I was the lead teacher at the Center for one and half years. With the help of an assistant teacher, everyday from Monday to Friday, we taught six children with Down syndrome. The children ages range from 4 to 9 years old. Since there were “only” six children in the classroom, we pretty much have the classroom under tight behavior control. There were unwritten rules and routines to everything that went on in the classroom. Some days, things went well in the class. Other days, I spent the entire journey home from the Center wondering what I did wrong or what I could have done differently. It was tough making sure that the students behaved appropriately in class:
a) Ensuring that they did not roll around on the floor when they should be sitting on a chair,
b) Ensuring that the students were lined up properly before going to the restroom to wash their hands before and after snack time,
c) Ensuring that they did not snatch one another’s snack,
d) Ensuring that they did not push or hit one another,
e) Ensuring that they shared the toys,
f) Ensuring a multitude of other things.
Looking back, I realized I had absolutely no training in classroom management. The classroom was under control because it was relatively small. I would also liked to believe that I built up a rapport with my students. And it was this rapport that smoothed things out in the classroom. I hoped it was because I gave them plenty of attention, so that they did not have to resort to problem behaviors to gain my attention. I hoped it was because the activities in the class were fun, so they did not have to resort to problem behaviors to escape the activities.
Even so, now that I know a little more, there are many things I could have done differently. However, if there is one intervention that I wish I had put in place at the Center, it is school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS).
SWPBS emphasizes a proactive approach to school discipline and supporting students in schools. The SWPBS practices that I would have liked to implement at the Center are:
1) Define schoolwide behavioral expectations
I never explicitly taught my students what the expected behaviors were in the classroom. When they misbehaved, I would tell them what they did wrong. When they behaved appropriately, I may occasionally praise them. My expectations were for them behave appropriately in class. I just assumed that they knew my expectations, but I never told them what the appropriate behaviors were.
SWPBS recommends that behavioral expectations be written and posted throughout the school. The behavioral expectations should also be written in the positively. For example, Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible. The children are then taught these three expectations and to memorized them.
2) Teach the behavioral expectations
In terms of teaching appropriate social skills, I failed miserably. It is probably because I had no idea how to teach social skills. It always seemed to me that children learn social skills by observing the adults around them. This may be true, but some children require more concrete instruction and practice to learn these skills.
With the three behavioral expectations, the children are then taught the behavioral expectations in different settings in the school. For example, Be Responsible in the classroom may be putting shoes and bags in the proper place, while Be Responsible in the restroom may be turning off the tap.
3) Monitor and encourage performance of expected behaviors
As for praising my students for behaving appropriately, I doubt I did enough of that. Just like most teachers, I probably paid more attention to inappropriate behavior, and did not catch my students behaving appropriately.
After teaching the students the behavioral expectations and modeling to them what each expectation looked like in different setting, I would also liked to implement a chart on the wall to monitor the students’ behaviors. For example, a student will earn a sticker for putting his/her shoes away. There will be a list of appropriate behaviors that will earn stickers. At the end of the day, the stickers will be added up for a bigger reward (e.g., snacks, extra play time, good behavior certificates, etc).
There is a lot of work involved in implementing SWPBS, but once it is in placed, the school environment is much more positive and pleasant. In many ways, it is the teachers’ behaviors that change in SWPBS. Teachers are required to start noticing and praising students being good. This may be harder to do then one might think. Often times it is easier to criticize then to praise.
Buzzword for this intervention:
Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS)
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Fighting over food
Kit was a 5-year-old child with autism who went to the House. Kit was very picky about food, due in part to the nature of autism (where change can be difficult) and the fact that Kit’s mom was a Japanese and he grew up eating Japanese-style food and not to the usual Malaysian fare. When unusual food was placed before him, Kit would throw a major temper tantrum. The House was insistent that Kit learned to eat various types of food. So during lunch, another teacher would be in charge of making sure Kit ate what was set before him. Since his mom usually packed lunch for him, usually Kit would have no problems with his food. However, when he sensed that something was not right with his food, he would throw a major tantrum. Because of the House’s policy, many times a piece of the undesired food was placed in his mouth, Kit would refuse to eat and swallow it but the teacher would not allow Kit to spit it out. The battle over that one piece of food would last through lunch and sometimes till afternoon lessons began. Kit would continue to hold that piece of food during lessons, and of course, he could not concentrate on his lessons at all during those times.
