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Dru Saren, Ph.D.
Behavioral
and Education Specialist
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This month we will look at two questions from practitioners leading teams in developing Behavior Support Plans. Question 1: Dear Dr. Dru: Question 2: Here’s one sent to Diana Browning Wright at the PENT website. The question and answer presume that the reader is very familiar with the concepts and writing of Behavior Support Plans. If you are not and wish to learn more, the BSP Desk Reference is the place to go: (http://www.pent.ca.gov/for/f7/bspdeskreference07.pdf I wanted to ask you Diana, about the real need for anything other than a FERB (Functionally equivalent replacement behavior) goal. When I work with my staff, I really only focus on those because I find the other two to be unnecessary; it's the replacement behavior I'm shooting for, and when I do that, I am instantly increasing positive behavior and decreasing negative ones. The reason I ask is that I have been doing trainings in my district related to behavior. The training's aim is to familiarize staff with terms in our BSP trainings. Anyway, I and almost all those on my training team all agree that the FERB is king, and don't see the point in writing the other types of goals on BSPs, or even introducing them to staff. Truly, besides mollifying some staff, most of us see the other goals as extraneous, without proof of an increase in a FERB. One person on our PENT team wants me to teach the reducing and the increasing behavior goals, to keep in line with PENT trainings. I wonder if you can address these issues. |
Question: Dear Dru, I am a high school teacher for students with severe disabilities. “Robby” is an 18 year old student in my class He is significantly retarded and essentially non-verbal. He has a long history of non-complaint behaviors. For example, sometimes he doesn’t’ want to get on the bus to go home and his family refuses to come and get him. Or instead of saying no, he’ll push things off tables and others could get hurt. He knows what he is supposed to do but he is very stubborn. However, the most serious behaviors are trying to touch me (especially) and female classmates inappropriately. When I don’t allow this, he takes off all his clothes, and sometimes masterbates. I remove the other students and staff from the classroom and the male principal has to come in. I have other students who are very high functioning and well behaved and Robby is really interfering with my teaching them. I think he should be moved to a more severe class but his family wants him to stay here. Any suggestions? Thanks. Frustrated HS Teacher |
Question: Hello Diana Wright, Gail Cafferata, Denise Keller and Dru Saren: I was wondering if I might ask for a little help from the four of you.I am preparing a Research Paper for my Level II Special Education Credential on Manifestation Determination. Could any of you give me some ideas on where I might find some good material on this issue? Of course I have used search engines to get some information on Manifestation Determination, however, I was thinking you may know of a wealth of information that I could not get to with a simple search engine on the Internet. Please let me know if you can help me out. Thank you. |
Question: My grandson is 3 years old and does not know how to release his frustrations when he does not get his way. He throws things and now hits and bites. Time outs does not work ( max. 1 minute per years of age). Now he has to be restrained in order for him to stay in time out. When restrained he kicks, hits and bites. We have removed him from the scene: We have tried talking to him... and now we are at wits end. Can you please advise. |
Question: Hello Dru, After the latest incident of a school shooting, I worry that we may overlook the signs that would help us identify a student who is liable to become violent. What do you suggest we do? Worried Middle School Vice Principal |
Question: I am in the process of implementing my recommendations for my PDD son who will be entering the high school this fall. He has within the last few months been getting in trouble at school for not being able to control his anger. He has had detention for being overheard swearing with talking to his classmates and also talking back to teachers when reprimanded. Most of his behavior is due to being on growth hormones in conjunction with puberty. A lot of testosterone. He is getting detentions for this behavior that he finds difficult to control and partially medical per his neurologist. |
Question: My 3 year old son has an extremely aggressive attitude towards other children and teachers. He is biting other students sometimes for seemingly no reason at all and fighting each and everyday. He understands completely that he is hurting the other students, but displays no emotion when confronted. He refuses to obey school rules and constantly ignores the teachers. He refuses to take naps during nap time, and will scream at the top of his lungs so that no one can take a nap. He constantly runs out of the classroom and away from the group. He doesn’t know how to channel his aggression in a non-violent way, when he is frustrated or angry he bites, screams and hits. I have taken him to a therapist, but he doesn’t display this behavior because there aren’t any other children around. At home he is never aggressive towards me, instead when I discipline him he will take it out on his older sister, spiting on her, biting her, and hitting her. He has been kicked out of school 3 times. He has been tested for ADHD. What should I do? Do you know of any anger management facilities for a 3 year old in Southern California? Thanks TANESHA B. |
