Sharing Information with Professionals Involved with Your Child

photo of parent speaking with teacher at daycare

Professionals may become involved with your child for a number of reasons. In getting to know your child and family, they may gather information to carry out an assessment, develop a service plan, and set goals.

Here are some examples of professionals you may encounter:

Developmental Pediatrician or Psychologist (a physician who carries out assessments and may diagnose your child).
Specialized trained professional such as Speech and Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, and Behaviour Therapist.
A Special Needs Resource Consultant providing support to your child’s child care centre.
The special needs resource team connected with your child’s school.
Home-based child development professionals such as a Public Health Nurse, and Infant Development Home Visitors.
Representatives from government funding offices (e.g., Special Services at Home Program, Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities).

In most cases, you’ll find that the professionals you are dealing with are understanding and really want to help. If you’re well prepared and have some understanding of what they need, you can get the most out of their involvement.

Here’s a list of information that is important to collect and share with professionals:

The Child Information Binder – create a binder or booklet that contains your child’s photograph, information specific to your child’s strengths, interests and needs, and a list of professionals involved with your child. Check out the For More Information box at the end of this document for further details.
Previous assessment reports written by other professionals. Always ask for copies of reports written about your child. Professionals should also provide you with information on the activities and exercises that they have created to help your child develop his skills.
Contact information about services your child is currently receiving.
Contact information about services for which your child is waiting.
Questions you would like to have answered.

Some professional may ask for information about your child’s health history, behaviour at home and in group settings, and skills. Some of their questions about your family or finances may seem very personal. You can choose not to answer questions you find personal or intrusive. If you feel uncomfortable providing certain information, ask why it is required and how it will be used to benefit your child. Once you know how the information will be used, you can decide whether you would like to share it.

What is “Informed Consent”?

As we mentioned earlier, professionals may ask you for personal information about your child and family, and other people or agencies that are providing support.

Many professionals will want to speak with, or share written information with these other people or agencies. Each professional will ask you to sign a form that gives legal “consent to release information”. The term “consent” acknowledges that you as a parent (or legal guardian) have the authority to allow a professional to share information with another party on behalf of your child for a specific purpose. In other words, it’s like giving permission for professionals to share information with each other about your child.

Before you give “consent”, it is important for you to be informed about:

the kind of information that will be exchanged and collected (e.g., name of reports)
how it will be collected and stored (e.g., photocopied, kept in child’s file)
the purpose for sharing this information (e.g., to set goals, to apply for funding)
the benefits and risks involved
whether your signed consent can be revoked or cancelled at any time, or does it have an expiry date

Remember – Only sign consent forms when you are sure you understand.

In some situations confidential and private information can be released to a third party without a parent’s consent. This may include, but is not limited to:

Emergency situations involving the health and safety of your child (e.g., police, hospital, or medical staff).
Mandatory reporting situations (e.g., Child protection agencies, Court Order or Search Warrant, Legal Counsel).

You will find that most professionals are interested in learning as much as they can because they want to support you and your child in the best way possible. Meeting and sharing information on a regular basis will make it easier to develop the programming that best meets your child’s individual needs and maintain your role as the main decision maker for your child.

Sending Your Child to Camp

photo of children at daycamp

As a parent, you may be anxious or worried about finding a camp that meets your child’s needs. From highly specialized camps, to regular camps that accommodate children with special needs, there are options for every child. With careful consideration of what will benefit your child most, along with some research, you should be able to find the right camp for your child.

Sending your child to camp will benefit her in many ways. She will be provided with structure and routine, she will have a chance to build her confidence and independence, and she will get plenty of activity and exercise. She will also have many opportunities to interact with other children, develop friendships and learn skills from others. Camp will help her learn to problem solve and communicate her needs to others outside her family circle. Even though it may be hard to let her go, camp will also give you some time to yourself.

Starting Your Camp Search

To start your search, it is a good idea to make a list of the kind of camp you want. It can be challenging to find a camp to meet your child’s needs and sometimes, you don’t even know where to start looking. The following questions can be used as a guide to help you decide what you are looking for in a camp:

Do you want day camp or overnight camp?
Do you want a specialized camp for children with special needs?
Do you want an inclusive camp?
Do you want a half-day or full-day program? Consider if your child is comfortable being away from home and her age?
Do you want a camp placement for one week, or the entire summer?
How far from home will you be comfortable for a residential or even day camp for your child?
What cost can you afford? Is subsidy available?
Do you have benefits for your child (e.g., Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities or Special Services at Home), that might assist with the cost for the camp or a support worker for your child?
If you want an inclusive camp, does your child need a support person to be with her and is this available at the camp? If so, is there an additional cost?
If your child is physically fragile, do you need a nurse on staff?
Do you want counselors with CPR and First Aid Training?
Does your child need medication? Can staff administer medication?
If your child has special dietary needs, can this be accommodated at the camp?
Do you need transportation for your child to the camp? Is it available?
Are their specific activities your child likes and you would like the camp to include?

