JOIT

[Guest guest]

I got this email from a friend. Has anyone heard of this JOIT? What are the

opinions of the professionals out there?

Website: _www.joit4kids.com_ (http://www.joit4kids.com)

Subject: JOIT is better than ABA

JOIT IS DRAMATICALLY MORE EFFECTIVE THAN USING ABA METHODS TO

MODIFY INAPPROPRIATE OR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS

The details of the JOIT process and how to apply it

Did you know that ABA methods only treat observable behaviors? In general,

this means that the actions or reactions displayed by a person are targeted

and treated. Although, ABA is very popular and effective at some level, it

is limited in its potential to treat a person. Yes, it is scientifically

proven and it is a fact that it is limited. Have you ever tried an ABA

technique

to modify behaviors, were unable to get the results that you believed you

could get and ultimately questioned why it was not working...something just

didn’

t feel right? This is a natural feeling and more common than you think.

I must point out that almost every psychologist, other than behaviorist,

know via education that unless you get to the core issues the behaviors are

probably not going to easily and permanently reduced. ABA is a surface level

treatment. ABA does not contain methods that identify, assess or treat the

child’

s mind and emotions. The mind and emotions are frequently the cause of the

behaviors. Behaviorists believe, to put it bluntly, if you can’t see it or

take data on it, you just don’t deal with it. This is a narrow way of

perceiving how to view and support a child.

After all the years of knowing this and never quiet feeling satisfied with

how I was treating the child, I started investigating how the human body, at

the level of our nervous system (which tells our body how to move via the

information given from the mind, body or emotions), functions. Once I gathered

enough information across the board and found the answers I had been looking

for, I designed and perfected a process that treats the child as a whole

person. And, it worked better than ABA alone. I began by designing the JOIT

process by taking some concepts from ABA to keep the JOIT process by definition

behavioral and to ensure that it is easy to integrate into any traditional ABA

program which requires learning how to replace the behavioral component of

ABA while keeping the educational component almost the same. I then added

methods which reinforce attention, focus, compliance, happiness and relaxation

that are known to specifically change the way the mind and emotions perceive

and process various stimuli. The goal is to have the child be in a more

positive and calm state where he feels safe and supported when new or old

stimuli

is present so he can take in, accept and ultimately view and respond to the

stimuli in a calm way in order to learn more about it. The child is then able

to come out into the world more frequently and for longer periods of time.

The best part about JOIT is its ability to shift any identified problem

behaviors mentally, physically and emotionally by applying techniques which

show

the child how to repeat the certain steps necessary to internally and

externally go into a deep state of calmness.

This is so serious and so real that I recommend not discounting what I am

going teach you in the following paragraphs. Keep in mind that my intention is

to help people understand and learn the JOIT process so that treating the

child as a person and helping him be relax, under all circumstances, is first

and foremost in the adults mind. The reality is that the basis for which

everything else can be built upon, easily and rapidly, will occur the moment

relaxation has been achieved. This is a solution to our current problem

The Jakey-Olson Intergrative Therapy (JOIT)

JOIT is easy. JOIT is simple. The JOIT process is special in its own way.

You may find it helps in more ways than you realize. The methods I use are

behavior modification and concentrative meditation that includes a mantra

combined with massage therapy. Although this may not make sense to a person

who

strictly understands ABA, the combination of my techniques work and can be

integrated into any ABA program. My speciality is in getting the child to

attend, learn and then relax so the child remains calm throughout the session.

These steps are taught in a specific order. Because of this order, the kids

like what they are learning to do and the adults enjoy the results they are

getting because JOIT is easier to implement than ABA. The JOIT process

consists of 3 steps. Each step must be mastered prior to moving on to the next

step. First, I will describe the materials you need, next I will describe how

to make the token board and finally I will describe the specifics of the JOIT

process.

The materials needed are two child size chairs that face each other so that

the adult and child sit knee to knee. A token board and tokens will be

needed. It is highly recommended that you purchase a bottle of lotion. The

lotion is used as a tool to help relax the arms. Finally, it is a good idea to

have a box of tissue available in case the child starts to cry or have a runny

nose. Crying means the nervous system is calming down on its own. So don’t

try to stop the child from crying. It means you are getting closer to the

final result. Where food was needed, love and patience will be required.