Question: Hello |
Question: I am training to become a full time teacher and have been a substitute teacher for a number of years. My greatest area of concern is dealing with classroom behavior issues. Every class has its share of behavior issues, and I just want to make sure that I am doing the best job possible for managing that behavior. Let's say the day is generally going smoothly, but there is a student who has a tendency to talk without raising his hand, talks to his neighbors, and in general, just likes to talk! The classroom pulls cards when behavior is inappropriate and table groups receive points for being on task. Individuals are recognized weekly if they stay on green all week. How soon do you intervene to correct behavior? What techniques do you recommend to keep this student from speaking out? What I have done in the past is:
I think I have a tendency to wait just a little too long before having the student pull his card. Should I give him (or any other offender) just the one warning and then pull that card? When is strict too strict? I want a class that runs smoothly, follows the rules, but is also a relaxed and warm environment. What do you suggest? |
Question: Dear Dr. Saren, I have 2 sons with Autism Spectrum Disorder. My 14 yr. old began high school this fall and in mostly in a Special Day Class during his day, with the exception of Adapted Physical Education and his inclusion in an art class. My 12 yr. old began middle school and is fully included with a 1:1 aide. Both need social skills interventions. The Speech and Language Pathologist (same at both sites) available thru school district is not trained in this area, nor qualified to work with children on the autism spectrum. The District acknowledges this and has okayed outside assessment, program development and training to staff - I, as parent, am responsible for locating said services. In my research, I've found no standard battery of assessments, nor social skills program approved by "overseers" of speech and language therapy. Which tests and program, can you suggest, or other appropriate course of action? Sincerely, E. Salada |
Question: Ms. Saren, I teach 1st Grade and I have a student who is 6 years old. He has an IEP in speech. My problem is this: when I am teaching a lesson, my student appears to be listening. When we do a worksheet, he tells me understands and can even answer questions when asked. Each morning we do Daily Oral Language and there will be a sentence he has to correct in his D.O.L. book, such as “The sac has a rip.” Sack was our spelling word and it is on spelling list in front of the entire class. Nearly every morning he will write it just the way I write it. I always tell the class if it is scrambled, (not ended correctly etc). I am really spoon feeding my class! I check his work and circle the word and tell him this word is not spelled correctly--please correct it. I tell him the word is in the room. This goes on forever. He brings it back the same way over and over again. The kicker is--he takes his spelling test and makes 100%!! He spells “sack” correctly. He does this with many of his papers. By the way, he got a sucker for the spelling test. Today we were learning contractions and the words were on the board. He told me what to write in each line. When he went to his seat to write it he wrote letters or part of the words. We did this over and over. The rest of the class did not have any problems. This went on for about 45 minutes and when I told the class to get ready to go home he immediately corrected it. This is driving me nuts! I have kept him in from his time to do his work and he just shuts down. His parents are very unhappy because they are trying to carry over at home by making him stay in his room. When I try to talk to him about why he is doing this he just looks at me with a stare or turns on the tears. He cries alot for his mom. Mom cries alot too. They do not want him to stay in because they think he needs to have fun. I agree he needs time to play but he also has to do his work. They want me to reward him or keep point for each paper and them give him some sort of reward. The principal is now letting him come to her office after school to get something out of the treasure chest when he has a good day. I use the green, yellow, red star chart. He has had lots of red days and yellow. His parents do lots of talking but I think he just tunes us all out. His mother today told me he is a perfectionist and this is why he does this. I do not see this myself. His handwriting is not good nor does he care about it. His coloring is not good and if I ask him to draw a picture for his journal, he is the first to finish and is always a mess. I do realize he is just six but he does not put out much effort. I think he is very strong willed or just plain stubborn. Could it be passive aggressive behavior or oppositional defiant? I have had other teachers work with him and he does them the same way. When they ask him what is wrong or do you understand he just glares or gives them this poor puppy dog look. I have been so stressed out about this. Add this to other student problems and I wonder if I will make it. The mom is an aid in our school and is always walking by to see if he went out for PE/Music or recess. Everyday she wants to know how he did. I told her I was going to send him to the principal for her to speak with him and she goes straight to her and sets up a meeting for us to work a plan out. I told the parents and my principal I felt the mother took my course of action away from me. I am really working with him. What do you suggest or think? I am feeling that I am supposed to cater to him by rewarding him for doing what he is supposed to do. I do not feel it is fair to the other children. Also when I ask what he is supposed to do on a paper he can tell me. Even when I ask “what did I say?” he could tell me word per word. HELP!!!! Thanks, |