Once you answer the above questions you are ready to begin your search for a camp program. Check out different camps to find the one that meets your expectations and your child’s needs. Here are some resources that can help in your search:

Look in your local Parks and Recreation calendar for information about camps in your community. Try to find out if additional support is available. You may have to complete an application form to apply for a support worker.
Parent magazines, such as “Today’s Parent”, often have articles or an issue early in the year that focuses on camps.
Contact the Canadian Camp Association in your area for information.
Look for a Camp Resource Fair in your area (organizations for children with special needs may hold Resource Fairs on a yearly basis).
Ask other parents that you know about what camps they recommend.

Remember you must start early – summer camps and their support services, if available, are often full by early April.

Congratulations, you’ve registered your child for camp!

Before your child starts camp, try to prepare her for the upcoming experience. This can help decrease your child’s anxiety about the experience, get her ready for the transition, and build her confidence and excitement about the adventure to come. If you can, visit the camp with your child and take photographs of the camp environment, or counselor(s), if possible. If you cannot visit the camp in person, ask the camp to send pictures, or go on their website, if available.

Talking to your child about going to camp and her feelings about the upcoming experience is also a great way to get her ready for this new experience. You may also want to find out what special items your child wants to bring with her (e.g., blanket, photograph of family, special toy) to make her feel comfortable. Remember to label everything you send with your child to camp. Use a marker to write your child’s name on her clothing and any specialized equipment.

Sharing information about your child with the camp staff can also help the experience be a successful one. Let them know about your child’s needs, interests, likes, dislikes, medical needs, and/or allergies.

Requesting a Sensory Break

Every day we receive a great deal of information from our senses. We use this information to organize our behaviour and successfully interact with the world. This process (known as sensory processing) usually occurs automatically but for some people it does not develop as efficiently as it should. Our job as a parent, teacher or early childhood professional is to teach new skills that will help your child build independence and move forward in their development. You also teach new skills to reduce frustration, promote self-esteem, and to replace behaviour that may not be the most acceptable.

For example, Wayne loves to climb. He often climbs on top of furniture to obtain sensory stimulation. Although Wayne is trying to tell us, “I like how this feels!”, this behaviour is a safety concern for himself and others around him. Some children with special needs seek various forms of sensory input that their body is craving or helps them to remain calm. If you have a child like Wayne you can teach him to request a sensory break.

Breaking Down the Task

Though some children quickly learn skills through observing and imitating others, many children need the new skill to be broken down into smaller steps and to be allowed time to master each step in the sequence. The breaking down of complex skills into smaller components is called task analysis. Anything we do can be broken down into smaller steps. The number of steps depends on the needs of your child

Let’s take a look at the steps involved in requesting a sensory break using a picture symbol.

Locate the picture symbol.
Stretch out arm.
Touch the picture symbol with hand (or finger).
Wait for sensory activity.

Teaching the New Skill

Teaching a new skill involves preparation. Begin by collecting a few sensory activities that give your child the same feeling as the sensory activity they are engaging in.

In our example, we will collect a mini trampoline, rocking boat, a Preston Roll, and a Sit n’ Spin. We also need to find an area in the home and classroom to store these materials and keep them out of reach. If these activities were accessible all the time, they may not be very effective or reinforcing when we try to teach Wayne to request a sensory break. We’ll also need to make a picture symbol that represents “sensory break” to place on the cupboard where the materials will be stored.

Since there was no consistent pattern in the time of day that Wayne climbed on furniture, we are going to look at times when Wayne looks ready to climb or appears at a loss for something to do. During these moments, we can tell Wayne, “time for a sensory break”, and help him locate the picture symbol by walking with him to the cupboard, and pointing out the sensory break picture symbol. We’ll also label the picture using the same consistent language such as, “Look, sensory break (point to the picture)”.

