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Positive reinforcement of desired behavior goes a long way, but effectively responding to an individual's challenging behavior requires a certain set of skills and, possibly, a fundamental change in one's perception. This is not only applicable to students with autism, yet it can be an extremely important factor when attempting to instruct an individual with moderate to severe behavioral challenges. As we will see, this method of interpretation often contradicts standard practices and systems of socialization which seem to be commonplace. First, we will explore these 'standard practices' and follow them to their conclusions.
The Path of Least Resistance
I call this practice, "The Path of Least Resistance" because we are all required to make hundreds of complicated decisions about individuals' behavior every day. These experiences do not rise to the level of severely or even moderately affecting our daily lives. Therefore, we file these occurrences away and ultimately form a conclusion about the disposition of a person, based on these events. The fairness or justifiability of these conclusions is not in question, here. Examining each and every one of these situations in detail, though, would leave little time for anything else and is obviously not required of us.
The Comparison Model
The next practice deals with either justifying or denouncing behavior based on the behavior of another. The classically frustrating question of, "Why can't you be more like your brother/sister?" comes to mind. Unlike the previous examples of individuals we know little about, these comparisons are usually made in respect to closely known people. In this case, or rather in a particular person's opinion, they can and definitely have analyzed the behavior of the individual and can make a 'reliable' judgment, in their eyes. These comparisons are also made between relatively comparable people; a brother, sister, cousin, etc. On a certain level, these behavioral comparisons are also made on a grander scale and in respect to people we are not intimate with. Here again, analyzing each and every person's unique history and current situation would be too daunting - so it is less difficult to use the perceived behavioral standard of another, comparable person and then make a determination.
The Result
Both of these practices can detrimentally affect an individual's ability to objectively analyze someone's behavior when they need to. If the observer's reaction to challenging behavior is to form a conclusion on the disposition of the individual based on these actions, further attempts at intervention may seem fruitless. Or, if the challenging behavior is compared to another's, in order to form an opinion, it could unfairly infer that there is some ubiquitous standard of behavior. This could also inhibit further objective analysis and subsequent efforts at instruction.
Isolating and Identifying Challenging Behavior
Avoiding these generalizations and viewing challenging behavior as a series of events will allow us to point toward a deeper analysis and perhaps discover the root causes of such behavior. A glaringly obvious example of this can be found in the experience of one of my former co-workers with a non-verbal student with severe autism. For our purposes we will call the teacher Linda and the student Ryan. Ryan was transitioned to Linda with the warning that he was 'displaying challenging behavior,' the reduction of which was part of his IEP (Individualized Education Plan). Ryan did present a relatively high rate of challenging behaviors, including; crying, scratching, non-contextual vocalizations and aggression. Toward the end of the session, Linda noticed that Ryan was scratching his upper arm in a different and unusual manner. After a visit to the bathroom and a closer look at this area, it was obvious that Ryan was suffering from some type of skin inflammation and he was most likely in pain. Shortly following treatment for this, Ryan's behavioral challenges subsided from the previous levels.
The fact that Ryan was non-verbal (and that inappropriate scratching was a target behavior) made analyzing this situation difficult but not impossible. His 'unusual scratching' could have easily been overlooked as more displays of challenging behavior or attempts at task avoidance. This behavior also could have been brushed aside with comments on his disposition such as "He's having a rough week" or "He's just upset today" and so on. Instead, Linda isolated the behaviors of her student and did not assume that they where caused by any obvious factor. This allowed her to discover the apparent root of the inappropriate behavior and make the necessary adjustments. If this level of clarity is maintained and objectively utilized, steps can be taken to reduce challenging behavior based on the behavior, not the individual's perception of it.
About this Author
Mr. Jeffrey Young is the President and Founder of Innovative Piano, Inc. Mr. Young has published over 17 books dealing with music and autism. To learn more about the author and the program please visit http://www.innovativepiano.com/
Innovative Piano, Inc.
Offering piano lessons for students with autism - Nationwide!
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