Question: Hello, Desperate mom |
Question: Hi, I’m a new teacher for an SDC, (high school) I have a student who has some minor behavior issues in class but extreme behaviors on the bus. My student recently broke a window on the bus, and now is believed to be unsafe to ride the bus. He kicks, hits and gets out of his seat, one of times it was because he was upset with his mom prior to riding the bus. The most recent episode was because he wanted to seat with a female student, this when he broke the window. He wasn’t allowed to seat with the student because they have their hands all over each other (that’s another issue…..) do you have any suggestions…. We have tried hand held games, toys. I’m running out of ideas. Nelly |
These two questions seem similar: Question 1: Dear Dru, I have a 7 year old son who seems like a pretty good kid most of the time. He has friends, does well with adults, likes school and is happy. He is an only child as well. My problem is that he has real trouble playing with other kids unless it is one on one. At a birthday party recently he grabbed something out of another child's hand, said he was better then they were at this or that, and was very loud. He also likes to tell or show everyone how to do things and gets mad if they want to do it themselves. A couple of his friends don't like playing with him anymore as he has become bossy and always wants to do what he wants to do (only child syndrome?). I am afraid that this will only continue to get worse. I think society will deal with this it's own way, but I am trying to prevent that cruelty from happening. Since this behavior seems to happen most often when I am not there, is there anything you can recommend I can do at home to nip this situation in the bud? This has been going on for a while but has gotten especially worse this year. Thank you for whatever help you can offer, regards, Victoria Norton Vicki Question 2 Dear Dr. Dru, My 7yr old grandson lives with my husband and me. He is very bright, has many friends, is quite out going, has very good manners and is very loving. When he was much younger he was very strong willed and at times very difficult but he seems to have passed through those phases. The problem now is that although he gets very high marks in his academic work in the first grade, he gets minuses in self control. His teacher explains that he does not sit in circle without talking or touching whomever is sitting next to him and then he is sent to his seat until he thinks he can return and behave correctly, however he then starts the behavior all over again. He rarely sees his father who lives in another state, although he does talk to him almost every night (briefly because my grandson does not like talking over the telephone very long.) His mother, our daughter, lives with us but is gone most of the time, but also talks with him most nights she is not here, but not always. My husband and I worry about what he thinks of our situation, and we worry that this has some bearing on his classroom and P.E. behavior. We take him everywhere, such as to his Tae Kwon Do lessons and to soccer practice and his games. We do school activities with him and give him birthday parties. He loves us very much and of course we love him with all our hearts but we also understand that we cannot take the place of his parents. His classmates seem to like him very much, he is popular and makes them laugh. He is a very handsome boy and the girls are already paying attention to him. He seems to like all of his classmates, of course there is a couple that he isn't as fond of but doesn't say that much about them. Last weekend at his birthday party he and a couple of boys were so full of themselves that he just didn't seem to be able to calm down and we think we were seeing some of what his teacher was trying to tell us about. Even after we cautioned him several times he would go right back to being very loud and boisterous and losing his good manners. Please don't think we are prudish, we are not. I am a school teacher, have taught second and fourth grades, so I am aware of different behaviors and some of the reasons for them. At this point we are hoping to help our grandson control himself in the classroom as well as other places, we just want to know if we should seek counseling for him and/or ourselves. We want his world to be as normal as possible. |
Question: Dear Mr. Saren: I hope you are doing well. I am working on a story for The Special Educator and Special Ed Connection.com on writing effective behavior intervention plans under the final regs. Could you please assist me with this story by answering the following questions. 1. What steps should be taken before writing the plan? Thank you for assisting me with this story. If you would like to answer these questions in a telephone interview, please email me with a date, time and phone number. Jay Kravetz |