These food fights were happening too often. It was a very stressful time for both teachers and students. In the end, both parties lost. Precious time was spent on fighting a losing battle. Kit’s tantrums during meal times did not decrease, many a times, afternoon lessons were unfruitful, and teachers were very stressed out.
Kit’s parents had experienced times when they went out to a restaurant for dinner together, and Kit would freak out when some strange food was brought to their table. That caused tremendous embarassment to his parents and his parents were very reluctant to bring Kit out for meals together. So I do understand the House for trying to get Kit to eat as many different types of food as possible, but there is a better solution.
What would I do differently now?
Kit was a strong and healthy boy for his age. He was not malnourished, in fact, he was taller than most kids his age. Most people have some type of food that they absolutely hate, and no form of praise or force could make them eat it. And that is OK. So Kit is entitled to reject foods that he does not want (since his health has not been affected by his choices) and the teachers have no right to force him to eat anything.
Even without a functional behavioral assessment, it was obvious that Kit’s temper tantrums, both in the House and the restaurants, had an escape function. He was using his temper tantrums to avoid having to eat the undesired food items. So Kit should be taught a more appropriate and efficient form of escape. He could be taught to indicate that he did not want something, by either shaking his head or maybe by pushing the undesired food to the side. Since nutrition was not a problem here, the parents and teachers would have to respect Kit’s wishes and not force it down his throat. When Kit learns to communicate his wishes appropriately, and when the adults learn to listen and respect his wishes, I am sure meal times would be more pleasant for everyone.
I have learned since then to carefully pick and only fight battles that I know I can win (Sun Tzu’s Art of War), and fighting over food is a losing battle. Ultimately, it is his mouth and his decision to swallow the food. And as a teacher, you can only go so far as to persuade a child to do that, anything more would be abusive.
Buzzwords for this intervention:
Functional communication training (FCT)
Self-determination
These food fights were happening too often. It was a very stressful time for both teachers and students. In the end, both parties lost. Precious time was spent on fighting a losing battle. Kit’s tantrums during meal times did not decrease, many a times, afternoon lessons were unfruitful, and teachers were very stressed out.
Kit’s parents had experienced times when they went out to a restaurant for dinner together, and Kit would freak out when some strange food was brought to their table. That caused tremendous embarassment to his parents and his parents were very reluctant to bring Kit out for meals together. So I do understand the House for trying to get Kit to eat as many different types of food as possible, but there is a better solution.
What would I do differently now?
Kit was a strong and healthy boy for his age. He was not malnourished, in fact, he was taller than most kids his age. Most people have some type of food that they absolutely hate, and no form of praise or force could make them eat it. And that is OK. So Kit is entitled to reject foods that he does not want (since his health has not been affected by his choices) and the teachers have no right to force him to eat anything.
Even without a functional behavioral assessment, it was obvious that Kit’s temper tantrums, both in the House and the restaurants, had an escape function. He was using his temper tantrums to avoid having to eat the undesired food items. So Kit should be taught a more appropriate and efficient form of escape. He could be taught to indicate that he did not want something, by either shaking his head or maybe by pushing the undesired food to the side. Since nutrition was not a problem here, the parents and teachers would have to respect Kit’s wishes and not force it down his throat. When Kit learns to communicate his wishes appropriately, and when the adults learn to listen and respect his wishes, I am sure meal times would be more pleasant for everyone.
I have learned since then to carefully pick and only fight battles that I know I can win (Sun Tzu’s Art of War), and fighting over food is a losing battle. Ultimately, it is his mouth and his decision to swallow the food. And as a teacher, you can only go so far as to persuade a child to do that, anything more would be abusive.
