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Based on the work of Dr. Ross Based on the work of Dr. Ross Greene (author of Greene (author of The Explosive The Explosive ChildChild) and many others who ) and many others who contribute to what is known about contribute to what is known about autism and related disorders.autism and related disorders.
Part 1:Part 1:
Understanding the Understanding the inflexible-explosive individualinflexible-explosive individual
WHY?
Common Characteristics of Common Characteristics of Meltdown-Prone IndividualsMeltdown-Prone Individuals
• Difficulty managing and controlling the emotions associated with frustration
• Difficulty thinking through ways to resolve or cope with frustration
Common Characteristics of Common Characteristics of Meltdown-Prone individualrenMeltdown-Prone individualren
• Frustration often leads to cognitive debilitation– Can’t remember how to stay calm– Can’t recall consequences of previous episodes– May not be responsive to reasons– May deteriorate even further in response to limit-
setting and punishment
Common Characteristics of Common Characteristics of Meltdown-Prone IndividualsMeltdown-Prone Individuals
• Low frustration threshold• Frustrated more easily than others
• Low tolerance for frustration• The experience of being frustrated can be very
intense, disorganizing and sometimes overwhelming
Common Characteristics of Common Characteristics of Meltdown-Prone IndividualsMeltdown-Prone Individuals
• Tendency to think in a concrete, rigid and black-and-white manner.
• Persist in their inflexibility and poor response even in the face of meaningful consequences
Common Characteristics of Common Characteristics of Meltdown-Prone IndividualsMeltdown-Prone Individuals
• Explosive episodes can have an out-of-the-blue quality.
• May be particularly inflexible about one or more issues
• May be especially inflexible when tired, hungry or ill
If people with an autism diagnosis fit If people with an autism diagnosis fit perfectly into this model of the inflexible perfectly into this model of the inflexible and explosive individual, what gets them and explosive individual, what gets them
there?there?
Bad parenting – no!Bad parenting – no!
Bad teaching – no!Bad teaching – no!
Neurologically determined pathways – yes!Neurologically determined pathways – yes!
Pathways to inflexibility and Pathways to inflexibility and explosivenessexplosiveness
• ADHDADHD• EXECUTIVE FUNCTION DEFICITSEXECUTIVE FUNCTION DEFICITS• LANGUAGE PROCESSING DIFFICULTIESLANGUAGE PROCESSING DIFFICULTIES• MOODMOOD• DIFFICULT TEMPERAMENTDIFFICULT TEMPERAMENT• ANXIETYANXIETY• SOCIAL SKILLS DEFICITSSOCIAL SKILLS DEFICITS• SENSORY INTEGRATION DYSFUNCTIONSENSORY INTEGRATION DYSFUNCTION
CONCLUSION TO PART 1CONCLUSION TO PART 1
If you don’t understand the basic If you don’t understand the basic characteristics that can cause distress characteristics that can cause distress in a individual with autism, you might in a individual with autism, you might
think they are being “bad” or think they are being “bad” or “manipulative”, or “controlling”.“manipulative”, or “controlling”.
CONCLUSION TO PART 1CONCLUSION TO PART 1
You might also choose inappropriate You might also choose inappropriate techniques to manage these crises, techniques to manage these crises,
thinking that if you just keep piling on thinking that if you just keep piling on consequences, you will win the battle.consequences, you will win the battle.
CONCLUSION TO PART 1CONCLUSION TO PART 1
But when you understand the But when you understand the characteristics of the inflexible, characteristics of the inflexible,
explosive and autistic individual, and explosive and autistic individual, and how these characteristics are how these characteristics are
determined by neurological difference, determined by neurological difference, you realize that it is never a battle you realize that it is never a battle
where someone wins and someone where someone wins and someone loses.loses.
CONCLUSION TO PART 1CONCLUSION TO PART 1
Becoming so frustrated that you lose Becoming so frustrated that you lose control of your body and of your control of your body and of your
rational mind is distressing – for the rational mind is distressing – for the individual and for you.individual and for you.
No one ever, ever wins.No one ever, ever wins.
