Chicago Teachers' Strike & Service Delivery Models

     Two notes before I begin. One, is that I had not intended on posting on this highly politicized event because I am not a CPS teacher, or a public school teacher in general, but as the strike enters its second week, I need to post. Also, while I do not have any children in CPS, I am a Chicago resident. Second, I used "Teachers'" in the title, because the strike belongs to the teachers. Teachers who want to be in classrooms.

     No matter what the issues are, or how they are portrayed in the media, CPS suffers from serious funding issues. Furthermore, at the end of the day, many of the issues would be alleviated if more funding is available. Obvious, right!? But how about this. How about instead of worrying about how money is allocated, let's look at empirical systems structures that would alleviate a lot of tensions on staff resources, and therein money.

     If CPS had a formal School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) system in their district, they could spend less money on reactively fixing discipline issues, suspending and expelling students, wasting money on non-evidence based interventions, and be more preventative as a whole. The fact that specific schools need to implement these interventions on their own, usually requiring consultative help, is time and cost "frustrating."

     If CPS had a formal Response to Intervention/Multi-Tiered System of Support (RtI/MTSS, the terms are interchangeable), they could move away from the wait to fail models of the current special education systems, thereby freeing up monies and staff time. Instead, schools sit around waiting for students to "need" more help, rather than addressing core curriculum and special education issue more rapidly and effectively. RtI/MTSS is just good teaching, and it begins and ends in general education. Instead, each school needs to undertake these issues independently, thereby running into the same resource issues as are with SWPBS.

     While these initiatives may seem like fads to some veteran teachers and administrators, these are empirically-based service delivery models. In the beginning, they may require some diligence for teacher buy-in, but if staff is trained appropriately and to capacity and to train incoming teachers and staff, could go a long way in reducing strains within the district. This would free up money to put air conditioning in the schools that need them, keep the promises for benefits for teachers, and most importantly, increase student achievement. Achievement that, if it were happening, would require less of a focus on arbitrary standardized testing and unfair teacher evaluations.

     CPS needs to set-up ALL school environments for success.When students are successful across the board, we can spend more money on much needed enrichment programs without having to justify them at every turn. When all students are successful, we don't need to loose sleep over achievement gaps. And this is not only true of CPS, it's schools across the nation. SWPBS and RtI/MTSS are not fads, they are school management and teaching methods perfected that have an efficacious basis in data.

What Is Task Analysis?

     Task analysis is the process of breaking down a particular skill into a specific set of behaviors that lead to execution and completion of a task or skill. Task analysis is very helpful for inductively teaching skills because it helps to increase fluency while moving through the necessary steps.

     The first step to successful task analysis is to identify the target skill. The next step is to write out all of the necessary behaviors that need to occur to execute the target skill. So, for example, if the target skill is making a turkey sandwich, the behavioral steps may be: Step 1 --Take out a plate; Step 2 – Go to the refrigerator; Step 3 – Take out turkey; so on and so forth until there is a sandwich sitting on a plate ready to eat. The amount of specificity required for each behavioral step is going to depend on the current skill level of the learner. Therefore, while the behavioral steps may be objective, the task analysis is going to be subjective and suited towards the particular learner.

     The typical applications of task analysis for teaching a skill are either through forward-, backward-, or total task-chaining.

     Backward chaining is where the learner goes through all of the steps to complete a task with appropriate prompting on each step until the last step, where they are then given the opportunity to complete the step independently. Once the final step is mastered, the instructor then fades out the prompt on the last two steps, then the last three, so on and so forth until all of the behaviors required to execute the target skill are mastered. So, for example, in making a turkey sandwich, the instructor would assist or prompt with all of the steps up to the last one, which may be cutting the sandwich in half before eating it.

     Forward chaining allows the learner to complete the initial step independently followed by appropriate prompts for the remaining steps. Once the learner has mastered the initial step, then they are given the opportunity to complete the first two steps, then the first three, so on and so forth until all of the behaviors required to execute the target skill are mastered. So, for example, in making a turkey sandwich, the instructor would allow the learner to take out the plate, and then would assist or prompt with the remaining steps.