Buzzwords for this intervention:
Functional communication training (FCT)
Self-determination
Monday, October 2, 2006
What Michael taught me
I met Michael when I was working at the House. He has severe mental retardation, non-verbal, and has few self-care skills. The curriculum at the House has few things to offer Michael. Michael was relatively problem-free since he was contented just watching others, and because of that he really doesn’t do much at the House.
I think of all the students that have crossed my path, Michael is probably the one who has taught me the most about respect and love for an individual with disability. The House then was using aversives to “teach” the students and after being there for some time, that got to me. One time when I was with Michael helping him put on his shoes, he was slow as usual, and I don’t know what came over me but I gave him a light slap on his face and he was shocked by that. At that time, I justified the act that the students need some stimulus to “awaken” them. But I knew what I did was wrong and that act still haunts me. Noone deserves to be treated that way, I would never do that to my nieces or nephews, I would not even do that to a cat or a dog, so why did I think I could do that to Michael?
That’s not the only lesson that Michael taught me. The teachers would take the students out to the community for lunch once a week. And there I was taking care of Michael and another student at a food court. Michael just had his lunch and he was quite a mess. All of a sudden a very smiley man came over with two of his friends and I was perplexed seeing this man approaching my table. Then he carried Michael in his arms and declared proudly to his friends,”This is my son!” and then he affectionately embraced his messy son. I realized then if an earthly father could love his disabled son with all his “imperfections” so very much, our Heavenly Father loves Michael and all my students with disabilities even more. And that has been my guide towards being a better special education teacher, and more importantly, a better person.
So that’s what Michael taught me.
I think of all the students that have crossed my path, Michael is probably the one who has taught me the most about respect and love for an individual with disability. The House then was using aversives to “teach” the students and after being there for some time, that got to me. One time when I was with Michael helping him put on his shoes, he was slow as usual, and I don’t know what came over me but I gave him a light slap on his face and he was shocked by that. At that time, I justified the act that the students need some stimulus to “awaken” them. But I knew what I did was wrong and that act still haunts me. Noone deserves to be treated that way, I would never do that to my nieces or nephews, I would not even do that to a cat or a dog, so why did I think I could do that to Michael?
That’s not the only lesson that Michael taught me. The teachers would take the students out to the community for lunch once a week. And there I was taking care of Michael and another student at a food court. Michael just had his lunch and he was quite a mess. All of a sudden a very smiley man came over with two of his friends and I was perplexed seeing this man approaching my table. Then he carried Michael in his arms and declared proudly to his friends,”This is my son!” and then he affectionately embraced his messy son. I realized then if an earthly father could love his disabled son with all his “imperfections” so very much, our Heavenly Father loves Michael and all my students with disabilities even more. And that has been my guide towards being a better special education teacher, and more importantly, a better person.
So that’s what Michael taught me.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Kah Ting's van shakin'
Kah Ting (KT) was a 15-year-old boy who attended the Society’s vocational center. He was a tough and strong boy for his age. I was at the Society for about 4 months. The vocational school was catered for teenagers. The society provided transportation for some of the students. This is a complicated case because I had not seen the event happened but only heard it from the other teachers.
On the journey back home from the Society, occasionally KT would throw a temper tantrum, and because he was such a strong guy, he would literally shake up the whole van. These occasions were scary for all on board. The driver would stop the van. The one teacher on the van and the driver would then try to get KT to calm down before continuing the journey. This would delay the trip and also stressed out everyone in the van. Although I didn’t see this happened, I have seen KT get aggressive to intimidate me to give him some food.
What would I have done now if I was in that situation?
I would conduct a functional behavior assessment to find out why KT is having the temper tantrums on the van. I have this hypothesis:
Perhaps the journey back home at around 4pm was long, hot and stuffy in the van and KT was getting uncomfortable. If I remember correctly, he would sometimes get to sit in the front passenger seat and he would be OK during the trip. So the behavior was probably to escape sitting at the back of the van where it’s hot and stuffy and to gain the front passenger seat where it is cooler and more comfortable.
So the dilemma is whether to let KT always have the front passenger seat and prevent any tantrums during the journey or put some intervention in place to prevent any tantruming from happening while KT sits in the back.