Part 2:Part 2:Understanding the stages of crisis, Understanding the stages of crisis,
leading to meltdownsleading to meltdowns
AGITATIONAGITATION
ESCALATIONESCALATION
MELTDOWNMELTDOWN
RECOVERYRECOVERY
Demand to shift gears
AGITATIONAGITATION
Triggers:
Not getting what he/she wants
Not doing what he/she wants to do
Not being able to regulate to environmental stimuli
Not being able to regulate to internal stimuli
AGITATIONAGITATION
All triggers represent a demand to shift gears…
Shifting to a new activity
Shifting away from a routine
Shifting attention away from something uncomfortable externally
Shifting attention away from something uncomfortable internally
Thought provoking research….Thought provoking research….
Susan Bryson and Reginald Landry at York University and Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto have discovered that in children
with autism, there is a universal problem with visual orienting. This is the most basic form of attention. It describes the ability to move one’s attention in space. It is critical
for survival.
They found that children with autism, even those with normal or above
normal IQs, have marked difficulty in disengaging attention.
When shown multiple TV screens, it is hard for children with autism to stop
looking at one in order to shift attention to the newer visual stimuli.
One of their conclusions….
It is neurologically difficult to shift attention if you are an individual with autism. children with autism aren’t being bad or non-compliant. They are being autistic. This problem is not just a problem for us. It seems to be a problem for the children as well.
Escalating agitation…Escalating agitation…
Vapor lockVapor lock
In cars, vapor lock is caused by excessive heat that creates a bubble in the gas line. This
prevents gas from flowing to the engine and causes the engine to stall. No matter how many
times the driver pushes the pedal or turns the ignition, the car won’t start until it cools down.
Escalating agitation…
When our students are frustrated and their When our students are frustrated and their agitation is growing, they are in vapor lock.agitation is growing, they are in vapor lock.
Frustration causes a breakdown in the capacity to think clearly, causing him/her to become
overwhelmed and irrational.
Escalating agitation…
No matter how many times the adults reasons, insists, rewards, punishes or
whatever, the individual can’t start thinking clearly until someone helps
him/her cool down.
MELTDOWNMELTDOWN
Dr. Daniel Goleman, the author of Emotional Intelligence refers to the meltdown phase
as “neural high jacking”.
MELTDOWNMELTDOWN
An escalating and deteriorating inflexible-explosive individual is not a pretty sight.
Not for you
Not for others around you
And certainly not for the distressed individual
Individuals who are developmentally compromised in the areas of flexibility and
frustration management usually:
• Lack the capacity to manage emotions associated with frustration well enough to think
clearly in the midst of crisis
individualren who are developmentally compromised in the areas of flexibility and
frustration management usually:
• Lack the capacity to manage emotions associated with frustration well enough to think
clearly in the midst of crisis
• Lack the ability to shift their thoughts from their agenda to your agenda even when faced with
very meaningful consequences
Think about these quotes…
“ For a consequence to achieve its desired effect – that is, for a consequence to make it less likely that a individual will explode the next time he is frustrated – you have to have the faith that the
consequence you administered on the back end the last time (i.e. following the last explosion) is going to be accessible and meaningful to the individual on the front end the next time he
becomes frustrated”
“Consequences can be very effective if an individual is in a state of mind to
appreciate their meaning, but don’t work nearly so well if a individual is not able to
maintain such a state of mind”
Dr. Ross Greene
First, how do we know when the cycle of agitation escalation MELTDOWN
begins?
What are the typical signs?
InterventionsInterventionsProactive:
• Analysis of common challenging behaviors and the motivation behind these behaviors
• Understanding that meltdown behavior doesn’t happen “out-of-the-blue” but happens for reasons that are extremely important to the individual
InterventionsInterventions
Proactive:
• Utilization of strengths and special interests as a mechanism for teaching
• quality of life
InterventionsInterventions
Reacting at the crossroads:
Prioritize your demands
Level A demands
Level B demands
Level C demands
Level A DemandsLevel A Demands
• Non-negotiable
• Safety of self and others
• Health
• Basic life expectations
Level C DemandsLevel C Demands
• Not important
• May fly in the face of convention, but not really matter
• Not important for that particular student
• Doesn’t impact the a big picture
Level B DemandsLevel B Demands
• Important but not essential
• Level B demands are the stuff of teaching
• Level B demands are most effective when a student is available for new learning
Level B DemandsLevel B Demands
• Level B demands can and should be withdrawn or compromised if this is not a good teaching moment.