Question: Dear Dru, I am the Mother of a 7 yr old with DS. She has been mainstreamed since preschool, repeated kindergarten, and is currently in a general Ed 1st grade class with a 1:1 (who I feel is unqualified). She also has been receiving pull outs for Speech and RSP. Last month at her IEP, the teachers informed me that she was not meeting her academic goals and that her behavior has become more defiant. She is not cooperating or responding (shutting down) when asked to do her work. The Teacher(s) basically don't want to deal with her any longer and suggested a Special Ed Class placement for the coming year. I disagree with their suggested placement. I believe that there should be (should have been) some sort of behavior intervention done to address this, as well as more support for the Teacher who is just "giving up", next years Teacher, as well as the school staff as a whole. I was hoping you might have some specific information that I could offer to them when I present my thoughts and concerns. I know that my daughter can be willful and controlling, what 7 yr old isn't? I also know that she is capable and more knowledgeable than their testing and assessments are showing. I hope you can help me guide them to understanding and supporting my daughter. Thank you, Rhonda |
This month's question and answer is a double hitter! See below The theme for this month is Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI). I have received two letters about behavior in children who have experienced a TBI. I am grouping them together although the first thing that should be said about TBI is that it is not a discrete diagnosis. The injury can be to any part of the brain, of a non-specified degree of severity, occur at any age, and have a wide range of anomalies. Sometimes, the term “acquired brain injury” is used to include open- or closed-head injuries (TBI) and non traumatic brain injuries that are the results of strokes, infections, or noxious products taken into the body. It is a unique disorder in the special education arena because the children who experience a TBI were, for the most part, previously typical in their development, and the change occurs suddenly. Thus, the emotional impact of a TBI, both on the child and his or her family, is a part of the picture. Most children (and adults) have some behavior problems and cognitive changes are also frequent. Attention, memory, and judgment are often affected. Just as there are no “typical” TBIs, there is no typical intervention. Question 1: Thank You for taking your time to read this, Alisa R. Mullis Question 2: Hi Dr. Saren, I have an 11 yr. old child who suffered from TBI on the right side of the brain 5 years ago. Academically, he's very good in math and science but he has problems in reading comprehension and writing. He also has some problems with social skills such as not easy to make friends, preferring to be alone, being passive in class and not initiating things. He also forgets things such as not turning in the homework that he already completes. We have an educational specialist referred by one psychologist coming home to help him with writing for about 1 year, but I don't see any improvement. Where can we get information to look for educational therapists, who can we contact for help and what should we do to help him improving in social skills, in writing and reading comprehension as well as his forgetfulness and his withdrawn behavior at school? Thank you, V. Nguyen |
Question: I have a student in my second grade class who has Tourette syndrome. Tommy is more distractible than any student I have had in my 20 years of teaching. He gets NOTHING done unless someone sits next to him the whole time, and I can’t do that. Despite his lack of work production, he is able to do work at grade level. He often reacts to small things in big ways and the other students don’t know what to make of him; he has no friends. He goes to the resource room for 45 minutes each day. I am wondering if he needs a smaller classroom because I don’t feel I can meet his needs. Please give me some suggestions. Thanks. Molly in San Jose |
Question: Dear Dru, Thanks for the PowerPoint training on Key Concepts that you posted in January. I used it very successfully with the staff in the three schools I work in and I was wondering if you can recommend any kind of follow-up training? Thanks. Julie in British Columbia |
Question: Hello, I have a 7 year old son in 1st grade. I think he is average to above average in all subjects. I don't believe he has any emotional disabilities. Today, his teacher told me that he was drawing a picture of the Eiffel tower, which they were studying, and he drew pictures of people falling off the tower. She told him to redo his picture, and he got angry with her. Told her he hated her, then continued to express his anger (verbally) and ended up telling her he wanted to kill her. She mentioned she has talked with the class about drawing inappropriate pictures, and that it's not ok. He was sent to the principal’s office where he was shown the code of conduct for students in which they are not allowed to physically or verbally insult or hurt other students or teachers. I was told my son was very remorseful, and the teacher felt he received enough continues for the bad behavior. He has also had similar conflicts with the teacher’s aide. They just don't get along. I do not know what to do to help him stop this behavior. It seems to happen when he gets angry and mostly with teachers. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you! |
Question: I would like some samples of data collection sheets for behavior. Sue Biers |