     Total task chaining is where the learner is given the opportunity to complete each behavior relating to the target skill with independence at each step, with the instructor providing prompts as necessary throughout the execution of the skill. So, for example, in making a turkey sandwich, the instructor may allow the learner to perform all of the steps independently, and when they get stuck, go in and prompt the target behavior, and then allow them to continue independently.

     In summary, task analysis is a way of breaking down components of a skill into specific behaviors required to execute a skill or complete a task.

An Overview of Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT)

     There are many different ways to teach skills and concepts to children. There are whole group, small group, and individualized strategies. While some are better for teaching certain types of content, one method that is very useful for teaching skills in an inductive way is through discrete trial training (DTT).

     DTT is typically done one-to-one with an instructor and a child in a very structured environment. The clinician contrives the learning environment very intently. Some general examples of these environmental manipulations may be to minimize distractions for acquisition targets, or have distractions present to check for mastery of skills and/or generalization.

     By generalization, it is meant that the skill or behavior is emitted under numerous conditions and across people and settings and materials. For example, if a target skill is to expressively identify a car, a clinician may start with basic pictures of cars, then use Matchbox cars. To oversimplify the concept of generalization, the goal is that the learner is able to understand that there are multiple examples of cars, but they are all still cars. Being able to identify multiple examples of cars can then lead to greater understandings about cars and the world in general, such as that cars drive on the road, but so do buses, and buses carry children to school, so on and so forth. Essentially, we want to make the child’s world larger, and a good way to ensure this is happening is by checking for generalization of skills and behaviors across examples and settings and people.

     Each trial in a DTT sequence is documented on a data sheet for correct and incorrect responses. When an incorrect response is given, we mark the level of prompting (vocal, gestural, model, physical, to name a few) necessary for the child to respond correctly. We then go into the next trial for the same target, to see if learning has occurred. As we move through the trials, the prompt is faded out; however, after 2 incorrect responses, the clinician typically goes into an errorless teaching format. 

     In errorless teaching the learner is fully prompted to respond, thereby not allowing for an opportunity to respond incorrectly.  We run the errorless procedure 3 times, and then run what is termed a transfer trial – or a trial that allows the learner respond independently – to check if learning has occurred. 

     DTT as a teaching protocol is not without some controversy. Some people claim it leads to rote responding, or creates mechanical like responding. However, in light of this criticism, one ought to ask themselves if it would be better to have the child not learning at all? Additionally, through checking for generalization, we ensure that rote responding is decreased. DTT is specialized in that it creates learning opportunities for children who may not have the prerequisite skills for larger group based instruction. With this in mind, DTT can therefore be useful for getting children to the point where they are available for more natural, group based instruction. 

     DTT is extremely useful because it has the learner practicing the skill or behavior with individualized support and opportunities for incorrect responding are lessened, thereby increasing the rate of learning.

Bullying

46% of teens with an ASD are bullied. You can read more here.

The flip-side of the coin is that there are resources available to combat bullying here.

Another reason why it is not only important to protect our children, but to teach them to also advocate for themselves!

Adult Behavior

     There are times when adults see certain behavior in children that is puzzling. If we follow the premise that behavior is learned, then it goes without saying that some behavior is taught and others behavior is learned by observation. By observation, it is meant that learners view models and act in similar or exact ways. Additionally, how you as an adult respond to a child’s behavior will play a part in how they behave in the future. Keeping adult behavior in mind can go a long way in understanding and shaping the behavior of children.

                With this in mind, whether you are a parent or professional, if you are an adult, children will learn how to behave by observing how you behave. We are not merely talking about “role-models” that children see in their favorite actors or sports figures, we are talking about modeling in general. Many times, simply saying how certain behavior should occur is not enough -- we need to play the part as well. 

                Let’s take, for instance, vocal protest. A child is not born saying “No” and refusing to comply. They may see this behavior modeled by another peer, but they may also have learned it by observing adults. Maybe, a spouse asks their significant other to take out the garbage, and the significant other says “I’ll do it later,” and it never gets done. For children observing this, they may have just learned one strategy for getting out of non-preferred activities. 

                Another consideration for your behavior is how you consequate a child’s behavior. Under the behavior analytic model, we are far more concerned with what follows (the consequence) a particular behavior, rather than what comes before (the antecedent). There is an entire science (Applied Behavior Analysis) devoted to studying this Response-Consequence connection that is far beyond the scope of this post, but it is important to delve into topically. 

