Beyond Consequences: Why Traditional Behaviour Strategies Fall Short (Episode 286)

Traditional behaviour strategies (including ignoring, consequences, counting to 3 and timeout) often don’t work for children with autism, ADHD, ODD and PDA. These strategies are effective for neurotypical children who are better at regulating their own emotions, however children with special needs are often very literal thinkers and struggle with the mind reading and problem solving that these strategies require.

Discussed in this Podcast

✅  Using visual timers for transitions between activities

✅  Creating social scripts with photos/videos of expected behaviors

✅  Implementing token systems with clear, explicit goals

✅  Developing visual schedules showing computer time and next activities

✅  Practicing conversation starters through role-play

✅  Using facial expression displays for emotion recognition

✅  Creating “when to tell” and “not to tell” scenario posters

✅  Implementing playground clubs and calm areas

✅  Recording video models of desired behaviors

✅  Using scrapbooks to document social knowledge

Theory of Mind

Quote from ‘The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome’ by Tony Attwood

“Theory of Mind is the ability to recognise and understand thoughts, beliefs, desires and intentions of other peole in order to make sense of their behaviours and predict what they are going to do next. It has also been described as ‘mind reading‘ or ‘mind blindness’.”