The token board is 3 rows long and 10 columns wide. Pennies, nickles and

quarters are used as the tokens. The adult will need to have 10 pennies, 10

nickles and 10 quarters. The token board is made of plastic and should be

shaped like a rectangle. Pencil boxes work the best. Velcro must be placed

strategically on the plastic token board and on one side of each of the 30

coins

on either side...it doesn’t matter. The velcro is evenly placed on the

plastic in three rows with 10 columns. The rows are 10 tokens long so the

adult

can calculate the number of correct responses more easily and convert the

number into percentages faster. The pennies are placed on the bottom row, the

nickles on the center row and the quarters are placed on the top row to set up

the token board. Remove the tokens from the token board prior to starting

each step. If you are just teaching step one only take off the tokens on the

bottom row. If you are teaching step 3 only take off the tokens on the top

row. When the steps are combined remove all the tokens from the token board.

Steps 1, 3 and 2 in detail

Step 1: Attending Behaviors

“Feet down, hands quiet, sit up straight and look†is what the adult slowly

sing to the child to get attending behaviors. Initially, when “feet downâ€

is sung the adult physically prompts the child’s feet by placing them on the

floor by pressing down on the knees slightly. When “hands quiet†is sung

the adult physically places the child’s hands palms down in the child’s

lap.

Next, as the adult sings “sit up straight†he places his index finger in

the middle of the childs chest and pushes forward gently to help the child

bring up his body into an upward position. Finally, as the adult sings to the

child “lookâ€, cup your hands on the outside of the childs face until the

child

looks and acknowledges the adult. Immediately after the child looks into

the adults eyes remove the hands and give the child a penny by placing it on

the bottom left hand corner of the token board. Never let the child place the

tokens on the token board. Always make sure the adult has complete control

over this step. Remember to work from the left side of the board to the right

side of the board. Make sure that when you verbally reinforce the child

simultaneously with the token you use a quiet and calm voice. There is one

other response cost method that is part of the JOIT process that will help the

adult reduce behaviors. This process is learned when the adult is certified.

Aside from that it is highly recommended that the child master this

attending behaviors step prior to mastering step 3 or 2. To master this step

the

child must attend 80% of the time for 3 consecutive sessions or attend 90% of

the time for 2 consecutive sessions. This is step 1.

Step 3: Relaxation

This is the most powerful and significant aspect of the JOIT process and it

is important that relaxation is taught accurately and at the right time. It

is the most frequently used technique. It reduces internal mentally

distracting thoughts and external behaviors at the same time. The two

techniques are

applied at the same time ultimately making the relaxation component a

mind-body technique. So, where the mind or behaviors could previously dominate

independently in a negative way, the relaxation technique kills two birds with

one stone to the point that the mind and body both submit to a state of

relaxation by the end of a 3 count. The child begins to love relaxing.

Submitting

starts to feel natural, the child feels safe and nutured instead of being

yelled at or given extreme consequences. What this means is that the internal

thoughts that we don’t know about or can’t see, that may trigger a

behavior,

are changed into a simple one sentence thought pattern called a mantra which

is used to quiet the mind. The mantra is positive where the negative

thoughts bread behaviors. This mantra is repeated over and over again until it

starts to sink in and take over the thought pattern in a positive way. This is

beneficial because it also reduces mental overstimulation. In addition, the

sound alone of the adults voice, which should be soft and quiet, helps the

child listen without having to cover his ears or react to a more abrasive

sound. The mantra is simply “relax...one...two...three.†This means that

the

child is not reinforced until he relaxes to the command “relax†and relaxes

for 3 seconds. Relaxation is when the mind is quiet and the muscles are no

longer tense.

At the same time, the external or observable inappropriate or aggressive

behaviors usually stop occurring because the body learns a new way to respond

to

physical stimuli. When rubbing down the arms with lotion, over and over

again, from the shoulders to the fingertips, muscle tension begins to reduced.

