Revision [2290]
Last edited on 2011-12-12 23:39:49 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
Saturday 9/3/11
Working with a child who has Down Syndrome can be challenging and rewarding at the same time. For privacy purposes we will call him James, who is fifteen years old and lives at home with his parents and siblings. James has some behavioral problems that occurs when he becomes frustrated or angry and doesn't know or understand how else to express his feelings in a healthy way that doesn't affect others around him. Since working with James I have been working on this with him in a number of ways. Starting with, teaching him how to ask for a break when he begins to feel angry or frustrated. When he would have to perform a task, like completing his homework such as math (which he has a difficult time grasping the concept once the numbers get higher). I taught him to ask for a break by beginning to notice the first signs of the frustration and anger that happens. For example, he will start to put his hands on his head, sometimes forceful and says he doesn't know what to do. I would then ask him, "James, do you need a break?" He would learn that if he said yes, we could take a break and he would have the time to calm down. Now for an example, today he was able to ask for a break on his own when his shoes got a hole in the toe and his mom had to get rid of them and give him a different pair. This was unexpected to him and as he started to throw a tantrum he told us he needed a break and went into his room. His mother and I were very happy because usually it does not go that smoothly; him getting to his room so quickly; this was huge progress for us. After he came out of his room, he told us that "he was back," this means that he is calm and ready to talk about the issue. I don't put a time limit on being in his room, I just tell him when he is ready to come out and be calm he may.
On James plan, his parents would like him to work out to get into shape. Getting him to go to the gym is a challenge in itself; it's even harder to get him to work out. I use positive reinforcement to encourage James to go to the gym. For example, he really enjoys going to the library to look at different books and pick a couple out. If he goes to the gym and works out he gets to go the library afterward. Another way to get James to go to the gym is with me working out with him, this seems to be a good reinforcer for him because he becomes very excited when I workout next to him, he will look at me while he is in the treadmill and say "give me some skin"- meaning a high five. Another reinforcer is arts and crafts, I made a plan that if he works out for 30 minutes he is able to come home and color and draw. He has been enjoying working out at the gym as long as he continues to ask for a break when he needs one. We were at the gym today, and he was on the treadmill and he asked very politely for a break, if I would stop the treadmill so he could take a break, this was a big improvement from him usually yelling or shouting "Get me off this thing!" Now the other day his mom gave him a different pair of shows telling him that "these are your gym shoes, you are not to wear your school black shoes to the gym anymore." When I get there at 3:00 PM we have a schedule, he has until 3:30 to relax, draw, or watch TV and then at 3:30 we start to get ready to go to the gym. Today his mother was upstairs and I thought that it was going to be a battle to get him to wear his gym shoes, since this is the first time since Saturday. Since we were going to go play outside when he got home I told him, that "if he wears these gym shoes now, he can wear his black shoes when he gets home to go outside." He looked at me and said "great idea!" Giving him the option to be able to wear his black shoes later if he wore his gym shoes now gave him the power to make the decision and that results in avoiding a battle because he believes he chose to wear those shoes by himself.
James and I went to the gym, as we have in our plan and schedule now. He was behaving extra well today because we have an appointment scheduled with a trainer at the gym on Monday. In order for James to be able to earn that privilege he must behave well. His mother and I created a point plan to count his good behavior. Which is further explained on Monday. Today was a good day to earn himself his points because each Saturday starting today is football game day. His father coaches a varsity football team and the whole family goes to each home game. The games are great opportunities for James to interact with other students and peers at his school, and teachers that are there as well. For example he saw his gym teacher there, and was very excited and enthusiastic about the activities in gym class. Because he was very polite to her and excited for school he earned himself a point. He saw many peers that he knows from school there and he made sure he said hello to everyone that walked by. He earned a point for interacting with others and making a good effort to create a conversation with kids his own age. At the game his mom gives them each one Sierra Mist and one serving of Frito's, when they are done with that sometimes can be a hassle to get James to stop asking for more, but today he didn't and earned a point for listening to his mom. When he gets really overly excited about things, for example before we left for the game he was starting to do bad behaviors, not listening and its because he can't handle all the excitement. During half time it is the same sort of thing. He is really excited to be at the game and can start to act inappropriate, as he did, but i reminded him about seeing the trainer and he did a good job on calming down and being appropriate and still having fun at the same time so he earned another point. James earned his last point by waiting patiently at the end of the game to go out on the field with his dad as they always do. Overall today was a good day and I think the point system is working, as long as he has something to look forward to.
Today James went to the gym. He was able to meet with a trainer and was really excited to work with him. In order for him to earn the privilege of him meeting with the trainer he had to accomplish certain tasks. As a reward for good behavior he earned it, for example we used a point based day. Every time his mom or dad, and me asked him to do something like putting the dishes away (which is his job) and he does it without talking back or swearing (which are big problems with him behaviorally) he earned himself a point. If he talked back he lost a point and he had to earn 5 points a day, but couldn't go below zero. Because he earned his points we scheduled an appointment with a trainer. James was very excited to go to the gym and after we got home we worked on some of his homework, he was well behaved and didn't need to ask for a break. Working with James is becoming more and more rewarding; he is doing phenomenal in his behavior and working on things in his plan. Another item on his plan is to go to the grocery store and try for once a week. This is so James can start to learn about what foods he can eat, because he is on a special diet. James is gluten, casein, soy, egg, and dairy free. This makes it very difficult for him to fully understand what he can and cannot have. By going to the grocery store- his mom makes a list and we go through it and I help teach him the foods that he can have. There are certain foods that are considered treats for him, like sierra mist, and corn chips and he earns those for god behavior as well.
Today was a full day of positive reinforcement and a little punishment. The beginning of the day, we went to the music is art festival in Buffalo. He behaved very well here and received tons of positive reinforcement for his good behavior. For example, when it was time to leave the kids village tent that he loved, he left without any fights or hassle. After we left i reminded him how good he was and he always gets very excited when he hears that. When it was time to go eat lunch, we had to leave another tent and he was well behaved and for that he earned himself a vitamin water with his lunch (this was special because he usually only has water). After the festival we attended his father's football game. James was good for most of the game, but because of the excitement his behavior can turn very quickly. Right before half time he started saying inappropriate things, and swearing. Now we all go to the game together, it is a mandatory family event and when James started this behavior, his mom gave me the "go" to put him in time out. By separating him from everyone, putting him at the end of the bench and away from everyone else helped him behave the rest of the game.
James was very excited to see me today, because he wanted to ask me something that I could tell was, for him, exciting. He asked if we could go see the Lion King at Shea's Theater in October. I told him that it was possible, but we had to make a plan first. I simply told him that he has to be a good boy and behave like a gentlemen not only at home with me and his parents, but at school too. This was perfect timing because his note from school was not the greatest today. So we are informing his aide that he must be on his best behavior in order to get the tickets and go see the Lion King, which he has been talking about for a couple weeks now. If he misbehaves 3 or more times he will not be able to go see the Lion King, such behaviors include swearing directly at any other person intentionally, not following directions after several times of being told, misbehaving in school, and other behaviors that will get him in trouble. All behaviors must have been told to stop more than once and he must obey. He agreed but will have to learn that we are all serious and I think he will do great and will get to see the Lion King. We also went to the gym today, and he is already losing weight. Today he was able to stay on the treadmill 20 minutes longer than usual, and I think my positive reinforcement helped contribute to that. Throughout the workout i reinforced positively, gave him good feedback and made it fun at the same time. We are both looking forward to our next workout.
Today we went to the gym again; being that is a part of his plan- to lose weight. Getting him to stay on longer and longer each time is becoming easier. And i believe that is because i am working out with him to making it fair- think about it, if i were to be just standing on the side telling him to keep walking, things would be much more difficult. But because I am right next to him running, it gives him motivation. Also making sure I continue to give him positive reinforcement. Because James is not on a 15 year old level, he is at a younger play and understanding level he needs the reinforcement to do well. Using a Fixed Ratio Schedule of reinforcement with him provides the best outlook for his weight lost. By giving him positive reinforcement every 10 minutes he is on the treadmill keeps him motivated I think. Today he did a great job; he walked for 70 minutes so we went to the World's largest yard sale at the Hamburg Fair Grounds because this is something that he wanted to do. Walking around and looking at everything that they had been interesting for both of us. I told him if he behaved he could pick out a small item at the yard sale before we leave. He was well behaved for the most part, and we found a stand with Star Trek figures for only a dollar, and he picked one out. By giving James something to work for helps his behavior significantly.
Today we had a more difficult day. James was being inappropriate and using foul language. He would ask for a break or tell me what he wanted, so the first few hours was a battle. We managed to calm him down by just giving him his space and go to the gym. We took it easy on him because I didn't know what would set him off. He completed the gym no problem and of course he received plenty of positive reinforcement and seemed to be okay. After dinner he said he was tired and was having a bad day (in a nut shell). So he went to bed early, and I believe this was why he was in an "off" mood, even school said he was off and wasn't himself.
