, the main character talks about someone telling him to be quiet. He states, “Ididn’t know how long she wanted me to not talk. Was it for five minutes that I was to be quiet, for therest of the day, or forever? I just didn’t know.”Since children with autism are visual learners a visual timer is an essential classroom tool. Here aresome visual timers available to help children see how much time is left:Time Tracker Visual Timer and Clock by Learning Resources. The Time Tracker's lighted sectionsalert children to time left for completing tasks such as homework, speeches, quiet time, cooking,etc...They can even select a sound effect to play each time an interval passes!http://amos.shop.com/amos/cc/pcd/10390622/prd/1590249 9/ccsyn/260/ccsid/331747952-23288/adtg/02240541$34.95Time TimerTo set the Personal, Original or Large Time Timer, move the red disc counterclockwise to the desiredtime interval. The disc diminishes as time elapses until no red is visible on the timer face. The disc maybe moved clockwise or counterclockwise without harming the mechanism, however gentle handling willprolong the life of the timer.Time Timers come in three sizes and a CD version to fit almost every application. Whether you areconcerned primarily with time management or with teaching the principle of elapsed time, you will finda Time Timer to meet your need.Available at:http://www.timetimer.com/products.htm$25-$30 depending on size ordered.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 92 -
Time OutTime out was originally designed as “time out” from reinforcement. This meant that the child wouldnot be receiving reinforcing input from the environment in the way of attention or access to materials.Sadly, it has become an exclusionary practice because when a child misbehaves this is what we want todo to them:The child misbehaves and we want them out of there. Many times, this is exactly what the childwanted. Time out should not be an exclusionary practice. Time out should mean time away fromsomething fun. Many of the schools I have visited, time out is a room down the hall (sometimes thesize of a closet) with a locking door.The rule of thumb for time out is one minute for every year of age of the child. I have been in schoolsat 8:00 in the morning and left at 2:30 hearing the same child screaming from time out the entire timeI was in the building. This is the activity we want to avoid.For students with more severe disabilities, time out could just be refraining from smiling or makingsocial interaction with the child for five minutes. Time out could be removing a preferred reinforcerfor three minutes.I’ve actually overheard conversations between educators and children with emotional behaviordisorders. The conversations sounded like this:Adult: “Do you want me to drop you to the floor and take you time out?”Child: (calmly) “Yes.”Adult: “If you don’t go to Reading Class, I’ll have to drop you to the floor and take you to time out.”Child: (calmly) “Okay.”Adult: (drops child who had it together to the floor and gets another adult to help transport the childto time out about 75 feet down the hallway.)Would it not have been better to find out why the child didn’t want to go to Reading Class in the firstplace? Because I’m a curious person, I discovered that the young lady didn’t want to go to ReadingClass that day because she had just broken up with her boyfriend and he was in Reading Class. A littleempathy would have gone a long way in relationship building that day.The isolation room idea is supposed to be a voluntary place where children can go to calm themselvesdown when they need a little time to themselves. A bean bag in the corner of the room would be justas effective if it were used properly.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 93 -
Token EconomyI love token economies because you can use them to point out what a child is doing correctly. Mynieces came to visit me last spring and I set up a token economy for them while they visited me for aweek. I took them to Disney World and Islands of Adventure. I knew the rules would be different atmy house than they were at their home so I set the ground rules, told them what would earn rewards,and caught them doing the “Aunt Laura” way by giving them a token. We had a wonderful time and Ididn’t have to nag them to do the things I wanted.Setting up:• Decide what one behavior would make the biggest difference for this child. This is thebehavior you are going to reward.• State the desired behavior in positive, measurable, observable terms. For instance: Don’t say“Don’t do this.” Because if I tell you not to think of a pink elephant; what do you think of whenI say that? You think of a pink elephant. So instead say, “Raise your hand before speaking.”• Know that in the beginning, the reinforcement of this behavior will have to be much morefrequent. There are a lot of ways to do this. You can set a timer to beep every 5 minutes and ifwhen the timer goes off you look up the student is doing this they get a token. However,intermittent is just as successful as long as it isn’t an hour between rewards.• You can decide that tokens can only be earned in certain environments. For example, it doesn’thave to be in every class.