Remember, that in order for your child to learn the steps to a new skill, you will have to provide assistance or “prompt” along the way. A prompt is a cue or hint meant to help your child to perform a desired behaviour, skill, or part of a skill.

As mentioned above, we’ll start by prompting Wayne to locate the picture symbol (step one in our task analysis) with full physical assistance especially when we are first introducing this skill. We will then prompt Wayne to reach and touch the picture symbol on the cupboard by providing hand-over-hand assistance. Immediately following the “touch” we will pull out the trampoline and Wayne gets to jump. Even though we have collected about four sensory activities, we’ll start by using the trampoline at every opportunity, and then gradually introduce the other activities.

As Wayne begins to understand where sensory activities are located and gets used to touching the picture on the cupboard we can begin to slowly reduce the amount of support until he is able to request independently – this is called fading. We can gradually reduce our physical assistance to a simple gesture like pointing to the cupboard to help Wayne locate the picture symbol. We may replace the hand-over-hand assistance with a slight touch on his elbow to help him reach out for the picture symbol on the cupboard and so on until he can complete each step independently.

Giving Reinforcement

Reinforcement is anything that motivates or encourages a child. It is any environmental event that maintains or strengthens an action or behaviour. Praise, a special activity, music, toys and food can be used as reinforcers. Reinforcement is a reward that occurs or is given after a behaviour.

It is important to motivate and reward your child when learning a new skill. It also helps your child to stay on track and understand what is required or expected of him.

In this example, Wayne’s efforts for touching the picture symbol are immediately rewarded with preferred sensory stimulation. We can also provide verbal praise like “You touched the picture!”

Generalizing the New Skill

You want your child to know that this new skill can be applied in many places, with many people, and under many conditions. For some children, requesting sensory stimulation at the child care centre does not necessarily mean that they are going to demonstrate this skill at home, or with anyone other than the care provider who taught them.

To help your child generalize the skill you can:

Have others teach the same skill using the same techniques.
Teach the skill in several different locations around the home or program (e.g., at the park, during indoor play time, cubby area, lunch time or washroom).
Provide similar sensory activities both at home and the program.
Create a small “sensory break” picture your child can carry on a keychain to request a break while at home, the program or in the community.

Requesting a Food Item

As a parent, teacher or early childhood professional, teaching new skills that will help your child build independence and move forward in their development is important. This can also help to reduce your child’s frustration, promote self-esteem, and to replace behaviour that may not be the most acceptable.

For example, Abdi has difficulties he has at lunch time. Abdi grabs food from other children’s plates. He is using problem behaviour to tell us, “I want some more food”. In fact we learned that Abdi grabs specific food items from others including: bread, crackers, and bananas.

If you have a child like Abdi, you too can teach him to request food more appropriately by using words. Remember that teaching an alternative skill to replace problem behaviour means the new skill must take less energy than the behaviour itself.

In our example, Abdi grabs food from others, so we’ll start by teaching him to use a picture symbol representing the desired item and gradually work towards him being able to use words to make a request.

Breaking Down the Task

So how do we break down the task of using a picture symbol (that represents the desired food item) to ask for more food?

Scan the placemat and locate the picture symbol.
Touch the picture symbol with hand (or finger).
Wait for the presentation of the item.

Teaching the New Skill

Teaching a new skill involves preparation. When you are teaching a new skill, consider using photos or pictures symbols that represent each step. In some cases visual supports help your child to understand what is expected of them or can be used to teach him to communicate with others.

As mentioned earlier, we are going to teach Abdi to request a food item first by using pictures and then using words. We’ll start by presenting the picture symbol of bread at every mealtime. By labelling it and pairing it with real bread we want Abdi to understand what the picture represents. We can do this by having both items next to each other and say, “Look, bread (point to real bread) and bread (point to picture symbol)”.

In order for your child to learn the steps to a new skill, you will have to provide assistance or “prompt” along the way. A prompt is a cue or hint meant to help him to perform a desired behaviour, skill, or part of a skill.

In our example, we will start by giving Abdi a positional prompt – this means we will position the bread picture symbol within his view to cue the action of touching it. We will have his hand directly above the picture symbol (located on his placemat), let his hand drop and immediately reinforce him with the food item – a piece of bread. We’ll do this at every meal time and gradually reduce the amount of support until he is able to request independently – this is called fading.

With repeated practice requesting bread using picture symbols, Abdi will be exposed to verbal modelling. After he can successfully request with the picture symbol we’ll change the task and our expectations a bit. Abdi will touch the picture; we will label it (say “bread”), pause and wait for him to make any sound. This is where shaping comes in.

