Does Your Child Need More Help In School?

Judith S. Cohen, Psy.D., LMFT

Home-based behavioral services for children with autism are aimed at helping them develop and live as independent a life as possible.

In school, the aim is the same – to help a child develop independence while providing a school-based education that facilitates independent living. Helping children whose behaviors interfere with getting the most out of their education is difficult work, especially when teachers are overwhelmed with large numbers of children in their classroom. This is when schools can use our help.

When a child’s behaviors interfere with their ability to learn, it is important for the parents and the school to recognize and figure out a plan to assist learning and development. If your child has an autism eligibility, then he/she has been through a special education assessment which resulted in the development of an Individualized Educational Program or IEP. The IEP Team determined that your child requires goals and services to help them progress in the school setting. Your child’s IEP outlines how your child performs in academics (reading, writing, arithmetic) and socially. Depending on needs identified in the IEP, additional services such as speech and language, occupational therapy and a behavioral aide may be offered.

Sometimes your child may demonstrate disruptive behaviors, such as being non-compliant, having difficulty paying attention, throwing a tantrum or even running away – which interfere with their learning. Classroom structure can be challenging for children with developmental delays. Your child may not have the skills needed for independent planning, organizing, sitting, listening, initiating and following through on assignments or tests. Children, for example who have difficulty paying attention to a classroom activity might feel anxious and refuse to participate.

There is a way to help! That help can be given in school by using a highly trained and qualified behavior specialist who will guide your child throughout their school day. Behavior Intervention Implementation or BII and Behavior Intervention Development or BID are services that can be offered to help them. BII services are a direct, one-to-one service provided by a trained behavior expert who collects data and has expertise in targeting problem behaviors that interfere with your child’s learning. This can be provided throughout the entire day or as identified in their IEP. BID services provide supervision to the BII, and an assigned BID is responsible to write reports based on the data collected by the BII, dialogue with parents and attend IEP meetings. Parents HAVE a say and if they feel BII services are needed, then they should speak up and let the IEP Team know.

A Behavior Intervention Plan or BIP is additional documentation that is part of your child’s IEP. It identifies the behaviors that interfere with learning, what is missing or needed in the school environment to insure success, and a strategy to guide the teaching replacement behaviors. Ways of reinforcing the replacement behaviors are designed based on what your child responds to and can change from time to time.

BII and BID services offer opportunities for your child’s long-term success in life.

Learn more about how a school-based behavioral therapy program works.

Or schedule a one-on-one consultation with one of our behavior therapy experts.

Managing Stress with Mindfulness

Helpful Tips for Parents of Children with Autism

Caroline Hardman, MS, BCBA, Qualified MBSR Instructor

To be mindful is essentially being aware in the present moment, on purpose, without judgment. Imagine saying, “I will be calm if my child throws a fit at Target” and then being determined to follow through. Setting our intention dramatically increases the likelihood that we’ll remain calm. But just being present is not easy; our thoughts tend to be restless and uncontrolled. We tend to make many judgments, too, about ourselves and those around us.

Think of mindfulness as a camera lens: it captures just the moment without judgment or labels. It just sees. And the path to mindfulness, like any other brain training, takes practice. Just as muscles get stronger with exercise, so does the mindful mind.

There are several exercises that can help us respond with calm and ease to stressful events. Here are three.

Awareness of Breath
For a couple of minutes, with eyes closed, bring your attention to your breath as it comes in and leaves the body, without trying to change it. Notice your breath in the expanding and contracting of the abdomen and hold your attention there. When you notice your mind wandering, kindly usher your awareness back to the breath.

Awareness of Daily Tasks
Think of something that happens every day more than once; something you take for granted, like opening a door. At the moment you touch the doorknob, stop for a moment and be mindful of where you are, how you feel in that moment and where the door will lead you. Instead of automatically going through daily motions, take occasional moments to stop and be aware of what you are doing and the blessings these daily movements mean in your life.

Mindful Listening
Learn to open your ears to sound without being swayed by memories of or preconceived notions about music. Select a piece of music you have never heard. Close your eyes, and if you like, use a pair of headphones. Don’t think about the type of music it is, the title or the artist. Just hear it. Become absorbed in the sound. Listen to the contributions of each instrument. Then concentrate on the voice or voices. The idea is to experience listening without making judgements.

This lovely quote by the renowned author Elisabeth Kübler-Ross clarifies the value of mindfulness quite beautifully – “It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up – that we will begin to live each day to the fullest as if it was the only one we had.” Perhaps this “attitude of gratitude” for the everyday moments – mundane, painful, or joyful – are what allow us to appreciate even the most challenging work given to us in this life.

Preventing Caregiver Burnout

Yelba Diaz, BA

Some parents have a hard time asking for help and think they always have to be present. And unfortunately, many parents are not aware of the resources available that are designed to give them a break. Respite is a service designed to provide care for the child of the caregiver by an individual who is knowledgeable and trained to care for the child’s needs. This service also provides parents a break from the day to day intensive care they provide their child.

Respite care typically falls into two categories – traditional and specialized. Traditional respite is focused on taking care of personal needs and in-home activities such as washing, using the toilet, or having a meal. Specialized respite provides these same basic services but goes a step beyond. With specialized respite care, staff members are in the home to teach, supervise and actively engage while the parents go shopping, do errands, or just take some time away. These care teams are trained in step-by-step behavior analysis and goal-based treatments. They collaborate with the applied behavior analysis (ABA) service provider to follow the individual’s specific behavior support intervention plan, which spells out consistent responses to behavior problems.

The best respite care services will rotate staff members in the home so that children grow accustomed to meeting a variety of people. This makes it easier for them to transition into outside programs for more training, and eventually help them prepare to live as independently as possible. That is the ultimate goal, especially for parents of adult children who worry about who will take care of their adult children when they are no longer around. It is a relief for them to see their children make progress. Parents are happy to see how care teams can help their children develop and thrive.

Everyone needs a break sometime. And parents need not feel that they are alone. If you think you need help, contact a respite care provider to arrange a meeting to learn more about how they can offer assistance. Respite is a very valuable resource that can help prevent caregiver burnout . . . and might be just what you need.

Learn more about respite care available through 360 Behavioral Health.