Today James was excited to go to the gym, he was also in a great mood because today is the first day of October and that means Halloween. At the gym he continued to work hard and did a total 180 in his behavior from Wednesday. When we got back from the gym we went and helped his mom decorate the house in Halloween decorations. James favorite part of this is trying on all of the old costumes and acting out a "play." He was an old evil grandma and I was a devil. He wanted to go shopping for a new Halloween costume, and in order to do that his mom said he had to help clean everything up. He did no problem, and was reinforced by going to Savers, the store. Here he walked around and tried on many different costumes. I told him that if started to misbehave that we would have to leave. This would have been punishment for him so he behaved well and we both had fun. He sometimes tends to misbehave if he gets to excited, and this is expected around the holidays. After shopping we found him a new costume, just some different articles of clothing to make him Astroboy which is his favorite super hero and he is very excited, all we have to find is a wig that looks like Astro's hair. This is what he is going to have to earn and work for, which I think he will behave in order to get that hair, because he loves Halloween and Astroboy.
Today James and I went to the gym as planned. Changing James' behavior is difficult, but one program that I believe will help James greatly is the Boy Scouts. We enrolled him in the Boy Scouts, and he is very excited. His team leader is very patient with him, and James requires no help at the meetings so far. This is going to be a good thing to James because he has to be good and behave like a fifteen year old would, not just for his family and me, but also the team leader for the Boy Scouts. He told him the expectations and that he is to follow all the rules and the guidelines of the Boy Scouts. Whenever he begins to misbehave, if you ask him is this how a Boy Scout would act? He says no (for the most part) and his behavior changes. I believe this could act similar to a behavior modification plan because this is something that James really wants to do, but doesn't have to and also the Boy Scouts have given James clear, cut expectations and rules of what they expect his behavior to be and how he (a Boy Scout) should act to others. Now a behavior modification plan is different because it would be things that I and his family made up for them to follow while I not present and this does differ from Boy Scouts, but in a way it will help get the same result. Because I am not certified as a behavior analysis I cannot create an actual plan.
James really loves the Boy Scouts, and getting him into better shape will help him do more activities that they do easier for him. At the gym he did a great work out and has lost six pounds so far. This is great because he is only working out; because of his strict diet of no Gluten, Casein, Soy, and Egg free he cannot really watch what he eats because he is already limited to what he can eat. So losing weight is going to be harder for him, but I can already tell a difference in his stamina, he was on the treadmill walking for almost 2 hours today. This is the longest he has every gone without complaining. Not only did I reinforce him, but his mom was very pleased and you could tell James was proud of himself. As part of his reinforcement he was having a pizza party at school next week, and we needed to make his dough because of his diet. So we made that and he enjoys helping probably because it is a little messy and he knows he is getting a pizza for school.
I learned more about Down syndrome in my developmental class and a lot of the things we discussed (the behaviors or troubles they have) seemed to be more stereotypical facts or thoughts. This goes for any disability that we discussed as well. Down syndrome is very different among everyone and affects everyone differently. I believe these to be guidelines, not facts. James is a good example of why this is. For one, his tongue is actually long, doesn’t just appear to be long because of a small mouth, which he does not have also. Small feet and hands are another thing, which he has large feel with what I like to call 'monkey' toes; they are spread out and can pick up any object on the ground with them. Other than features, behaviors can range. James is doing better with learning to be polite and appropriate. Parenting has a lot to do with how he acts; their family is very busy with his twin who has autism, sister who has ADHD and celiac, and a older sister and being consistent is hard to do, which contributes to why he has outbursts. James is noticing his behavior and aware of what he does wrong, and when he does something wrong. A big part of that is Boy Scouts, and having a strict schedule with him. As soon as I get there we go to the gym, and we are there for a couple hours and he is starting to really enjoy it, then we come back he helps out with dinner and we eat. The Boy Scouts is helping James develop good behaviors as well. For example today at the gym instead of getting frustrated when he could not lift some weights, he did not yell or shout out inappropriate things, instead he seemed to take a breath and relax, and tried again. James and his behaviors are improving every day.
Today James and I went to the gym like normal. He did very well, especially because he needed no assistance getting on the treadmill today. He took initiative and got up there and pressed start by himself. He even increased his speed to what was an appropriate speed to walk. I was so proud of him that I did not need to help him. Directly after that I told him because he did such a great job getting on their and starting it all by himself that we could go to the library after and he could pick out a book, even one of his favorite- a wizards book. After the treadmill, when I asked him if he was ready to go, he said what about "getting buff" and this is referring to lifting weights. He made me laugh and surprised me in his attitude today; he was so ready and willing to work out. Before we left the gym to go to the library we weighed him, he lost another 2 pounds! This made both of us very excited. James could not wait to get h0me to tell his mom. We spent a good time at the library so he could pick out a book, when we were checking out he handed the librarian his card by himself. He was so independent today in everything that he did, I am very proud of him.
Although I was only blogging for 10 hours per week, I was working 17-25 per week, and therefore have completed the 120 hour requirement. Working with James was a hard task, but enjoyable. Although he had many behavior problems that should have been modified by a professional, which I am not yet, made my job a little harder to complete. My insight or opinion on this would be, he would have had to have a behavior modification plan a long time ago for it to be easy. After 14 years of doing the same behaviors, it becomes that much harder to change behavior. If I were already working in my career, and had the chance to work with James when he was much younger, say six to nine even I would have created a behavior modification plan using the tools that I have learned throughout my classes and college career. For example, I would create a routine for James that should be followed by him and his parents. This routine would be posted somewhere visible for everyone to see each day. Think back to a kindergarten class where there was a very large poster with the class room rules and daily activities for all the students to see, this is very similar (remembering this would be when he was younger). Having rules posted and what is expected of him reminds his that this is the behavior that is acceptable. Other modification that I would have made for a younger child with Down syndrome that has a swearing/inappropriate words and sayings would have been a consistent punishment that worked. Therefore, looking at the past and types of punishments that the parents and school used, I would be able to eliminate which consequences worked and which ones did not. Working with a child who has a disability is all about being consistent- regarding behavior. If you want a behavior to change, meaning decrease a bad/inappropriate behavior, and increase the good behavior there has to be a pattern so that the child can learn. In this case, when the child is young, I would use a continuous reinforcement schedule. Meaning that every time that good behavior (which in the plan is clearly stated and explained what counts for good behavior), James would be reinforced, again which would be in the plan what he is being reinforced with (whether its food, television time, outdoor time, etc). This is so that James can get used to and learns easier what acceptable and unacceptable behavior through continuous reinforcement is. At the same time I would even consider using extinction with James, to eliminate the unacceptable behavior. All together, the parents and school would stop reinforcing the bad behavior (ignoring it), this is only if punishing the bad behavior was giving James reinforcement so that he would repeat that particular behavior again in the future. In extinction, it must be consistent as well- more so with a developmentally disabled child because repetition is so important to them, it is how they learn.
As of right now, at the end of this semester I am starting to work as a relief in Habitation, meaning that I will be working with older people who are independent and receive services. My duties include helping them reach certain goals that they themselves or another individual has set for them. For example, one person's goal is to learn appropriate behavior so that he/she would be able to go in public (like a restaurant) and act appropriately. Therefore, I would take them to restaurants and other public outings and help them learn what acceptable behavior is. Again these individuals are independent and create these goals themselves usually so it involves more teaching the behavior, and training (by practicing going out) to learn the behavior or goals they wish too.
Working with a child who has Down Syndrome can be challenging and rewarding at the same time. For privacy purposes we will call him James, who is fifteen years old and lives at home with his parents and siblings. James has some behavioral problems that occurs when he becomes frustrated or angry and doesn't know or understand how else to express his feelings in a healthy way that doesn't affect others around him. Since working with James I have been working on this with him in a number of ways. Starting with, teaching him how to ask for a break when he begins to feel angry or frustrated. When he would have to perform a task, like completing his homework such as math (which he has a difficult time grasping the concept once the numbers get higher). I taught him to ask for a break by beginning to notice the first signs of the frustration and anger that happens. For example, he will start to put his hands on his head, sometimes forceful and says he doesn't know what to do. I would then ask him, "James, do you need a break?" He would learn that if he said yes, we could take a break and he would have the time to calm down. Now for an example, today he was able to ask for a break on his own when his shoes got a hole in the toe and his mom had to get rid of them and give him a different pair. This was unexpected to him and as he started to throw a tantrum he told us he needed a break and went into his room. His mother and I were very happy because usually it does not go that smoothly; him getting to his room so quickly; this was huge progress for us. After he came out of his room, he told us that "he was back," this means that he is calm and ready to talk about the issue. I don't put a time limit on being in his room, I just tell him when he is ready to come out and be calm he may.
On James plan, his parents would like him to work out to get into shape. Getting him to go to the gym is a challenge in itself; it's even harder to get him to work out. I use positive reinforcement to encourage James to go to the gym. For example, he really enjoys going to the library to look at different books and pick a couple out. If he goes to the gym and works out he gets to go the library afterward. Another way to get James to go to the gym is with me working out with him, this seems to be a good reinforcer for him because he becomes very excited when I workout next to him, he will look at me while he is in the treadmill and say "give me some skin"- meaning a high five. Another reinforcer is arts and crafts, I made a plan that if he works out for 30 minutes he is able to come home and color and draw. He has been enjoying working out at the gym as long as he continues to ask for a break when he needs one. We were at the gym today, and he was on the treadmill and he asked very politely for a break, if I would stop the treadmill so he could take a break, this was a big improvement from him usually yelling or shouting "Get me off this thing!" Now the other day his mom gave him a different pair of shows telling him that "these are your gym shoes, you are not to wear your school black shoes to the gym anymore." When I get there at 3:00 PM we have a schedule, he has until 3:30 to relax, draw, or watch TV and then at 3:30 we start to get ready to go to the gym. Today his mother was upstairs and I thought that it was going to be a battle to get him to wear his gym shoes, since this is the first time since Saturday. Since we were going to go play outside when he got home I told him, that "if he wears these gym shoes now, he can wear his black shoes when he gets home to go outside." He looked at me and said "great idea!" Giving him the option to be able to wear his black shoes later if he wore his gym shoes now gave him the power to make the decision and that results in avoiding a battle because he believes he chose to wear those shoes by himself.
James and I went to the gym, as we have in our plan and schedule now. He was behaving extra well today because we have an appointment scheduled with a trainer at the gym on Monday. In order for James to be able to earn that privilege he must behave well. His mother and I created a point plan to count his good behavior. Which is further explained on Monday. Today was a good day to earn himself his points because each Saturday starting today is football game day. His father coaches a varsity football team and the whole family goes to each home game. The games are great opportunities for James to interact with other students and peers at his school, and teachers that are there as well. For example he saw his gym teacher there, and was very excited and enthusiastic about the activities in gym class. Because he was very polite to her and excited for school he earned himself a point. He saw many peers that he knows from school there and he made sure he said hello to everyone that walked by. He earned a point for interacting with others and making a good effort to create a conversation with kids his own age. At the game his mom gives them each one Sierra Mist and one serving of Frito's, when they are done with that sometimes can be a hassle to get James to stop asking for more, but today he didn't and earned a point for listening to his mom. When he gets really overly excited about things, for example before we left for the game he was starting to do bad behaviors, not listening and its because he can't handle all the excitement. During half time it is the same sort of thing. He is really excited to be at the game and can start to act inappropriate, as he did, but i reminded him about seeing the trainer and he did a good job on calming down and being appropriate and still having fun at the same time so he earned another point. James earned his last point by waiting patiently at the end of the game to go out on the field with his dad as they always do. Overall today was a good day and I think the point system is working, as long as he has something to look forward to.
Today James went to the gym. He was able to meet with a trainer and was really excited to work with him. In order for him to earn the privilege of him meeting with the trainer he had to accomplish certain tasks. As a reward for good behavior he earned it, for example we used a point based day. Every time his mom or dad, and me asked him to do something like putting the dishes away (which is his job) and he does it without talking back or swearing (which are big problems with him behaviorally) he earned himself a point. If he talked back he lost a point and he had to earn 5 points a day, but couldn't go below zero. Because he earned his points we scheduled an appointment with a trainer. James was very excited to go to the gym and after we got home we worked on some of his homework, he was well behaved and didn't need to ask for a break. Working with James is becoming more and more rewarding; he is doing phenomenal in his behavior and working on things in his plan. Another item on his plan is to go to the grocery store and try for once a week. This is so James can start to learn about what foods he can eat, because he is on a special diet. James is gluten, casein, soy, egg, and dairy free. This makes it very difficult for him to fully understand what he can and cannot have. By going to the grocery store- his mom makes a list and we go through it and I help teach him the foods that he can have. There are certain foods that are considered treats for him, like sierra mist, and corn chips and he earns those for god behavior as well.
Today was a full day of positive reinforcement and a little punishment. The beginning of the day, we went to the music is art festival in Buffalo. He behaved very well here and received tons of positive reinforcement for his good behavior. For example, when it was time to leave the kids village tent that he loved, he left without any fights or hassle. After we left i reminded him how good he was and he always gets very excited when he hears that. When it was time to go eat lunch, we had to leave another tent and he was well behaved and for that he earned himself a vitamin water with his lunch (this was special because he usually only has water). After the festival we attended his father's football game. James was good for most of the game, but because of the excitement his behavior can turn very quickly. Right before half time he started saying inappropriate things, and swearing. Now we all go to the game together, it is a mandatory family event and when James started this behavior, his mom gave me the "go" to put him in time out. By separating him from everyone, putting him at the end of the bench and away from everyone else helped him behave the rest of the game.
James was very excited to see me today, because he wanted to ask me something that I could tell was, for him, exciting. He asked if we could go see the Lion King at Shea's Theater in October. I told him that it was possible, but we had to make a plan first. I simply told him that he has to be a good boy and behave like a gentlemen not only at home with me and his parents, but at school too. This was perfect timing because his note from school was not the greatest today. So we are informing his aide that he must be on his best behavior in order to get the tickets and go see the Lion King, which he has been talking about for a couple weeks now. If he misbehaves 3 or more times he will not be able to go see the Lion King, such behaviors include swearing directly at any other person intentionally, not following directions after several times of being told, misbehaving in school, and other behaviors that will get him in trouble. All behaviors must have been told to stop more than once and he must obey. He agreed but will have to learn that we are all serious and I think he will do great and will get to see the Lion King. We also went to the gym today, and he is already losing weight. Today he was able to stay on the treadmill 20 minutes longer than usual, and I think my positive reinforcement helped contribute to that. Throughout the workout i reinforced positively, gave him good feedback and made it fun at the same time. We are both looking forward to our next workout.
Today we went to the gym again; being that is a part of his plan- to lose weight. Getting him to stay on longer and longer each time is becoming easier. And i believe that is because i am working out with him to making it fair- think about it, if i were to be just standing on the side telling him to keep walking, things would be much more difficult. But because I am right next to him running, it gives him motivation. Also making sure I continue to give him positive reinforcement. Because James is not on a 15 year old level, he is at a younger play and understanding level he needs the reinforcement to do well. Using a Fixed Ratio Schedule of reinforcement with him provides the best outlook for his weight lost. By giving him positive reinforcement every 10 minutes he is on the treadmill keeps him motivated I think. Today he did a great job; he walked for 70 minutes so we went to the World's largest yard sale at the Hamburg Fair Grounds because this is something that he wanted to do. Walking around and looking at everything that they had been interesting for both of us. I told him if he behaved he could pick out a small item at the yard sale before we leave. He was well behaved for the most part, and we found a stand with Star Trek figures for only a dollar, and he picked one out. By giving James something to work for helps his behavior significantly.
Today we had a more difficult day. James was being inappropriate and using foul language. He would ask for a break or tell me what he wanted, so the first few hours was a battle. We managed to calm him down by just giving him his space and go to the gym. We took it easy on him because I didn't know what would set him off. He completed the gym no problem and of course he received plenty of positive reinforcement and seemed to be okay. After dinner he said he was tired and was having a bad day (in a nut shell). So he went to bed early, and I believe this was why he was in an "off" mood, even school said he was off and wasn't himself.
Today James was excited to go to the gym, he was also in a great mood because today is the first day of October and that means Halloween. At the gym he continued to work hard and did a total 180 in his behavior from Wednesday. When we got back from the gym we went and helped his mom decorate the house in Halloween decorations. James favorite part of this is trying on all of the old costumes and acting out a "play." He was an old evil grandma and I was a devil. He wanted to go shopping for a new Halloween costume, and in order to do that his mom said he had to help clean everything up. He did no problem, and was reinforced by going to Savers, the store. Here he walked around and tried on many different costumes. I told him that if started to misbehave that we would have to leave. This would have been punishment for him so he behaved well and we both had fun. He sometimes tends to misbehave if he gets to excited, and this is expected around the holidays. After shopping we found him a new costume, just some different articles of clothing to make him Astroboy which is his favorite super hero and he is very excited, all we have to find is a wig that looks like Astro's hair. This is what he is going to have to earn and work for, which I think he will behave in order to get that hair, because he loves Halloween and Astroboy.
Today James and I went to the gym as planned. Changing James' behavior is difficult, but one program that I believe will help James greatly is the Boy Scouts. We enrolled him in the Boy Scouts, and he is very excited. His team leader is very patient with him, and James requires no help at the meetings so far. This is going to be a good thing to James because he has to be good and behave like a fifteen year old would, not just for his family and me, but also the team leader for the Boy Scouts. He told him the expectations and that he is to follow all the rules and the guidelines of the Boy Scouts. Whenever he begins to misbehave, if you ask him is this how a Boy Scout would act? He says no (for the most part) and his behavior changes. I believe this could act similar to a behavior modification plan because this is something that James really wants to do, but doesn't have to and also the Boy Scouts have given James clear, cut expectations and rules of what they expect his behavior to be and how he (a Boy Scout) should act to others. Now a behavior modification plan is different because it would be things that I and his family made up for them to follow while I not present and this does differ from Boy Scouts, but in a way it will help get the same result. Because I am not certified as a behavior analysis I cannot create an actual plan.