Giving Reinforcement

It is important to motivate and reward your child who is learning a new skill. It also helps him to stay on track and understand what is required or expected of them.

With Abdi, we will immediately reinforce him with a piece of bread as soon as his hand touches the picture symbol – the bread is highly motivating for him. Eventually, we will want Abdi to use words to make a request. As we begin this phase of teaching him to request with words, Abdi will only be reinforced for closer approximations of the word bread.

By rewarding your child for approximating or getting increasingly closer to the steps that we want to see in the end we can shape his behaviour. For example, he may start with the sound “buh” and slowly progress to “bud”, “beadd” and then “bread”. We will immediately reinforce him with a piece of bread and then with verbal praise, “Great Abdi. You said bread!”

Generalizing the New Skill

You will want your child to know that this new skill can be applied in many places, with many people, and under many conditions. For some children, learning to request for more food at the child care centre does not necessarily mean that they are going to demonstrate this skill at home, or with anyone other than the care provider who taught them.

To help your child generalize this skill work in a team as care providers and parents, teaching the same skill in the same way and at different times throughout the day. In time and with patients, your child care learn this valuable skill.

Putting on a Jacket

photo of child getting dressed at daycare

Learning to get dressed can be a difficult task for many children. As a parent, teacher or early childhood professional, your job is to teach new skills that will help your child build independence and move forward in her development. You also teach new skills to reduce frustration, promote self-esteem, and to replace behaviour that may not be the most acceptable.

Here’s as example:

Chung Lee has difficulty putting on her jacket. When trying to get dressed for outdoor play, she throws her jacket to the floor and screams. Chung Lee is using problem behaviour to tell us, “This is too hard! I need some help”. If you have a child like Chung Lee, you too can teach her to independently put on a jacket – step by step.

Breaking Down the Task

Though some children quickly learn skills through observing and imitating others, many need the new skill to be broken down into smaller steps and to be allowed time to master each step in the sequence. The breaking down of complex skills into smaller components is called task analysis. Anything we do can be broken down into smaller steps. The number of steps depends on the needs of your child.

There are various ways to put on a jacket including the “Flip Flop” method where your child is taught to flip the jacket over their head and onto their shoulders, etc. This method is fine, but remember to choose one that works best for you and your child. Consider that some children may have difficulty learning a whole new method later on.

In our example, we decide to teach Chung Lee to put on her jacket in a way that is similar to how her parents and teachers put it on her. Many of these steps are familiar to Chung Lee and we can teach her to do them independently.

Let’s break down the steps to putting on a jacket:

Take jacket off the hook.
Hold jacket with left hand.
Slip right arm up through right arm hole.
Pull jacket up onto right shoulder.
Reach left arm behind your back.
Push left arm through the left arm hole.
Place both hands on the collar and pull forward to adjust the jacket.
Zip up the jacket.

In this case, “zipping” up the jacket involves another set of very complex steps but we’ll focus on putting the jacket on for now.

Teaching the New Skill

When teaching a self-help skill, consider using visuals such as photos or pictures symbols that represent each step. Place them in order on a board and post them in the area your child usually puts on her jacket, such as the front hallway or cubby. Use this visual tool to introduce the skill and refer to the steps every time your child puts has to put on her jacket.

In order for your child to learn the steps to a new skill, you will have to provide assistance or “prompt” along the way. A prompt is a cue or hint meant to help your child to perform a desired behaviour, skill, or part of a skill.

Start by providing hand-over-hand assistance with each step to get your child familiar with this routine. Gradually, provide less assistance, as she masters each step. This process is called fading – it involves reducing the need, strength or level of the prompt. For example, you can reduce the amount of physical prompting from hand-over-hand to partial physical prompting by touching her elbow to start off a movement, and then by modelling the actions as you put on your own jacket.

Giving Reinforcement

It is important to motivate and reward your child who is learning a new skill. It helps them to stay on track and understand what is required or expected of them. By rewarding your child for approximating or getting increasingly closer to the steps that we want to see in the end we can shape her behaviour.

In our example, we can reinforce Chung Lee for following each step by giving her verbal praise and letting her go quickly to outdoor play. Remember that verbal praise needs to describe the positive behaviour. Instead of just saying “Good job!” you can say, “Hooray! You put your jacket on!” As Chung Lee gets more comfortable with performing each step, gradually reduce the amount of reinforcement.