The repetition which loosens the muscles, that are usually stiff and rigid

and have previously been conditioned to lash out, are reconditioned in a

positive new way. This means the arms lay more frequently and more naturally

by

the childs sides or in his lap when the massage component has been completed.

And, although the child may fight or flight to defend his feelings that he

may perceive as normal or helpful, eventually he learn that it feels better to

be still, be calm and quiet. And, he is naturally reinforced by feeling

mentally and physically better than he ever has. Combined, the adult therefore

is

ultimately to rub down the arms while saying the mantra because it is not

possible to be angry, inappropriate or aggressive when you are calmed down to

the point of mental and physical relaxation. So the child must relax for 3

seconds prior to the adult placing a quarter on the childs token board.

Remember to work from the left to the right across the board. Make sure the

child

masters this level. This is the most important skill the child could ever

learn. Mastery is when the child responds correctly 80% of the time for 3

consecutive sessions or 90% of the time for 2 consecutive sessions.

Please be exceptionally patient during this stage. If a child has extreme

behaviors it may take him 20 minutes to an hour to calm down for 3 seconds.

The good news is that the more the child is able to practice this step the

faster and more skilled he will be at relaxing. Remember the child most likely

has never been taught to relax before in his life.

Step 2: The Learning Component

The learning component is never forgotten. However, it is always integrated

with step 1 and 3. Taught separately, it entails realizing that the

objectives and goals are an important part of the technique. It is composed of

the

SD, the response and the reinforcer (the nickle and verbal praise). These 3

steps are called a trial. Once a trial is completed you will never worry

about an angry child again due to the preventative nature of the relaxation

process that follows. The relaxation process was designed to be implemented

after the child is reinforced with a nickle token for a correct response

because

it helps the child calm down after presenting the trial which is often

anxiety provoking. This means every time a correct response is given the adult

is

required to immediately give the child a nickle token and move to step 3

before a behavior has a chance of occurring. If the child responds incorrectly

say “try again†and relax the child for 3 seconds. Then repeat the SD and

prompt when needed to get the correct response. Once the child responds

correctly place the nickle token on the token board and that is it.

Combining the steps and reviewing the JOIT process

The final step is to combine the 3 steps together. Start with step 1 and

sing the attending behavior song using prompts as needed. Remember shaping the

behavior is an option. Place one penny on the bottom row as recommended.

The main thing the adult is looking for is the eye contact. Once eye contact

has been made the step is over. Secondly, go to step 2 and ask the child a

question or give a command. Reinforce correct responses with verbal praise

very softly and quietly as to not arouse his nervous system and place a nickle

on the middle row of the token board. Finally, after the nickle token is

given, relax the child until he is quiet and still for 3 seconds. Put the

quarter token on the top left corner of the top row. Always work from the

bottom

left corner to the top left corner and from the left to the right across the

token board when combining the steps. This new learning pattern that

includes having the child attend, learn and relax works like a charm and is

more

effective then traditional ABA.

One last word of advice...focus on the process and not on the child. By

doing this, although sometimes difficult to do, the adult will be most

successful in calming down the child more often. The best part about the JOIT

process

is that once the child masters the relaxation step, the adult can more

easily relax the child in different settings because it easily generalizes. So

what this means is that if you implement step 3 on its own, at least 3 times a

week, the child will start learning that when you say relax the child knows

to mentally and physically relax because they have practice the technique so

often that the child remembers what to do.

The JOIT process is designed for children who have been diagnosed with

autism and related disorders. In order for me to provide you with this service

I

suggest email me at _Joit4kids@..._ (mailto:Joit4kids@...) .

Certification is required to ensure the quality and effectiveness of this

service

and to get the best outcome.

The JOIT process is most effectively learned when the parent, therapist or

teacher observes me working with a child. It is even more deeply understood

when the person independently works with the child on his own while I

supervise. This technique has the potential of changing the child dramatically.

The

JOIT process was designed so that the current behavior component of the

child’

s program is replaced by this more specific and effective method.

Please set up a phone consultation appointment to learn about the other

detailed techniques that have not been mentioned in this paper which include

blocking and response cost.

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