Symbolic Communication; Challenging Behaviors

1. Symbolic Communication; Challenging Behaviors SLA G304 Kim Ho, PhD CCC-SLP

2. Overview • Hand back assignments • Quiz Three • Lecture/discussion on Beginning Symbolic Communication • VT of Calendar Box • VT of choice making • Lecture/discussion on Challenging Behaviors

3. Beginning Symbolic Communicator • Basic skills of attention-getting, accepting, rejecting • Being introduced to symbolic communication • Ready to follow a simple symbol schedule • Engage in simple social routines

4. Calendar/Schedule System Purposes: • Introduce concept of symbolization • Overview of sequence of activities • Provide specific info • Ease transitions • Provide predictability

5. Calendar/Schedule Cont’d • Dual sensory impairments • Visual, cognitive, or multiple disabilities Steps: • Symbols are selected to represent each activity • Arrange in a container from left to right • Devise a way to indicate activity is complete

6. Calendar/Schedule Cont’d Procedure: • Prompt individual to go to box • Symbol for first activity selected • Take symbol to activity • When activity completed, discard symbol • Select symbol for second activity, etc.

7. Video Clip of Calendar Box • Preschooler with Autism; Hyperlexic • Unstructured setting – free play • Calendar Box to guide choice-making • Voicepal Max with Taction Pads by Adaptivation • Not ideal use – symbols change weekly

8. Remnant Books • Remnants – scraps from activities • Used to talk about past activities • Provide written labels for items • May use written cues Example “Ask me who I went with?” • Is not about accuracy • Topic-setting strategy

9. Talking Switch • Simple SGD (switch) to introduce symbolic communication • Ex: BIGmack • To participate in preferred activity • Circle time • Transition “Clean up time” • Turn taking “More, please” or “My turn”

10. Choice-Making • Increasing choice-making and control may decrease challenging behaviors • Accept signal indicates preference • One option available • Choice = two more options • Must develop preferences from experience

11. Teaching choice-making Suggested order of instruction: • Offered choices • AAC user initiates with generic request “want’ or “please”, then choices offered • AAC user initiates request and discriminates symbols to make choice

12. Teaching Requesting • Many challenging behaviors = inappropriate requests • Generalized requesting - want • Explicit requesting • Attention-getting signal; initially may over use

13. Facilitated Communication • Developed by Rosemary Crossley • Facilitator supports arm, wrist, or hand support • Goal is independent communication • Controversy = authorship? • Position statements Re FC

14. Challenging Behavior (Reichle, 1998) • Teach socially acceptable communicative behavior to replace challenging behavior

15. Rejecting • To avoid contact with undesired person, object, or activity • Example

16. How to Teach Rejecting • Identify earliest point of approach of undesired event before challenging behavior • Reinforce the absence of challenging behavior • Prompt or model the desired communicative alternative in the presence of undesired event • Shape successive approximations or gradually reduce learner’s reliance on response prompts • Insure that rejecting is used conditionally

17. Request a Break • To withdraw from an uncompleted task with expectation of resuming • Example

18. How to Teach Requesting a Break • Determine amount of engagement prior to escape attempt • Just prior to this point, release the learner from task • Once challenging behavior has diminished, prompt a request for a break at the critical point • Learner should be immediately released to break • May be necessary to have an inducement to get back to work

19. Request an Alternative Activity • Specifies a desire to change activities • Example

20. How to Teach Requesting an Alternative Activity • First steps identical to requesting a break • Learner may be taught to request one of several explicit activities • Or general “Can I do something else?” response • May teach communicative request at same time

21. Request Assistance • When providing unsolicited help reduces challenging behavior • Example • Gradually fade prompts • Insure that requests for assistance used conditionally • Verified if unsolicited assistance result in less challenging behavior

22. How to Teach Requesting Assistance • Provide unsolicited assistance in presence of a provoking activity, but: • In the absence of challenging behavior • Just before providing unsolicited assistance • Prompt a request • Just before the difficult parts of the activity

23. Request Attention • More likely to engage in activity with attention of others during nonpreferred activity • Example

24. How to Teach Requesting Attention • Interventionist remains with learner during nonpreferred activity • Stay contingent on learner engagement • Begin to delay delivery of attention • Deliver a prompt to produce request for attention

25. Obtaining Attention when Unengaged • Determine the learner’s definition of adequate attention

26. Obtain Attention when Unengaged • Variables that involves the behavior of others • Group learner in activities with individuals who require less attention • Identify shared interests • Insure desirable personal appearance • Insure competence in activities of shared interest • Once attention is given, can it be withdrawn for brief intervals? • Consider distractors from attention seeking • Then increase delay to reinforcement • Example

27. Obtain Attention when UnengagedExamples • Joke of the Day • Sharing/Show and Tell • Class Demonstration • Games that Require boundary markers • Your turn • Roll • Move me please • Complements: Wow, I like your shirt! • Message delivery (“I have a message for you.”)

28. Requesting Work Check • Request for feedback and/or reinforcement • After successful completion of quality or duration of work • Example