The first intervention is simple and would prevent any temper tantrums but then it would seem like we’re giving in to him and letting him have his way. I’m not sure if the other teachers would allow him to have the front passenger seat all the time. I’m not even sure if I’m comfortable with this, since I too have sat in the van but I didn’t act out when it was hot, neither did the other students. But if the intervention would be to let him have the front seat, I would incorporate some communication training such as having KT ask for permission to have the front passenger seat.
The second intervention would be more complicated. If the function of the tantrums is to escape from sitting in the back of the van, then I would request KT to sit in the front row instead of the last row of seats in the van, as it is cooler up front. I may also offer KT a bottle of ice water halfway through the journey to reduce the discomfort of the heat. But it’ll be offered to him before he starts any tantrums so he won’t think that by tantruming he’ll get the ice water. Or I could teach him to ask for the ice water when he wants it. I may also put in a consequence strategy, offering him a reward after a tantrum-free journey. And I may also put in place some sort of self-management strategy such as having a chart to monitor the KT’s behavior on the van. The chart may consists of a monthly calendar and KT will receive a star on the days he was tantrum-free in the van. I will review the chart with KT daily. As the reward schedule is slowly faded, KT will then be receiving a reward for 2 consecutive days of tantrum-free ride and so on.
Will the intervention work? I have no idea but the intervention looked do-able and it would not take a lot of time or money.
Buzzwords for this intervention:
Functional behavioral assessment (FBA)
Antecedent intervention
Self-management
Consequence strategy
Functional communication training (FCT)
On the journey back home from the Society, occasionally KT would throw a temper tantrum, and because he was such a strong guy, he would literally shake up the whole van. These occasions were scary for all on board. The driver would stop the van. The one teacher on the van and the driver would then try to get KT to calm down before continuing the journey. This would delay the trip and also stressed out everyone in the van. Although I didn’t see this happened, I have seen KT get aggressive to intimidate me to give him some food.
What would I have done now if I was in that situation?
I would conduct a functional behavior assessment to find out why KT is having the temper tantrums on the van. I have this hypothesis:
Perhaps the journey back home at around 4pm was long, hot and stuffy in the van and KT was getting uncomfortable. If I remember correctly, he would sometimes get to sit in the front passenger seat and he would be OK during the trip. So the behavior was probably to escape sitting at the back of the van where it’s hot and stuffy and to gain the front passenger seat where it is cooler and more comfortable.
So the dilemma is whether to let KT always have the front passenger seat and prevent any tantrums during the journey or put some intervention in place to prevent any tantruming from happening while KT sits in the back.
The first intervention is simple and would prevent any temper tantrums but then it would seem like we’re giving in to him and letting him have his way. I’m not sure if the other teachers would allow him to have the front passenger seat all the time. I’m not even sure if I’m comfortable with this, since I too have sat in the van but I didn’t act out when it was hot, neither did the other students. But if the intervention would be to let him have the front seat, I would incorporate some communication training such as having KT ask for permission to have the front passenger seat.
The second intervention would be more complicated. If the function of the tantrums is to escape from sitting in the back of the van, then I would request KT to sit in the front row instead of the last row of seats in the van, as it is cooler up front. I may also offer KT a bottle of ice water halfway through the journey to reduce the discomfort of the heat. But it’ll be offered to him before he starts any tantrums so he won’t think that by tantruming he’ll get the ice water. Or I could teach him to ask for the ice water when he wants it. I may also put in a consequence strategy, offering him a reward after a tantrum-free journey. And I may also put in place some sort of self-management strategy such as having a chart to monitor the KT’s behavior on the van. The chart may consists of a monthly calendar and KT will receive a star on the days he was tantrum-free in the van. I will review the chart with KT daily. As the reward schedule is slowly faded, KT will then be receiving a reward for 2 consecutive days of tantrum-free ride and so on.
Will the intervention work? I have no idea but the intervention looked do-able and it would not take a lot of time or money.
