Arizona Institute for Autism (AIA) Blog
4 Ways You Can Reduce Behavior Management
Children can get overwhelmed, frustrated, and sensory overloaded at any time because of different needs, which can result in a child engaging in challenging behaviors. However, the common thing among all children is that they are in need of support with their communication skills. Different strategies can be used to prevent or minimize challenging behavior, including:
Being proactive, instead of reacting to a child’s behavior. Using proactive strategies that have the most significant impact can help in teaching children the skills they need to convey their needs/wants. Proactive strategies include Communication Skills, Coping Skills, Manding Skills, Attending Skills, etc. Waiting until the child is engaging in disruptive behaviors and then intervening is not beneficial, nor teachable for the child.
Observe your child’s demeanor and model using appropriate communication skills. When a child is engaging in challenging behavior, make sure to redirect, rather than saying “Stop!” or “No!” to problem behavior. (i.e. replace “Stop kicking”, with “Keep feet to self”, which is beneficial in teaching a child a positive, functional replacement behavior.
Provide choices that allow a child to feel involved, and heard, have a sense of control, and be empowered. Make sure to provide 2-3 choices to eliminate a child getting overwhelmed by many options. If the child is non-verbal or has language difficulties, make sure to use visuals. Also, make sure to give the choices in a concise, clear way that matches your child’s level of communication. Choices can be given as keeping one choice is higher preferred to the child from the other one.
Allow your child to make a choice in the type of the activity or task presented (e.g., “Do you want to read a book about a cat or a book about a dog?”) or the place to engage in the activity (e.g. “Do you like to play with Lego inside or outside”).
For more information on how to reduce behavior management, schedule a consultation with us today at 480.707.2195 or learn more at azinstitute4autism.com/contactus.
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