Generalizing the New Skill

You will what your child to know that this new skill can be applied in many places, with many people, and under many conditions. For some children, learning to dress themselves at the child care centre does not necessarily mean that they are going to demonstrate this skill at home, or with anyone other than the person who taught them.

To help Chung Lee generalize this skill we can:

Use similar but different jackets to teach the same skills (e.g., winter jacket, spring jacket, cardigan).
Have others teach the same skills.
Teach the skill in several different locations around the child care centre and at home (e.g., add a jacket or cardigan to the dramatic centre as part of the dress-up clothing).

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was designed by Andrew Bondy and Lori Frost of The Delaware Autistic Program. It was designed for children who are not yet initiating communication to express their needs or interests. Using PECS, a child learns to exchange a picture of a desired object in return for that object. In handing the picture to another person to request the object, the child’s communication becomes more social and intentional.

A speech-language pathologist must always make the decision concerning the use of this approach with a particular child and how to implement it.

PECS has six phases to expand children’s communication skills. The six phases are described below to provide a general understanding of the approach:

Phase One — Requesting an Item or Activity

Identify food/toy/activity of preference (must be highly motivating and available in small portions throughout the day).
Make a picture representation of the desired item using a photo, magazine clipping, line drawing, picture symbol, or label from an item’s packaging.

Teaching the Exchange:

Two adults are usually required during the first teaching session. One sits directly across from the child to receive the picture. The other is behind the child to prompt the exchange.
Place the desired item (e.g., a cracker) and the picture of it in front of the child.
Do not ask the child what he wants.
As the child reaches for the item, the adult behind physically assists the child to pick up the picture and hand it to the other adult’s open hand.
Provide the child with the desired object immediately and say, “Oh, you want the _____.”
Gradually provide less physical prompting. For example, hand-over-hand assistance may be required at first and eventually just a touch on the child’s elbow is all that is necessary.

Move to phase two when the child can independently and consistently pick up the picture and hand it to the adult in exchange for the item.

Phase Two — Spontaneously Requesting an Item

Individually introduce two more pictures of desired items (from different categories such as food, toys, activities) using the same method as in phase one.
Once the child can successfully request each of the new pictures when presented individually, place one picture at a time on a board with Velcro or tape.
The child should be encouraged to glance at the adult during this phase before exchanging the picture.
The adult gradually moves away from the child.
The child learns to get the picture from the board and initiate communication with an adult.
More than one adult should use the exchange system at this point.
The adult should verbally reinforce the child for exchanging the picture by saying, “Oh, you want the ____.”

Move to phase three when the child is able to go to the communication board, pull off the picture, and take it to an adult to request an item.

Phase Three — Discriminating Between Pictures

Place two pictures on the board that include one picture of a desired item and one picture of an undesired item. Rotate the pictures on the board so that the child is not just reaching for a specific location.
If the child reaches for the picture of the undesired object, the adult says, “No, we don’t have that”, and gestures toward the picture of the desired item.
If the child tries to take an item that does not correspond to the picture that was exchanged, the adult says, “You asked for _____”, and points to the item.
Continue the above steps until the child has between twelve and twenty pictures, organized on a board, or in a book.

Phase Four — Building Sentence Structure

Arrange the child’s pictures into categories such as food, toys, and activities. If using a binder, place each category on a different page.
Print the phrase, “I want ____”, and teach the child to request a desired object from the communication board by placing its picture on the “I want ____” strip.
The child learns to request a variety of items from various people.
Items being requested should sometimes be out of sight.

Phase Five — Responding to Verbal Questions/Prompts

The child uses the sentence strip “I want ____” in answer to the adult’s verbal question “What do you want?”, even when the item is not present.

Phase Six — Commenting

Phrases such as “I see ____”, or “I have ____” are used to teach the child to name items.

The Picture Exchange Communication System provides children with direct training in how to initiate communication. This training is important for those children who would prefer to go and get what they need or want instead of requesting it from another person. Without this training, some children learn how to respond to questions but are unable to ask for something. Through structured training, children progress from requesting one item to using a sentence strip to make comments. Some children also begin to use the spoken word to request items through PECS as the spoken word is consistently paired with the picture. For children who are nonverbal, the system allows for progression from using a single word to using a few words to request, respond, or comment.

References:

Based on “An Overview of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)” from Geneva Centre, January 1996.