Hello out there in Cyberland! A holiday gift for my readers: a letter answered AND a free PowerPoint program I use to teach the basic concepts in behavior. This month's question and answer is a double hitter! See below Question 1: Dear Dru, I'm the lady that keeps pestering you at Redding trainings. I was wondering if you could email me a copy of your Power Point presentation on Key Concepts in Understanding Behavior. I was planning on presenting it to parents who have questions about their children's behaviors and how to work with schools to develop appropriate positive behavior plans. Thanks again for the great work you do. It inspires me and keeps me going strong just knowing that there are people out there that "get it". Lynn Osa, Family Support Coordinator Question 2: I have a student in a second grade class that eats everything all of the time. He eats crayons, pencils, staples, anything available. We have tried to redirect him, keep things away from him, and spoken to his parents. His parents feel that this is normal 2nd grade behavior. I am concerned about his health and also because the other students are starting to tease him. Can you help? |
Question: I am an autism specialist working with a Kindergarten student with autism whose mother insisted that he be included in a general education class for at least half of his day with a 1 to 1 aide. He is pulled out for pre-teaching, speech and short breaks for sensory interventions. Academically he can do the concrete manipulative work, the stations, and the worksheets. He has significant social and language delays. He has difficulty during transitions waiting and is a perfectionist about his writing. During transitions, waiting or when his writing is not perfect he may start to scream or tantrum. He is removed from the classroom for short periods of time and then returns when he is calm. The teachers feel these disruptions are impeding their ability to teach their other students and want him out of the class. They cannot see the small steps of improvement. He has learned routines and is gradually able to wait and deal with longer periods of school based activities. But any time he is disruptive (even positive self-talk, repeating social stories) the teacher reprimand him. When he is doing well they rarely recognize it. The teachers and administrators want him gone. What kind of resources can I provide to the teachers to understand his behavior and understand the types of things they need to do to accommodate him? How do I let them know what is a reasonable amount of disruption (or is any disruptions really too much) and still support them in their desire to provide the best education to the other students? How do I get them to have joy for his success? The principal keeps quoting the law that if a students behavior disrupts other students then he does not need to be included. How can I address that? Julie Schepis, Ph.D., BCBA Behavior Intervention Specialist (707) 399-5064 |
Question: We have a second grade student who fits the criteria for Selective Mutism. She has not spoken in school for her entire educational career. We need help in developing classroom modifications and in establishing alternative modes of classroom-based assessment (i.e., “How do we modify grades for reading fluency?) Thank you, in advance, for your help. Gwen Weiland, School Psychologist |
Question: I teach a Behavioral Adjustment Unit for grades K-5. I am very good at adjusting behaviors using a strictly behaviorist classroom management system. For years I have known in my soul that the system is just baby sitting or keeping the students at bay while they are in school. Within the system I am unable to truly reach and change the person beneath the behaviors, no matter how loving and kind I am. I just read Punished By Rewards by Kohn, and attended a TRIBES training. My mind is in a knot! Everyone at work thinks I'm great because I quiet the fighting lion but I know the lion is only being feed with treats and will one day grow up. I want to change how I do things but am scared that If I do things will go crazy in my classroom. I think to myself just start implementing a little at a time. But where do I start? If I do the "agreements" of TRIBES what do I do with the rules and level system of the behavorlist system? Mary Simmons |
Question: I teach a generic special ed class in the elementary school setting. Many of our referrals are based on Behavior Disorders (BD) or Learning Disablilities (LD). The students who are classified as BD are often on grade level but can not function in the regular classroom because of behavior problems. It is extremely distracting to other students trying to learn. When they are placed in the self-contained classroom with LD children, we face the same challenge. How is placing them with LD students who need even more attention a Least Restrictive Environment for all involved? How does law and research feel about having a separate class for students who have (BD)? |
Question: I am a teacher in a preschool special day class for severely handicapped children. I have one girl who gets extremely upset when any other children in the class cry. Her behavior consists of a vigorous shaking/flapping of her hands while getting in very close proximity to the crying child. Occasionally, the child who is crying gets accidentally hit by this girl while she is flapping. At the same time she is flapping she is getting more and more worked up, losing her ability to speak making an oooooo sound or uhuhuh sounds as she builds in intensity. We try to get the upset child away from the girl for both safety reasons as well as attempting to remove the stimulus, but that sometimes is not enough and the child has a tantrum. i feel that the tantrum may be anger at her inability to speak and/or comfort her classmate. When she is upset, we go to the quiet area (the bathroom located in the classroom) to calmly talk to her and eventually calm her down. The quiet area is necessary to remove all the stimuli from the girl and at the same time help restore order to the rest of the class who can get upset by the girl's extremely loud crying and shouting. Calming the girl down can take up to 15 minutes on some occasions. I can give greater detail on the behaviors if you need them. What advice would you have for dealing with this? Thanks GWS |
