ORGANIZING YOUR HOME ENVIRONMENT TO PROMOTE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR Presented By Frank LoCurto, MS, BCBA, LBA District-Wide Behavior Specialist

Feedback from the Behavior Department Common Feedback and Concerns from Parents -My child leaves his stuff everywhere!!!!!!! -The morning routine is such a struggle, and we have such little time……… -It is such a long time from when my child gets home until dinner; how do I make it easier for both of us? -I want to work with my child when he gets home but he doesn’t listen to me…………… -My child’s Behavior is so much better at school than home………………. -My Child’s Teacher says she can do all of these things; why don’t we see her do these things at home? -How can I reinforce the things my child is learning at school, across the home setting?

Let’s Compare School and Home Environments School  1. Teachers, Staff and Classmates  2. Highly Structured  3. Demand Based and Clear Expectations  4. It is the job of teachers and staff to educate and address the needs of their students  5. Schools and Classrooms are comprised of teams who are trained in these skills and practice them day in and out  6. We can send your kid home at 3PM Home  1. Parents, Relatives and Siblings  2. Typically Loosely Structured  3. Mix of Demands and Free Reinforcement - Expectations not Always Clear given all the variables included in the home setting.  4. It is your job to be your child’s parent – much more complex!!!  5. It’s just you, and you are learning as you go!  6. You have the Extended Package!

 Analyze the behavior:  Before developing any plan, it is important to analyze and assess the problem to learn more about the causes / triggers, both social and environmental.  Once we do this, we will be better informed and equipped in generating strategies and environmental supports to address the issue from all angles, both Proactively and Reactively.  Looking at what occurs both before (Antecedents) and after (Consequences) behavior is a great way to learn more about the general patterns surrounding the behavior.  It will give you input on how to modify your child’s environment for the better and how to prompt / react to these behaviors going forward Developing a Plan – Where to Start…..

Antecedent (What happens before the behavior) Does my child typically react negatively when demands are placed? Does my child have a hard time with ending preferred activities? Am I providing my child more support than he / she needs with simple tasks? Is my child able to independently move from one activity to next? Does my child know how to navigate and access what he / she needs in the house? Is my child aware of the positive and / negative consequences of his / her behavior? Behavior Consequence (What happens immediately after the behavior) Analyzing behavior is as easy as A-B-C

Antecedent (What happens before the behavior) Does my child typically react negatively when demands are placed? Does my child have a hard time with ending preferred activities? Am I providing my child more support than he / she needs with simple tasks? Is my child able to independently move from one activity to next? Does my child know how to navigate and access what he / she needs in the house? Is my child aware of the positive and / negative consequences of his / her behavior? Behavior What is your child trying to communicate through his behavior??? I want something I Don’t want something I need attention I want to be left alone I need help I need a break This is too hard for me I’m confused I feel sick, tired, bored…. What I am doing is fun What I am doing helps keep me calm This place has too much going on all at once I can’t find anything in this place Consequence (What happens immediately after the behavior) Analyzing behavior is as easy as A-B-C

Antecedent (What happens before the behavior) Does my child typically react negatively when demands are placed? Does my child have a hard time with ending preferred activities? Am I providing my child more support than he / she needs with simple tasks? Is my child able to independently move from one activity to next? Does my child know how to navigate and access what he / she needs in the house? Is my child aware of the positive and / negative consequences of his / her behavior? Behavior What is your child trying to communicate through his behavior??? I want something I Don’t want something I need attention I want to be left alone I need help I need a break This is too hard for me I’m confused I feel sick, tired, bored…. What I am doing is fun What I am doing helps keep me calm This place has too much going on all at once I can’t find anything in this place Consequence (What happens immediately after the behavior) Are the expectations which I have set for my child realistic and attainable? Are the consequences which I enforce consistent? Is my child aware of them? Am I providing my child with enough reinforcement / praise for his / her effort towards learning new skills? Are the methods I am using to prompt / teach my child these new skills fostering greater independence or dependence? Analyzing behavior is as easy as A-B-C

 Once you have gathered some insight about the general patterns of your child’s behavior, you can then generate and implement strategies to help create greater positive behavioral change. Let’s Make a Plan!!!

1. Structure is a Must or Your Plan Will Be A Bust!  Kids in general (and plenty of adults) are not great planners.  Planning is a skill that takes a long time to develop  We use several tools to help us:  1. Remember Appointments  2. Complete Tasks  3. Give Presentations  4. Plan for Events  5. Keep our Things in Order  When setting up the home environment, utilize tools which will help your child learn and achieve greater independence.