Naptime Considerations

Naptime is a period in the day when children rest for a short time. For children who have difficulty napping, this may be a time when problem behaviours arise. As with all transitions, naptime should have a basic routine attached to it to make this experience as smooth and positive as possible.

As a parent, teacher or early childhood professional, the following strategies provide some tips to get your child ready for naptime and support him during the nap period.

Before Nap Time

Use visuals to show the daily schedule so your child can anticipate when naptime will occur throughout the day.
All children need some time to “wind down” before they go onto their beds. This could be done with a story, quiet songs, or some gentle stretching exercises. Using slow, low music and soft voices also help.
The routine leading up to naptime should be the same everyday.
The room should be cool and dark, or with dim lighting to provide a more comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Different lighting also indicates that naptime is very different from other play activities.
Some children may need to have a soft toy, a favourite blanket, or pillow to settle them and use at every nap time.
Back rubs and gentle pats on the back work wonders on children that may have difficulty resting.

During Naptime in Groups

Each child should have a consistent, designated sleep area with the child’s name or picture on the bed.
Send children to bed in small groups thereby limiting the chaos of many children trying to settle at one time.
Keep in mind the children who are light sleepers or are restless when trying to sleep. Spread them around the room so they do not disturb other children.
For children who do not nap, designate an area where quiet activities take place at a table or on a carpet. If possible, a designated “awake” classroom should be considered. The children can look at books or have access to quiet toys or activities, such as:
- lego or other small building toys (e.g., kinex or straws)
- puzzles
- playdough
- colouring
- soft squishy materials such as shaving cream, flour, jello in a sealed tight baggie
- quiet story time with the teacher
Prepare a bucket of these items before each sleep time so that you are not scrambling to find things for the children to do.

With a little good planning and strategizing, nap time will soon become a pleasant and restful time for everyone.

Modifying Your Expectations

As a parent, teacher or early childhood professional you play a central role in the successful integration of your child with special needs into any environment. Here are some strategies to help you modify your expectations and ensure your child’s experiences are successful.

Base your expectations on your child’s developmental level and physical ability – rather than chronological age or diagnosis.
Build your child’s confidence – adapt activities to promote self-esteem. For example, if your child is reluctant to participate in a large group, ease him in by carrying out activities in a smaller group first, to gain experience. Gradually increase the group size.
Provide structure – children need clear, firm guidelines for behaviour. Expect all children to follow the rules within reason. Your child will quickly learn cause and effect regardless of cognitive level.
Focus on your child’s strengths – recognize what your child is able to do as a starting point and new skills will be achieved more easily. For example, if your child has a good visual memory, use visual strategies to teach new skills.
Avoid doing for your child what they can do for themselves – provide the least amount of help that is needed and let your child do the rest. Teach skills in steps, adding another step as the previous one is mastered. For example, you may start off the zipper on your child’s jacket and then allow him pull it up the rest of the way.
Reduce your speech – use simple sentences, lots of gestures, and any visual supports, such as photo’s and picture symbols, to increase your child’s comprehension. You will find that this also promotes compliance. For example, “Lucas, tidy up the toys so the other children don’t fall down” can be simplified to “Lucas, tidy up”.
Speak for your child – when teaching social interaction it is often necessary for you to let other children know your child’s intentions. For example, Kadeem walks towards a peer and bumps into him with a ball. The teacher may have noticed that this is how Kadeem initiates play and says to the other child, “Kadeem is telling you that he wants to play ball with you.”
Ask for help – access supports when you are unsure of what to try next.

General Strategies for Dealing with Problem Behaviours

photo of teacher speaking with child

There are many reasons why children misbehave. As a parent, teacher or early childhood professional, one of the first steps in dealing with problem behaviours is to try and figure out what is the “function”, or purpose of the behaviour. In other words, what does your child get when she behaves this way? The purpose of any behaviour is either to avoid or to gain access to objects, activities, attention, or sensory stimulation.

Once you have a good idea about the purpose of the behaviour you can begin to deal with it by making the problem behaviour:

irrelevant (not important) – first, try to prevent it from happening, such as making changes to the environment, routines, tasks, teaching methods, and the timing of events
inefficient (to have no value) – teach a different and more appropriate behaviour that will serve the same purpose for your child, but will be simple for her to do instead
ineffective (not successful) – change the end results or the consequences so that it no longer helps your child to avoid or gain access to objects, activities, attention, or sensory stimulation.

