Behavior - A quick look

Behavior is a form of communication. When a child (or even an adult) has a hard time communicating they act out. Behavior also is manifest of other things. The goal is to ananlyze what is the function of the behavior and how to decrease the negative behavior.

Tyler has a hard time sometimes verbalizing what is going on with him or understanding our world. Along with sensory issues, he has some physical limits and has difficulties completing tasks that are hard for him. One is fine motor activities - getting dressed, scissorsing, writing and even using a mouse. A big physical task or gross motor activity - like using a tricycle, swinging , a core muscle activity or running with out falling. Its also important to note that sometimes we expect Ty to just know about how to handle something. He needs to be taught how and why things are happening. For example, he will focus on being hit by another child- we tell him he is ok. We don't think to tell him to tell an adult or to tell the child don't hit me.

So at times I have to assess what is happening. I use the A B C method. This can be done for lots of children and even adults in a variety of situations or to help identify a behavior you want to change. For Ty, I have to identify the behavior then and there. But, if you want to change a behavior pick one and work on it. Set up training sessions...
The ABC's are-
A - antecedent. What preceded the negative behavior.
B- the behavior - what do you want to stop or change? What was negative about this behavior? what purpose did it serve- attention, escape or sensory?
C- the consequence. - what did you do? how did you react? how did they react?


Once you begin to identify these, you look at what it is that is happening. Is it attention seeking, a method of escaping what's to har (are your demands too high), is it a sensory seeking behavior? How did you respond? Did what you do stop the behavior or did it make it worse?
So keeping a log can best help- you may not even know where to start.

 I will give an example of ty- during dinner being disruptive..

Ty likes to sit and eat his dinner, but when I am not directing my whole attention on ty he begins to roar, act up or try to interupt while I am talking to his siblings.


So - I want to decrease the amount of interuptions during dinner and have him involved with our conversation.
Here is what it looks like - I start talking and the kids begin discussing their day. Ty then roars, interupts them, climbs on me or them. He was fine before I sat down and now he wants to be heard .

A-sitting at dinner giving attention to kids and asking them how their day was.

B- anything to stop me talking to his siblings or talking over them - roraring, climbing, not eating

C-i stop talking to siblings. divert my attention to Ty and try to punish him for being loud

This is clearly Attention seeking. And it continued because I fed the behavior. I gave Ty exactly what he wanted.
So- now I either ignore his behavior and give him non-verbal cues. I also make sure we take turns and Tyler also has an opportunity to speak.
 
Just some quick thoughts to begin discussing behavior.