Happy Spring! Your lonely Maytag Behavior Specialist isn’t lonely anymore; lots of questions are coming into her mailbox. I’ve selected two, one school-based, one home-based, and sent two to our pediatrician. Look for some others next month. Question 1: What cognitive level would a second grade class holding a class discussion to talk about four students who mess up the class' chances on obtaining their goals. They tell these students how they feel and that they are tired of the empty promises and words? N2SpecialKids Question 2: Dr. Saren, I have a daughter who just turned 5. Her behavior is disruptive at home and at school to the extent that we feel the need to seek treatment, but are unsure how to go about it. She hit most developmental milestones early. She is very bright. From developmental screens and observation, we know that: Her fine motor skills are far above average (writing, drawing, painting, coloring, manipulatives, etc.). She has a large vocabulary and is extremely expressive both verbally and dramatically. Her abstract thinking skills are above average and her cognitive skills are above average. From about age two she has described vivid dreams in great detail. Her gross motor skills are average. She is highly active, highly persistent, and intense in her reactions. She can be extremely sensitive, generous, helpful, and thoughtful — on her own terms. She engages better with adults and older children than she does children her own age. This is the troubling behavior: Her impulse control is dramatically lacking. This causes the most trouble both at home and school. She is also extremely defiant both at home and at school. Her ability to express herself well also lends itself to verbal onslaughts and attitude you would expect from a teenager, yet her social skills appear behind those of her peers in that she has trouble joining a group or accepting another person’s reactions if that reaction is not what she wants. She is socially awkward in many ways. From “en utero” she has been extremely active and seems to be “sensory seeking”. She bounces, arm flaps, fidgets, and can be very rough. Even when engaging in a “quiet” activity she is squirming, sitting down, then standing, standing on one foot, etc.. She bites her nails to the quick. She is highly tactile to the extent that she touches almost everything and everyone — and persists when asked to stop. She is highly attention seeking, and seems to dislike playing or being alone. She has a speech articulation delay of about one year due to allergies causing temporary hearing loss (we’ve sought speech therapy and do preventive allergy treatment). Physically she is extremely healthy. She has allergies to dust, mold, and chemical dyes. She has had a few illnesses typical of childhood such as colds, a few ear infections, strep throat, and the like. She is tall for her age and of appropriate weight. She has had no injuries or head trauma. Based on the above information, what sort of professionals or assessments would you suggest we investigate? Thank you, M. Gregory |
Question: HELP!!! My 10 yr old son was recently put on pre expulsion from school due to his being suspended 3 times for playing with a zapper with his friends, shooting paper clips through a mechanical pencil, having a laser and shining it in class. He is facing expulsion and being sent to a special school where they send all their problem kids, unless we and our son sign a contract saying he will not commit any more "danger to other acts" for the rest of the year and if he does he will be expelled and that no other school in the district has to take him. I s it fair of the school to demand such a letter be signed? He is ADHD diagnosed and on meds. I asked his psych if he thought he belonged at this school and he said it was absurd to demand such a contract and to send him to that school was not correct since he is not a child who has defiant behavioral issues, as do students at this school. I have just realized that the school has not even done I.E.P. testing on him and does nothing to help with his ADHD problem...thank you Gloria l |
Question: Dear Dru, I have a 6-year-old student with Asperger's in my special day class. He frequently gets very upset over things that other students say or do. If they don't answer a question correctly or do something the right way, he starts yelling and screaming. I understand that his need for order is part of his disability. I'm not always sure about how to handle his outbursts. It disrupts the class and I have him in tears. He has a schedule that he refers to each day and I try to give him advanced warning of any changes. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks, |
Question: My 11 year old son is diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, ADHD, and Oppositional Defiance Disorder. He is currently in a Santa Barbara County special education class for emotional disturbed children. Last year he was hit by a car and had a traumatic head injury. He is failing miserably in school. The behavioral issues are really bad and he is suspended on an average 2-3 times a week. I am very concerned about his lack of getting an education and I understand there is only so much a school can do. I have had countless IEP meetings, behavioral contracts, counselors, etc. I really need help and what the next step is or what I can get from the county or state. My son is extremely bright but his behavior prevents him excelling. He goes one step forward and two back. He was hospitalized this past summer for trying to kill himself, now he said he was just kidding but it was very serious. He is always picking at scabs, and trying to hurt himself. He can be very sweet but he has a really mean side and I am afraid he is seriously going to hurt someone. |