Buzzwords for this intervention:
Functional behavioral assessment (FBA)
Antecedent intervention
Self-management
Consequence strategy
Functional communication training (FCT)
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Yati 1-2-3
Yati was an 11-year-old girl who attended the House day-school. She has autism. She was non-verbal and does not utilize any form of communication (sign language or picture cards). I was new to special education. As an assistant teacher in the intermediate classroom, one of my job was to teach Yati mathematics. So everyday I would sit with Yati for about 15 minutes with two sandpaper cards. Sandpaper cards are cards with embossed numbers on them. It’s supposed to help learners as it incorporates a tactile component to the learning of numbers. Anyway, there I was with Yati sitting beside me, the cards are on the table and I’ll go:
“Yati, one, touch one” (And I’ll have her trace her finger along the sandy 1)
“Yati, two, touch two” (And I’ll have her trace her finger along the sandy 2)
“Yati, take 1″
“Yati, give me 2″ (And at this time, she would randomly hand me a card)
But that’s not the focus of this post. As I sat with her through the 15 minutes, she would play with the curtain or push away the cards. Occasionally she would hit my arm and I would used the ruler on her palm. Corporal punishment was used to control the students at the House and I was a new “teacher” who didn’t know better. So during the 4 months I was at the House, that’s what Yati and I did during her 15 minutes of mathematics. And at the end of my time there, she did not learn which card was 1 and which was 2.
What would I do differently now?
Her disruptive behavior (well to me it was a problem, probably not for her) was a form of communication. If I were to conduct a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) to determine the function of the behavior, I would most probably come to the conclusion that the function was escape. She was trying to escape the boring 15 minutes of me shoving cards at her that made no sense to her whatsoever. Whenever she pulled at the curtain, I would stop the “give me 1, give me 2″ and it’s probably more fun for her to make me flustered and angry anyway.
But I won’t really need to go towards function of the problem behavior. The problem was simple. Her “academic” curriculum was not functional at all. Here was a girl who did not know how to communicate. She hit, she cried, and she kept quiet. I believe time is better spent teaching her to communicate: yes, no, I want this, help me, etc.
Buzzwords for this intervention:
Functional behavioral assessment (FBA)
Functional communication training (FCT)
“Yati, one, touch one” (And I’ll have her trace her finger along the sandy 1)
“Yati, two, touch two” (And I’ll have her trace her finger along the sandy 2)
“Yati, take 1″
“Yati, give me 2″ (And at this time, she would randomly hand me a card)
But that’s not the focus of this post. As I sat with her through the 15 minutes, she would play with the curtain or push away the cards. Occasionally she would hit my arm and I would used the ruler on her palm. Corporal punishment was used to control the students at the House and I was a new “teacher” who didn’t know better. So during the 4 months I was at the House, that’s what Yati and I did during her 15 minutes of mathematics. And at the end of my time there, she did not learn which card was 1 and which was 2.
What would I do differently now?
Her disruptive behavior (well to me it was a problem, probably not for her) was a form of communication. If I were to conduct a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) to determine the function of the behavior, I would most probably come to the conclusion that the function was escape. She was trying to escape the boring 15 minutes of me shoving cards at her that made no sense to her whatsoever. Whenever she pulled at the curtain, I would stop the “give me 1, give me 2″ and it’s probably more fun for her to make me flustered and angry anyway.
But I won’t really need to go towards function of the problem behavior. The problem was simple. Her “academic” curriculum was not functional at all. Here was a girl who did not know how to communicate. She hit, she cried, and she kept quiet. I believe time is better spent teaching her to communicate: yes, no, I want this, help me, etc.
Buzzwords for this intervention:
Functional behavioral assessment (FBA)
Functional communication training (FCT)
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Billy's break time
Billy was an 8-year-old boy. I was the lead teacher at the Center. The other students would have no problem getting out their snack and drinks and eating. But Billy would not. He would be loss in his own world, occasionally flicking his fingers. Angela, my assistant teacher, and I would constantly prompt him verbally.
“Billy, take out your food”
“Billy, drink your water”
“Billy, hurry up, we have to clean up”
“Billy, put the bottle back”
When I left, Billy was still dependent on the verbal prompts, not only during breaks but also during other everyday routines. I did not teach him any skill that would help him be more independent in his routines.