                For the same example of vocal protest illustrated above, if a child protests and gets out of the activity, the probability of them complying in the future is decreased. This goes almost without saying; however, if you become frustrated, or start nagging and pestering, you may have inadvertently shaped up escape behavior AND added an additional attention component (the nagging). 

The important thing to keep in mind with attention is that there are different types of attention. Some children, for whatever reason, may prefer negative attention because they know that what follows (the consequence) is avoiding the task at hand. Some children would rather spend 40 minutes tantruming and being yelled at than one minute complying.  If you remain calm and follow-through you will increase future success. Even if the episode has escalated into a tantrum, following through on even a small detail as it relates to the initial demand may increase future success for completion of the larger goal. 

                There is also a consideration for how adults behave even with children they do not know. If a child is flopping and screaming in the grocery store, and you are staring at the child and parent/caregiver, you have just become an audience member to that situation. Judgments aside, providing an audience for an acting out child may increase the intensity of their tantrum. Think of how you behave when you are being watched. If you are at work, and are doing something correct or efficiently, there may have been an instance where you increased your intensity to be noticed when your supervisor walks by. Examples like this are pertinent to compare and contrast adult and child behavior because they are similar in that there is a motivation component, only the observable behavior is different (tantruming vs. working). 

                A lot of how a child behaves is going to depend on the model you provide and your reactions in situations. If you can make activities fun and worthwhile, remain patient, and always remember to think about how your actions will affect a child’s behavior, you are already one step in the right direction for teaching appropriate behavior and squashing the inappropriate.  

                Lastly, and this may take some reminding, but you are the adult. Remembering to act like an adult, even in difficult, uncomfortable, or frustrating scenarios will have an impact on a child’s behavior. And this remains true whether or not you even know the child. 

Back to School Tips!

     Whether your child is first entering the school system, transitioning to a new school, or returning to familiar environment, there can be a lot of anxiety for both the child and caregiver. Here’s my list for making the school year start off right, and stay that way!

For Children:

-        - Start their routines a week or two in advance – if you know your child needs to wake up at 6 to get ready for school, start waking them at 6 in advance! Stick with consistent bedtimes and bedtime hygiene.

-         - Just like waking and rising, a consistent routine for meals, snacks, leisure, and bathing can also go a long way towards success

-        -  If your child uses a visual schedule, do not wait for day 1 to start using it. Have them be familiar with the schedule and the protocol for using it

-         - If you have social stories for your child, make sure they are familiar with the stories

-         - Make sure they are familiar with important locations – walk them to the bus stop and explain that this is where they will be picked up and dropped off

-        -  If they don’t already, let your child pick out their own outfits

-       -   Let them pick what they want for lunch/snack

-        -  Let your child navigate the school supply aisle, and pick what they want

-        -  Provide as much choice as possible in the home life and in getting ready for the school year/day. So much of our children’s days are dictated by adults.

-        -  Once school begins, make sure you are communicating positively and talking about their day.

-        -  Make sure their backpack is not too heavy or cumbersome – you want them to have everything they need, but if they can’t physically manage it, then it’s too much stuff

-        -  Allow them to voice their anxieties and concerns over the new school year – talking about this early on can help avoid potential barriers down the road

-        -  Let them take part in the IEP process – There are many ways to do this. Their contribution doesn’t always need to be vocal – have them make a PowerPoint about what they’d like to learn, their strengths, things they can work on, and things they like to do.

For Parents:

-         - Check your child’s backpack daily

-         - Have a school/home communication log: Even just a few sentences about successes and barriers both at home and at school can help with trouble-shooting and playing to strengths down the road

-         - Keep a binder with all of your child’s most up to date information. This may include a list of allergies, particular strengths, potential barriers, preferred foods/items/activities, IEP, and other supplemental information. Also, make sure that your contact information can be easily accessed if need be, and that there is emergency contact information as well.

-         - If your child takes medication, be sure to be in contact with the school nurse to discuss administration of the medication

-         - If your child uses augmentative and assistive communication, make a point to teachers that they need to have it at all times. Additionally, make sure that you as the parent are doing the same. These are your child’s words and voice!