Schedules Are Great Tools to Build Independence, Minimize Prompting, and Teach our Kids to Better Plan and Organize  Schedules  Schedules are great tools in the home environment  They help to create structure within activities / routines and throughout the day  Schedules have the capability to serve as planning tools for people to use to complete tasks independently  Types of Schedules  1. Daily Schedules  2. Daily Living Routine Schedules  3. Activity / Play Schedules

Daily Schedules  Daily Schedules  Daily Schedules illustrate the activities / events of the day in chronological order  Daily Schedules can either be illustrated through pictures, words or both (Many are used on Augmentative Communication Devices) Tips for Implementing Daily Schedules - Schedules should be placed in locations which are clearly visible to your child - Start out with small chunks of the day (2-3) activities and gradually increase - When prompting, keep in mind that independence is the goal. Use as subtle prompts as necessary (Ex. Gestures, Physical Guidance, Etc…) to facilitate success. As your child shows greater independence, begin to fade back the level of prompts you use

Daily Schedules

Daily Living Routine Schedules  Daily living routines are great skill building activities for your children for several reasons:  1. They are structured and often remain constant  2. They occur every day so your child has several opportunities to practice them  3. Because they typically occur in the same order, picture or word schedules work great as prompts to help your child complete these tasks independently  4. These visuals will also create criteria your child needs to complete to finish the routine (They will serve as a self-monitoring tool to improve goal directed and on-task behavior)  5. They can be used as reinforcement schedules which will increase your child’s motivation to comply with and finish the task.  6. Putting a picture of the reinforcer your child will receive for completing the task is often effective in keeping him / her motivated throughout the task.

Daily Routine Schedules

Activity (Play) Schedules  Activity schedules are great tools to help your child:  1. They assist in keeping your child on task and goal directed (Being on and off task are incompatible behaviors)  2. They help in transitioning from activity to activity  3. They are self-monitoring tools that will help your child increase the length of time they are engaged in appropriate activities, which will have a direct effect on the amount of time they are disengaged or engaged in inappropriate behaviors. Increased Engagement and Level of On-Task Behavior = Increased Opportunity for Reinforcement and Learning Opportunities!!!!

Activity Play Schedules

 1. Activities should be things your child can do mostly or fully independently  2. Tasks should be completion ones, or timed, to establish a clear beginning and end for your child (This will help during transitions)  3. The system should be one that your child can navigate with little or no prompting (even better if it looks similar to other schedules used in the home – Ex. Daily Living)  4. Reinforcement should be incorporated into the schedule (Ex.. Highly preferred activity after completion of first 2)  5. Independence is key so use the least intrusive prompts necessary.. Also, use prompts that will help your child utilize the tools that have been put into the environment – Ex.. Schedule Activity Play Schedules – General Tips for Implementation

 They provide our kids with built in supports to learn skills that they will need to know for the rest of their lives  They are transferrable and generalizable….. Meaning that the same system can be applied for several different things  They often reduce the level of prompting that our kids require  They help our kids learn to be more goal directed and develop better organization skills (Executive Functioning)  They offer our kids with more opportunities for reinforcement (recognition of completion of each step of a task) vs. negative consequences (redirection or negative comments for not completing a whole task) General Points on Why Schedules Are Effective

2. Create a User Friendly Environment at Home  Eliminate any clutter in the areas your child uses regularly (Kitchen / Play Area / Bathroom / Etc…). More is not always better. By giving access to fewer items at once, and then rotating them with others, you will keep items novel for your child and significantly reduce the amount of stimulation in your child’s environment  Organizers work great! (Cubbies and closet organizers are effective tools to create a place for each functional item your child regularly uses). This will make your child’s environment more consistent and predictable.  These organizers will make these items visible and create a designated locations where your child knows to find them, and just as importantly, put them away.  Using corresponding pictures or word labels on these cubbies / organizers will also help your child utilize the environment effectively.

Create a User Friendly Environment at Home

3. Incorporate Functional Communication Supports Throughout the Home Setting  Pictures and labels can also be used as communication tools for your child if they are placed in strategic locations in the environment. Some examples include:  1. “On” next to the TV  2. “Help” in a location where your child may require assistance with a specific skill  3. Creating a menu of food on the refrigerator door and requiring your child to request for the food he / she wants to eat.

Incorporate Functional Communication Supports Throughout the Home Setting

 Utilizing these supports will provide your child with several more opportunities each day to develop her ability to communicate  This will reduce the level of prompting your child ultimately requires to communicate his needs  Having communication supports in place for your child to use will also serve as a proactive strategy to decrease the likelihood of behavioral escalations due to inability to communicate effectively (Teaching of Replacement Behaviors)  Increased ability to communicate will also result in increased opportunities for reinforcement for your child each and every day. Incorporate Functional Communication Supports Throughout the Home Setting

 Creating a more “User-Friendly” environment for your child is the first step in maximizing learning potential and independence, first at home, and then out in the community.  Helping your child use these tools at home first will allow them the opportunity to develop new skills that can be ultimately transferred across different settings in the community.  Schedules and other visual supports will foster independence, reduce prompting needed, increase opportunities for reinforcement, and help your child to be more goal directed and focused.  These supports will also help you to set clear rules and expectations in the home.  Slow and Steady wins the race. Patience is key and consistency is crucial. Systematically begin to incorporate these changes into your child’s environment in doses you all feel comfortable with.  Some days will be better than others. Stay positive and confident that the supports you implement will create positive change. Focus on the big picture on how your child is responding, not the minor setbacks. Summing It All Up

 ?????? Questions ?????? ORGANIZING YOUR HOME ENVIRONMENT TO PROMOTE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR