3 Communication-Behavior Visual Support Power Tools!

Behavior challenges tend to be a major concern of speech-language pathologists, parents, and educators alike.  It is the area that is often most nerve wracking for many professionals and families.  But once you get a set of strategies that help you have a plan, most challenging behaviors can be reduced.  We like to think of challenging behaviors as opportunities 1: for the learner to practice understanding or expression of communication and language and 2: for facilitators/educators to use behavior strategies or learn new ones.    So in order to be best prepared for challenging behaviors, start a Communication-Behavior Strategy Tool Kit.  Here  some powerful tools  that will help ALL learners.

3 Power Tools for Communication & Behavior

1. Choice Boards- helps give a learner power but under our guidelines and boundaries. With choice boards, a student learns more communication while having less power struggles/behavior challenges.  Opportunity to teach choice making, expression of desired objects/activities, conversational topics, people to talk too, and any other choice options.  Check out ConnectAbility to quickly make free printable choice boards (and other visual supports). They have updated their visual engine pages and made it super, super, fast and  easy!  
2. First– Then Board – as a behavior visual support tool, is used to help a learner complete a less desired task/activity. This tool works effectively only when the child does not want to complete the ‘first’ activity but really does want to complete the ‘then’ activity  (‘first clean up’ then go outside’, ‘first finish work then free time’).  Opportunity to teach understanding of communication & language, and decision making (if I finish the ‘first’, I can do the preferred ‘then’).

3. Stop/Go Sign- Works amazingly well to let students know our expectations.  This support is a visual guide to rooms, boxes, areas, etc. that are on and off limits.  We like to use the ‘stop/go’ sign in situations that sometimes the sign will be on ‘stop’ and sometimes it may be on go’.   If the area is always ‘off limits’, a different sign/support would be better. We have used the stop/go sign on furniture, offices, our therapy bags, cabinets, etc.

Free printables of these and more behavior visual supports on our Teachers Pay teachers site at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Power-Pack-1-Visual-Supports-for-Communication-Behavior