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Introduction<\/p>\n
A few people recently have asked me to share the things I have learnt about behaviour through parenting a child with Down Syndrome. I\u2019d like to say here that not all children with Down Syndrome behave in the same way, just as no two typical children behave in the same way. I do think, though, that when you have a series of physiological and therefore intellectual differences, behaviour will be affected in one way or another.<\/p>\n
Background<\/p>\n
Language Skills<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
When you have Down Syndrome you have reduced language skills. \u00a0That means you cannot quickly and easily form the words to ask for things, to give reasons and to debate things. To give you some examples. \u00a0When Max was around 7yrs old, he suddenly decided to bolt off as we were walking along. My mouth started to form the words \u2018Stop, where are you going?\u2019 when I realised he had seen the drinking fountain and wanted some water. He didn\u2019t have the skills to say \u2018I am thirsty, I want to have a drink\u2019, rather he avoided the effort of having to form that sentence and did what any one of us would do if we didn\u2019t have the words, just did it.<\/p>\n
Another example. Max was 10 yrs old. He found a rubber fish belonging to his smaller brother and poked a hole in it. He got reprimanded and sent to his room. When asked why he did it, he took some time to say \u2018How do the fishermen hook the fish up?\u2019 In other words rather than asking this question to start with, he just went ahead and enacted it.<\/p>\n
I often say to people \u2013 try imagining what it would be like if you couldn\u2019t use words to say what you want. Say you saw a really beautiful object and just really wanted to touch it but you didn\u2019t have the words to say that. I don\u2019t think many people would be able to refrain from touching it and people seem so surprised when children with Down Syndrome pick something up or take something without asking. Say you didn\u2019t want to do something or go somewhere? How would you express it? By just sitting down? Children with Down Syndrome get accused of being \u2018stubborn\u2019 when in fact it is just the expression of an opinion.<\/p>\n
Auditory Processing Skills<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Just as forming words and sentences are an effort when you have Down Syndrome, so is it an effort to break down what other people are saying to you. This is especially relevant at school. Imagine at mat time what it would be like to listen to someone at the front of the class speaking in French, when you can\u2019t speak French. I think this is what it is like for Max, he has some French but is not fluent and therefore it is an effort to work out what it going on. He, like all kids, is expected to sit still for 40 minutes of instruction time, but he, unlike other kids, finds it ten or maybe 100 times harder. So what would you do if you were faced with another marathon effort of listening to yet another French movie? You might even just stand up and walk away. Or you might start paying attention to one of your chums on the mat, thus getting yourself into trouble.<\/p>\n
How to get around this? Find different ways to get the point across. Simplify the instructions. Use simple sentences. Use hand gestures. Hand over hand and sometimes physical guidance can be used. Shorten instruction time.<\/p>\n
Time is of the essence<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
When you have Down Syndrome it takes time to modify your behaviour. It takes an average child x7 attempts at something new before they learn it, this figure could be tripled for children with Down Syndrome. \u00a0Undoing habits, as we all know, takes longer.<\/p>\n
Use social stories, keep the rules simple. It also takes time for a child to respond to a request \u2013 you need to deliver a request then wait then deliver it again.<\/p>\n
Environment<\/p>\n
Our reactions based on presumption<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Sometimes bahaviours when you have Down Syndrome are so out of the ordinary they are shocking to people who don\u2019t have Down Sydnrome! \u00a0Going back to the rubber fish above. To the average person, Max\u2019s actions might seem quite unusual and indicate that he is wishing to destroy someone else\u2019s property. But for Max, he broke the fish because he forgot that you can ask questions instead of just doing something. Another example. Max might snatch someone\u2019s pencil case and run off. For Max this isn\u2019t necessarily about snatching\/breaking boundaries\/being unkind, the motivation is sometimes grounded in something totally different to the average child. For instance Max might actually be mesmerised by the reaction he gets or wishing to seek attention.<\/p>\n
When you have Down Syndrome, you are vulnerable to being given a \u2018label\u2019. For example I was shocked to hear from Max\u2019s old preschool teachers that well after Max had left preschool, children would still blame Max if something had gone wrong. \u2018Who did that?\u2019 would be met with \u2018Max did it\u2019. And he wasn\u2019t even there! I can even think of examples at home when my son has been blamed for something that he actually didn\u2019t do. And what\u2019s worse, is that he can offer a shake of the head or a \u2018no\u2019 but is unable to go into any detail as to why he didn\u2019t do what he is accused of. It\u2019s a trap that we all fall into, after experiencing mistake after mistake, but it is something to be aware of.<\/p>\n
Tangential thinking<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Sometimes we can be prone to falling into the trap of \u2018extrapolating\u2019 or distorting a behaviour out of all shape. What I mean is that Max does something and you start to worry that he will never change. I have heard some people tell a child with Down Syndrome that their behaviour (quite natural to them) will lead them to prison. It\u2019s not to say that kids don\u2019t need to learn the rules, they just don\u2019t need to be traumatised in the process.<\/p>\n
Max is always developing and changing and just when you think he is not moving past a worrisome behaviour, he does.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a matter of not sensationalizing anything and most definitely not focussing on the negative. Don\u2019t mystify an errant behaviour such as swearing. Don\u2019t build a deviant picture.<\/p>\n
