Reducing Negative Behaviours

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 Your child is screaming to gain access to something they want.  Sound familiar?

For many of us, this is a daily occurrence. It can be exhausting, both physically and emotionally. As a parent you would love to stop the screaming, so it is easy to give the child what they want because it makes them stop.  Think about when you see someone in a candy store with their 5 year old.  The 5 year old sees their favorite candy on the way out and grabs it in hopes that the parent buys it.  So many parents just buy the candy because it is easy.  It is not to expensive, it isn't too big and what's the big deal!
Sounding like something you have seen.  Maybe that person is you.  Regardless, it has happened to all of us at least.....once.  After reading this scenario, you begin to think, I would never do this. I would just tell my child no.  It is easier said then done! 
So how do we get our child to learn that they can not always get what they want.  Lets start with the same scenario.  When taking your child into the store,  it is great to set some ground rules. 

For example:

You want to go in to grab a couple of items and you tell your child if they are good they may pick one treat. Make sure to define what 'good' means.  This may look something like this:

Good Behaviour = no screaming, no crying or whining and staying beside parent at all times in the store = candy of choice

Bad behaviour = screaming, whining, crying, not staying with parent = no candy

By setting boundaries, you provide  your child an understanding of what behaviour you expect.  Even if your child does not understand the boundaries, it reminds you of what you expect from your child.

This sounds easy right? Wrong. The reason being is that now you go directly to the store and your child starts screaming because they want those cool looking crayons that are in the isle.  They keep screaming and you decide you are not going to give in to the screaming.  Strangers that do not know anything about your, begin to look at you.  The stares become more evident and you feel as though you need to get your child to stop screaming because you do not want them to think that you have some 'spoiled' kid who can't control themselves.  You want to run out of the store and hope to never see these people again. Remember, these individuals have likely gone through exactly the same as you. 

If you are caught in this situation, take a deep breath, know that you can do this.  If you can, pay for the items you went in there for,(without the item your child was screaming for), and walk directly out of the store, with your child and ignore the behaviour.  By walking out of the store, your child's behaviour may escalate. This is very common.  By ignoring the screaming you are trying to extinguish the behaviour you do not want to see.  Do not provide any attention to the behaviour.  Keep your child safe at all times, but do NOT talk to them at this time. Once your child calms down, move on.  If you stick to the same strategy, your child will begin to learn that screaming does not end in a reward.

If your child is non-verbal, has Autism or other Communication Delay try using a visual.  The visual can look simple such as the following.

 Stay tuned for more......




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Dealing with Behaviours



How ready do you think your child is to start back in school?  Let's face it, school has been closed for several months and for many of our kids, they may struggle with going back to a class of rules, lots of other students, being given demands and most of all, just being away from you as their parent.
It is not uncommon for students to have a fear of school but once you add everything that has gone on over the past several months it would only make sense to ensure they are prepared for their school day!
If you feel that your child may have some difficulties with the overall transition back to school, this post may be helpful for you.

It is important to begin getting your child ready and prepared.  

Well, how do you start?  With my son with Autism, we have always shown him a schedule of what the month looks like.  For many kids, they need structure.  Whether you have a diagnosis or not, it is a great way to stay organized.  
A schedule can have pictures or textual cues to indicate what is coming up for the day, the week or month.  In our classrooms, all of our students have their own schedules.  This way they can learn how to manage their own time and learn how schedules work.  We print up their schedule and place it in a sheet protector so that you can easily change the schedules without having to always laminate new sheets.  Don't get me wrong, I love to laminate so you need to do what works best for your students.


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Teaching Ideas

It should not matter is your child is in school or at home during this Pandemic.  You can always continue to teach.  Teaching is not just for a classroom.  Teaching is done everywhere.  The sky is the limit!
If you have a young child  just diagnosed with Autism,  you may be looking for information on;
  • treatment options
  • funding options
  • how to teach language skills
  • how to understand your child's needs 
The list goes on.

If you have a child in school that has difficulties due to Autism, Learning Deficits, Down Syndrome, and other Communication or Cognitive Delays, you may be researching information on;
  • teaching in school
  • will my child be better in a small class or in the regular sized class
  • will my child ever to go College
  • will my child ever get a job
  • how will I afford therapy for my child
This site is geared towards supporting you, as parents, caregivers, support workers and/or teachers on how to be more prepared in your day to day teaching.  It may be the skills you teach at home, in the playground, in the community or at school.  Teaching is an ongoing process.  It is meant to challenge us at times and to seem easy at other times.  
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Welcome to my blog

This year has been quite a year.  With Covid-19, we have all had to adjust to a new way of life.  With no clear ending in sight, schools will look so different this year.  It can be hard enough for students to manage the start of a new school year, but our kids have been out of school since March Break.  Lots of parents have had a difficult time accessing support and so many of our kids had a difficult time learning online.  For many parents, online learning may not have even been an option.  Just know that it is never to late to get more support for you or your child.  Where there is a will, there is a way!
Even though it was difficult, we kept going.  As educators we continue to strive for the best.  As parents, we try to make our kids lives easier.  So together we stay positive (at least, we try) and we will continue to find ways to keep our children engaged and educated!


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