For fans of Uniquely Human: link to 2 webinars by Dr. Barry Prizant

[Lecka]

They look good!  I am just starting to watch. 

 

http://praacticalaac.org/video/video-of-the-week-family-collaboration-by-dr-barry-prizant/  Family Collaboration

 

http://praacticalaac.org/video/video-of-the-week-preventing-problem-behavior-in-schools-by-dr-barry-prizant/  Preventing Problem Behavior in Schools

 

http://videos.presencelearning.com/aDeN/dr-barry-prizant-on-preventing-problem-behavior-in-schools-part-2/  Preventing Problem Behavior in Schools Part 2

 

http://praacticalaac.org/video/video-of-the-week-uniquely-human-by-dr-barry-prizant/  Uniquely Human

 

More links here: http://barryprizant.com/

 

 

Edited January 19, 2016 by Lecka

[PeterPan]

I finally got the book through the library!  I waylaid myself with a couple others, so I guess I better get moving to keep up with this prolific material!  First book I read Teaching Social Skills to People with Autism (Bondy/Weiss) is a compendium of articles, each with their own topic/gig.  So one article will be saying why we ought to do xyz, and then next why it doesn't work, lol.  Ok, so I skipped to the middle of the book and that was the point of that particular article, that isolated social skills instruction that is not personalized and carried over to every day situations doesn't generalize.  Imagine that.  ;)  The next book Teaching Children with Autism (Quill) is a textbook, and the copy I have is severely outdated.  Talk about general!  It's no WONDER people have such vague impressions and assumptions.  Think we're ready for more meat.

 

So yes, Prizant is finally in the pile and moving up.  I just figured I should be awake for it and not using it to fall asleep, lol.  Is he himself on the spectrum?  I haven't watched the videos yet to see.  It's just always curious to me *why* someone chooses to get this engrossed in the field.

[Lecka]

No, he's not on the spectrum himself.

 

He is a nice person.  It comes across in his writing. 

[Lecka]

Oh, these are good webinars.  So good.  I wish I could binge watch, but I have other stuff I gotta do today. 

[Lecka]

Ooooh, he is making a distinction between behavior that is "testing limits" and behavior that is a result of emotional dysregulation.  Third part of the "preventing problem behavior in school" webinar.  It is definitely not only for school. 

 

Locally the consultant that our school district brings in seems to be Brenda Smith Myles, she is more based in our region, Barry Prizant seems to be more based in the New England part of the country...... he terms some things differently in a way that makes a lot of sense to me, but he is pretty similar to her, too, in a lot of his suggestions etc. and his "here is a problem I have seen and a better way to respond to it or view it" stuff. (I don't know if she is a paid consultant to our school district, I don't think she is, but she spoke at a workshop I went to this summer that was attended mostly by people working in the school district, and I have an understanding she has come to speak here 3-4 times in the past 5 years, and when she comes a ton of people go to hear her.) 

Edited January 19, 2016 by Lecka

[PeterPan]

You're ahead of me!  I'm watching Preventing Problem Behavior part 1, and I'm just ANGRY because he has WORDS for the things ds does (and says) and our terrific ps DOESN'T CARE.  They said anything he does with me doesn't matter because kids always treat their parents badly. 

 

Still listening.

[Lecka]

Man, I am so greatful for the district autism specialist we have right now.  She "gets it." 

[Lecka]

He is saying coordination of services is more important than number of hours.  I agree. 

 

 

[PeterPan]

Ok, Prizant's preventing problem behavior part 1 was good!  I made some notes while I was typing, just to help me focus and so we could discuss.

 

********

Prizant started as SLP?

 

So the need for frequent movement is arousal modulation?

 

Behavior can be communicating that something is too hard/stressful.

 

Social complexity as stressor.  (paying attention to 15 kids to participate in conversation)

 

Touch on the person can be misinterpreted, especially when rev'ed/high arousal, resulting in physical response.