Control the Environment<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Going back to the language thing \u2013 children with Down Syndrome make up for a lack of language skill by honing their visual skills. There is not much Max would not notice \u2013 and the reactions on someone\u2019s face are a treasure trove of delight for Max, a kind of \u2018fireworks\u2019 display! So if you don\u2019t want him to do something, don\u2019t give him a reaction.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it is easier to modify the environment. An example. The teachers were struggling to stop Max from re-entering the classrooms at lunch time, solution, lock the classroom doors. Another. Max is paying someone attention on the mat repeatedly. Move the other child. \u00a0And sometimes other kids have a greater ability to regulate their reaction than the child with the disability has to modify their behaviour.<\/p>\n
Behaviour Techniques<\/p>\n
Routines and the Power of the Peer<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Just by being with children his own age, Max can understand routines and expectations, because he can see what everyone else is doing. This is a powerful behaviour tool. Also, if Max has a routine he definitely feels more in control, things do not take him by surprise and force him into a state of resistance.<\/p>\n
Offering Incentives<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Think, as quoted by Sarah Goodall, specialist therapist, \u2018Would you go to work if you didn\u2019t get paid?\u2019 Always think \u2013 what can I offer this child to get them motivated? Not just physical rewards but activities. Use the \u2018First, then\u2019 approach \u2013 just by cleverly switching the order of activities you can get a child to do something \u2013 first you do this, then you can do that. Be even more clever. Offer a really bad option along with the option you want \u2013 the child is more likely to take up the option you want! But just by giving them a choice it reduces resistance. Author and Mother, Natalie Hale\u2019s AZA technique is another great one \u2013 talk at length about the good option, get the child on board, then explain they have to do the bad option before they get the good option.<\/p>\n
Lucidity<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
A child\u2019s behaviour will be affected by a natural ebb and flow of lucidity or in the words of Frances Adlam, educator and author, \u2018natural rhythms\u2019. \u00a0It\u2019s a good idea to modify an activity to respond to a child\u2019s lucidity level \u2013 pull back on trying to get a child that is not in the mood to comply, modify the activity to suit. A bit like those last days of term when the teacher puts on a movie. \u00a0If a child is tired they are less likely to be aware of making a possible mistake.<\/p>\n
ABA theory<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
In the world of behavioural therapy the term \u2018impulsion\u2019 does not exist. There is always a motivator to behaviour. Whether a child thinks about what they are going to do in advance may be affected by things such as their ability to communicate and natural rhythms. But whatever it is, there is a motivator. That\u2019s why behaviour therapists love the ABA theory. What was happening before? What was it like for the child? How would you respond without the typical modes of communication? You can investigate the ABA theory of behaviour further via Wikipedia.<\/p>\n
Just one of the gang<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Be aware of the things that make a child feel more different than they already feel \u2013 for example, not getting them to wear ribbons for easy identification. Keeping in mind a child\u2019s dignity and self-esteem at all time. Looking for opportunities for friendship. Being alone and different is going to definitely send you a bit crazy. Being along often results in attention seeking behaviour.<\/p>\n
Ignore, Redirect, Praise.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
What does it mean? Well, Ignore, does NOT mean ignore the child. It means ignore a behaviour you do not like. Say a child is making an annoying sound; say a \u2018self-stimulating\u2019 sound. Firstly that sound is being used by that child sub consciously, a bit like when we hum along to ourselves whist doing something. Remembering that children with Down syndrome are fascinated by facial reactions, you don\u2019t want to be offering a facial reaction to a sound you do not like. Should you wish for the sound to cease, you need to move on to the next tactic \u2013 Redirect.<\/p>\n
Redirect means get the child to transfer their attention to something else. \u00a0Redirect is such a useful tactic and is so under used. It\u2019s basic really, if a child is bored or doesn\u2019t know how to do something, they will start to misbehave. Just by getting them hooked into doing something you will reduce negative behaviours. A \u00a0little mantra: \u2018Unstructured time is dangerous time\u2019.<\/p>\n
Finally, Praise. Praise is probably the most important thing of all. It ties all of the above together. Being aware of yourself that you have not fallen into a cycle of criticism for the child with special needs. That when a child is working well they get attention, you give them some attention! That the child is being given jobs they can do and be praised for. What incentive is there if you have never experienced the high-pitched squeals of praise or gentle tap on the back coupled with a warm smile? You don\u2019t\u2019 know what you\u2019re working for if you have never experienced it.<\/p>\n
What if you had only ever known someone to be angry or unhappy with you? What\u2019s the point in listening to anything they say? It\u2019s as simple as this \u2013 show the child how much fun you can be and they will naturally want to make you happy. Gain someone\u2019s trust and they will want to help you, they will respect you. \u00a0Nurture a positive relationship, not a negative one.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/p>\n
Remember\u2026 behaviour modification requires manipulating the environment, understanding the motivators, acceptance, time to listen, self-awareness and awareness of what is going on. You have to be clever about it but mostly you have to take the time to build a positive relationship. And all the time you have to imagine what it is like to have that disability. Be natural but mindful.<\/p>\n
Antonia Hannah, April 2015<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Behaviour modification requires a positive attitude, manipulating the environment, understanding the motivators, acceptance, time to listen, self-awareness and awareness of what is going on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[38,6,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deficiencia","category-educacao","category-inclusao"],"yoast_head":"\n