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Choices: The power of "Or"

Disruptive or destructive behavior is often a cry for control. Many individuals with disabilities have such high barriers to communication, compounded by sensory overload, that the right to make even the most basic of decisions is stripped from them on a regular basis. Behavioral training is sometimes essential but caregivers must remember a student may simply feel overwhelmed. Choices are the key to good behavior because the word “or” empowers a student. Giving students choices, even between very similar items or activities, allows them a sense of control over their environment. Caregivers may be surprised that simply asking which pair of scissors or what color paper is preferred can improve a student’s behavior. Many decisions should and will remain out of a student’s control, but there are almost endless ways to build options into the day if a caregiver develops a habit of offering choices. Keep in mind that the choice should never be to work or not to work! Examples of simple choices: Which cup would you like to drink from? Would you like to go on the blue swing or the yellow one? Which shoe should we put on first? Would you like to listen “How Many”? or “Letter Sounds”?

It may take time and practice to understand what “or” means. A student may not understand that a choice is being offered since it has never been directly taught. Children with autism and other delays may become stuck in a pattern, such as always choosing what is offered last. If this is the case, occasionally offer a preferred item, like an m&m candy, first and a non- preferred item, like a slice of lemon, second. Then let the student live with his or her choice. If need be, offer the choice again, in the same order, a few minutes later.

Critical Communication

Underneath the fun of Tuneville is a passion to help student's with disabilities communicate. The majority of the most troubling behaviors stems from an inability to make wants and needs known. The greater degree of control and ownership a person has of his life, the less work a caregiver or teacher has to invest in continually managing behaviors. In conjunction with Tuneville lessons, teach key words or signs like “finished” and “more”. Then make “or” and “then” primary vocabulary goals. More on these two power words in the next entries.

Breaking Prompt Dependence

The goal for all students is to be able to perform a skill (like identifying a cat and saying the “meow” sound) independently with no direction. However, in order to gain a brand new, never before preformed skill, a student is dependent on prompts. Tuneville prompts new interaction but it can, like all teaching methods, foster prompt dependence. Prompt dependence is when a child cannot perform a task without being prompted in the way that the skill was first taught. To lessen dependence on Tuneville, play a lesson where a student can hear it but not see it. See if he can fill in the blanks with auditory cues alone. When a session with Tuneville is done, immediately voice just heard lyrics and see if a student will fill-in for a “live” prompt. Slowly stretch the time between the Tuneville session and this real life test. Then look for opportunities to use lyrics in real world situations. The end goal is to have real world situations spontaneously prompt language learned in Tuneville, i.e., your neighbors cat crosses your lawn and the Tuneville lyric “the cat says, ‘meow’” pops out as real practical everyday language.

Taking Tuneville into the Real World

Children with autism often have great difficulty using knowledge or language gained in one setting in a variety of settings and with a variety of people. In other words, they do not easily generalize.  Since at Tuneville we believe that one skill generalized is worth ten done on the ipad, Tuneville imbeds the first two steps for generalization into every lesson: 

1. the lesson learned through music is then taught in spoken form and 
2. the illustrations used initially are traded out whenever possible for photographs for the fun activities after track D. 

In this way, the new presentation will be closely associated, or paired, with the old. Parents and teachers can continue this process of generalization by looking for real world opportunities (or other games, shows, or books) to use the language learned from a Tuneville lesson, then gradually begin to change the wording slightly. For example, if you learned Animal Sounds from Tuneville (release date 5/30/11) say, "I’m thinking of an animal that says meow.” Later,  change the question again to: “Find an animal in this book that says meow.” And again, another slight change in a future opportunity,“There is uncle Joe's cat. What does he say?”

Encouraging Vocalization

A student’s first vocal responses to a second Tuneville track might not be truly classified as speech but more accurately described as grunting or humming. These two types of vocal responses are important initial steps towards speech and should be praised and encouraged. Modeling the fill-ins and then fading prompts will help children gain independent speech. Group or one-on-one settings may be experimented with to encourage participation. Have children participate in group settings by listening to track A (musical training track) or C (spoken training track) repeatedly. Then take turns having each child fill in the blanks in tracks B or D. Friends or teachers may need to model filling in the blanks at first but quickly work on fading these prompts. Repeat songs for multiple attempts at a single response. Full verbal prompts may be necessary initially but quickly work on fading all prompts - model only part of the fill in, just the initial sound, or press the pause button for more time to respond.

Opposites Sample