James really loves the Boy Scouts, and getting him into better shape will help him do more activities that they do easier for him. At the gym he did a great work out and has lost six pounds so far. This is great because he is only working out; because of his strict diet of no Gluten, Casein, Soy, and Egg free he cannot really watch what he eats because he is already limited to what he can eat. So losing weight is going to be harder for him, but I can already tell a difference in his stamina, he was on the treadmill walking for almost 2 hours today. This is the longest he has every gone without complaining. Not only did I reinforce him, but his mom was very pleased and you could tell James was proud of himself. As part of his reinforcement he was having a pizza party at school next week, and we needed to make his dough because of his diet. So we made that and he enjoys helping probably because it is a little messy and he knows he is getting a pizza for school.
I learned more about Down syndrome in my developmental class and a lot of the things we discussed (the behaviors or troubles they have) seemed to be more stereotypical facts or thoughts. This goes for any disability that we discussed as well. Down syndrome is very different among everyone and affects everyone differently. I believe these to be guidelines, not facts. James is a good example of why this is. For one, his tongue is actually long, doesn’t just appear to be long because of a small mouth, which he does not have also. Small feet and hands are another thing, which he has large feel with what I like to call 'monkey' toes; they are spread out and can pick up any object on the ground with them. Other than features, behaviors can range. James is doing better with learning to be polite and appropriate. Parenting has a lot to do with how he acts; their family is very busy with his twin who has autism, sister who has ADHD and celiac, and a older sister and being consistent is hard to do, which contributes to why he has outbursts. James is noticing his behavior and aware of what he does wrong, and when he does something wrong. A big part of that is Boy Scouts, and having a strict schedule with him. As soon as I get there we go to the gym, and we are there for a couple hours and he is starting to really enjoy it, then we come back he helps out with dinner and we eat. The Boy Scouts is helping James develop good behaviors as well. For example today at the gym instead of getting frustrated when he could not lift some weights, he did not yell or shout out inappropriate things, instead he seemed to take a breath and relax, and tried again. James and his behaviors are improving every day.
Today James and I went to the gym like normal. He did very well, especially because he needed no assistance getting on the treadmill today. He took initiative and got up there and pressed start by himself. He even increased his speed to what was an appropriate speed to walk. I was so proud of him that I did not need to help him. Directly after that I told him because he did such a great job getting on their and starting it all by himself that we could go to the library after and he could pick out a book, even one of his favorite- a wizards book. After the treadmill, when I asked him if he was ready to go, he said what about "getting buff" and this is referring to lifting weights. He made me laugh and surprised me in his attitude today; he was so ready and willing to work out. Before we left the gym to go to the library we weighed him, he lost another 2 pounds! This made both of us very excited. James could not wait to get h0me to tell his mom. We spent a good time at the library so he could pick out a book, when we were checking out he handed the librarian his card by himself. He was so independent today in everything that he did, I am very proud of him.
Although I was only blogging for 10 hours per week, I was working 17-25 per week, and therefore have completed the 120 hour requirement. Working with James was a hard task, but enjoyable. Although he had many behavior problems that should have been modified by a professional, which I am not yet, made my job a little harder to complete. My insight or opinion on this would be, he would have had to have a behavior modification plan a long time ago for it to be easy. After 14 years of doing the same behaviors, it becomes that much harder to change behavior. If I were already working in my career, and had the chance to work with James when he was much younger, say six to nine even I would have created a behavior modification plan using the tools that I have learned throughout my classes and college career. For example, I would create a routine for James that should be followed by him and his parents. This routine would be posted somewhere visible for everyone to see each day. Think back to a kindergarten class where there was a very large poster with the class room rules and daily activities for all the students to see, this is very similar (remembering this would be when he was younger). Having rules posted and what is expected of him reminds his that this is the behavior that is acceptable. Other modification that I would have made for a younger child with Down syndrome that has a swearing/inappropriate words and sayings would have been a consistent punishment that worked. Therefore, looking at the past and types of punishments that the parents and school used, I would be able to eliminate which consequences worked and which ones did not. Working with a child who has a disability is all about being consistent- regarding behavior. If you want a behavior to change, meaning decrease a bad/inappropriate behavior, and increase the good behavior there has to be a pattern so that the child can learn. In this case, when the child is young, I would use a continuous reinforcement schedule. Meaning that every time that good behavior (which in the plan is clearly stated and explained what counts for good behavior), James would be reinforced, again which would be in the plan what he is being reinforced with (whether its food, television time, outdoor time, etc). This is so that James can get used to and learns easier what acceptable and unacceptable behavior through continuous reinforcement is. At the same time I would even consider using extinction with James, to eliminate the unacceptable behavior. All together, the parents and school would stop reinforcing the bad behavior (ignoring it), this is only if punishing the bad behavior was giving James reinforcement so that he would repeat that particular behavior again in the future. In extinction, it must be consistent as well- more so with a developmentally disabled child because repetition is so important to them, it is how they learn.
As of right now, at the end of this semester I am starting to work as a relief in Habitation, meaning that I will be working with older people who are independent and receive services. My duties include helping them reach certain goals that they themselves or another individual has set for them. For example, one person's goal is to learn appropriate behavior so that he/she would be able to go in public (like a restaurant) and act appropriately. Therefore, I would take them to restaurants and other public outings and help them learn what acceptable behavior is. Again these individuals are independent and create these goals themselves usually so it involves more teaching the behavior, and training (by practicing going out) to learn the behavior or goals they wish too.
Deletions:
Working with a child who has Down Syndrome can be challenging and rewarding at the same time. For privacy purposes we will call him James, who is fifteen years old and lives at home with his parents and siblings. James has some behavioral problems that occurs when he becomes frustrated or angry and doesn't know or understand how else to express his feelings in a healthy way that doesn't effect others around him. Since working with James I have been working on this with him in a number of ways. Starting with, teaching him how to ask for a break when he begins to feel angry or frustrated. When he would have to perform a task, like completing his homework such as math (which he has a difficult time grasping the concept once the numbers get higher). I taught him to ask for a break by beginning to notice the first signs of the frustration and anger that happens. For example, he will start to put his hands on his head, sometimes forceful and says he doesn't know what to do. I would then ask him, "James, do you need a break?" He would learn that if he said yes, we could take a break and he would have the time to calm down. Now for an example, Today he was able to ask for a break on his own when his shoes got a hole in the toe and his mom had to get rid of them and give him a different pair. This was unexpected to him and as he started to throw a tantrum he told us he needed a break and went into his room. His mother and I were very happy because usually it does not go that smoothly; him getting to his room so quickly; this was huge progress for us. After he came out of his room, he told us that "he was back," this means that he is calm and ready to talk about the issue. I don't put a time limit on being in his room, I just tell him when he is ready to come out and be calm he may.
On James plan, his parents would like him to work out to get into shape. Getting him to go to the gym is a challenge in itself, it's even harder to get him to work out. I use positive reinforcement to encourage James to go to the gym. For example, he really enjoys going to the library to look at different books and pick a couple out. If he goes to the gym and works out he gets to go the library afterward. Another way to get James to go to the gym is with me working out with him, this seems to be a good reinforcer for him because he becomes very excited when I workout next to him, he will look at me while he is in the treadmill and say "give me some skin"- meaning a high five. Another reinforcer is arts and crafts, I made a plan that if he works out for 30 minutes he is able to come home and color and draw. He has been enjoying working out at the gym as long as he continues to ask for a break when he needs one. We were at the gym today, and he was on the treadmill and he asked very politely for a break, if I would stop the treadmill so he could take a break, this was a big improvement from him usually yelling or shouting "Get me off this thing!" Now the other day his mom gave him a different pair of shows telling him that "these are your gym shoes, you are not to wear your school black shoes to the gym anymore." When I get there at 3:00 PM we have a schedule, he has until 3:30 to relax, draw, or watch TV and then at 3:30 we start to get ready to go to the gym. Today his mother was upstairs and I thought that it was going to be a battle to get him to wear his gym shoes, since this is the first time since Saturday. Since we were going to go play outside when he got home I told him, that "if he wears these gym shoes now, he can wear his black shoes when he gets home to go outside." He looked at me and said "great idea!" Giving him the opition to be able to wear his black shoes later if he wore his gym shoes now gave him the power to make the decision and that results in avoiding a battle because he believes he chose to wear those shoes by himself.
James and I went to the gym, as we have in our plan and schedule now. He was behaving extra well today because we have an appointment scheduled with a trainer at the gym on Monday. In order for James to be able to earn that privilege he must behave well. His mother and I created a point plan to count his good behavior. Which is further explained on Monday. Today was a good day to earn himself his points because each Saturday starting today is football game day. His father coaches a varsity football team and the whole family goes to each home game. The games are great opportunities for James to interact with other students and peers at his school, and teachers that are there as well. For example he saw his gym teacher there, and was very excited and enthusiastic about the activities in gym class. Because he was very polite to her and excited for school he earned himself a point. He saw many peers that he knows from school there and he made sure he said hello to everyone that walked by. He earned a point for interacting with others and making a good effort to create a conversation with kids his own age. At the game his mom gives them each one Sierra Mist and one serving of Frito's, when they are done with that sometimes can be a hassle to get James to stop asking for more, but today he didn't and earned a point for listening to his mom. When he gets really overly excited about things, for example before we left for the game he was starting to do bad behaviors, not listening and its because he can't handle all the excitement. During half time it is the same sort of thing. He is really excited to be at the game and can start to act inappropriate, as he did, but i reminded him about seeing the trainer and he did a good job on calming down and being appropriate and still having fun at the same time so he earned another point. James earned his last point by waiting patiently at the end of the game to go out on the field with his dad as they always do. Overall today was a good day and I think the point system is working, as long as he has something to look forward to.
