TELL-A-FRIEND    

Solving Behavior Problems with Visual Strategies™

Linda Hodgdon M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Speech Pathologist
Consultant for Autism Spectrum Disorders and Related Disabilities

Managing behavior challenges with students who experience autism spectrum disorders and other students with moderate to severe communication and/or behavior challenges requires insight, keen observation, patience and lots of wisdom. Teaching and living with these students who demonstrate communication and learning problems and perceptual differences can frequently be difficult. Although some of our traditional teaching strategies may be successful with these students, techniques for teaching and managing behavior frequently need to be modified.

The most critical step in attempting to solve behavior problems is to identify why the behavior difficulties exist. For these students, communication difficulties can be a primary reason for many behavior issues. Understanding the communication of others, trying to figure out what is happening or not happening and handling changes and transitions can all be areas of difficulty for this population. Whether they are verbal or non-verbal, their expressive communication may not be effective. Inappropriate behaviors may actually work better for them than other forms of communication. Understanding why problems exist and where communication breakdowns contribute to behavior difficulties is a significant step toward developing successful solutions.

It is important to identify the learning strengths of these students. Observation reveals that most of these students understand what they see better than what they hear. Consequently, they benefit when communication partners recognize the need to use visually supported communication to give information, provide structure, and teach skills.

The history of behavior management has produced a wide variety of approaches, many controversial, which all claim varying degrees of success or accomplishment. The success or failure of any teaching approach depends on the accurate assessment of an individual student's learning potential and communication style. Recognizing a student's challenges in understanding auditory information is critically important. Identifying a student's strengths in understanding visual information will steer toward more effective intervention strategies. Education and behavior programs will achieve maximum student potential when there is accommodation for the specific communication style of these students.

When students experience behavior challenges, it is essential to consider how the use of visually supported communication can be integrated into their lives. The use of visual supports produces positive student participation, more appropriate social skills and improved behavior for most students. This program will explore many techniques and strategies that have produced successful outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorders or other communication and behavior challenges.