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Questions
For Sheila Wagner, M.Ed.
| Asked By: |
| Malika Abrous |
Hello Malika,
There are guidelines for the educational programming of students with disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders. This is called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act and outlines all the requirements that are to be considered for educating students with disabilities. Within that document, there are guidelines for autism, as well. You can find more information on IDEIA by logging on to the U.S. Department of Education website and searching through their links.
If you are talking about other federal guidelines for treatment of autism, you can investigate the book "Educating Children with Autism" by the National Research Council published through the National Academy Press (2001). That outlined what is considered "best practices" for educating young children with ASD - up to age 8. You can find that book on Amazon.com.
I hope this was helpful.
SW |
| Asked By: |
| Dawn Sierra |
Of course I remember you! Your son is one of my favorites of all time. Please call me at the Center and we can talk. I"m excited you want to start a social skills group and I can give you many tips. You know the number - please call on Friday, or next Monday. |
| Asked By: |
| Jeff Knowlton |
Hello Jeff,
This might take too long a response for this box! Students with ASD sometimes have outburst behaviors which get them suspended from school. I have seen this occur all the way from the kindergarten age to high school. Some of our students perseverate on more violent-themes, such as seen in videogames and movies; they sometimes draw the figures during class, such as guns and knives and get suspended for these pictures. Students with Asperger’s can sometimes be verbally aggressive and challenges the staff’s authority – all of which can be addressed under Zero Tolerance regulations. Low motivation for homework can mean missed assignments, confrontations with teachers and principals and end up with dire consequences. Is this enough of a list for you?
None of these things have to occur however, if educational programming is appropriate, staff receive training and the student has is taught the necessary skills to replace the inappropriate behaviors.
SW
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| Asked By: |
| Melinda Clougherty |
Hello Melinda - I'm sorry that I never saw this question. Please contact me at the Emory Autism Center 404)727-8350 to discuss.
Sheila Wagner |
| Asked By: |
| Jeff Knowlton |
Hello Jeff,
This is a complex issue that really requires a complex answer, so I hope you will stick with me while I outline my viewpoint. I am a strong inclusionist and want all those with ASD (and other disabilities) to be able to access every opportunity they can in the non-disabled population. Zero Tolerance often works against this outcome. Of course, students with ASD will need support to varying levels, especially in the behavior area. Many of those with ASD exhibit behaviors which get them into trouble in the real world, and I believe that it is the responsibility of the school systems, to prepare our students to be successful in the adult social world. But this does not come over-night, nor easily at times. Therefore, schools MUST teach our students that there are consequences for their behavior, though graduated, so that the student understands the consequences to his or her own ability levels. Hopefully, by the time they graduate, they will understand that there are some things you cannot do in public at all; the adult world is very unforgiving in many areas. The Zero Tolerance was set up post Columbine to stop some pretty horrific events from occuring, and it may have done so but I have not seen any data that suggests Zero Tolerance has actually prevented occcurences. However, I do not follow this line of research as well as others. I (as well as many professionals in this field) have always believed that positive systems work better at gaining behavior change than negative punishment.
One of he problem with Zero Tolerance that I see, comes in the nature of enforcement. Measures are widely variable and inconsistent from school to school and system to system. In my work, I have seen a number of instances that students with ASD are caught in this for behaviors which are a direct result of their disability, but Zero Tolerance takes over and they are suspended; sometimes expelled, when the behavior should be treated through a systematic application of their intervention plan. Can I make the blanket statement that Zero Tolerance is more harmful than good for our students? No - that would overgeneralize too much and may not be supported through research, though I'd love to see what is documented so far. I've seen some really bad examples of how it is carried out, but have also worked with many principals that use the policy in combination with a behavior plan to teach graduated consequences and appropriate replacement behaviors. Zero Tolerance is not a policy that I am fond of and always encourage systems to review IEP terms prior to any decision regarding behaviors. Families of students with ASD should ALWAYS discuss Zero Tolerance at their IEP meetings, and if the student has a history of behaviors that would come into conflict with Zero Tolerance, then a Behavior Intervention Plan should most definitely, be in the IEP.
Sheila Wagner |
| Asked By: |
| Jeanne Connery |
Thank you so much for your interest in my book. It is now at the publisher and I, too, am waiting for it to be finished! I hope that it will be soon! Let me know what you think of it when it comes out.
Again, thank you for your support and kind words!
Sheila Wagner |
| Asked By: |
| Crystal Baumgarten |
Hello Crystal,
Yes, I'd be happy to answer your questions. You can reach me at 404)727-8350.
