Time Savers for the School SLP
By Melita Watts, MS, CCC-SLP
Posted on:
September 17, 2009
Editor's Note: This is the second article in a four-part series on ways to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery in the public school setting.
Discipline is an area that speech-language pathologists don't like to discuss. We want therapy to be fun and exciting, and we expect every student to love going to speech therapy. But let's face it-we are asking children to do things that are difficult for them. Serious behavior problems can arise if they are unable to handle that kind of stress or have disabilities like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism. Having a discipline plan in place will enable you to deal with situations quickly and effectively.
While a system should be developed according to an individual's unique personality and therapy style, some common strategies are effective in developing a discipline plan. The "3 Rs" of discipline are rules, rewards and responses.
Children need to know from the outset what is expected of them. Develop a set of simple, general rules that can apply to any situation, such as "Always be respectful" and "Follow school rules." Post the rules in your room, and go over them at the beginning of the year and whenever a new student enters the group. If a child misbehaves, refer back to the rules when enforcing discipline.
Positive rewards are more effective than a punitive system. You are not bribing students. Bribery is giving a reward that has not been earned. You merely are recognizing their good work. A system of positive rewards encourages my students to keep striving toward their goals.
A rewards system is an opportunity to teach the concept of delayed gratification. Instead of giving out a sticker every time a child comes to speech, develop a long-term plan, such as giving a reward for earning 30 check marks. You can shorten the time it takes to earn a reward for younger children or students with more severe impairments.
You don't have to buy rewards. Children love writing with markers or playing for five minutes on the class computer. Be creative, and let them suggest what rewards they would like to earn. Consider prizes like letting them sit in your chair, offering five minutes of puzzles time, or doing therapy with their shoes off.
The old adage of "respond, but don't react" still holds true for discipline today. The worst thing you can do when a student misbehaves is to get upset. Children will do things that are wrong, and usually it's not a personal attack on you. If you respond calmly, you can avoid escalating the situation.
First, make sure a set of consequences is in place before a child breaks a rule. Acknowledge what the child did wrong, and refer to the rule that was broken. Verbally note the consequence, such as losing a check toward a reward. Ask the child to apologize to you, and then reply, "I forgive you. Please don't do that again." (Don't say, "It's OK," when children apologize because they may view your response as permission to misbehave as long as they say they are sorry afterwards.)
I have found a few responses that were popular when I started as a therapist to be ineffective. For example, avoid manipulative language. Statements such as "I like the way Johnny is sitting in his seat" may make the other children sit nicely for a few minutes, but there are negative associations with this kind of statement. Words such as "I like" or "I am happy about" may cause resentment against the child who is complimented and make the other children think you don't like them. Children don't understand the difference between liking someone's actions and liking the person. A response such as "Johnny, thank you for sitting nicely" will get the same positive reaction without the negative baggage.
You also should avoid jokes or teasing, unless you are absolutely sure the child has the language skills necessary to understand humor. While you think you are just having fun with them, many children will think you are criticizing them. Humor is a high-level language skill, and most children with impaired speech do not have the necessary level of verbal ability. The result may be misbehavior, or your connection with the child could be undermined.
Once you have your rules, rewards and responses planned, you should be able to handle almost any discipline issue.
Melita Watts is on staff at Irving Independent School District in Irving, TX. She can be reached at (972) 263-4338. Past articles in this series can be found in the online archives.
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