“Ten steps towards
supporting appropriate behavior” (for
Students with Asperger’s Syndrome)
written by Dr. Cathy Pratt
Challenging behaviors are frequently the primary obstacle in
supporting students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). While there are few
published studies to direct educators towards the most effective behavioral
approaches for these students, it appears most evident (given the heterogeneity
among these individuals) that effective behavioral support requires highly
individualized practices that address the primary areas of difficulty in social
understanding and interactions, pragmatic communication, managing anxiety,
preferences for sameness and rules, and ritualistic behaviors. While the
specific elements of a positive behavioral support program will vary from
student to student, the following ten steps will go a long way in assuring that
schools are working towards achieving the best outcomes on behalf of their
students.
Understand the
characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome that may influence a student’s ability
to learn and function in the school environment.
It is important for those involved to understand the
idiosyncratic nature of Asperger’s Syndrome and to consider problematic
behaviors in light of the common characteristics associated with this
disability.
Following are some general characteristics as described by
Williams (1995):
•Insistence on sameness: easily overwhelmed by minimal
changes in routines, sensitive to environmental stressors, preference for
rituals.
•Impairment in social interactions: difficulty understanding
the "rules" of interaction, poor comprehension of jokes and metaphor,
pedantic speaking style.
•Restricted range of social competence: preoccupation with
singular topics such as train schedules or maps, asking repetitive questions
about circumscribed topics, obsessively collecting items.
•Inattention: poor organizational skills, easily distracted,
focused on irrelevant stimuli, difficulty learning in group contexts.
•Poor motor coordination: slow clerical speed, clumsy gait,
unsuccessful in games involving motor skills.
•Academic difficulties: restricted problem solving skills,
literal thinking, deficiencies with abstract reasoning.
•Emotional vulnerability: low self-esteem, easily
overwhelmed, poor coping with stressors, self-critical.
Acknowledge that
behavior serves a function, is related to context, and is a form of communication.
Effective behavioral support is contingent on understanding
the student, the context in which he/she operates, and the reason(s) for
behavior. In order to effectively adopt a functional behavioral assessment
approach, several assumptions about behavior must be regarded as valid.
•The first assumption is that behavior is functional. In
other words, it serves a purpose(s). The purpose or function of the behavior
may be highly idiosyncratic and understood only from the perspective of the
individual with Asperger's Syndrome. It is important to remember that
individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome generally do not have a behavioral intent
to disrupt educational settings, but instead problematic behaviors may arise
from other needs, for example, self-protection in stressful situations.
•The second assumption is that behavior has communicative
value (if not specific intent). Remember that individuals with Asperger’s
Syndrome experience pragmatic communication difficulties. While they are able
to use language quite effectively to discuss high interest topics and such,
they may have tremendous difficulty expressing sadness, anger, frustration and
other important messages. As a result, behavior may be the most effective means
to communicate when words fail.
•Behavior is context related. Understanding how features of
a setting impact an individual (either positively or negatively) has particular
value for adopting preventive efforts and sets the stage for teaching
alternative skills.
Use functional
behavioral assessment as a process for determining the root of the problematic
behavior and as the first step in designing a behavior support program.
The key outcomes of a comprehensive functional behavioral
assessment should include a clear and unambiguous description of the
problematic behavior(s); a description of situations most commonly, and least
commonly associated with the occurrence of problematic behavior; and
identification of the consequences that maintain behavior. By examining all
aspects of the behavior, one can begin to design a program that can ultimately
lead to long-term behavioral change.
Think prevention.
Too often the focus of a behavior management program is on
discipline procedures that focus exclusively on eliminating problematic
behavior. Programs that are reactive to problematic behavior do not focus on
long-term behavioral change. An effective program should expand beyond
consequence strategies (e.g., time out, loss of privileges) and focus on
preventing the occurrence of problem behavior by teaching socially acceptable
alternatives to problem behavior and creating positive learning environments.
Use antecedent and
setting event strategies.
Antecedents are those events that happen immediately before
the problematic behavior. Setting events are situations or conditions that can
enhance the possibility that a student may engage in a problematic behavior.
