Blue

I mentioned last week that we are doing "compliance training" with a kinder kid who is having a tough time following directions in class. Well, I can't recall if I mentioned that the kid pretty much refuses to speak - to anyone. Some actually wondered if he was mute or at least a selective mute. Well, last week I met him, and yesterday I attempted to work with him. He pretty much refused to acknowledge me so I kind of just guided him about the room forcing him to do everything he was attempting to escape. He would cover his ears and although he looked in my direction if I was to lock eyes with him he'd quickly look away. Today I seemed to make a lot more progress. I would give directives and then walk away, come back and praise for whatever minute progress he had made or prompt again and then walk away again. He didn't get much of his work done still, and he still ripped apart his workbook, but he stayed in his seat (one of our goals) and did do some of his assignment. The big progress came in working with him one-on-one. He actually came with me today to walk down to our little room to play video games. Sure, he got side tracked a bit, but I didn't have to use any muscle to get him where I needed him to be - so that was a huge improvement. Once we reached out little room I let him pick out a video game and play for 5 minutes. Then I let him know we needed to take a break and do some of the classwork he hadn't got to while we were in class. AND he actually stopped playing the game without tantruming/shutting down on me/acting out agressively and did the work. I, of course, continued to lavish him with praise for every little thing he did. Gotta feed this new it's ok to do my work mentality. My biggest excitment of the day was when I asked him what a color was and he actually replied back,

"Blue"

After that he even said a couple of short phrases to me! I was shocked and completely tickled pink. He was compliant the rest of the time together, even put away the video games without being asked. We made a deal that he would win a toy if he walked (I specified this meant no running, skipping, or hopping) back to the class with me. He shook my hand in agreement and we had a pleasant walk back to the classroom. Who is this kid? I am amazed. Guess that compliance training stuff actually works.
I've got another behavior modification kid that I just started working with yesterday. We have a Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) sheet that is passed back in forth between the teacher who fills it out and my supervisor and I who talk with the kid. Yesterday I met with this little 2nd grade girl for the first time and explained to her the system. She has 2 goals: stay in her seat AND raise her hand and not call out. I made her say them to me at LEAST 10 times until I knew she had the memorized. Then, we practiced them. I said silly questions that I knew she knew the answer for and she practiced raising her hand and waiting for me to call on her. After all that she got to pick out the prize from the prize wall that she wanted to work towards getting: colored pencils. This morning, on a whim, I decided to go sit in her classroom. She got all wiggly and excited to see me so I squatted down next to her and made her tell me, again, what she was going to be working on. She told me and then I stayed in the classroom and watched her for a half hour. That kid cracked me up. She kept checking back to see if I was watching her and occasionally, when she needed to get out of her chair to throw away a paper or something she would bolt out and bolt back, like if she did it quick enough I wouldn't see her. Too funny. Anyway on my way out I stopped by and told her what an awesome job she had done and that she should keep up her great work so she could get those pencils. She told me her goals one more time and I left. When she came and met with me at the end of the day she had done what was asked of her 2/3's of the day. pretty awesome improvement considering she didn't do it at all the day before! So she won her pencils and we played go fish to reward her for her good behavior. She said to me as she was leaving my little room "this was fantastic!"
Don't tell anybody, but some days, this internship thing is pretty fun.

Today's word is brought to you by the letter: B

Behavior Modification!

Isn't is grand? Today was full of it. I hung out in the kindergarten classroom this morning assisting my supervisor in doing "Compliance Training" with a little dude in there. My sup wore a necklace that had a green smiley face on one side and a red frowny face on the other. When the kid was following directions/staying at his center Mr. H would wear it with the green happy face showing, but if the kid wasn't complying with directions, it was switched to the red sad face. I, doing my best Vanna White impression, kept "score" on a white board that was displayed for the kid to see. Every five minutes I would draw either a happy or sad face, depending on  the kids behavior at the moment. The kid really wanted NOTHING to do with us when we came into the classroom. Mr. H attempted to explain to him what we were doing and the kid covered his face to block him out. But we kept at it. And after an hour and a half the kid was actually looking at both of us. He got lots of happy faces and won his cookie for the day, so he was a happy camper.

I really liked the technique as the kid got constant observable feedback on his behavior. And he got a tangible reward. I asked Mr. H if it was a technique that could be used with older kids and he shot that down pretty quick saying it was really just classroom training. I see his point, but I have also seen some older kids who could still use some classroom training. Maybe, someday, when I am a big bad School Psychologist at a school of my own, I will try it with an older kid and see how it works. :)

After hanging with the kindergartner I met with my other behavior mod kid. She is amazingly ADHD and  has three daily behavior goals (stay near work station, get half of work done, no rolling on the floor) and if she gets one goal met for the day she gets to play video games, two or three goals, she wins a prize. It seems like a pretty effective system for her. Token Economy for the win! She is a silly girl though. Today she popped in at her lunch recess and felt the need to sing for me. So I let her do it and she ate up the attention. Maybe she really doesn't even need the prize, she may do well with just an "atta girl!" here and there.

My own personal, Davie Crocket...

Lately, I just fall in love with every kid I work with! I was asked to pull out a kid and do some survey level assessment using CBM Oral Reading Fluency probes to figure out if this third grader could read. He had just transferred into the district and the teacher was worried by what she was seeing in the classroom. So I pulled this adorable little boy into my room and we tried to read together. I learned, very quickly that this third grader couldn't read a lick, didn't even know letter sounds. Depressing huh? So he is on the list to get into the intervention program that is starting soon. Some of the kids I have asked to read for me who cannot read get a little defiant or seem indifferent to the activity. However, this lil guy gave it his best shot (which you've got to admire). In between reading passages he loved to tell me stories. He told me about his dad who could speak three languages and knew karate. He attempted to show me some of his own karate moves, showed me every scar on his body, and then he told me the best story ever. He went camping once, and a bear came into his camp. The bear knocked over what his mom was cooking and in the process his mom's arm was burned. So what did my cute little boy do in response? Well, he killed the bear of course! Will a rock no less. And then he used its fur to make something that sounded really cool in spanish which is apparently a blanket of some sort. That kid cracked me up. And thankfully, I can get him some help in his reading too, so it was a great day.