• Select the reinforcer (these can change over time). You need to decide what would set off thebells and whistles for this particular child. It also depends on whether the function of thischild’s behavior is for attention or escape. See the page on function for more definition on this.• Develop a token system that you are going to use. Folders work well. Students can earn pokerchips, pennies, playing cards, jelly bracelets, plastic dinosaurs etc. Whatever works for thechild based on their age, likes, and dislikes. A really inexpensive token is carnival tickets. Thestudent can Velcro the token to the folder, put it in a zip lock baggie, keep it in a billfold, put itin a special place etc. However, the token should be visible or tangible to the child.• Economics- Come up with the price of the reinforcer. 10 tokens = 15 minutes of free time. 15tokens = 10 minutes of computer time.• Develop a monitoring sheet for yourself so you can monitor the success of this program.• Explain the program to the child and ask them if this is something that will work for them.• From time to time evaluate how things are going. You can either fade the amount of tokens yougive the child or you can raise the price of the reinforcer.Token Ideas:• Pot holder loops from pot holder weaving are available at craft stores. Hundred of them forless than five dollars.• Poker chips are available at discount stores and sometimes dollar stores.• Jelly bracelets can be bought in the party favor section of most discount stores; however, theydon’t work with older children as there is some kind of code with certain colors.• Catalogs like U.S. Toy and Oriental Trading Company have numerous inexpensive items that canbe used for tokens.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 94 -
Using Visuals to TeachThis was used for a student who didn’t like tocome in from recess but was strongly reinforcedby an M&M candy. As recess progressed, theadult showed the card of him playing on theplayground and closed the quarter panels of thecard to show the M&M candy. When it was timeto go in, the student saw a picture of an M&M andknew he received one if he came in. It alleviatedthe problems of him continuing to play.For children who are non-verbal or have limitedverbal skills this portable folder can be used whenthe child shows distress or self-injurious behaviorto help them communicate what is upsetting them.The choices have to be taught, modeled, practicedand appropriate attempts need to be rewardedbefore this technique will work when the child isupset.This is a choice book. The page shown is songsthe child can choose to sing. This is a plasticnotebook that has an elastic strap that holds itshut when not in use.This is a visual reminder that gives the nonexampleand the correct example for classroomrules. This child could read so there were wordson it.It would be better if the exemplars had picturesof the appropriate behaviors rather than the nonexemplars.We want to put a correct visual in thechild’s mind.This is a Token Economy Folder. This child hadtrouble standing in line in the bathroom. Sheearned tokens for appropriate behavior in therestroom. She knew what she was working for asthe choice from her Reward Pocket was put on thefront of the folder as a reminder.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 95 -
Following Directions is a hard concept. This visualchart helps the child remember the three basicsteps of following directions. The teacher canpoint to each step as he or she is directing thestudent. Eventually, this can then be placed onthe student’s desk until it can be faded alltogether.This is a chart the teacher used to teach thechild signs in the community. She would hold upthe card, have the child find that sign in thecommunity and then log the success of each trial.This is an example of a Now/Then chart. This is aminiature schedule for a student. Some peoplecall this “bribery”; however, it is not bribery. Itis a shaping tool to elicit non-preferred worksandwiched between preferred activities. Thiscan be faded to Two Non-Preferred Activitiesbefore a Preferred activity and so on. Ask anyonewho tells you this is bribery to work for free fora day and see what they say.This is a visual reminder of the classroom rulesusing exemplars of expected behavior. Forchildren with lower cognitive skills, real picturesof themselves exhibiting the behavior arepreferred.This is a school to home communication tool. Thislets the parent know what the student did inHome-Living each day. This is for a student withemerging verbal skills to assist in opening thecommunication stream.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 96 -
This is a visual bridge from home to school- justas the example on the previous page worked toopen communication between school and home,this sheet allows the student to talk at schoolabout things that occurred in the homeenvironment the evening before.This is a visual reminder about what not to do ifsomeone were bothering the student. On thereverse side there are pictures of what should bedone if someone were bothering the student.This is a choice board. The student using this ison a token economy and chooses each section ofthe day the preferred item they wish to earn withtheir tokens. After they earn the correctnumber of tokens and earn the preferred item, anew item is chosen for the next time segment.This is a portable communication device that astudent can use to order at any fast foodrestaurant. The folder is sealed on the side withall the possible choices. The child pulls out theirchoices and places them on the Velcro strip. Theycan then hand this folder to the clerk at the fastfood restaurant.When I taught, I would call the restaurantbeforehand and let them know that we werecoming in and that my students would be orderingin this manner. This way I was assured that theclerk would be “visually friendly.” Most storeswere happy to accommodate as long as it wasn’trush hour with a long line of customers.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 97 -
