Communication Interaction

What’s Behavior Got to Do With It?

What’s Attitude Got to Do With It?

New Staff Academy August 2013

Laura Moore

Autism Specialist, Speech Language Pathologist

Communication Interaction

Learn: How a person’s BEHAVIOR is affected by their

language and communication skills.

How a person’s BEHAVIOR is affected by the expectations and responses of their listeners.

How to interact with students in ways that address language deficits, decrease students anxiety levels and increase student ability to effectively communicate and self-advocate in a variety of social situations.

When Speakers Use Handouts

Adapted from Barry PrizantSometimes I go to workshops. I can learn a lot at workshops. Most speakers use slides and provide handouts to help

me learn. Slides help me understand because I can see as well

as listen. Handouts help me because I don’t have to write

everything down. Usually all the slides on the screen are in my handout.

This makes me feel calm and organized.However, most of Laura’s slides will not be in my

handout. It will be okay.

Workshop Social Story continued

Laura eliminated many of the slides from the handouts.

This helped save trees. However, it made Laura feel a bit anxious. She likes her audience to be happy.

I might feel confused or anxious or even grumpy when the slides do not follow my handouts. Laura will help me.

When the slide is in my handout, there will be a bouncing star in the top left corner of the slide. The star tells me I can look in my handout, the slide is there.

If there is no bouncing star I do not have to keep looking in my handout, the slide is not there.

Workshop Social Story continued

I can be flexible. I can just look at the slide and listen. Or I can write notes on my handout. Or I can find the slides on the District 287 website.

When I am flexible, Laura feels happy and safe as a presenter.

Who Are Our Students? Most students come to 287 site based

programs because of “behaviors”. “Behavior” in education does not mean

something “good” happened. We teach our students challenged by Low

Academic IQ with compassionate understanding of his ability.

Who Are Our Students?

DCD EBD ASD Other

Lower “IQ”

Lower Emotional, Behavioral “IQ”

Lower Social, Communication and Emotional Regulation “IQ”

Special Education Category

What our site-based 287 students have in common: LOWER EMOTIONAL REGULATION SKILLSLOWER SOCIAL & COMMUNICATION SKILLS

aka: “BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS”

Who Are Our Students?

We do not assume the student is willfully using Low Academic IQ Skills.

We compassionately understand that the student is functioning where his brain allows him to function.

Therefore we teach to his current ability level.

Who Are Our Students?

Challenge: Expand compassionate understanding of Brain Functioning and Skill Level to students challenged by Emotional Regulation, Behavioral, Social and Communication abilities.

Teach to the students current Emotional, Social and Communication ability level.

Teach the skills the student needs to raise these skill sets to a more functional level.

Questions to PonderHow many students categorized EBD are

impacted in the areas of language and communication?

What is it like to be a student categorized EBD and have communication/language deficits?

What are the best intervention strategies for students categorized as EBD with communication/ language deficits?

Why Focus on Communication Skills

instead of the “Behavior” 58% of students with EBD drop out and do not

graduate, a decrease of only 1% over 10 years

Of the students with EBD who remain in school, 63% fail minimum competency exams.

That means only 15.5% of students with EBD STAY in high school and PASS minimum competency exams (from U.S. Dept. of Ed. 2001, 2003)

Language Skills and “Behavior”

50-70% of students with EBD experience clinically significant language deficits

Prizant et al.

57% of children with diagnosed language deficits were also identified with EBD educational labels

Donahue, Hartas & Cole

Language Skills and “Behavior”

“Cohen and colleagues (1993) found that in a sample of children receiving outpatient EBD services, there was evidence of language difficulties that resulted in inappropriate adult-child interactions. These were attributed to difficulties in using and understanding language that are interpreted by adults as noncompliant and inattentive behaviors.”

The Power of Your Philosophy

“How you interpret a person’s behavior and the language you use to describe it will directly influence the strategies you use to help that

person change the behavior.”

Ross Green

The Power of Your Philosophy

Willful Behavior Power Struggle

Behavior

is Communication Power to Teach

Ability to Get One’s Needs Met

Can Be Affected By Compromised language skills Stress Anxiety Slow language processing speed

Behavior becomes the most efficient way of getting needs met

The Anxiety Connection

“These investigators found a 60% rate of speech and language deficits in this sample, with these problems being most prevalent among children with overanxious disorder, anxiety disorder, and aggressive conduct disorder.”

[Dery, Toupin, Pauze, Mercier, and Fortin, 1999; Giddan, Milling, and Compbell, 1996]

Affects peer interactions, understanding classroom information, expressing ideas

A Student With Impaired Language Processing Speed

Often can’t process spoken language at the same rate the other person can talk

This causes information gaps the student either ignores or fills in with their own ideas

Often answers to questions take so long to process, the student is perceived as being noncompliant

Slow processing speeds are often sources of a great deal of frustration

Communication is more than words

The act of exchanging information

Behavior IS Communication

When behavior interferes with a student’s ability to succeed in school and society - that is a communication issue.We communicate to get our needs met in the most efficient way we can.