Question: Dear Dru, Thanks. Lucille in Solano County |
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Question: Dear Dru, |
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Question: Dear Dru, The district has my son, who is autistic, in a program for only 2 ½ hours a day. They say he can get his IEP goals met in that time and that his behavior indicates that he cannot tolerate more than that amount of time. They also require that I stay by the phone when he is in school in case they need me to come and get him. I don't have a cell phone so I can't get out to shop or run errands in the little time he is not home. I signed the IEP because I didn't feel I had any choice. Do I? |
| Question: My son is 8 and has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and ODD. He often explodes over silly little things. He was mad about not being able to ride his bike. He kept banging his head on the roof of m car. He chews on my car door and actually has bitten a hole in the interior of my car door. He also chews on his shirts and other clothes all the time. Is this normal behavior for a child of this nature????? I am STUMPED! THANKS MELISSA |
| Question: Dear Dru, I am working on a behavior plan for a 13-year-old male who has been diagnosed with Septo-Optic Dysplasia (SOD). In addition to his many medical issues, this young man also has a number of behavioral concerns in the area of social skills and impulse control. The problem behaviors center around bizarre comments made by the young man, verbally and physically aggressive behaviors towards specific peers, and what appears to be self-stim behaviors (head rolling, playing with hairs on arm, rolling knuckles together, also picking nose and /or scabs on arm.) This young man has also been diagnosed as ADHD. He is currently taking Ritalin and a number of other medications (hormone replacements). How much of the behavioral issues might be due to drug interaction or improper dosage of drugs? His mother is in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psychiatrist to determine the medicine issues. Some of the information I have found online also refers to a connection between SOD and autism. Is this something to pursue? Once again, I would appreciate any help or guidance you could provide to help me help the parents and teachers, as well as the young man I have found some limited information on-line regarding his condition, but I would greatly appreciate any information you could provide, or resources you could point me to regarding Septo-Optic Dysplasia. I would appreciate any sources that could address behaviors and strategies for addressing these behaviors. Thank you, |
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Question: Dear Dru, Thank
you for providing a wonderful workshop on the ABC's of Behavior. In recent years,
our small school community has been encountering more students that can be described
as 'passive-aggressive'. I would appreciate any information you can share, to
help us to better provide for the individual needs of these students. |
|
Question: We have a student
in our class who we believe has been stealing from the other students and teachers.
Each time she is seated next to a student, something is missing from his area
or backpack. We have spoken with her and her parents, but little has changed.
Any ideas or suggestions? |
|
Question: What are the advantages
and disadvantages of using behavioral approaches when working with children and
adolescents? |
|
Question: I teach sixth grade
and I just found out that the parents of one of my students in have transferred
him to another school because another of my students, whom we'll call Anthony,
was bullying him. I didn't know the problem was this serious but I was aware that
Anthony could be aggressive and say cruel things to others. Is there something
I can do? |
|
THIS MONTH, YOUR BEHAVIOR SPECIALIST RECALLS THE WRITERS WHO MOST INFLUENCED HER IN HER 33 YEAR (SO FAR) CAREER. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION? THE FOLLOWING ARE THE HEROES WHO INSPIRED AND TAUGHT ME. |
|
I have heard a lot about self-management techniques. Will you
share some that work well with elementary aged students? |
|
Question: I have a 16-year-old student with severe learning disabilities. His reading level is approximately lst grade. He is very oppositional and defiant and refuses to do any work. He would much rather sleep, eat his lunch at 9 o'clock in the morning or roll around the room in a chair. The only things that interest him are science, the computer or music. He also talks about drugs and sex and bizarre things like becoming a hit man. |
|
Question: I am dealing with a 3rd-grade student with "selective mutism" (i.e., he talks at home, but not at school) He is above grade level in all areas. He is animated at school (raising his hand to "answer" questions by pointing, acting out, etc) and completes all his work. He has some friends and communicates with them through pantomime. Can you please talk about behavioral strategies for dealing with this? There is much controversy among the people who work with him about how we should respond to this at school. I think that there is a lot of enabling going on from home (his mother even brings his lunch and takes him out for a walk every day because he refuses to eat at school), but I don't want to make things worse by getting into a power struggle about the talking. Any ideas would be appreciated. |
