1. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO HAVE A COOPERATIVE AND MUTUALLY RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH J

2. J IS AUTISTIC Her symptoms include:  Difficulty adapting to change  Lack of social & communication skills  Unable to see others’ point of view  Insist on sameness  Problem with personal boundary

3. J HAS ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER Her symptoms include:  Short attention span  Impulsivity  Lack of direction and organizational skills  Difficulty following multi step directions  Easily frustrated

4. J IS BORDERLINE MR She has:  Poor judgment  Difficulty with abstract concepts  Difficulty with ambiguity  Difficulty generalizing  Enough intelligence to feel trapped  Low self-esteem

5. J HAS MOOD DISORDER Her difficulties include:  Rapid mood swing  Inability to modulate and/or process her own emotion  Fixation which worsen when anxiety level is high

6. J’S HISTORY  Experience in middle school  Experience in high school  Disrespectful and controlling treatment  Physical and verbal abuse

7. DISABILITY + HISTORY  Unprocessed anger bottled up  Feeling of betrayal lead to distrust  Feeling controlled lead to rebellion  Mal-adaptive behavior re-enforced by reactive intervention  Inconsistency lead to break down in behavioral management

8. WHAT ELSE?  J is eager to please  J craves for relationship  J is intuitive, she becomes reactive when she senses you are losing your cool  J resents power struggle  J is a visual learner

9. J IS AUTISTIC  Difficulty adapting to change  Use daily schedule to keep environment as predictable as possible  Lack of social & communication skills  Unable to see others’ point of view  Insist on sameness  Use daily schedule to give structure  Problem with personal boundary  Be mindful of sharing personal information  Explain yourself  Model appropriate skills & practice

10. J HAS ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER  Short attention span  Visual directive/schedule  Impulsivity  Stay calm around her  Lack of direction and organizational skills  Provide structure  Difficulty following multi step directions  Breakdown task to small steps  Use visual directives  Easily frustrated  Give frequent praise

11. J IS BORDERLINE MR  Poor judgment  Provide protection and guidance  Difficulty with abstract concepts  Be concrete  Difficulty with ambiguity  Be clear and specific  Difficulty generalizing  Revise directives when any condition changes  Knows enough to feel trapped  Allow her to make decisions when possible  Low self-esteem  Give her more responsibility  Frequent verbal praise

12. J HAS MOOD DISORDER  Rapid mood swing  Set up a routine so her days are predictable  Inability to modulate and/or process her own emotion  Help her name her emotion  Bring her to a reference point  Fixation is worse when anxiety level is high  Give her reassurance. Her fixation will ease as her anxiety passes

13. DISABILITY + HISTORY  Unprocessed anger bottled up  Correct any misperception when opportunity arises  Feeling of betrayal lead to distrust  Build trust - NO empty promises  Feeling controlled lead to rebellion  Let her make decision whenever possible  Mal-adaptive behavior re-enforced by reactive intervention  Do NOT react to her words/actions. Set model behavior for her  Inconsistency lead to break down in behavioral management  Be consistent among all staff

14. TAKE HOME MESSAGES  Use a daily schedule to give structure and keep the environment as predictable as possible  Let her know when you need to change the routine and why. Always follow up on what you tell her  Empower her by asking for her opinion and allowing her to make decision on minor issues  Respect her non-negotiable, especially when her anxiety level is high  Avoid power struggle  Model acceptable replacement behavior  Follow the same rules you set for her  Be consistent with the agreed upon approach among all staff