Sheila Wagner |
| Asked By: |
| Darlene Smith |
Hello Darlene,
Thank you for contacting me. Without being able to observe these students in class, it will be difficult to give you exact recommendations for each, though I will give you a process to try and tackle the behaviors through a more formal method. You will need to tackle the function of their behaviors and figure out all the reasons behind them. Without doing so, you can’t teach them alternative behaviors that can serve the same function.
1. First, make sure that everyone has read the IEP and are implementing all the behavior interventions that are already, most likely, in place. Sometimes, this is the key factor in behaviors. When a student doesn’t have the current behavior plan implemented the same way by everyone that works with him or her, it leads to a very confusing program and resulting behaviors. Interview everyone and check to make sure you are all doing the same thing. I’d also eliminate any discussion of behaviors in front of, or within hearing of, the student. That alone can upset anyone.
2. Make sure that there are no underlying medical issues, such as fever, sore throat, missed medications, etc. Medical reasons can also contribute to behavior problems.
3. Start assessing the environment. Are the students in the way of lots of students transitioning, where they would have access to contact that is not allowed? What about the student that wanders out of the classroom? Where is their desk – near a door to the hallway? Anyone who wanders away does not understand boundaries, and the difference between what you can do “inside the room”, and “outside the room”. Teach that skill very concretely.
4. Conduct reinforcer surveys to find items or activities that would be highly reinforcing to the students (I’d suggest pictures or objects representing fans for the one child). The other child may be more difficult to identify items, but you need to find objects or activities that can be helpful to shaping behaviors of both. Ask mom and dad, too, since some of the items that they identify can be transferred to the school setting.
5. If you haven’t yet, start taking formal data on the targeted behaviors. You need to document date/time; activity; persons involved; antecedents (triggering events); duration; description of the behaviors; consequences, and anything else that may be pertinent to the analysis. Usually, teachers only provide anecdotal notes, which really isn’t enough to find patterns. Document everything formally. Get a clipboard and have the staff fill it out if you do not have the time. But it needs to be done in order to have something to analyze.
6. After analysis, identify replacement behaviors for each of your targeted behaviors. Think “If I don’t like what they are doing, what do I want them to do instead?”. Decide that for the child leaving the classroom (I’d suggest he either raise his hand to ask to go look at the fan next door, or to remain in the classroom. The first will be more powerful). For the little girl, a suggested replacement behavior might be to ask the other students to “please move away”, or “please don’t look at me”. You may find better behaviors after analysis.
7. Depending on the above information, develop a positive behavior plan which will heavily reinforce the alternative behaviors that you want the student to do instead. It should be a Differential Reinforcement system (look them up in your college text books), but must be visually appealing to the students, and involve their reinforcer. Reinforcers are awarded after each short interval of following the rules. AT the end of the day, the student should get a big reward for earning a certain number of intervals that were successful during the day.
8. Provide lots of opportunities for the student to exhibit the new behaviors. Call attention specifically to how well they are following the rules. This is important since most teachers only call attention to the inappropriate behaviors.
Turning this situation around may not be quick, but it can work to teach your students new, more appropriate behaviors.
Good luck, Darlene!
Sheila Wagner
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| Asked By: |
| Susan DeCenzo |
I have known several students that have been in Montessori schools and have done very well, though admittedly, I also have known many that did not do well there. Some find it too restrictive and some too loosely-defined. I'd suggest that the best avenue of approach would be to visit a number of Montessori schools to see how they implement their curriculum and how it will mesh with your child's abilities and challenges. Interview the teachers to see what strategies they are using in their classrooms, to share any materials that they have and what they would suggest. There are many websites on the Montessori approach but I'm afraid, many are biased since they are proponents of that school of thought. So it is best to sit down with someone and get "the real skinny" on it and see how it fits with your child.
Sheila Wagner |
| Asked By: |
| Kay Ely |
For pragmatics, for social skills, cognitive or what? If it is for pragmatics, then you might want to pick Michelle Garcia Winner's brain in California, though she will tell you that there are no pragmatic assessments that are worth anything with this disability. You should look to the social skills assessments, such as the SSRS (Social Skills Rating System) by Frank Gresham. It is exccellent at this age and has a parent form, a teacher form and a student form. Comparing all the results of those three is an excellent way to get baseline information, to monitor progress, and then to compare results as a teaching tool. I hope that answered your question!
Sheila Wagner |
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