Remember — When attempting to change a problem behaviour, it may get worse before it gets better. Be patient and persistent when attempting to make change.

Here are some general strategies for dealing with problem behaviour that can be used with the following specific functions:

Obtain Objects or Activities

When the purpose for problem behaviour is to gain access to an object or activity,

Provide an appropriate replacement. Give your child another way to get the object or activity. For example, make this object easier for your child to access or reach.
Teach your child different ways of asking for the item or activity, such as using the Picture Exchange Communication System, gestures, vocalizations, and words.
Don’t respond to problem behaviour as if it is a type of communication. For example: If your child is screaming in front of the computer for it to be turned on, wait until she has calmed down, praise her for being calm, then give her the desired result.
Do not provide any type of reward for the inappropriate behaviour. Provide as little attention as possible. Redirect your child in a very neutral manner.

Obtain Attention

If problem behaviour seems to be motivated by the need for attention,

Attempt to ignore the behaviour, or provide as little attention as possible. For example, if your child bangs the table to get your attention, wait until she has stopped banging and then give her attention. Do not look at or acknowledge the banging while it occurs.
Provide more attention and praise when your child is doing the right kinds of things. When your child is sitting and playing, or doing an activity, give her lots of attention, such as saying “Nice job doing your puzzle!”
Teach your child to seek attention more appropriately by calling a person by name, taking an adult by the hand, tapping the adult on the shoulder, or by producing a specific sign or exchanging a picture symbol to make this request.

Remember that negative attention, such as raising your voice, can be just as reinforcing to some children.

Obtain Sensory Stimulation

If your child is seeking sensory stimulation in an inappropriate way,

Replace! Determine what kind of sensory stimulation your child is seeking and provide it in a more appropriate manner. For example, if your child bites or puts things (other than food) in her mouth, you may want to provide her with a chew tube or a specific chewing toy, so she gets the same feeling in her mouth. An occupational therapy consultation will be helpful when identifying safe alternatives.
When possible, direct your child’s attention away from the sensory feedback by getting her busy with other activities.

Escape Objects and Activities

You need to think carefully about children who attempt to escape certain kinds of objects or activities.

Consider these questions:

Is the activity too difficult for my child?
Does she know what other people want from her?
Are there sensory concerns? For example, is the music loud in the room?
Was a warning provided before the transition to the activity? (e.g., one more minute, then we are leaving).

If all of the above points have been addressed and the behaviour continues, the following strategies will help you deal with the problem behaviour:

Ensure follow-through. Initially, this may mean that your child is expected to participate in the activity for an extremely minimal amount of time (e.g., sit at the table for lunch for twenty seconds).
Provide rewards as soon as your child has completed the activity, or for any cooperation during the activity.
Teach your child to indicate their desire to end an activity by asking for a “break”, saying/signing “no” or “finished”, or using a picture symbol.

Escape Attention

If your child does not like attention, she may be trying to send a message. Think about the following questions:

Is the interaction too difficult for my child?
Is my child stressed?
Are there sensory concerns, such as difficulty with loud noises or physical contact?

Try to:

Slowly pair yourself with things or activities your child loves. This will make your attention much more tolerable and perhaps even fun.
Reduce or change your expectations.
Teach coping strategies and stress-release techniques. For example, you can create a Personal Story to help teach your child about what to do in difficult social situations. Check out the For more information box for details.

Escape Sensory Stimulation

If your child does not like certain kinds of sensory stimulation,

Change the environment and play materials to reduce the sensory input that is difficult for your child. For example: If your child is sensitive to loud noise, lower the sound volume on toys (many now have lower volume buttons). Watch your child’s response to different types of noise. By decreasing the noise level or type of noise, your child may be less likely to look for an escape.
Seek a consultation with an occupational therapist.

Most of all, it is important to remember not to force your child to participate in activities that they really does not like.

Remember that dealing with problem behaviour can be challenging. Be consistent in your approach and seek help if you need it. Change takes time and patience.

Following Instructions

photo of three children putting blocks away

Following instructions is important in helping children learn new skills and function well in different environments. Instructions can teach children new skills step by step, or let them know what to do next.

Instructions can have different levels of difficulty. A one-step instruction such as “Get your shoes,” has only one piece of information that needs to be followed. A two-step instruction such as “Get your shoes and put them on,” has two pieces of information or steps that need to be followed.

As a parent, teacher or early childhood professional, you can help your child learn to follow instructions by considering her developmental level and the difficulty of the instruction. You may need to simplify or break down the instruction to ensure success.

