Teaching Kids to Self-Monitor for Desired Behaviors

No matter the situation, each child has behaviors that might drive you nuts.  So, how do you break bad habits or teach your child to strive for those desired behaviors?  Teach your child to self-monitor for those desired behaviors.

You can do this with these easy steps:

1. Identify the Target Behavior

2. Operationally Define the Target Behavior

3. Collect Baseline Data- Not totally necessary for at home use

4. Determine if this is an appropriate behavior to remediate- Parents usually know what behaviors need remediation

5. Design procedures and materials-usually consists of creating a simple chart and deciding on timed segments

6. Teach the child how to self monitor- teach the child how to use the chart

7. Monitor student’s progress- assess child’s charts and adjust intervention with improvement

This may seem like a lot of work, but really this can be as simple as a t-chart with “I was mostly on task” slated at the top.  Set a timer for 5 minutes and when the timer goes off you decide if the child was mostly on task and check mark the yes or no column.  With time, you can give the monitoring duties to the child. (see example in today’s article)

Today I have attached the article, by Lisa Rafferty, that gives the complete step-by-step to teaching a child to self-monitor.  Enjoy!

https:spedchat.wikispaces.com:file:view:Step+By+Step+Teachig+Students+to+Self+Monitor

 

ADD/ADHD…What it is and What Parents/Teachers can Do to Help

Lately I’ve been doing research on ADD/ADHD.  As a result of my past experiences and I had pretty good idea about the symptoms, but I know that there are many of us out there who don’t.  Here’s a quick break down:

• combined ADHD (the most common type), which involves all of the symptoms
• inattentive ADHD (previously known as ADD), which is marked by impaired attention and concentration
• hyperactive-impulsive ADHD, which is marked by hyperactivity without inattentiveness

                       * Reference WebMD.com

Everyone knows how common this diagnosis is, but the treatments really differ from person to person.  I have never been one to recommend medicating, but I do understand that some people really need medication to function with this type of diagnosis.  Besides this, I wanted to explore some interventions to help parents and teachers accomodate kids (some of these work for adults too) with ADHD.  I found this great resource online that lists the behavior and gives resolutions for the problem.  Some may seem like common sense, but when you are frustrated, this can really come in handy.

Here are some highlights from this resource, or click here for the full document:

Difficulty sequencing and completing steps to accomplish specific tasks (e.g. writing a book report, term paper, organized paragraphs, division problem, etc.)	Break up task into workable and obtainable steps. Provide examples and specific steps to accomplish task.
Shifting from one uncompleted activity to another without closure.	Define the requirements of a completed activity (e.g. your math is finished when all six problems are complete and corrected; do not begin on the next task until it is finished).
Difficulty following through on instructions from others.	Gain student’s attention before giving directions. Use alerting cues. Accompany oral directions with written directions. Give one direction at a time. Quietly repeat directions to the student after they have been given to the rest of the class. Check for understanding by having the student repeat thedirections.
Difficulty prioritizing from most to least important.	Prioritize assignment and activities. Provide a model to help students. Post the model and refer to it often.
Difficulty sustaining effort and accuracy over time.	Reduce assignment length and strive for quality (rather that quantity). Increase the frequency of positive reinforcements (catch thestudent doing it right and let him know it.