 

Within the child vs. environmental vs. partner behavior as factors in problem behavior.

 

Recommends sleep study for kids with ASD not sleeping well.

 

--View problem behavior as the outcome of a dysregulated emotional state.

*testing limits vs emotional regulation issues

-->available to learn when well-regulated.

--positive emotions, moving around, variety, staying stable, music to get wiggles out--common techniques used by teachers

 

self-regulation vs. mutual regulation (with teacher, goal=student ASKS for this to help regulate himself)

 

our attempts (touching, comforting) can increase emotional dysregulation

 

emotional memory (of the thing, the place)--underlies current behavior 

 

rules

-developmentally appropriate--time in seat before need breaks, academic tasks, motor planning tasks

-reduce speed and stim, especially in transitions

-more support--checklists, etc.  --alternate lines shaded and words and pictures and check box (EF support)

-communication is priority--so can refuse, say how feels, etc.

-self-determination--choices for academics, breaks, more choices

-self-regulation support (if/then, knows his tools and options)

-more breaks--preventative/planned to keep regulated and reactive when becomes dysregulated

 

Haha, Zen Dog!  

 

==> move from behavior management to emotional regulation plans

 

*************

So what strikes me, after listening to all this, is it's what the ps was *telling* me they would do if he were there (if they changed his condition label and actually did it) and when we tried the changes it WORKS.  But I didn't get *why* it was working.  I mean we did it, and clearly it works.  So that's really fascinating.  Because then when you know *why* something is working, then you can do it better and maybe extend the concept to more places.  Although Zones of Reg *tries* to discuss self-regulation, reality is the color system makes it seem like this b&w (despite color coding, haha) kind of progress.  Like people get more stuck on thinking about what the label/color is than thinking about the DIRECTION the child is going.  Because the DIRECTION is what is showing how the regulation is working, not just what color/zone it corresponds to, mercy.

 

So I just think that's really helpful to think of it that way.  It allows for the subtlety of what we're seeing, because I think we as parents catch things.  

 

Well good.  Sort of a snooze, but the visuals help you stay focused.  Definitely worth watching for pulling together things you've been seeing but don't understand.

[PeterPan]

He is saying coordination of services is more important than number of hours.  I agree. 

Are you in part 2 or 3 for this?  It's so true.  I think about this a lot with our scholarship funding, trying to figure out whether what I need is more *money* (as in more services) or *smarter* services, with more coordination, more input, more weaving, where we really get WHY we're doing stuff and NAIL it.  I'm not sure more money, more services always solves things.  It's something I'm always thinking about, like would I be happier if I had more $$ and was going to more sessions, or is it really that we need to figure out what's going on and work BETTER, smarter, more knowledgeably, more intentionally.

[PeterPan]

part 2--Q&A

 

emotional expression vs. emotional recognition

*with increasing dysregulation we have decreasing ability to communicate

*non-speech ways to express emotions--Johnson picture symbols, ASL

 

meltdowns

--less talk, less stimulation, intervene earlier, safe place, don't touch, comfort object

--take the interpersonal OUT of it 

--use a 4/5 point scale to discuss degree of dysregulation and what it looks like in dc

 

testing limits vs. dysregulated

--how much are they monitoring our behavior--screaming and looking at us vs. just screaming on floor

 

irregular meltdowns, no warning

--consider physical antecedents (gastro, ear infections, whatever) that can't communicate

--negative emotional memories as triggers

--sensory hypersensitivities

 

how does class environment affect regulation?

--noise, movement, activity

--need flex room, place to refuel

--need regular breaks

 

***********

Ok, the part 2 was just Q&A, shorter.

[PeterPan]

^{Wowsers, those other two webinars are 1 1/2 and 2 hours each!!  Think I might snoop around that PresenceLearning site and find others to listen to.  I'm not sure family collaboration is what I need.  Do you have notes on it to know why we'd want to watch it?}

[Lecka]

That was one of the last questions at the end of "family collaboration."  The question was "what do we say to parents who want more hours of pull-out, when we would rather have integrated services."  B/c ---- it is like, parents will think "they just don't want to provide the hours!!!!" when really people can be very well-meaning and think it is better to have an integrated setting vs. kids going back and forth without a good consistency. 