Today James, went to the gym. He was able to meet with a trainer and was really excited to work with him. In order for him to earn the privilege of him meeting with the trainer he had to accomplish certain tasks. As a reward for good behavior he earned it, for example we used a point based day. Every time his mom or dad, and me asked him to do something like putting the dishes away (which is his job) and he does it with out talking back or swearing (which are big problems with him behaviorally) he earned himself a point. If he talked back he lost a point and he had to earn 5 points a day, but couldn't go below zero. Because he earned his points we scheduled an appointment with a trainer. James was very excited to go to the gym and after we got home we worked on some of his homework, he was well behaved and didn't need to ask for a break. Working with James is becoming more and more rewarding, he is doing phenomenal in his behavior and working on things in his plan. Another item on his plan is to go to the grocery store and try for once a week. This is so James can start to learn about what foods he can eat, because he is on a special diet. James is gluten, casein, soy, egg, and dairy free. This makes it very difficult for him to fully understand what he can and cannot have. By going to the grocery store- his mom makes a list and we go through it and I help teach him the foods that he can have. There are certain foods that are considered treats for him, like sierra mist, and corn chips and he earns those for god behavior as well.
Today was a full day of positive reinforcement and a little punishment. The beginning of the day, we went to the music is art festival in Buffalo. He behaved very well here and received tons of positive reinforcement for his good behavior. For example, when it was time to leave the kids village tent that he loved, he left without any fights or hassle. After we left i reminded him how good he was and he always gets very excited when he hears that. When it was time to go eat lunch, we had to leave another tent and he was well behaved and for that he earned himself a vitamin water with his lunch (this was special because he usually only has water). After the festival we attended his father's football game. James was good for most of the game, but because of the excitement his behavior can turn very quickly. Right before half time he started saying inappropriate things, and swearing. Now we all go to the game together, it is a mandatory family event and when James started this behavior, his mom gave me the "go" to put him in time out. By separating him from everyone, putting him at the end of the bench and away from everyone else helped him behave the rest of the game.
James was very excited to see me today, because he wanted to ask me something that I could tell was, for him, exciting. He asked if we could go see the Lion King at Shea's Theater in October. I told him that it was possible, but we had to make a plan first. I simply told him that he has to be a good boy and behave like a gentlemen not only at home with me and his parents, but at school too. This was perfect timing because his note from school was not the greatest today. So we are informing his aide that he must be on his best behavior in order to get the tickets and go see the Lion King, which he has been talking about for a couple weeks now. If he misbehaves 3 or more times he will not be able to go see the Lion King, such behaviors include swearing directly at any other person intentionally, not following directions after several times of being told, misbehaving in school, and other behaviors that will get him in trouble. All behaviors must have been told to stop more then once and he must obey. He agreed but will have to learn that we are all serious and I think he will do great and will get to see the Lion King. We also went to the gym today, and he is already losing weight. Today he was able to stay on the treadmill 20 minutes longer then usual, and I think my positive reinforcement helped contribute to that. Throughout the workout i reinforced positively, gave him good feedback and made it fun at the same time. We are both looking forward to our next workout.
Today we went to the gym again, being that is apart of his plan- to lose weight. Getting him to stay on longer and longer each time is becoming easier. And i believe that is because i am working out with him to making it fair- think about it, if i were to be just standing on the side telling him to keep walking, things would be much more difficult. But because I am right next to him running, it gives him motivation. Also making sure I continue to give him positive reinforcement. Because James is not on a 15 year old level, he is at a younger play and understanding level he needs the reinforcement to do good. Using a Fixed Ratio Schedule of reinforcement with him provides the best outlook for his weight lost. By giving him positive reinforcement every 10 minutes he is on the treadmill keeps him motivated I think. Today he did a great job, he walked for 70 minutes so we went to the World's largest yard sale at the Hamburg Fair Grounds because this is something that he wanted to do. Walking around and looking at everything that they had was interesting for both of us. I told him if he behaved he could pick out a small item at the yard sale before we leave. He was well behaved for the most part, and we found a stand with Star Trek figures for only a dollar, and he picked one out. By giving James something to work for helps his behavior significantly.
Today we had a more difficult day. James was being inappropriate and using foul language. He would ask for a break or tell me what he wanted, so the first few hours was a battle. We managed to calm him down by just giving him his space and go to the gym. We took it easy on him because I didn't know what would set him off. He completed the gym no problem and of course he received plenty of positive reinforcement and seemed to be okay. After dinner he said he was tired and was having a bad day (in a nut shell). So he went to bed early, and I believe this was why he was in a "off" mood, even school said he was off and wasn't himself.
Today James was excited to go to the gym, he was also in a great mood because today is the first day of October and that means Halloween. At the gym he continued to work hard and did a total 180 in his behavior from Wednesday. When we got back from the gym we went and helped his mom decorate the house in Halloween decorations. James favorite part of this is trying on all of the old costumes and acting out a "play." He was a old evil grandma and I was a devil. He wanted to go shopping for a new Halloween costume, and in order to do that his mom said he had to help clean everything up. He did no problem, and was reinforced by going to Savers, the store. Here he walked around and tried on many different costumes. I told him that if started to misbehave that we would have to leave. This would have been punishment for him so he behaved well and we both had fun. He sometimes tends to misbehave if he gets to excited, and this is expected around the holidays. After shopping we found him a new costume, just some different articles of clothing to make him Astroboy which is his favorite super hero and he is very excited, all we have to find is a wig that looks like Astro's hair. This is what he is going to have to earn and work for, which I think he will behave in order to get that hair, because he loves Halloween and Astroboy.
Today James and I went to the gym as planned. Changing James' behavior is difficult, but one program that I believe will help James greatly is the Boy Scouts. We enrolled him in the Boy Scouts, and he is very excited. His team leader is very patient with him, and James requires no help at the meetings so far. This is going to be a good thing to James because he has to be good and behave like a fifteen year old would, not just for his family and me, but also the team leader for the Boy Scouts. He told him the expectations and that he is to follow all the rules and the guidelines of the Boy Scouts. When ever he begins to misbehave, if you ask him is this how a Boy Scout would act? He says no (for the most part) and his behavior changes. I believe this could act similar to a behavior modification plan because this is something that James really wants to do, but doesn't have to and also the Boy Scouts have given James clear, cut expectations and rules of what they expect his behavior to be and how he (a Boy Scout) should act to others. Now a behavior modification plan is different because it would be things that I and his family made up for them to follow while I not present and this does differ from Boy Scouts, but in a way it will help get the same result. Because I am not certified as a behavior analysis I cannot create an actual plan.
James is really loving the Boy Scouts, and getting him into better shape will help him do more activities that they do easier for him. At the gym he did a great work out and has lost six pounds so far. This is great because he is only working out, because of his strict diet of no Gluten, Casein, Soy, and Egg free he cannot really watch what he eats because he is already limited to what he can eat. So losing weight is going to be harder for him, but I can already tell a difference in his stamina, he was on the treadmill walking for almost 2 hours today. This is the longest he has every been on without complaining. Not only did I reinforce him, but his mom was very pleased and you could tell James was proud of himself. As part of his reinforcement he was having a pizza party at school next week, and we needed to make his dough because of his diet. So we made that and he enjoys helping probably because it is a little messy and he knows he is getting a pizza for school.
I learned more about down syndrome in my developmental class and a lot of the things we discussed (the behaviors or troubles they have) seemed to be more stereotypical facts or thoughts. This goes for any disablity that we discussed as well. Down Syndrome is very different among everyone and efftects everone differenlty. I believe these to be guidelines, not facts. James is a good example of why this is. For one, his tongue is actualy long, doesnt just appear to be long because of a small mouth, which he does not have also. Small feet and hands are another thing, which he has large feel with what I like to call 'monkey' toes, they are spread out and can pick up any object on the ground with them. Other than features, behaviors can range. James is doing better with learning to be polite and appropriate. Parenting has a lot to do with how he acts; their family is very busy with his twin who has autism, sister who has ADHD and celiac, and a older sister and being consistent is hard to do, which contributes to why he has outbursts. James is noticing his behavior and aware of what he does wrong, and when he does something wrong. A big part of that is Boy Scouts, and having a strict schedule with him. As soon as I get there we go to the gym, and we are there for a couple hours and he is starting to really enjoy it, then we come back he helps out with dinner and we eat. The Boy Scouts is helping James develop good behaviors as well. For example today at the gym instead of getting frustrated when he could not lift some weights, he did not yell or shout out inappropriate things, instead he seemed to take a breath and relax, and tried again. James and his behaviors are improving every day.