• If you decide not to follow through with a Level B demand because it is a rough day for this student and you see him growing agitated, that is a wise choice. It will not cause the student to regress or backslide.
InterventionsInterventions
Reacting at the crossroads:
Empathize. Be the individual’s partner, not their adversary.
I know you are mad. You are really mad that it is time to go! It is hard to stop playing with that toy. I understand.
“When children are stuck in the red haze of inflexibility and frustration, they respond a lot better if they perceive adults as potential helpers, rather
than as enemies”
Dr. Ross Greene, The Explosive individual, p. 104
InterventionsInterventions
Reacting at the crossroads:
Offer visual instead of auditory information.
InterventionsInterventions
Reacting at the crossroads:
Provide support in a calm, non-threatening manner.
InterventionsInterventions
Reacting at the crossroads:
Offer to do the activity with the individual.
InterventionsInterventions
Reacting at the crossroads:
Try humor or surprise as a way of helping them to switch gears
InterventionsInterventions
Reacting at the crossroads:
For our more able students, try framing the problem and getting them to help with a solution
UH-OH… WE HAVE A PROBLEM. I WANT YOU TO GET READY TO GO HOME AND YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO PLAY. WHAT
CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS THAT MAKES BOTH YOU HAPPY AND ME HAPPY?
But sometimes, no matter how well you react at the crossroads, your students continue to
escalate into a full-blown meltdown
InterventionsInterventions
Beyond the crossroads, reacting to crisis:
Have one person manage the meltdown with others nearby to help you.
InterventionsInterventions
Beyond the crossroads, reacting to crisis:
Isolate the individual. If he/she doesn’t want to come with you into a safe spot, then move
others away.
InterventionsInterventions
Beyond the crossroads, reacting to crisis:
Stop talking unless your words have a soothing effect.
Really.
InterventionsInterventions
Beyond the crossroads, reacting to crisis:
If the person is attempting to hurt himself or others, including you, you need to use protective
measures so that you don’t get hurt.
InterventionsInterventions
Beyond the crossroads, reacting to crisis:
Once the individual has begun to calm down, you might offer sensory activities if you know that this is helpful in reorganizing the individual.
InterventionsInterventions
Beyond the crossroads, reacting to crisis:
Once he or she has begun to calm down, you might offer something to drink or something to eat if, and only if, you know that this will help to
calm and focus them.
InterventionsInterventions
Beyond the crossroads, reacting to crisis:
You might offer to help the individual with calming strategies that he/she has practiced during non-
crisis times.
InterventionsInterventions
Recovery (the long-term response):
Asking the question: What can we do next time?
Review the individual’s needs.
Review your proactive strategies.
Review the crossroads strategies.
InterventionsInterventions
Recovery (the long-term response):
Setting up regular and highly motivating rewards for the behavior you want to see.
Don't Pop Your Cork on Mondays! The Children's Anti-Stress Book
Written by Adolph MoserIllustrated by Dav Pilkey
Don't Rant & Rave on Wednesdays! The Children's Anger-Control Book
Written by Adolph MoserIllustrated by David Melton
Conclusion to Part 3Conclusion to Part 3
What you always do…
Respond to basic needs• Communication
• Safety• Predictability
• Sensory differences
Conclusion to Part 3Conclusion to Part 3But if these don’t work on a given day or in a
particular circumstance…
Respond to agitation and escalation • Prioritize your demands
• Be the individual’s partner• Give space and time• Decrease language
• Increase visuals• Help the individual frame and solve the problem
Conclusion to Part 3Conclusion to Part 3
But if these interventions don’t work…
Respond to crisis• Isolate the individual for safety
• Use protective strategies• Wait, quietly, for the storm to blow over• Assist the individual with calming/coping
strategies
Conclusion to Part 3Conclusion to Part 3When it is long over…
Team process
Regular reinforcement for replacement behaviors
Social Stories
Teach calming strategies
Did you want to share this information with others?
Consider buying the DVD…
Go to www.rebeccaklaw.com.