Visual SchedulesWhere are you going to be 2 weeks from Thursday? I can see you rolling your eyes and looking uptoward the top of your brain trying to figure out where you are going to be. When we ask children withautism to go through their day without any sort of visual schedule we are asking them to do exactlythe same thing you have to do when you are figuring out where you are going to be 2 weeks fromThursday. We assume they know that on Wednesdays they have PE and on Thursday they don’t;however, children with autism don’t think like that. They need picture cues as to what is coming next orit confuses them to the point of frustration. It would be like blindfolding you and dragging you down anunfamiliar hallway. Although their eyes are not covered, they feel as though they are being drugthrough a very unfamiliar place.There are all sorts of visual schedules. Here are just a few:• Pocket Charts with picture sentence strips:• Flip books with pictures• Index cards on a key ring• Laminated Check Off Sheets with Pictures____ P.E.____ Math____ReadingBrandon WillBrandon WillBrandon Will<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 98 -
Visual Puzzle ScheduleIf you use a zone plan or center plan you can put the outline shape at each center and then put thecorresponding shape on the schedule. Because of its simplicity and visualization this works well forsome children with autism. Example you put the outline of the duck at the reading center. You put theduck on the child’s schedule. After you have taught them where everything is- they pick up the duckand take it to the reading center-put the duck into the outline shape and stay at the center until themusic stops playing.http://toys.smartbargains.com/games-and-puzzles/36-piece-foam-puzzle-number-mat-show.sb?aid=9636 piece set available at this website for $9.99Boardmaker SchedulesA program by the name of Boardmaker provides pictures that can be inserted into grids for makingschedules for students. Most school districts have access to this program.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 99 -
Water TherapyMany children with autism love to explore in the water. You don’t have to purchase a water play tablethat costs hundreds of dollars. An 88cent dish pan from Wal-Mart will do just as well and is muchmore portable. Here are some things you can put in water:Floating toys:• plastic boats• plastic lids from Quick Trip cups• tiny plastic pickle and relish tubs from Quiznos Sandwich shop• plastic toys from McDonald’s Happy Meals• gumball machine plastic domes that toys came inside• balls from the sensory ball center or a few balls from the ball pit at McDonalds-they willprobably give you a few if you ask.• bobbers from fishing• ice cubes• soap or bubblesSinking toys:• sinkers from fishing• marbles• silverware• water balloons• balloons filled with sand and tied on the ends• water wigglesCompare and Contrast Games:What sinks and what floats:• carrots and apples• koosh balls and racquetballs• ping pong balls and marblesAsk them to point to the one they think will float. Boardmaker pictures could be offered to ask thechildren to choose which one they think will float.Put that into a sentence strip that says:Bo thinks ___apples____ will float. Perry thinks –carrots--- will float.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 100 -
Writing StrategyFor children with learning disabilities the thought of stringing a group of sentences together to form aparagraph is much too much an abstract thought. So here’s a great mnemonic to help.3-2-8 paragraphThe first sentence has three ideas in it.For my summer vacation I went to Paris, London, and Madrid. That is the ‘3’.The next phase is writing two sentences about each of the three ideas in the first sentence.For my summer vacation I went to Paris, London, and Madrid. (1) In Paris, I saw the Eiffel Tower. (2)We ate lunch at the leaning tower of Pizza. (1) We then went to London where I saw the BuckinghamPalace. (2) The guards really don’t smile when you talk to them. (1) When we went to Madrid we saw abull fight. (2) The matador wore a red cape. That is the ‘2’.The eighth sentence ties everything together by restating the first sentence:For my summer vacation I went to Paris, London, and Madrid. In Paris, I saw the Eiffel Tower. We atelunch at the leaning tower of Pizza. We then went to London where I saw the Buckingham Palace. Theguards really don’t smile when you talk to them. When we went to Madrid we saw a bull fight. Thematador wore a red cape. I had such a wonderful vacation in Paris, London, and Madrid. That is the ‘8’.Once the paragraphs are written you can teach the students to “make it interesting” by adding fancywords written on index cards.For my fabulous summer vacation, I went to Paris, London, and Madrid. In Paris, I saw the gorgeousEiffel Tower. We ate lunch at the quaint leaning tower of Pizza. We then went to scenic London whereI saw Buckingham Palace. The stoic guards really don’t smile when you talk to them. When we went tosteamy Madrid we saw a bull fight. The brave matador wore a red cape. I had such a wonderful summervacation in Paris, London, and Madrid.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 101 -