Breaking down the Task

Though some children quickly learn skills through watching and following others, many children need the new skill to be broken down into smaller steps and to be allowed time to master each step in the sequence. The breaking down of complex skills into smaller parts is called task analysis. Anything we do can be broken down into smaller steps.

For example:

Asha has difficulty with following the instructions to tidy up her toys. When asked to tidy up, Asha continues to play. When asked a second time, she throws a toy. Asha is using problem behaviour to tell us, “I don’t want to tidy up – I want to keep playing!” To teach Asha to follow the instruction to tidy up, we will first have to break down the steps for her:

Select which items Asha will need to put away.
Teach Asha to pick up one item at a time.
Encourage Asha to put the items in the appropriate spot (e.g. container, basket, shelf, etc.).
If possible, continue until all the items that need to be put away are cleared.

Teaching the New Skill

Teaching a new skill involves preparation – whether it is means setting aside a specific time to teach the skill or collecting materials. When you are teaching a new skill, consider using visuals, such as photos or picture symbols that represent each step. In some instances, visual aides support your child in understanding what is expected of her.

In order for your child to learn the steps to a new skill, you could provide assistance or “prompt” along the way. A prompt is a cue or hint meant to help your child perform a desired behaviour or part of a skill.

Let’s take a look at how we can help Asha follow through with each step:

Give Asha a verbal warning that play time is almost finished. You could say, “Two more minutes then tidy up!”
Prior to the actual tidy up time, you could remove any excess items from Asha’s play area so as to avoid overwhelming her.
Once the two-minute warning to tidy up has come, sing the “Tidy Up” song for Asha to hear.
One of the prompts Asha may need is gentle hand-over-hand assistance to place one item in the basket. Select the item that is closest to Asha and if necessary, bring the container closer to her.
As soon as Asha completes the tidy-up instruction, we can direct her to the next activity.

When teaching a new skill such as “tidying up,” we should only expect Asha to tidy up one item initially. Once Asha becomes familiar with the new expectation and routine, we can reduce the amount of physical prompting from hand-over-hand to a gentle tap on the elbow or shoulder, model the behaviour and so on. The goal is to eventually fade out the amount of support we are providing to Asha, so she can tidy up on her own. As Asha requires less help, we can gradually increase the number of items from one to two, three and four she will be expected to pick up.

Remember just as following instructions are an important skill for children to learn, how you give instructions is equally important as well.

Here are a few tips to follow, when giving your child an instruction:

Make sure the instruction you give is clear as well as developmental or age appropriate.
See that you have your child’s attention, when you give the instruction. This may involve calling her by name and or giving a gentle touch.
Use visual prompts to help your child understand your request.
Remember to give your child enough time to respond to your request. Say the instruction then WAIT for a response.
Model the appropriate response for your child to follow, when necessary.

Giving Reinforcement

Reinforcement is anything that motivates or encourages your child. It is any environmental event that maintains or strengthens an action or behaviour. Reinforcers may involve offering a verbal praise, a special activity, music or song, and toys. Reinforcement is a reward that occurs or is given after a desired behaviour.

It is important to motivate and reward your child when she is learning a new skill. It helps her stay on track and provides a better understanding of what is required or expected of her. By rewarding your child for participating in the routine and learning the required steps to the task, you are helping to shape the behaviour or outcome.

In our example, we will provide verbal praise for Asha’s efforts in tidying up and following the instructions. We can say, “You put the toy in the basket; great tidying up!”

Both parents and teachers could also carry mini daily schedules with them throughout the day. Asha can be shown the picture of the upcoming activity (which is highly preferred) to help her understand what the reward for tidying up will be. We can also say, “First tidy up, then snack time” while showing her the picture of snack time. Once Asha has tidied up, she can hold the picture as a transition helper while walking to the next activity.

Generalizing the New Skill

A new skill can be applied in different environments, with other people, under various conditions. For some children, learning to tidy up at the child care centre or at home does not necessarily mean that they are going to perform this skill elsewhere, or with anyone other than the person who taught them.

In our example, we help Asha generalize this skill by:

Having everyone involved teach the same skill by using the same techniques.
Teaching the skill in several different locations around the classroom or home (e.g. during indoor and outdoor free play time, cubby area, lunch time and during the washroom routine).

Remember, teaching your child to follow directions will take time and patience. Keep practicing and it will get easier.

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