Today James and I went to the gym like normal. He did very well, especially because he needed no assistance getting on the treadmill today. He took initiative and got up there and pressed start by himself. He even increased his speed to what was an appropriate speed to walk. I was so proud of him that I did not need to help him. Directly after that I told him because he did such a great job getting on their and starting it all by himself that we could go to the library after and he could pick out a book, even one of his favorite- a wizards book. After the treadmill, when I asked him if he was ready to go, he said what about "getting buff" and this is referring to lifting weights. He made me laugh and surprised me in his attitude today, he was so ready and willing to workout. Before we left the gym to go to the library we weighed him, he lost another 2 pounds! This made both of us very excited. James could not wait to get h0me to tell his mom. We spent a good time at the library so he could pick out a book, when we were checking out he handed the librarian his card by himself. He was so independent today in everything that he did, I am very proud of him.
Although I was only blogging for 10 hours per week, I was working 17-25 per week, and therefore have completed the 120 hour requirement. Working with James was a hard task, but enjoyable. Although he had many behavior problems that should have been modified by a professional, which I am not yet, made my job a little harder to complete. My insight or opinion on this would be, he would have had to have a behavior modification plan a long time ago for it to be easy. After 14 years of doing the same behaviors, it becomes that much harder to change behavior. If I were already working in my career, and had the chance to work with James when he was much younger, say six to nine even I would have created a behavior modification plan using the tools that I have learned throughout my classes and college career. For example, I would create a routine for James that should be followed by him and his parents. This routine would be posted somewhere visible for everyone to see each day. Think back to a kindergarten class where there was a very large poster with the class room rules and daily activities for all the students to see, this is very similar (remembering this would be when he was younger). Having rules posted and what is expected of him reminds his that this is the behavior that is acceptable. Other modification that I would have made for a younger child with down syndrome that has a swearing/inappropriate words and sayings would have been a consistent punishment that worked. Therefore, looking at the past and types of punishments that the parents and school used, I would be able to eliminate which consequences worked and which ones did not. Working with a child who has a disability is all about being consistent- regarding behavior. If you want a behavior to change, meaning decrease a bad/inappropriate behavior, and increase the good behavior there has to be a pattern so that the child can learn. In this case, when the child is young, I would use a continuous reinforcement schedule. Meaning that every time that good behavior (which in the plan is clearly stated and explained what counts for good behavior), James would be reinforced, again which would be in the plan what he is being reinforced with (whether its food, television time, outdoor time, etc). This is so that James can get used to and learn easier what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior through continuous reinforcement. At the same time I would even consider using extinction with James, to eliminate the unacceptable behavior. All together, the parents and school would stop reinforcing the bad behavior (ignoring it), this is only if punishing the bad behavior was giving James reinforcement so that he would repeat that particular behavior again in the future. In extinction, it must be consistent as well- more so with a developmentally disabled child because repetition is so important to them, it is how they learn.
As of right now, at the end of this semester I am starting to work as a relief in Habitation, meaning that I will be working with older people who are independent and receive services. My duties include helping them reach certain goals that they themselves or another individual has set for them. For example, one person's goal is to learn appropriate behavior so that he/she would be able to go in public (like a restaurant) and act appropriately. Therefore, I would take them to restaurants and other public outings and help them learn was is acceptable behavior. Again these individuals are independent and create these goals themselves usually so it involves more teaching the behavior, and training (by practicing going out) to learn the behavior or goals they wish too.
Revision [2289]
Edited on 2011-12-12 23:23:18 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
On James plan, his parents would like him to work out to get into shape. Getting him to go to the gym is a challenge in itself, it's even harder to get him to work out. I use positive reinforcement to encourage James to go to the gym. For example, he really enjoys going to the library to look at different books and pick a couple out. If he goes to the gym and works out he gets to go the library afterward. Another way to get James to go to the gym is with me working out with him, this seems to be a good reinforcer for him because he becomes very excited when I workout next to him, he will look at me while he is in the treadmill and say "give me some skin"- meaning a high five. Another reinforcer is arts and crafts, I made a plan that if he works out for 30 minutes he is able to come home and color and draw. He has been enjoying working out at the gym as long as he continues to ask for a break when he needs one. We were at the gym today, and he was on the treadmill and he asked very politely for a break, if I would stop the treadmill so he could take a break, this was a big improvement from him usually yelling or shouting "Get me off this thing!" Now the other day his mom gave him a different pair of shows telling him that "these are your gym shoes, you are not to wear your school black shoes to the gym anymore." When I get there at 3:00 PM we have a schedule, he has until 3:30 to relax, draw, or watch TV and then at 3:30 we start to get ready to go to the gym. Today his mother was upstairs and I thought that it was going to be a battle to get him to wear his gym shoes, since this is the first time since Saturday. Since we were going to go play outside when he got home I told him, that "if he wears these gym shoes now, he can wear his black shoes when he gets home to go outside." He looked at me and said "great idea!" Giving him the opition to be able to wear his black shoes later if he wore his gym shoes now gave him the power to make the decision and that results in avoiding a battle because he believes he chose to wear those shoes by himself.
Deletions:
Revision [2283]
Edited on 2011-12-07 18:52:08 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
OTHER HOURS: Completing the 120 hours required
Although I was only blogging for 10 hours per week, I was working 17-25 per week, and therefore have completed the 120 hour requirement. Working with James was a hard task, but enjoyable. Although he had many behavior problems that should have been modified by a professional, which I am not yet, made my job a little harder to complete. My insight or opinion on this would be, he would have had to have a behavior modification plan a long time ago for it to be easy. After 14 years of doing the same behaviors, it becomes that much harder to change behavior. If I were already working in my career, and had the chance to work with James when he was much younger, say six to nine even I would have created a behavior modification plan using the tools that I have learned throughout my classes and college career. For example, I would create a routine for James that should be followed by him and his parents. This routine would be posted somewhere visible for everyone to see each day. Think back to a kindergarten class where there was a very large poster with the class room rules and daily activities for all the students to see, this is very similar (remembering this would be when he was younger). Having rules posted and what is expected of him reminds his that this is the behavior that is acceptable. Other modification that I would have made for a younger child with down syndrome that has a swearing/inappropriate words and sayings would have been a consistent punishment that worked. Therefore, looking at the past and types of punishments that the parents and school used, I would be able to eliminate which consequences worked and which ones did not. Working with a child who has a disability is all about being consistent- regarding behavior. If you want a behavior to change, meaning decrease a bad/inappropriate behavior, and increase the good behavior there has to be a pattern so that the child can learn. In this case, when the child is young, I would use a continuous reinforcement schedule. Meaning that every time that good behavior (which in the plan is clearly stated and explained what counts for good behavior), James would be reinforced, again which would be in the plan what he is being reinforced with (whether its food, television time, outdoor time, etc). This is so that James can get used to and learn easier what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior through continuous reinforcement. At the same time I would even consider using extinction with James, to eliminate the unacceptable behavior. All together, the parents and school would stop reinforcing the bad behavior (ignoring it), this is only if punishing the bad behavior was giving James reinforcement so that he would repeat that particular behavior again in the future. In extinction, it must be consistent as well- more so with a developmentally disabled child because repetition is so important to them, it is how they learn.
As of right now, at the end of this semester I am starting to work as a relief in Habitation, meaning that I will be working with older people who are independent and receive services. My duties include helping them reach certain goals that they themselves or another individual has set for them. For example, one person's goal is to learn appropriate behavior so that he/she would be able to go in public (like a restaurant) and act appropriately. Therefore, I would take them to restaurants and other public outings and help them learn was is acceptable behavior. Again these individuals are independent and create these goals themselves usually so it involves more teaching the behavior, and training (by practicing going out) to learn the behavior or goals they wish too.
Although I was only blogging for 10 hours per week, I was working 17-25 per week, and therefore have completed the 120 hour requirement. Working with James was a hard task, but enjoyable. Although he had many behavior problems that should have been modified by a professional, which I am not yet, made my job a little harder to complete. My insight or opinion on this would be, he would have had to have a behavior modification plan a long time ago for it to be easy. After 14 years of doing the same behaviors, it becomes that much harder to change behavior. If I were already working in my career, and had the chance to work with James when he was much younger, say six to nine even I would have created a behavior modification plan using the tools that I have learned throughout my classes and college career. For example, I would create a routine for James that should be followed by him and his parents. This routine would be posted somewhere visible for everyone to see each day. Think back to a kindergarten class where there was a very large poster with the class room rules and daily activities for all the students to see, this is very similar (remembering this would be when he was younger). Having rules posted and what is expected of him reminds his that this is the behavior that is acceptable. Other modification that I would have made for a younger child with down syndrome that has a swearing/inappropriate words and sayings would have been a consistent punishment that worked. Therefore, looking at the past and types of punishments that the parents and school used, I would be able to eliminate which consequences worked and which ones did not. Working with a child who has a disability is all about being consistent- regarding behavior. If you want a behavior to change, meaning decrease a bad/inappropriate behavior, and increase the good behavior there has to be a pattern so that the child can learn. In this case, when the child is young, I would use a continuous reinforcement schedule. Meaning that every time that good behavior (which in the plan is clearly stated and explained what counts for good behavior), James would be reinforced, again which would be in the plan what he is being reinforced with (whether its food, television time, outdoor time, etc). This is so that James can get used to and learn easier what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior through continuous reinforcement. At the same time I would even consider using extinction with James, to eliminate the unacceptable behavior. All together, the parents and school would stop reinforcing the bad behavior (ignoring it), this is only if punishing the bad behavior was giving James reinforcement so that he would repeat that particular behavior again in the future. In extinction, it must be consistent as well- more so with a developmentally disabled child because repetition is so important to them, it is how they learn.
