Day 7 of ASD De-escalation Tips: Empower the Learner

 

When staff go through the diligent process of filling out an escalation cycle they need to remember to involve the most important person on the team: the student.  As thought out as the staff’s approaches might be to support de-escalation, they can still be …

Continue reading

Day 6 of ASD De-escalation Tips: Tantrum vs. Escalation

 

If you want to know how to best support a child with autism who is exhibiting challenging behavior you have to know what you are looking at.   The above explanation does a great job of simplifying that process, but in practice it is not always easy.  A behavior that starts off as …

Continue reading

Day 2 of ASD De-esclation Tips: What to do When….

 

What should you do when a student throws a book at you in class because they are upset?  What should you do when a student attempts to hit you in the cafeteria because they are overwhelmed?  What should you do when a student attempts to stab you with their pencil …

Continue reading

Day 1 of ASD De-escaltion Tips: The Urgency Factor

 

The way in which to properly intervene when an individual with a disability starts to escalate has been the subject of controversy over the past few years and for good reason.  The misuse of physical interventions (restraints and holds) and time out rooms has caught the attention of the public …

Continue reading

Promoting Independence: It All Starts, Goes, and Ends with Love!

“The secret to life is finding out what you love and then finding a way to get paid for it.”  This small bit of wisdom was passed my way years ago by a former supervisor, and it’s wisdom I carry close because it echoes in our work every day.  In education, we …

Continue reading

Promoting Independence: Playing Frogger

For classrooms where whole group instruction is the prefered mode of teaching, please mind the gap.  The gap, the open space between the instructor and the learner is absolutely sacred.  It is on this two way highway that information, ideas, and concepts are shared.  Information is presented, questions are asked, …

Continue reading