Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Behavior Management 101: Topic 2

Topic 2: Behavior Management: 
Make the sessions more enjoyable
Sometimes behavior problems can be kept in check by making the therapy session more enjoyable. I generally choose some type of game or activity to use during the session. For games, the child must produce their targets before a turn. Another motivating activity is for the child to earn pieces of a playset. Once all the pieces are earned, they can spend a few minutes of their time playing (during which time targets are elicited by me during the play). It is best to keep some type of bucket or container handy so that the toy or piece goes directly from my hand to the container. If the child gets it, you lose their attention. The child can earn cars to roll on a track, blocks to build with, balls to shoot through baskets... for these activities we usually earn 5-10 items then engage in the activity, then repeat the process of earning more. The main caveat to the play is that the child (depending on their age) might need to be reminded that the play is a bonus, and the speech work is the main goal of the session. Some of the kids favorite games include Lego building games, Candyland, Sorry, Curious George Beach game, Bumparena, Taz (build the cage), Buckaroo, Go Fish (with artic cards)... really any game can work. My favorites require either a race to the finish type game or one that requires collecting items or constructing a part of the game. Favorite activities I use include putting together take apart vehicles with toy screws, Knex, Legos, Fisher Price playsets with lots of pieces to earn, wind-up toys, Squinkies, Hot Wheels, Little Pet Shop, etc.  Here is a link to other posts I have on games in therapy.

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