-         - Be in contact with teachers early

-         - Tour the building with your child. Have them meet their teachers, show them key locations such as their classroom and bathroom, show them where the bus will pick them up, etc.

-         - Look over the IEP and any other materials (BIP, 504 plan, sensory diet, etc).  Make sure you feel comfortable with it and competent about what it means. If you have questions – ask them!

-         - If it seems necessary, write out a social story about waking up, getting ready, going to school, and expectations

-         - Make sure their backpack is stocked appropriately. This may include extra changes of clothing, extra snacks/drink, EPI-Pen, etc.

This list is not exhaustive, there are a lot of other ways to help your child prepare. You know your child best! Think about what you can do to make them the most successful member of their learning community they can be. Most of all, make school fun!

Good luck!

[If you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.]

Developmental Readiness and Learning

     I am not the parent of or an individual with developmental differences. Albeit, I did have fairly interfering ADHD as a child, and still have unmistakable ADD. It interfered with a lot of learning, and I am probably what would be considered a "late bloomer." I may be all the better for it, and I wouldn't change anything. Enough about me.

     I have recently been really into reading blogs authored by individuals with an ASD and parents of children with different abilities. Their stories are always heartwarming and, not surprisingly, always as "human" and empathetic as any of the other blogs I frequent. There is, however, a common stream I have been coming across about "patience" and "developmental readiness." The quality of patience and the understanding of developmental readiness is key for professionals who help treat children, especially young learners, with barriers. However, there is an additional argument that typically accompanies these opinions about avoiding early intervention. I cannot disagree more.

     The argument goes something like this, we need to respect developmental readiness and be patient and not try to "rush" along progress. Here is the enormous problem with this argument. Learners who present with developmental delays typically also have atypical learning histories. And the longer they "practice" the wrong thing, the harder it is to teach the right things. Forget teaching replacement, more socially valid behaviors to counteract, when we do not intervene early to teach these learners how to learn, we risk profound issues in the future.

     When we look at developmental milestones, there are definite learner readiness and listener responding skills that should be acquired by a certain age. When we do not directly teach them to individuals who lack them, a whole array of other barriers arise. If I present a learner with three toy hammers -- one red, one blue, and one yellow -- and ask "Give me the yellow hammer," and the learner hands me all of the hammers, this is a problem of discrimination that carriers over across environments, and social and academic tasks. When a 4 year old is still in diapers, his preschool-mates are going to notice the abnormality, and may avoid that child, thereby risking socialization issues. Additionally, social differences are already going to be present, so why exacerbate the issue by not teaching potty training, and getting the child out of diapers. There are multiple efficacious protocols for potty training -- some by way of aversive over-corrective, others positive practice, some both. Why does the child who is already clearly "different" need to be more ostracized by their peers? What service is it to respect their developmental readiness at a young age and risk their developmental inappropriateness later in life? What good is it to be patient while they are young, and risk not only abnormal, but deficient learning repertoires? And when that happens, some may ask, "Why isn't my child's school doing more to educate my child?" Unfortunately, sometimes, the answer is because the child does not know how to learn. I worked extensively with a high school Sophomore who was able to sit at a desk for <.1% of his academic day. And I did the math on this; frequency tally of out of seat and engaging in maladaptive behavior / amount of hours in IEP for academic instruction * 60 [minutes in an hour] = __%. It didn't matter how fully we accommodated and modified, how powerful the extrinsic motivators were, this learner did not know how to learn, because he did not know how to sit at a desk. And this is because he did not want to and because no one had taught him how to sit an receive instruction.

     We always want to meet learners where they're at. But as they fall behind crucial developmental milestones, we need to teach these skills in isolation. We are the adults and we need to make it better for them to be engaging with peers than hand-flapping. It needs to be more awesome to be on a swing with friends than spinning in a corner.

     The most motivating note I have to offer on all of this, is that we can teach skills to overcome barriers and deficiencies, and we have 40+ years of empirical evidence to prove that. Patience and respect for development is absolutely important, but it is hazardous to be cautious or hold back or think that we are "rushing" a child who has developmental and learning-based barriers, when we are actually creating future opportunities for a better, more positive development.