Language is just one part of Communication

WORDS said (7% )

HOW words are said- tone, intonation,inflection, cadence,volume, pauses(33% )

NON-VERBAL - bodylanguage, facialexpression,background (60% )

WORDS said (7% )

HOW words are said- tone, intonation,inflection, cadence,volume, pauses(33% )

NON-VERBAL - bodylanguage, facialexpression,background (60% )

Nonverbal Communication

Eye Expression Test

http://glennrowe.net/baroncohen/faces/eyestest.aspx

“Reading the mind in the eyes”Simon Baron Cohen

A Student With Impaired Nonverbal Communication

Has difficulty understanding rules or sequences of games

Has difficulty recognizing the connection between his behavior and consequences

Can feel sad, bewildered, lonely, anxious and confused Has difficulty perceiving danger May be described by others as tactless and insensitive May be described by other students as “dumb”, but

usually has average or above average intelligence Is seen as lacking social maturity

Misreading Nonverbal Communication

Students with challenges reading Nonverbal Communication

Often misread mal-intent in adults

Old faces can look like angry faces

A Student With Impaired Joint Attention

Has difficulty imitating others (in play, in classroom)

Has difficulty taking turns in play and conversation

Has difficulty reading subtle other’s social cues (emotions, facial expressions)

Has difficulty adjusting behavior based on the reactions of others

Has difficulty accurately interpreting the behaviors of other

Reasons to Communication

To get out of something that is undesirable To stop something from happening To get attention To get a desired object To establish interaction with someone

Communicative Intent

Look past the behavior.

Listen for the message behind the words

Communicative Intent

The meaning behind my words

Responding to my words/behavior•Lecture•Judge•Argue

That’s inappropriate LauraYou need to go to your

area and calm down.

When you are ready to talk

To me in a respectful manner,

you can try again

Responding to Communicative Intent

TeachSupportHelp

I hear y

ouThese computers

Can be difficult

I will help you

Share your knowledge and skills

Responding to Communicative Intent

Listen past the words Identify what need the student is

communicating Let them know you hear the message Meet the need Later, teach the new skill Later, teach the answer to “What do I

get out of doing it your way?”

Promoting Student Success

Put Yourself in Their ShoesImagine You have to go to a job you don’t feel

prepared to do The focus of the job is on what you can’t do

very well When you do something well, you just get

more to do that is even more difficult You have to go, you cannot quit

Promoting Student Success

What Would You Need?

Praise for what you do right Celebration of your successes Focus on the good things you do Correction that tells you what TO DO rather

than focusing on what not to do Empathy and encouragement for attempting

to do things that are difficult

Promoting Student Success

Focus on Teaching “What TO Do”Positive Comments and Praise Work

For every negative/corrective comment we need to hear at least 5 positive/praise comments to make us feel good

Our students need the same 5:1 ratio to learn what TO do

•None of us like to see or hear the things we do wrong pointed out•Negative, corrective comments are the ones we remember

Don’t DoDo

Answer the Question “What Should I Do?”

What Students Need to Know

1. What am I supposed to be doing? (Includes ‘how ‘ and when do I start)

2. Who am I supposed to be with?3. Where am I supposed to be?4. How long? –Or- how much do I need to do?5. How do I know when I am finished?6. What do I do next?7. When do I get to ______ (preferred activity)

again?

Promoting Student Success

Create an environment where EVERY student and staff member feels good about coming to school.

Focus on teaching students what To Do! Teach expectations and routines. Teach skills that students can use in

place of challenging behaviors.

Promoting Student Success

Create a Sense of Calm

As the student’s voice escalates and gets louder, your voice should get lower, softer, slower and quieter.

Model - How to Repair Communication Breakdowns

Use your words to model “Gee I feel I used a stern voice. I’m sorry. I should have

said….”

Role play with other adults Use Visuals

Compromise Chart Wait until student is calm and ready This is a shared activity between you and the student Get student’s perspective first, let student know he is being heard

Let’s CompromisePerson 1 wants/needs:

Person 2 wants/needs:

Possible Compromises: Agreement:

Signature and date

Signature and date

Promoting Student SuccessA Positive Emotional

EnvironmentWe Are the Work Training Ground

Do Model respectful talk Model successful work talk and work

interactions Model talk that will help students keep

jobs Assume we are the training ground for

work behavior Say what you mean Be Positive

Don’t Do

•Use Sarcasm•Assume students can read social situations

Promoting Student SuccessA Positive Emotional

EnvironmentBoundaries are Difficult to Understand

Boundaries and Social Rules are difficult to understand and difficult to explain

We ‘just get them’, we read situations and make decisions about boundaries and rules

Our students do not get the boundaries and rules of society

Our student’s disability is the inability to read social cues at age appropriate skill level

Our students are often the ones that ‘get caught’ It is best to develop a set of ‘work place behaviors’

Promoting Student SuccessHelp Students Engage

Schedules and RoutinesDevelop a schedule that promotes student engagement

and success.• Balance activities:

active and quiet small group and large group teacher-directed and student-directed

• Teach students the schedule.• Establish a routine and follow it consistently.• When changes are necessary, prepare students

ahead of time.

Promoting Student SuccessHelp Students Engage

Use Visuals

USE VISUALS Schedules, written notes

Carry a notebook/paper/small whiteboard with you all the time so you can write and draw

Understand VISUALS help Language processing Memory Attention Independence

•Talk and talk, and then get frustrated•Assume student understands me ‘he is just not listening’•Stop using visuals because ‘everything is going okay right now’

DoDon’t Do

Major Messages The most important thing that we can do is to build

positive relationships with every student. Focus on prevention and teaching appropriate

skills. Promoting social emotional development is not

easy. There are no quick fixes to challenging behavior.

It requires a comprehensive approach that includes building relationships, evaluating our own classrooms and behaviors, and TEACHING.

Adapted from CSEFEC, UIUC

Teaching Social Communication Skills

“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to behave,

we……..... …….teach? ……punish?

Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?”

Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2)Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2)

Maya Angelou

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

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