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Effective Solutions for Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and More. . .
June 2009
Volume V, Issue 6
Welcome. . .

Well . . . bad news and good news. Bad news first. No baby pictures yet. By the time this newsletter has been sent out my newest grandbaby has not made her entrance. (Much to my daughter’s dismay!) (Do you remember that in the last issue I promised photos???) So, the good news is that by the next issue of the newsletter there WILL be photos. I promise.

June is the end of the school year for some. Things go on as usual for others. The article this month about Take a Break is one to get you thinking about what happened this past year and help you get ready for September. It’s a simple strategy that can work at school or home or wherever you happen to be. Perhaps you will decide to create a Take a Break card for yourself!


Read on . . .

With warm regards,


P.S. Do you have an ice skating program for your students? If so, you may be able to answer the question I received from a reader about visuals for ice skating. (See below) I told her that kind of question could easily be posted in the
Discussion Forum on AutismFamilyOnline.com. Have you checked out that website yet? It would be a perfect summer activity. You can take a little time to read and listen and watch to help you plan for next year.

in this issue
  • Take a Break to Avoid Behavior Problems
  • I Get Questions
  • Autism Spectrum Quarterly
  • About Linda
  • Did you Know ...

  • Take a Break to Avoid Behavior Problems

    I did a consultation recently regarding a young man named Stephen who needed some extra help. He had some explosive behavior episodes that caused his teachers to be quite concerned. This young man has a diagnosis of autism with moderate mental retardation. He has verbal language . . . characterized by lots of delayed echolalia, perseverative phrases, and a set of mumbled questions which are not easy to understand.

    The other thing about Stephen is that he can get quite agitated. Sometimes that agitation escalates into greater distress and eventually physical aggression. The staff has done some excellent charting of Stephen’s behavior. They have identified sequences of behavior that eventually lead to the aggression.

    There is a detailed plan on file to direct how the staff should respond when Stephen’s agitation is increasing. The plan identifies some specific directions to give Stephen at different levels of agitation. It goes something like this. When he starts pacing – redirect to the activity. Pacing continues and he starts uttering his perseverative phrases – give him the choice of another activity. The intensity of the pacing increases and the verbal language gets louder and more intense – get other people out of the way and offer Stephen some brushing or other calming activities prescribed by the OT. There are a few more steps in the plan but you get the idea.

    Two more pieces
    The plan also directs staff to use minimal language and do not make eye contact. Those are excellent recommendations. When students are starting to get upset, our natural tendency is to talk more . . . telling them what to do, what not to do or whatever. The more upset students get, the more the caretakers are tempted to talk. Then that gets the student more upset. Same for eye contact. Eyes that are watching can feel like they are invading the individual’s space. It’s a strange thing. At other times, students may not seem to be aware of our eye contact, but when things are not going well they can seem to know exactly where we
    are looking.

    Here’s the problem
    The staff interaction with Stephen during the agitation episodes is with verbal communication. So they verbally offer him other options for activities. In my experience with individuals who are experiencing severe agitation or meltdowns, use of verbal language during that time can actually serve to accentuate the problem. Therefore, this is a perfect time to use visual cues for communication.

    Time to Take a Break
    My suggestion to add to this plan is to create a routine called Take a Break. Pick a location and two or three highly desirable, calming activities. (The OT can help select something that will meet the need.) The goal would be to “offer” or “tell” Stephen that it is time to take a break for a few minutes. Guide him to his location so he can engage in his calming activities. He can be done with his break when he is calm and ready to resume the regular schedule.

    Use a picture card
    Create a Take a Break card. On one side, write the words and put some kind of picture symbol that would represent the break.


    On the back of the card you can put pictures of his choices for break activities.


    Use the card to tell Stephen it is time to Take a Break. The goal is to interject the break time at the beginning of the agitation chain to try to keep it from progressing to more severe aggression. That means watching for those first cues that he is beginning to get upset. That is the time to show the card – before his behavior becomes more intense.