 

It is a big kettle of fish, though, b/c there are a lot of choices to make between one-on-one services, small-group settings, large-group settings, etc., and there are trade-offs between learning specific skills, and just learning to handle being in a more challenging setting. 

 

The point about:  how much more kids must pay attention to, in a conversation/classroom setting, when there is back-and-forth going between a larger number of people ------- I have heard that before, but it has been a while since I have heard it.  A good reminder for me, for sure. 

[Lecka]

Well, I thought the Family Collaboration one was pretty good.  He is talking about challenges parents face, stresses parents have, and how to communicate with parents. 

 

Honestly -- I thought it was pretty good.  I skipped over some of the beginning, but the Q and A at the end was really pretty good. 

 

He also talked about how it is hard for teachers and therapists to say good-bye to their clients when they transition on, I thought that was a good point. 

 

I think if you are in a position of choosing therapists and making priorities between different therapists/therapies etc. ---- it is the kind of thing you are dealing with.

 

It is the flip-side title of "Collaborating with Therapists and Teachers" ----- if he was giving the program to a parent group.  I would go to that program, you know?  It is something that is a lot of effort for me and I am not always picking up on some of their underlying assumptions. 

[Guest]

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Edited February 10, 2016 by Guest

[Guest]

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Edited February 10, 2016 by Guest

[Lecka]

I realized, too, in the "definitions of problem behavior" section, our therapy agency goes almost totally with "prevents learning and participation" for him.  They do not do the "it seems odd" or "it may limit his opportunities to socialize with peers b/c it seems odd" very much at all.  This is something where they have told me they go by the child's level and change priorities as kids make more social progress and are working on different things.

 

At school, though, they might find something disruptive that wouldn't matter at home. 

 

I am so glad that now he can understand that sometimes I let him climb up the slide at the park, when there are no little kids and no other parents saying "don't climb up the slide."

 

I used to be something where I needed to be consistent all the time for the sake of the times it wasn't okay, b/c I didn't have a way to explain it to him. 

 

But I also found, last year, I was worried about him humming and it bothering other kids at school, but they said it wasn't bothering or distracting any other kids.  That is the kind of thing where I think I just have to ask. 

 

Edit:  participation in a "safety" sense or a "do you stay home from things b/c of behavior concerns" sense. 

Edited January 19, 2016 by Lecka

[PeterPan]

Ok, I'm listening to the Uniquely Human webinar.  Interesting, quick summary of the book.  Blew up about an hour in.  More of a general why does the school system treat kids like they're a freak show talk, not really technical, but still interesting.  More validates your own gut sense than anything.  I think if some principals would listen to this, they'd be better help in the IEP process.

 

********

 

What does he do to self-regulate?  story of tin of markers

 

View echolalia as process of language development.  Yes, has been for us.

 

obsessions/control increases during anxiety.  Aggression linked to extreme anxiety.  Call obsessions deep interests.

 

reframe, then compassion, then APPRECIATE how hard the student is working, etc.  

 

**school is constant barrage of sensory, transitions, social complexity, etc.

 

*******************

 

Gotta go.  

[Lecka]

At  1:04 into Uniquely Human he is answering a question about differences between his approach and ABA. 

 

Follow-up question at 1:09 is about people who think ABA is the only possible approach. 

 

I really agree with his comments about encouraging self-determination and making choices from a young age.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Lecka

[kbutton]

I pulled this book out of the library but haven't read it. I was extremely impressed just skimming the headings and such. I found some quotes I want to hang and tattoo on certain people's foreheads. :-) And that's my five minutes with the book. It sounds really good, and it's nice to know there are videos that go with it.

 

 

[Guest]

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Edited February 10, 2016 by Guest