Below is Wendy Lampen’s TEDtalk:
Tag Archives: empathy
A Simple Phrase to help with Behaviour Management
Students misbehave, some much worse than the others. This is a fact that parents and teachers are more than aware of. Inappropriate behaviours range from low-level disruptions such as whispering, up to shouting, swearing or physical aggression. These behaviours have destructive consequences to their academic and social well-being. Not only are they destructive to themselves when they misbehave, but they can also disrupt the harmony of the classroom and the school.
Behaviour management in schools usually involve verbal reprimands, time-out, parent-teacher meetings, and exclusions. Having worked with students of different age-groups, in different environments for almost a decade, I still find it a challenge to find a way to better improve students’ behaviour. Most of what is done in schools (mentioned above) only manages to stop the behaviour from occurring in the short term.
Recently however, it occurred to me that every behaviour is a form of communication. Each utterance and action is a result of something that is happening or have happened to a child. Once this occurred to me, I aimed to approach children differently. Instead of getting angry straight away, I ask the children why they are behaving the way they are. I always tell them:
I want to speak to you because I am worried about you. You’re not behaving the way you always have. What’s the matter?
Once children hear that I am concern about them, and that I want to hear their side, they became more likely to explain the reason of their behaviours. In addition, because I have explicitly told them that I know they can behave well, they are more likely to change their behaviours. Such a change, as one can imagine, takes time. But I have found that this positive approach brings about desirable results better than other approaches.
Neurodiversity and Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Classroom
In the video below, Dr. Thomas Armstrong explains what neurodiversity is, and how the concept relates to Autism. In addition, he shares some very useful strategies that teachers can adopt in their classrooms:
Follow Dr. Thomas Armstrong on Twitter: @Dr_Armstrong
For more information on Dr. Armstrong, click HERE
Parents of individuals with Autism, I salute you!
If there is one group of people that I respect more than any other, it’s the parents of individuals with Autism. Having worked with young people with ASD for almost a decade, I have witnessed their struggles and triumphs first hand. I have listened to their stories- both the good and the bad. I have seen them deal with the tantrums and stims in and out of the classroom, while others stare ignorantly and at times, angrily and them.
Almost all of the parents I have spoken to were angry, frustrated and relieved all at the same time upon knowing their children’s diagnosis for the first time. ‘Nobody deserves to have a child with Autism’, some would say. But they figure out a way to raise their children. They are the first ones to acknowledge that it is not their children’s fault that they have Autism. Instead of giving up, these parents have had to change their ways of parenting in order to accomodate their children’s needs. Heck, they have had to change their lives to accomodate their children. Routines, ways of speaking, the food in their houses, the places they go to, have to be planned in advance. These parents are the ones who have to explain to their other children, who does not have Autism, why their brother/sister needs more attention and patience.
As mentioned above, they, along with their children, have to deal with those ignorant people who give them angry, disgusted stares and unsolicited but wrong parenting advice when they are in public places. They have to deal with the persistantly tough but misinformed teachers, who insist that their children are naughty, unattentive and academically slow. These parents are the ones who would fight tooth-and-nail to get their kids to the right school, with the right support and appropriate equipments.
These parents are the ones who are worried about their children when they reach school-leaving age.
It comes to no surprise that every single young person that I have worked with have their parents at the top of their prioroty list. Regardless of their mental and social skills, all of the young people that I have worked with would run back to a burning building just to save their parents.
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So whenever you speak to the parents of a child with Autism, always remember what they go through, day in, day out. When it comes to their kids, they are the experts. Listen to them. When planning and implementing interventions in schools, take their suggestions into consideration.
Follow these lovely parents on Twitter:
Understanding and Embracing Diversity 