1. Solving Behavior Problems in Autism Improving Communication with Visual Strategies
By Linda Hodgdon

2. About this Book
Provides a very practical and pragmatic approach to managing problem behaviors
Behavior is related to communication. Better communication is supported by visual strategies
Packed with many samples and examples of strategies that have worked to improve communication and solve behavior

3. Table of Contents Part 1: the Link Between Behavior, Communication, and Visual Strategies
Chapter 1: What Do We know About Behavior discusses:
What are causes of behavior problems and why do they exist
Common causes of behavior problems
Behavior management 101
Behavior intervention and the ASD student
Discusses annoying behavior to behavior causing injury
Must focus on identifying the cause for the behavior not the behavior itself
Causes-age, family issues,
Discuss areas of communication breakdown that contribute to behavior problems
Discuss learned behavior that causes difficulty-learned helplessness, dependency, routines, responses
Discusses physical and social environment
Discusses need for you to change so the student will change-communicating, environment
Autistic kids have different reasons for behavior problems-difficulty with communication and differences in their brain **how they perceive environment:how they are able to understand and interpret communication and social interaction: how they are able to express themselves to get wants and needs met

4. Chapter 2:Understanding Communication
Communication problems in ASD students
How communication problems affect behavior
Chapter 3:What are Visual Strategies
What are visual tools and supports?
Why use visuals for behavior
Discusses skills that kids develop-not just speech but understanding, socialization, turn taking communicative intent, forms of communication, functions of communication
Discusses the complexity of the development of communication
Behavior situations occur due to communication cause –kids don’t understand, difficulty expressing themselves, kids don’t know what else to do

5. Part 2: Assessment Considerations Part 3:Improving Communication
Chapter 4:Evaluating Behavior Situations
Discusses different tools for assessment
*ABC-Antecedent Behavior Consequence
*FBA-Functional Behavior Analysis
*Data collection
Provides a 6 page sample Guide for Assessing Behavior Situations
Part 3:Improving Communication
Chapter 5: Ten Keys to Becoming a Better Communication Partner
Chapter 6: Seven Critical Communication Skills to Teach
Must have a plan-without assessment management becomes series of reactions to specific actions rather than a plan of improving them
Unless the cause is assessed-behavior will keep occurring
ABC-easy to look logically at big picture—helps to guide us to determine what is causing it
FBA-systematically look at all information and develop a plan for change
ABC< FBA< and data collection gives ways to gather info about what is occurring
Guide for Assessing behavior Situations-help lead to some solutions

6. Part 4: Using Visual Strategies to Support Communication and Solve Behavior Problems
Chapter 7: Visual Tools to Improve Understanding
Examples of visual schedules and calendar
Examples of visuals to give information about life-lunch time, shopping, going to the Dr.
Chapter 8: Strategies to Help Students Control Their Environment
Examples of making choices and requests
Examples of ways for students to appropriately tell use what they don’t want
Examples of appropriate ways for students to negotiate their options
Chapter 8—
Protest-what to teach will depend on several listed factors, teach non verbal protest strategies-shake head, move back, give appropriate things to say verbally, help teach student understanding of knock it off-mean leave me alone
Discusses how to teach protest-role playing, video taping ect

7. Chapter 9: Using Visual Tools to Regulate Behavior
Examples of visuals for communicating no
Examples of visuals for rules and behavior guides
Chapter 10: Improving Language Skills with Visual Tools
Examples of how to teach powerful early communication
Examples of how to communicate feelings
Chapter 11: Tools to Support Self-Management
Examples of how to teach students to handle their own behavior problems when
Chapter 9; how to teach a kid to Communicating no and techniques
Rules-examples of general rules, rest room rules, picking nose, doing your work,
Chapter 10-need to be specifically taught exactly what to do and how to do it
Discusses emerging language-selecting vocabulary to teach-start with wants and needs, focus on teaching communication-not just speech
Chapter 11- help recognize they are having difficulty, make choices, teach kids to determine when they are calm—examples-too noisy, relaxation, what to do when frustrated, someone bothering you

8. Part 5:Implimenting Visual Tools and Supports
Chapter 12: Developing Visual Tools
How to make visuals
Chapter 13: Addressing Special Needs
Students with limited cognitive ability, visual impairments, multiple diagnosis, and students with extreme behaviors
Photos, objects, pictures or what—things to consider when deciding what type to use
Also part 6 of questions and answers