Addressing Challenging Behaviors in Early Childhood: Strategies for Parents and Caregivers

1. Addressing Challenging Behaviors in Early Childhood: Strategies for Parents and Caregivers Presented by: Autism Team Frances Fuchs ECC

2. Workshop Objectives Participants will be able to: • Define behavior and its principles. • Differentiate positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. • Describe the different functions of behavior. • Identify specific behavioral strategies to address challenging behaviors.

3. Workshop Content 1:30-1:35- Behavior and its principles. 1:45-1:55- Challenging behaviors and Function of Behavior. 1:55-2:05- Why is important to do something about challenging behaviors? 2:05-2:15- What are things to consider? 2:15-2:25- Essential elements of a behavioral plan 2:25-2:35- Adapting the environment and visual supports 2:35-3:30- Case Presentations

4. House Rules Speak From Your Own Experience Use "I" statements, not stories about others you know or things you've heard. Listen Attentively Do not interrupt others. No Judgments, Positive OR Negative We are here to listen and share in a safe, open environment. Do Not Give Advice Listen and share relevant information or experiences, but do not advise. Confidentiality is Key What we discuss in Parent Group stays in the Parent Group. Turn Your Cell Phone Off Or silence it--but please refrain from texting, web surfing, etc. during the meeting.  Should you need to use your phone in any capacity, please step into the hallway to do so. Speak From Your Own Experience Use "I" statements, not stories about others you know or things you've heard.

6. Principles of Behavior BEHAVIOR ANTECEDENT CONSEQUENCE

7. Reinforcement is an event that immediately follows a response and in the future under similar conditions the likelihood of that response increases.

10. Positive Reinforcement

11. Negative Reinforcement

12. Challenging Behaviors

14. Functional Behavioral Assessment

15. Questions you might ask about why a person is behaving in a certain way include: • Did this behavior start suddenly? If so, might my child be sick or is there another change that might have caused this? • Is there some underlying medical concern or condition that is making him reactive? Tired? Stressed? • What is my child attempting to gain from this behavior? Is he trying to escape something? • What is he trying to tell me? What can I learn from this? • Does it happen in certain places, with specific people or in situations that might improve the situation? • What happens before the behavior? Is there something that makes it more likely to occur? • What happens after the behavior occurs? What is helping this behavior persists? What maintains it or makes it work as a tool for this individual? • What do I typically do to get my child to stop engaging in the behavior? Am I (or is someone else giving him more attention then or doing something that might be making the behavior work to get him what he wants?

16. Why is it important to Do Something about Challenging Behaviors?

17. Challenging behaviors can have a significant impact on the individual in many ways. They can: • Interrupt academic learning and as a result limit long term growth and development. • Limit experiences and keep a person out of many opportunities for growth over his lifespan, including play dates, mainstream classrooms and recreational options and eventually his work options, living conditions and ability to be integrated into the community. • Impair social relationships. • Reduce independence and choice.

18. Challenging behaviors can have a significant impact on the family and caregivers in many ways. Effects include: Added stress and worry Social isolation Anxiety and/or depression for parents and siblings Less time and attention for other children, responsibilities or interests Physical danger Fear of harm to themselves Financial concerns

19. What are the Things to Consider?

22. Adapt the Environment Organize and provide structure. Inform transitions and changes. Use visual supports. Provide a safe place and teach when to use it. Remove and dampen distracting or disturbing stimuli. Pair comparison or staff appropriately for challenging activities or times. Consider structural changes to your home or yard.

23. Why use environmental and visual supports? • Provide information to your child in advance to • Promote independence • Prevent challenging behavior • Provide permanent representation of abstract information • Teach flexibility, independence, social skills, rule-following, etc.

24. Top 3 Challenging Behaviors • Tantrum • Aggression • Elopement

25. Routine

26. Schedules and Predictability • Help provide natural cues for independence and initiation • Help the child understand expectations for his or her behavior

27. Choices • Can provide opportunities for communication exchange (mini-conversations) • When given a choice, the child will be more likely to stay engaged with an activity (s)he chose • Can be offered using photos, visuals, or actual objects • Choices are powerful because they give some control back to the child • Should be offered across the day in all activities

28. First/Then Boards • Using visuals, tell the child, “First ___, then ___.” • Can be used to explain a reward (first clean up, then video) • Can be used to explain a neutral transition (first potty, then bed) • Can be used to explain a less-preferred transition (first TV, then dinner)

29. Social Stories • Are written to described written outcomes and behaviors in the form of a story. • Sentences should be descriptive, directive, perspective and control. • They should be presented in the form of a book. • They should be implemented consistently in a relax setting.

30. Use Positive Behavior Supports Celebrate and build strengths and successes. Respect and listen to him. Validate his concerns and emotions. Provide clear expectations of behavior. Set him up for success. Provide access for breaks. Set up reinforcement systems. Use positive/proactive language.

31. Planned Ignoring (extinction) - Is often used when the behavior is used for attention and is mild or non-threatening.

32. Redirection - Often supported with visuals, may involve redirection to an appropriate behavior or response and is often paired with positive strategies.

33. Removal from a situation or reinforcement - is often used for calming down opportunities.

34. Teach Skills and Replacement Behaviors • Use a communication system-pictures, sign language, communication devices or other tools. • Tell your child what to DO instead of what NOT TO DO.

35. Punishment vs. Rewards

36. “Special educators [and parents] need to look at what a child can do instead of what he/she cannot do. There needs to be more emphasis on building up and expanding the skills a child is good at. Too often people get locked into a label such as dyslexia, ADHD, or autism and they cannot see beyond the label. Kids that get a label often have uneven skills. They may be talented in one area and have a real deficiency in another. It is important to work on areas where a child is weak, but an emphasis on deficits should not get to the point where building the area of strength gets neglected” –Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

37. Questions?

38. Resources • McLaughlin, A. (2013). Teaching Procedures, Prompting and prompt “dependence” and Reinforcement [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Johns Hopkins University myJH: ELC. Retrieved from http://olms.cte.jhu.edu/olms2/160335 • AutismSpeaks: Behavioral Challenges Tool Kit.

39. Thank you!