| Question: A 5th grade student with a history dating back to kindergarten of significant behavior problems including running out of classroom, chronic verbal and physical interruptions during instruction, verbal defiance toward teacher, chronic task refusal. I am the Special Education teacher and I would like to evaluate the child with functional analysis and develop a behavior support plan. The barriers I face are the Principal and School Psych. believing that the child will not "qualify" for any Special Education label (either SLD or ED), since we do not have a category of Behavior Disorder in the state of California. The child's academic discrepancies are only moderate (he reads at grade level, and "tests" well in math, although he never completes classroom assignments). The Principal's preference is to send the student to the "Opportunity Class" (an alternative education setting). I am troubled, since the student has had such a lengthy history of behavior problems, with no attempts by school to provide behavior support---the school historically has simply used punitive measures (in-and-out of school suspensions and detentions). |
| Question: I have an 11-year old child in a county special day class on a regular elementary school campus. He is bi-polar and depressed, with emotional disturbances. He just transitioned to this class at the beginning of the school year from a class that had a lot more mental health supports in the classroom -- but I felt he would be able to make the switch because he had been doing so well last year. He is having some behavioral issues in the new classroom, but I'm worried that the teacher is not helping. His consequences often include losing his recess (being "benched") and I worry because he says he is getting yelled at a lot. The teacher and I have a log that goes back and forth every day -- but the communication is not going great. Are there things that I could suggest to the teacher that we try out in terms of creating a realist behavior/consequences plan that is clear what will happen when and also takes into account his mental health needs. I don't think we all understand right now exactly why he is behaving the way he does right now -- and any suggestions I could bring into his classroom would be really helpful! |
| Question: Are there any specific behavior management resources, or techniques for students who have short-term memory loss? I currently have a student with a TBI and CVI who enjoys having constant verbal dialogue (singing, talking, reciting movies, etc.) Although his dialogue reflects his pleasant nature and great personality, it does interrupt the classroom environment. I have been trying to teach him that there is a time and place for this, but his short term memory loss makes behavior management very challenging. Any suggestions? |
| Question: Dear Lonely Maytag Behavioral Specialist, Are there behavioral curriculums you prefer better than others? I'd like to research some of the more useful programs without wasting my time. Thanks, Special Day Class teacher (middle school). |
| Question: The
lonely Maytag behavior specialist had no questions this month, so she reenacted
a scene from her past incarnation as a third grade teacher |
| Question: Dear Ask a Specialist Person, I will be mentoring a brand new, non-credentialed teacher for the 2nd grade class next door. I don't know where to begin. Can you suggest some kind of behavior management overview? Thanks. Perplexed in Pleasant Grove/Valley/View/Hill |
| Question: I teach kindergarten. When it's time to transition from Circle, which we do in the front of the room, to small group activities, which they do at their desks, several students inevitably start running around the room. They know they're breaking the rules but even when I remind them, they still do it. Any ideas? |
| Question: I
have a student who is off task A LOT. He fiddles with pencils, takes forever to
find a book to read for quiet reading time, has to constantly be redirected to
focus in group instruction. I've given him several suggestions to keep his body
moving (twiddle his thumbs, swing his leg, etc.); more appropriate things to do
to stimulate his body but still pay attention to the task. However, he is still
off task most of the lesson. His behavior doesn't always bother others, probably
one in ten times does it do so. He is a fifth grader, ten years old. Any suggestions
on how to get him to attend? I am worried that he is missing so much instruction
that he will fall further behind. |
| Question: "Linda" is a fourteen year old student who has Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). She refuses to come back into class from the playground with my aide after lunch unless I go get her, even after all the other kids have come in. Other recesses and P.E. do not usually present problems. |
| Question: I have a student who whines, cries, and protests loudly over class assignments. His behavior irritates everyone! Special Day Class/Learning Handicapped Teacher |
| Question: Help! I have a student who is the "class clown". He disrupts my lessons by making jokes, comments, asides and gross faces. Often times, he is able to distract the entire class. Unfortunately, he can be hysterically funny! What can I do? Middle School Language Arts Teacher |
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