Escaping by hitting and scratching

[Guest guest]

I'm a teaching assistant working with an autistic child. When she is working on

reading and math which is challenging for her she tries to hit or scratch. When

I ask her what she wants, she says, " I want to hurt you, or scratch you and then

begins stimming with laughter or words from commercials. " I don't think she is

doing this for any kind of attention. I have tried being engaging with some of

her reinforcements which seems to work better than forcing her to complete the

task. Any suggestions how to handle, " I want to hurt you... & how to proceed.

I greatly appreciate any help since I'm at a loss of how to move on.

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

I would suggest doing functional communication training with her. If you look up

the topic on JABA online, you will find a lot of research articles about how to

do it. The basic summary is that when you are about to present the difficult

task you prompt her to ask for a break. Initially you give her a break and then

you slowly build in completing the demand. Additionally, if she is only doing it

during difficult tasks you might want to analyze the tasks to see how you could

make them easier for her so they aren't so difficult. You can also present the

tasks in smaller levels (1 problem instead of 10) or give choices (even choices

between nonpreferred tasks works well). I would also block the scratching and

don't attend to the verbalizations = don't ask her what she wants and don't

acknowledge that she is saying it because she could be doing it for attention.

Hope this helps ~

DeLeon, M.S., BCBA

Navigation Behavioral Consulting

" Navigating the world of behavior, changing the course of people's lives "

www.navigationbehavioralconsulting.com

blog.navigationbehavioralconsulting.com

From: terrizaret <terrizaret@...>

Subject: [ ] Escaping by hitting and scratching

Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 8:24 PM

 

I'm a teaching assistant working with an autistic child. When she is

working on reading and math which is challenging for her she tries to hit or

scratch. When I ask her what she wants, she says, " I want to hurt you, or

scratch you and then begins stimming with laughter or words from commercials. "

I don't think she is doing this for any kind of attention. I have tried being

engaging with some of her reinforcements which seems to work better than forcing

her to complete the task. Any suggestions how to handle, " I want to hurt you...

& how to proceed.

I greatly appreciate any help since I'm at a loss of how to move on.

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I would try to assure this girl that you are not trying to hurt her (where you

are not) by placing the demands that you are placing on her (Try cutting back on

that perhaps and see where that takes you? on your terms, of course, where too

difficult a demand schedule with respect to the reinforcement schedule, being

not reinforcing enough, could be the problem?) and elaborate on the positive

feelings that you have for her and for what you hope for her, and the negative

feelings, too, where you could work through that for both of your best

interests? (of differential reinforcement that maximizes as much?) where you

would want to try to relate with her by as much, of re-pairing or bonding

further than you have, I would recommend, either way, of whatever you do

otherwise.. .

You might want to give her some choice/s? (related to what you want to teach?)

of how to proceed of investing her in as much, on how to proceed beyond where

you're at with her now. That should prove reinforcing in as of as much, itself,

where other reinforcers don't work so well for what you're trying to achieve I

mean.

She might be more understanding of as much than you realize, as we perhaps would

be of having things put so when so oriented to the big picture, of understanding

more if not justness, Thereof? My sense of It.

You could also try having her fingernails clipped so you don't get scratched

where she should try to scratch you again, (as when our son was going through

that phase, of sorts?) where all else fails, or in the interim, perhaps.

(Scratcing and hitting only works where it does?!.)

It sounds like you have an open and honest and reasonable (of the feelings? but

perhaps of a misunderstanding, if not of ours?) child who you could better reach

by as much, [who hasn't had hurtful feelings, to be honest? and where would that

come from, of all that?] at least by a choice, of as much, (if not more for

continuous reinforcement?) perhaps. Let her understand that you're in control of

your being in control (of a fun and interesting way even if not especially?! of

all that you do understand?!) either way, where you are, of having all you need

in that respect of being in control when you need to be in control, of being

prepared yourself.

Differentially reinforce?!.

Mike Glavic

For me education is more about justness (for justness) in this respect of

understanding more for our selves, so don't be surprised where I go straight to

the heart of the matter in dealing with it, Thereof

Best wishes to one and all in that respect of, differentially reinforcing what's

good about me/us and that if you will, which inherently seems to come of

Understanding More of " Communication " (where you get that right? of what you get

out of It?) is my sense of It, which makes differentially reinforcing things

perhaps easier than we think? .. . About this easy, I'd say, for Us, Thereof

I had to remember and re-write pretty much this whole post on account of my

Vista operating system blew it away re-configuring my computer for updates at

the same time I had finished writing this! How's that for dedication to the

voluntary spirit (of stimulus conditioning? being the primary thing? necessary

for operant conditioning to have anything to work with? I'd say) isn't so much a

question for me, of what I understand I do.. .

I do things for understanding more for myself in that respect of everything I

get out of being a volunteer (if not leader, of my self) first, Thereof, of my

representing my self and what I aim for my students (and everyone, really, of as

much, as for more, of Understanding More) of my results and the primary facts,

Thereof, is my sense of It, of this, of Feeling as Understanding!

I give my " intuition " (that I've developed by as much?!.) a " workout " in

that/this respect of putting that another way, of whatever works, Thereof, and I

am feeling that that really works, especially where you, differentially

reinforce for as much? .. .

Here's more than hoping so.

>

> I'm a teaching assistant working with an autistic child. When she is working

on reading and math which is challenging for her she tries to hit or scratch.

When I ask her what she wants, she says, " I want to hurt you, or scratch you and

then begins stimming with laughter or words from commercials. " I don't think she

is doing this for any kind of attention. I have tried being engaging with some

of her reinforcements which seems to work better than forcing her to complete

the task. Any suggestions how to handle, " I want to hurt you... & how to

proceed.

> I greatly appreciate any help since I'm at a loss of how to move on.

> Thanks!

>