Final ThoughtsIt’s not fairFrequently, I hear things like: It’s not fair to put one kid in my class on a token economy because noteveryone is getting tokens for being good. I have two things to say to that: 1) put everyone on a tokeneconomy. It’s easy, and 2) Fair is what everyone needs, not everyone getting the same thing. To drivethis last point home let me tell give you a scenario.You and I are having a discussion about boating and we are enjoying our conversation. However, you arejust getting over a cold and you are sucking on a cough drop. Suddenly, you choke on this cough dropand you are turning blue. You can feel the air getting harder and harder to pull in. I look around theroom and see the 40 other people in the room and I tell you, “I’m sorry. I don’t have time to give theHeimlich to those other 40 people in the room, so it wouldn’t be fair if I only gave it to you. I’m sosorry.”I know this is a silly comparison but it’s the same analogy. If you function on the “it’s not fair” rule, youare functioning on the same emotional level of a seven year old. Children understand if things areexplained to them; that, each of us needs different things in life.One year I had five students on token economies and the students looked out for each other. Thestudents would come back and say, “Ms. Riffel, Ms. Riffel. Samuel didn’t throw his shoe at the musicteacher. You need to give him a ticket.”If you explain things to them in the beginning; they don’t function on the “it’s not fair” rule.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 102 -
Remember………………………………….If a child is pushing your buttons…………….You are delivering goods.<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 103 -
Resources:Alberto, P., & Troutman, A. (2003). Applied behavior analysis for teachers (6th ed.). Upper SaddleRiver, NJ: Merrill Prentice-Hall.Fay, J., & Cline, F. (1997). Discipline with Love and Logic. Golden, CO: Love and Logic Press.Ormrod, J. (1999). Human learning (3rd ed.).UpperSaddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice-Hall.Richards, S., Taylor, R., Ramasamy, R., & Richards, R. (1999). Single subject research: Applicationsin educational and clinical settings. San Diego: Singular Publishing Group, Inc.Websites of Interesthttp://www.ablenetinc.com/productLocation.asp?page=/products.asphttp://www.bestfreestuffonline.com/kidstuff.htmhttp://www.garylamb.com/http://www.irlen.com/index_autism.htmlhttp://www.kelloggs.com/us/http://www.kraftfoods.com/postcereals/cereal_1.htmlhttp://www.generalmills.com/corporate/brands/index.aspxhttp://www.ku-crl.org/iei/index.htmlhttp://www.pecs.com/page5.htmlhttp://www.sensorysmarts.com/diet.htmlhttp://www.sraonline.com/index.php/home/curriculumsolutions/reading/ocphonicskit/1318http://www.sunkist.com/takeast and/http://www.timetimer.com/products.htmhttp://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/early-childhood/object-calendar.htmhttps://www.schoolspecialty.com/ordering/ECommerce;jsessionid=E1D18FED41551E183FB4 7F820460F008Order able net boxes and Big Mac SwitchesFree things for students to orderSixty Beats Per Minute MusicIrlen Reading Website for children who are distracted by lightsIcons of favorite cereal choicesThis is the University of Kansas Center for Research onLearning. The Strategic Instruction techniques are helpful forall students.Picture Exchange Communication SystemInformation on Sensory DietOpen Court Reading SeriesLemonade Stand informationVisual TimerObject CalendarTo order the air filled disk for children who need to move<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 104 -
www.ablelinktech.comVisual Assistant- Hand Held Personal Digital Assistant forverbal and auditory prompting systemwww.amazon.comBook website- type in any title topicwww.apbs.orgAssociation for <strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Behavior</strong> <strong>Support</strong>www.behaviordoctor.orgLaura Riffel’s website with helpful tools for parents andteachers.www.discoverytoolsandworkshops.comwww.pbis.orgwww.pbsga.orgHemi-sync productsNational Technical Assistance Center for <strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Behavior</strong>al<strong>Interventions</strong> and <strong>Support</strong>s sponsored by the Office of SpecialEducation ProgramsSite based on the tertiary level of <strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Behavior</strong> <strong>Support</strong>http://www.vistaprint.com/frf?frf=691384697124Website where you can order business cards and they onlycharge you for the shipping. “Caught you Being Good Cards”www.ustoys.comOnline ordering of inexpensive incentives<strong>Positive</strong> <strong>Interventions</strong> and Effective Strategies Riffel -© 2005 - 105 -
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