What would I do differently now?
I would start with some permanent picture prompts; either step by step photos of him performing the routine, or simplify picture cards that represent each step of the routine. At the beginning, I would have a card for each of the following steps:
- taking food container and water bottle out of his bag
- opening the container
- opening the bottle
- eating and drinking
- closing the container
- closing the bottle
- placing the food container and water bottle back in his bag
The cards will be laminated and placed on a flip-chart or small ring binder.
I would teach Billy to refer to the first card, perform the step, flip the card, read the next card and so on. At the beginning, I would praise him for completing each step. But I would slowly fade out the verbal praise to just one very excited, “Good job, Billy, for being responsible during your break time,” or something else that’s more natural at the very end.
As he gets better at this, the number of cards could be reduced, and even word cards could be used instead of picture cards.
Then there’s the issue of Billy taking his own sweet time to slowly savor his snacks, but I will deal with that another day.
Buzzword for this intervention:
Permanent picture prompts
Self-management
“Billy, take out your food”
“Billy, drink your water”
“Billy, hurry up, we have to clean up”
“Billy, put the bottle back”
When I left, Billy was still dependent on the verbal prompts, not only during breaks but also during other everyday routines. I did not teach him any skill that would help him be more independent in his routines.
What would I do differently now?
I would start with some permanent picture prompts; either step by step photos of him performing the routine, or simplify picture cards that represent each step of the routine. At the beginning, I would have a card for each of the following steps:
- taking food container and water bottle out of his bag
- opening the container
- opening the bottle
- eating and drinking
- closing the container
- closing the bottle
- placing the food container and water bottle back in his bag
The cards will be laminated and placed on a flip-chart or small ring binder.
I would teach Billy to refer to the first card, perform the step, flip the card, read the next card and so on. At the beginning, I would praise him for completing each step. But I would slowly fade out the verbal praise to just one very excited, “Good job, Billy, for being responsible during your break time,” or something else that’s more natural at the very end.
As he gets better at this, the number of cards could be reduced, and even word cards could be used instead of picture cards.
Then there’s the issue of Billy taking his own sweet time to slowly savor his snacks, but I will deal with that another day.
Buzzword for this intervention:
Permanent picture prompts
Self-management
Why this blog?
It was once my dream to pursue further studies in the area of special education in the United States. As a special education teacher in Malaysia, with limited knowledge (even though I did receive a M.Ed in Special Education from Universiti Malaya) and limited experience, I wanted to be good at what I do. I was frustrated when I encounter behaviors that I couldn’t control. Many a times, I did not know what is the next thing I should teach or how to teach it. There was a lot of trial and error learning. I got better at some things and remain clueless in others. Most importantly I got to know and love the students. And I learned to read them pretty well and this helped prevent some challenging behaviors from escalating. But I failed to teach the kids many functional skills that they would need in life.
I am now beginning my fourth year in the Ph.D. program in Special Education in the states. I have taken 60 credit hours in special education and related courses and am working under the tutelage of good professors in this field. Many a times, I sat in lectures, and as I learned new things, I reflected on my special education practices with my students and realized that I should have done things differently. Other times, I realized that I did do what is considered best practices, maybe in a rather primitive form, but nevertheless it was assuring that I did not do everything wrong.
Documenting some of my struggles, reflecting on them and hypothesizing possible strategies that I could have used, I hope will help me be a better practioner of special education.
I am now beginning my fourth year in the Ph.D. program in Special Education in the states. I have taken 60 credit hours in special education and related courses and am working under the tutelage of good professors in this field. Many a times, I sat in lectures, and as I learned new things, I reflected on my special education practices with my students and realized that I should have done things differently. Other times, I realized that I did do what is considered best practices, maybe in a rather primitive form, but nevertheless it was assuring that I did not do everything wrong.
Documenting some of my struggles, reflecting on them and hypothesizing possible strategies that I could have used, I hope will help me be a better practioner of special education.
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