    It’s not the same as time out
    Conceptually, Take a Break is not the same as time out. People often think
    of time out as a punitive thing – you are being bad or out of control so you will
    go to time out until you calm down. Time out often occurs when the individual
    is out of control.

    The purpose of Take a Break is to provide an opportunity to relax, refresh and regain composure so we can go on with the day. The intervention occurs before, or at the beginning, of a little bit of agitation, hoping to avoid escalation.

    Don’t forget to teach it
    Train Take a Break as part of your daily activities. You might even put it in the schedule at some points in the day so it becomes associated as desirable and pleasant. Then you will be able to offer it at points when he is beginning to show signs of agitation.

    Here’s the caution
    The activity choices during Take a Break should also be available as
    choices at other times during the day. Otherwise you may accidentally
    set up a situation where he becomes agitated so he can take a break to
    access those highly desirable activities. (I will get agitated, so I can take a
    break, so I can do XXXXX.)

    Create success with Take a Break
    Using a Take a Break card helps manage a situation by using minimal verbal direction. Practicing when everyone is happy make it a pleasant activity. Choosing highly desirable calming activities will help calming so the student can return to his regular schedule without major problems.

    P.S. One more thing. We need to do some more observing to see if we can identify any patterns of activity that occur before Stephen’s agitation begins. Analyzing the antecedents is an important part of a good behavior plan. Figuring out what he wants to communicate or what is bothering him will help the staff teach him what he needs to learn so the agitation cycle may not occur in the same way.


    © 2009 Linda Hodgdon


    I Get Questions



    I received a question recently from a reader. Here it is.


    A local arena is planning a Special Olympics figure skating program in the fall. I'm looking for demonstration videos of skills or visual schedules that may already exist (don't want to reinvent the wheel if we don't have to). Do you know of any?


    Well, I don’t know the answer, but I am wondering if any of you do.
    If so, please let me know.

    This is the perfect kind of question that could be posted in the Discussion Forum on the new website AutismFamilyOnline.com. We all have questions. And none of us wants to reinvent the wheel. Check it out.

    Here is what one new member wrote,
    “I have REALLY enjoyed reading many articles, especially about
    sensory issues, tantrums, and the like. What an incredible resource
    you have created . . .Your hard work is really showing and I know you are helping others.    Denise


    Autism Spectrum Quarterly



    Read what some of the most knowledgeable
    people in the autism community have to say about
    Autism Spectrum Quarterly (ASQ).

    "One of the most outstanding resources in the field of
    autism . . . . To state it simply, ASQ is the best!" -
    Carol Gray, Developer of Social Stories™

    "ASQ offers really helpful information to everyone from parents dealing with new diagnoses to autism spectrum "veterans". - Dan Coulter, Coulter Video; Parent


    "Many thanks for a first class edition! I've torn the copy to bits to pass along these wonderful pieces! - Rita Honan, Ph.D., BCBA; Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

    For high-interest articles from parents and professionals; cutting-edge information from the world of research; and up-to-the-minute NewsBriefs that keep you current in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee, ASQ is your go-to autism resource!



    About Linda

    Linda Hodgdon, M.Ed., CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist and a Consultant for Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is the author of the bestseller, Visual Strategies for Improving Communication, one of the most recommended books in the field of autism.

    Internationally recognized as a powerful and informative speaker and consultant, Linda has presented her insightful and dynamic workshops to audiences of educators and parents worldwide.


    Did You Know. . .


    This E-newsletter is sent to people in more than 75 countries around the world! Do you know someone who would like to receive a copy? See below. . .




    Announcing . . . AutismFamilyOnline.com

    Get the Details
    More Information ...

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    More About Linda Hodgdon



     
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    Tidbits ...

    Do you know someone who would like to receive this issue of Another View?
    Click on Email Page below to send them a copy.

    **Do YOU have a success story from using visual strategies?
    Some of the best teaching results come from sharing ideas. Please send your story to info@usevisualstrategies.com with the subject line "my story". I will share some of
    these ideas in upcoming issues.

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    © 2009 Linda Hodgdon. All Rights Reserved.
    ISSN 1554-3021

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