As of right now, at the end of this semester I am starting to work as a relief in Habitation, meaning that I will be working with older people who are independent and receive services. My duties include helping them reach certain goals that they themselves or another individual has set for them. For example, one person's goal is to learn appropriate behavior so that he/she would be able to go in public (like a restaurant) and act appropriately. Therefore, I would take them to restaurants and other public outings and help them learn was is acceptable behavior. Again these individuals are independent and create these goals themselves usually so it involves more teaching the behavior, and training (by practicing going out) to learn the behavior or goals they wish too.
Revision [2207]
Edited on 2011-10-19 22:07:39 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
Today James and I went to the gym like normal. He did very well, especially because he needed no assistance getting on the treadmill today. He took initiative and got up there and pressed start by himself. He even increased his speed to what was an appropriate speed to walk. I was so proud of him that I did not need to help him. Directly after that I told him because he did such a great job getting on their and starting it all by himself that we could go to the library after and he could pick out a book, even one of his favorite- a wizards book. After the treadmill, when I asked him if he was ready to go, he said what about "getting buff" and this is referring to lifting weights. He made me laugh and surprised me in his attitude today, he was so ready and willing to workout. Before we left the gym to go to the library we weighed him, he lost another 2 pounds! This made both of us very excited. James could not wait to get h0me to tell his mom. We spent a good time at the library so he could pick out a book, when we were checking out he handed the librarian his card by himself. He was so independent today in everything that he did, I am very proud of him.
Revision [2197]
Edited on 2011-10-16 15:23:14 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
I learned more about down syndrome in my developmental class and a lot of the things we discussed (the behaviors or troubles they have) seemed to be more stereotypical facts or thoughts. This goes for any disablity that we discussed as well. Down Syndrome is very different among everyone and efftects everone differenlty. I believe these to be guidelines, not facts. James is a good example of why this is. For one, his tongue is actualy long, doesnt just appear to be long because of a small mouth, which he does not have also. Small feet and hands are another thing, which he has large feel with what I like to call 'monkey' toes, they are spread out and can pick up any object on the ground with them. Other than features, behaviors can range. James is doing better with learning to be polite and appropriate. Parenting has a lot to do with how he acts; their family is very busy with his twin who has autism, sister who has ADHD and celiac, and a older sister and being consistent is hard to do, which contributes to why he has outbursts. James is noticing his behavior and aware of what he does wrong, and when he does something wrong. A big part of that is Boy Scouts, and having a strict schedule with him. As soon as I get there we go to the gym, and we are there for a couple hours and he is starting to really enjoy it, then we come back he helps out with dinner and we eat. The Boy Scouts is helping James develop good behaviors as well. For example today at the gym instead of getting frustrated when he could not lift some weights, he did not yell or shout out inappropriate things, instead he seemed to take a breath and relax, and tried again. James and his behaviors are improving every day.
Saturday 10/15/11
10:00- 3:00 PM (5hours)
Saturday 10/15/11
10:00- 3:00 PM (5hours)
Deletions:
Revision [2196]
Edited on 2011-10-14 11:16:46 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
I learned more about down syndrome in my developmental class and a lot of the things we discussed (the behaviors or troubles they have) seemed to be more stereotypical facts or thoughts.
Revision [2194]
Edited on 2011-10-12 10:41:57 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
James is really loving the Boy Scouts, and getting him into better shape will help him do more activities that they do easier for him. At the gym he did a great work out and has lost six pounds so far. This is great because he is only working out, because of his strict diet of no Gluten, Casein, Soy, and Egg free he cannot really watch what he eats because he is already limited to what he can eat. So losing weight is going to be harder for him, but I can already tell a difference in his stamina, he was on the treadmill walking for almost 2 hours today. This is the longest he has every been on without complaining. Not only did I reinforce him, but his mom was very pleased and you could tell James was proud of himself. As part of his reinforcement he was having a pizza party at school next week, and we needed to make his dough because of his diet. So we made that and he enjoys helping probably because it is a little messy and he knows he is getting a pizza for school.
Wednesday 10/12/11
Wednesday 10/12/11
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Revision [2193]
Edited on 2011-10-12 10:30:47 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
2:30- 7:30 PM (5 hours)
Today James and I went to the gym as planned. Changing James' behavior is difficult, but one program that I believe will help James greatly is the Boy Scouts. We enrolled him in the Boy Scouts, and he is very excited. His team leader is very patient with him, and James requires no help at the meetings so far. This is going to be a good thing to James because he has to be good and behave like a fifteen year old would, not just for his family and me, but also the team leader for the Boy Scouts. He told him the expectations and that he is to follow all the rules and the guidelines of the Boy Scouts. When ever he begins to misbehave, if you ask him is this how a Boy Scout would act? He says no (for the most part) and his behavior changes. I believe this could act similar to a behavior modification plan because this is something that James really wants to do, but doesn't have to and also the Boy Scouts have given James clear, cut expectations and rules of what they expect his behavior to be and how he (a Boy Scout) should act to others. Now a behavior modification plan is different because it would be things that I and his family made up for them to follow while I not present and this does differ from Boy Scouts, but in a way it will help get the same result. Because I am not certified as a behavior analysis I cannot create an actual plan.
Saturday 10/8/11
James is really loving the Boy Scouts, and getting him into better shape will help him do more activities that they do easier for him. At the gym he did a great work out and has lost six pounds so far. This is great because he is only working out, because of his strict diet of no Gluten, Casein, Soy, and Egg free he cannot really watch what he eats because he is already limited to what he can eat. So losing weight is going to be harder for him, but I can already tell a difference in his stamina, he was on the treadmill walking for almost 2 hours today. This is the longest he has every been on without complaining. Not only did I reinforce him, but his mom was very pleased and you could tell James was proud of himself. As part of his reinforcement we
Today James and I went to the gym as planned. Changing James' behavior is difficult, but one program that I believe will help James greatly is the Boy Scouts. We enrolled him in the Boy Scouts, and he is very excited. His team leader is very patient with him, and James requires no help at the meetings so far. This is going to be a good thing to James because he has to be good and behave like a fifteen year old would, not just for his family and me, but also the team leader for the Boy Scouts. He told him the expectations and that he is to follow all the rules and the guidelines of the Boy Scouts. When ever he begins to misbehave, if you ask him is this how a Boy Scout would act? He says no (for the most part) and his behavior changes. I believe this could act similar to a behavior modification plan because this is something that James really wants to do, but doesn't have to and also the Boy Scouts have given James clear, cut expectations and rules of what they expect his behavior to be and how he (a Boy Scout) should act to others. Now a behavior modification plan is different because it would be things that I and his family made up for them to follow while I not present and this does differ from Boy Scouts, but in a way it will help get the same result. Because I am not certified as a behavior analysis I cannot create an actual plan.
Saturday 10/8/11
James is really loving the Boy Scouts, and getting him into better shape will help him do more activities that they do easier for him. At the gym he did a great work out and has lost six pounds so far. This is great because he is only working out, because of his strict diet of no Gluten, Casein, Soy, and Egg free he cannot really watch what he eats because he is already limited to what he can eat. So losing weight is going to be harder for him, but I can already tell a difference in his stamina, he was on the treadmill walking for almost 2 hours today. This is the longest he has every been on without complaining. Not only did I reinforce him, but his mom was very pleased and you could tell James was proud of himself. As part of his reinforcement we
Deletions:
Revision [2181]
Edited on 2011-10-03 11:23:01 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
Today James was excited to go to the gym, he was also in a great mood because today is the first day of October and that means Halloween. At the gym he continued to work hard and did a total 180 in his behavior from Wednesday. When we got back from the gym we went and helped his mom decorate the house in Halloween decorations. James favorite part of this is trying on all of the old costumes and acting out a "play." He was a old evil grandma and I was a devil. He wanted to go shopping for a new Halloween costume, and in order to do that his mom said he had to help clean everything up. He did no problem, and was reinforced by going to Savers, the store. Here he walked around and tried on many different costumes. I told him that if started to misbehave that we would have to leave. This would have been punishment for him so he behaved well and we both had fun. He sometimes tends to misbehave if he gets to excited, and this is expected around the holidays. After shopping we found him a new costume, just some different articles of clothing to make him Astroboy which is his favorite super hero and he is very excited, all we have to find is a wig that looks like Astro's hair. This is what he is going to have to earn and work for, which I think he will behave in order to get that hair, because he loves Halloween and Astroboy.
Deletions:
Revision [2180]
Edited on 2011-10-03 11:20:27 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
Today James was excited to go to the gym, he was also in a great mood because today is the first day of October and that means Halloween. At the gym he continued to work hard and did a total 180 in his behavior from Wednesday. When we got back from the gym we went and helped his mom decorate the house in Halloween decorations. James favorite part of this is trying on all of the old costumes and acting out a "play." He was a old evil grandma and I was a devil. He wanted to go shopping for a new Halloween costume, and in order to do that his mom said he had to help clean everything up. He did no problem, and was reinforced by going to Savers, the store. Here he walked around and tried on many different costumes. I told him that if started to misbehave that we would have to leave. This would have been punishment for him so he behaved well and we both had fun. He sometimes tends to misbehave if he gets to excited, and this is expected around the holidays.