For example, if a student is ill, tired or hungry, he may be less tolerant of
schedule changes. By understanding settings events that can set the stage for
problematic behaviors, changes can be made on those days when a student may not
be performing at his best to prevent or reduce the likelihood of difficult
situations and set the stage for learning more adaptive skills over time. In
schools, there are many examples of antecedents that may spark behavioral
incidents. For example, many students with Asperger’s Syndrome have difficulty
with noisy, crowded environments. Therefore, the newly arrived high school
freshman who becomes physically aggressive in the hallway during passing
periods may need an accommodation of leaving class a minute or two early to
avoid the congestion which provokes this behavior. Over time, the student may
learn to negotiate the hallways simply by being more accustomed to the situation,
or by being given specific instruction or support.
Key issues to address when discussing these types of
strategies are:
•What can be done to eliminate the problem situation (e.g.,
the offending condition)?
•What can be done to modify the situation if the situation
cannot be eliminated entirely?
•Will the strategy need to be permanent, or is it a
temporary "fix" which allows the student (with support) to increase
skills needed to manage the situation in the future?
Make teaching
alternative skills an integral part of your program.
It is critical that students with Asperger’s Syndrome are
taught acceptable behaviors that replace problematic behavior and that serve
the same purpose as the challenging behavior. For example, a young child with
Asperger’s Syndrome may have trouble entering into a kick ball game and instead
simply inserts himself into the game, thereby offending the other players and
risking exclusion. Instead, the child can be coached on how and when to enter
into the game. Never assume that a student knows appropriate social behaviors.
While these individuals are quite gifted in many ways, they will need to be
taught social and pragmatic communication skills as methodically as academic
skills.
One particularly relevant skill to teach is the use of
self-management strategies. Self-management is a procedure in which people are
taught to discriminate their own target behavior and record the occurrence or
absence of that target behavior (Koegel, Koegel & Parks, 1995).
Self-management is an especially useful
technique to assist individuals in achieving greater levels
of independent functioning across many settings and situations. By learning
self-management techniques individuals can become more self-directed and less
dependent on continuous supervision and control. Instead of teaching situation
specific behaviors, self-management teaches a more general skill that can be
applied in an unlimited number of settings. The procedure has particular
relevance and immediate utility for students with Asperger's Syndrome. For
example, an important self-management skill may involve teaching a student with
Asperger’s how to practice relaxation or how to find a place to regroup when
upset.
Effective behavioral change may require that all involved
change their behavior also.
Since behaviors are influenced by context and by the quality
of relationships with others, it is also important for professionals and family
members to monitor their own behavior vigilantly when working with students
with Asperger’s Syndrome. For example, each time a teacher reprimands a student
for misbehavior, an opportunity may be lost to reframe the moment in terms of
the student's need to develop alternative skills.
Design long term
prevention plans.
In the midst of problematic behaviors, it may be difficult
to adopt a long-term approach to a student's educational program. However, it
is imperative that plans for supporting a student over the long term be
outlined right from the start. Many procedures and supports with the most
relevance and utility for students with Asperger’s Syndrome (e.g., specific
accommodations, peer supports, social skills, self-management strategies) must
be viewed as procedures that are developed progressively as the child moves
through school. These are not crisis management strategies but the very things
that can decrease crisis situations from arising.
Discuss how students
with Asperger’s Syndrome fit into typical school-wide discipline practices and
procedures.
A major issue to discuss is how students will fit into and
respond to typical disciplinary practices. Many students with Asperger’s
Syndrome become highly anxious in the presence of practices such as loss of
privileges, time outs or reprimands, and often cannot regroup following their
application. Another issue relates to school-wide discipline procedures.
Schools which focus on suspension and expulsion as their primary approach,
rather than on teaching social skills, conflict resolution and negotiation and
on building community learning, will typically be less effective with all
students, including those with Asperger's.
Collaborate,
collaborate, collaborate!
Educators, administrators, related service personnel and
parents will all need to collaborate on a behavior support plan that is clear
and easily implemented. Once developed, the plan will need to be monitored
across settings, and regularly reviewed for its strengths and weaknesses.
Inconsistencies in our expectations and behaviors will only serve to heighten
the challenges demonstrated by an individual with Asperger's.
References
Bambara, L.M. & Knoster, T.P. (1995). Guidelines:
Effective behavioral support. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of
Education, Bureau of Special Education.
Koegel, R.L., Koegel, L.K., & Parks, D.R. (1995).
"Teach the individual" model of generalization: Autonomy through
self-management. In R.L. Koegel & L.K. Koegel (Eds.), Teaching children
with autism: Strategies for initiating positive interactions and improving
learning opportunities (pp. 67-77). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing
Company.
Williams, K. (1995). Understanding the student with Asperger
Syndrome: Guidelines for teachers. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 10, 9-16.
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