Monday 10/3/11
2:30- 7:30 PM (5 hours)
Monday 10/3/11
2:30- 7:30 PM (5 hours)
Deletions:
Revision [2179]
Edited on 2011-10-03 10:47:11 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
2:30- 7:30 PM (5 hours)
Saturday 10/1/11
10:00- 3:00 PM (5 hours)
Today James was excited to go to the gym, he was also in a great mood because today is the first day of October and that means Halloween. At the gym he continued to work hard and did a total 180 in his behavior from Wednesday. When we got back from the gym we went and helped his mom decorate the house in Halloween decorations. James favorite part of this is trying on all of the old costumes and acting out a "play." He was a old evil grandma and I was a devil. He wanted to go shopping for a new Halloween costume, and in order to do that his mom said he had to help clean everything up. He did no problem, and was reinforced by going to Savers, the store. Here he walked around
Saturday 10/1/11
10:00- 3:00 PM (5 hours)
Today James was excited to go to the gym, he was also in a great mood because today is the first day of October and that means Halloween. At the gym he continued to work hard and did a total 180 in his behavior from Wednesday. When we got back from the gym we went and helped his mom decorate the house in Halloween decorations. James favorite part of this is trying on all of the old costumes and acting out a "play." He was a old evil grandma and I was a devil. He wanted to go shopping for a new Halloween costume, and in order to do that his mom said he had to help clean everything up. He did no problem, and was reinforced by going to Savers, the store. Here he walked around
Deletions:
Revision [2178]
Edited on 2011-10-02 18:04:09 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
Wednesday 9/28/11
2:30- 7:30 PM
Today we had a more difficult day. James was being inappropriate and using foul language. He would ask for a break or tell me what he wanted, so the first few hours was a battle. We managed to calm him down by just giving him his space and go to the gym. We took it easy on him because I didn't know what would set him off. He completed the gym no problem and of course he received plenty of positive reinforcement and seemed to be okay. After dinner he said he was tired and was having a bad day (in a nut shell). So he went to bed early, and I believe this was why he was in a "off" mood, even school said he was off and wasn't himself.
2:30- 7:30 PM
Today we had a more difficult day. James was being inappropriate and using foul language. He would ask for a break or tell me what he wanted, so the first few hours was a battle. We managed to calm him down by just giving him his space and go to the gym. We took it easy on him because I didn't know what would set him off. He completed the gym no problem and of course he received plenty of positive reinforcement and seemed to be okay. After dinner he said he was tired and was having a bad day (in a nut shell). So he went to bed early, and I believe this was why he was in a "off" mood, even school said he was off and wasn't himself.
Revision [2162]
Edited on 2011-09-26 10:33:38 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
Saturday 9/24/11
9:00 AM- 3:00 PM (6 hours)
Today we went to the gym again, being that is apart of his plan- to lose weight. Getting him to stay on longer and longer each time is becoming easier. And i believe that is because i am working out with him to making it fair- think about it, if i were to be just standing on the side telling him to keep walking, things would be much more difficult. But because I am right next to him running, it gives him motivation. Also making sure I continue to give him positive reinforcement. Because James is not on a 15 year old level, he is at a younger play and understanding level he needs the reinforcement to do good. Using a Fixed Ratio Schedule of reinforcement with him provides the best outlook for his weight lost. By giving him positive reinforcement every 10 minutes he is on the treadmill keeps him motivated I think. Today he did a great job, he walked for 70 minutes so we went to the World's largest yard sale at the Hamburg Fair Grounds because this is something that he wanted to do. Walking around and looking at everything that they had was interesting for both of us. I told him if he behaved he could pick out a small item at the yard sale before we leave. He was well behaved for the most part, and we found a stand with Star Trek figures for only a dollar, and he picked one out. By giving James something to work for helps his behavior significantly.
9:00 AM- 3:00 PM (6 hours)
Today we went to the gym again, being that is apart of his plan- to lose weight. Getting him to stay on longer and longer each time is becoming easier. And i believe that is because i am working out with him to making it fair- think about it, if i were to be just standing on the side telling him to keep walking, things would be much more difficult. But because I am right next to him running, it gives him motivation. Also making sure I continue to give him positive reinforcement. Because James is not on a 15 year old level, he is at a younger play and understanding level he needs the reinforcement to do good. Using a Fixed Ratio Schedule of reinforcement with him provides the best outlook for his weight lost. By giving him positive reinforcement every 10 minutes he is on the treadmill keeps him motivated I think. Today he did a great job, he walked for 70 minutes so we went to the World's largest yard sale at the Hamburg Fair Grounds because this is something that he wanted to do. Walking around and looking at everything that they had was interesting for both of us. I told him if he behaved he could pick out a small item at the yard sale before we leave. He was well behaved for the most part, and we found a stand with Star Trek figures for only a dollar, and he picked one out. By giving James something to work for helps his behavior significantly.
Deletions:
Revision [2158]
Edited on 2011-09-21 18:08:32 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
James was very excited to see me today, because he wanted to ask me something that I could tell was, for him, exciting. He asked if we could go see the Lion King at Shea's Theater in October. I told him that it was possible, but we had to make a plan first. I simply told him that he has to be a good boy and behave like a gentlemen not only at home with me and his parents, but at school too. This was perfect timing because his note from school was not the greatest today. So we are informing his aide that he must be on his best behavior in order to get the tickets and go see the Lion King, which he has been talking about for a couple weeks now. If he misbehaves 3 or more times he will not be able to go see the Lion King, such behaviors include swearing directly at any other person intentionally, not following directions after several times of being told, misbehaving in school, and other behaviors that will get him in trouble. All behaviors must have been told to stop more then once and he must obey. He agreed but will have to learn that we are all serious and I think he will do great and will get to see the Lion King. We also went to the gym today, and he is already losing weight. Today he was able to stay on the treadmill 20 minutes longer then usual, and I think my positive reinforcement helped contribute to that. Throughout the workout i reinforced positively, gave him good feedback and made it fun at the same time. We are both looking forward to our next workout.
Revision [2157]
Edited on 2011-09-20 21:51:27 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
Wednesday 9/21/11
2:30 PM- 7:30 PM (5 hours)
2:30 PM- 7:30 PM (5 hours)
Revision [2155]
Edited on 2011-09-18 21:18:21 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
10:00 AM- 3:00 PM (5 hours)
3:00 PM- 8:00 PM (5 hours)
10:00 AM-5:00 PM ( 7 hours)
3:00 PM- 8:00 PM (5 hours)
Saturday 9/17/11
10:00 AM -5:00 PM (7 hours)
Today was a full day of positive reinforcement and a little punishment. The beginning of the day, we went to the music is art festival in Buffalo. He behaved very well here and received tons of positive reinforcement for his good behavior. For example, when it was time to leave the kids village tent that he loved, he left without any fights or hassle. After we left i reminded him how good he was and he always gets very excited when he hears that. When it was time to go eat lunch, we had to leave another tent and he was well behaved and for that he earned himself a vitamin water with his lunch (this was special because he usually only has water). After the festival we attended his father's football game. James was good for most of the game, but because of the excitement his behavior can turn very quickly. Right before half time he started saying inappropriate things, and swearing. Now we all go to the game together, it is a mandatory family event and when James started this behavior, his mom gave me the "go" to put him in time out. By separating him from everyone, putting him at the end of the bench and away from everyone else helped him behave the rest of the game.
3:00 PM- 8:00 PM (5 hours)
10:00 AM-5:00 PM ( 7 hours)
3:00 PM- 8:00 PM (5 hours)
Saturday 9/17/11
10:00 AM -5:00 PM (7 hours)
Today was a full day of positive reinforcement and a little punishment. The beginning of the day, we went to the music is art festival in Buffalo. He behaved very well here and received tons of positive reinforcement for his good behavior. For example, when it was time to leave the kids village tent that he loved, he left without any fights or hassle. After we left i reminded him how good he was and he always gets very excited when he hears that. When it was time to go eat lunch, we had to leave another tent and he was well behaved and for that he earned himself a vitamin water with his lunch (this was special because he usually only has water). After the festival we attended his father's football game. James was good for most of the game, but because of the excitement his behavior can turn very quickly. Right before half time he started saying inappropriate things, and swearing. Now we all go to the game together, it is a mandatory family event and when James started this behavior, his mom gave me the "go" to put him in time out. By separating him from everyone, putting him at the end of the bench and away from everyone else helped him behave the rest of the game.
Deletions:
3:00 PM- 8:00 PM
10:00 AM-5:00 PM
3:00 PM- 8:00 PM
Revision [2151]
Edited on 2011-09-13 10:11:18 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
Week starts on Saturdays and ends on Fridays
Deletions:
Revision [2150]
Edited on 2011-09-13 10:11:01 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
==================Week starts on Saturdays and ends on Fridays==================
Deletions:
Revision [2149]
Edited on 2011-09-13 10:10:38 by SarahPalazzoloAdditions:
======Week starts on Saturdays and ends on Fridays======
