Andy is 7-3 year old student in my 10:1:1 (seven boys, three girls) self-contained classroom in a private school.  He lives with his mother and father and normal-developing twin brother.  Andy frequently has play dates with classmates and other students in the school whom he has developed a friendship with from therapies such as speech and occupational therapy or his reading and math groups.  He also has a standing one time a week play date with a friend from his class last year who still attends that school.  Andy’s class last year was made up of all boys, and he quickly made strong friendships with all of the girls in my class this year before the friendships with the boys were created.  This is his first year at our school.  Andy also has a very active after-school schedule that includes classes with normal-developing peers.

Although Andy was able to transition easily into a new school with new teachers and classmates, he continues to exhibit behaviors that impact his learning and disrupt our class.  Andy is driven by routines and order and has memorized the class schedule and his daily schedule.  However, he also has started to memorize the schedules for other students’ speech and occupational therapy schedules as well as other classrooms’ schedules for music, physical education, art, library, and computers.  Andy becomes disruptive when he notices an unpredictable change in one of these schedules and has difficulty accepting the change.  Andy will get out of his chair and run to the door, exclaiming about the situation, regardless of the activity that our class is doing.  Also, if our class is working on an activity that Andy does not want to do he will stomp his feet, bang his fists on the table and often exclaims that he hates the activity, refuses to comply, and throws him self on the floor while screaming.

Andy enjoys school and cares about his friends, but needs assistance to be more flexible in his daily routines at school.  Hopefully, through the implementation of these lessons, Andy will develop a greater awareness of his need to be less regimented in others schedules and be more flexible about changes in his own.
 
 

Finding of the evaluation:

The five lessons were implemented during one week.  I had the benefit of working with Andy’s speech and language therapist who reinforced my lessons in her individual sessions with Andy.  We also incorporated the characters from the book Manners Can Be Fun, by Munro Leaf, during our weekly social skills lesson.  Andy usually complains about having to participate in our social skills class, but after evaluating the week, his therapist and I found that Andy did less complaining because he was already familiar with the story and the “whiney” character from my lesson and her session with Andy.  Therefore, we decided that the therapist will continue to preview our social skills lessons in a therapy session with Andy and that some of his complaining was a result of anxiety because the activity was not predictable nor familiar.  Andy continues to be unwilling and anxious to try new things, such as checking out a library book that he has not read before.  We have made some accommodations to help him, such as pulling familiar books off the shelves ahead of time, making a list of Andy’s favorite books, and showing him books by a familiar author.

Andy made progress both during the week of the lessons and the following week.  We continue to keep the photo card with Fantasia on his desk and refer to it several times during the day.  The “whiney” sign has also been transformed into a necklace that Andy can wear if he is feeling especially “whiney.”  One example of this happened the week after the lessons were presented.  The class was watching a video with four different short stories by the author Kevin Henkes.  Andy willingly watched the first three stories, but when the fourth story started he began to complain and said that he wanted to go on the computer instead.  I told Andy that computer was not a choice, and offered him time on the computer after we finished the video and had our afternoon snack time.  At first Andy was unwilling to accept that choice, but he took the “whiney” sign off of the hook and put it around his neck.  He ended up quietly watching the end of the video, ate snack, hung the sign back up, and used the computer during dismissal while he waited for his dad to pick him up from school.

Andy is still hesitant to read new books, but by using bibliotherapy to preview the books and support him through the first reading his anxiety has decreased.  The lessons have helped him identify with characters.  We have also informed his parents of our goals for Andy and provided them with the picture of the “whiney” as well as the characteristics of the “whiney” so that they can reinforce Andy’s ability to be flexible at home with the same language we use at school.
 
 

Overview of Approach/Unit:

The focus of the following lessons was to help Andy develop self-awareness of when he is having difficulty being flexible, limiting class disruption, and making good choices.  All of the lessons were developed to be either individual or small-group lessons and were reinforced during his speech therapy sessions.
Also, knowing that Andy is driven by routines and needs order, we tried to give Andy supports to help him manage unpredictable situations.
 

Lesson Plans:
Skill:  To be more flexible with schedule changes and activities and decrease amount of classroom disruption

Lesson 1:
Goal:  To identify with a familiar person who shows “flexible” behaviors

Materials:  photo of American Idol Fantasia Barrino performing (available at www.google.com ?images), index card, black marker, glue, scissors, clear packing tape

Procedure:
1. Discuss Andy’s favorite celebrity (he has talked extensively about this celebrity, and how much he adores her) and why he likes her to such an extent.
2. Ask Andy if he thinks Fantasia is a “flexible” person and cite examples of how she has been flexible singing different songs on television, being flexible about the order in which she performs with the other contestants on the show, the order of the cities in which we performs (he saw her perform in New York City, so this was a very familiar memory for him), and changes in her practice schedules.
3. Cut out the photo of Fantasia and glue it onto the index card.
4. With the black marker, draw a caption from Fantasia’s mouth that reads, “Be flexible, Andy!”
5. Andy will tape index card to top corner of his desk.

Evaluation Criteria:

When showing signs of having difficulty being flexible, Andy will return to his activity when reminded that Fantasia is a flexible person and she hopes Andy can be flexible, too (see assessment form #1).
 
 

Lesson 2:
Goal:  To understand how to make better choices and be flexible with friends.

Materials:  How to Lose All Your Friends by Nancy Carlson

Procedure:
1. Read story with Andy.
2. Discuss six ways listed in the book to lose your friends (1.  Never smile.  2.  Never share.  3.  Be a bully.  4.  Be a poor sport.  5.  Tattle.  6.  Whine.) by asking questions about the characters on the pages and asking if those characters are “making good choices” and questions about how the friends feel toward the main character.

Evaluation Criteria:
Andy will be evaluated on his ability to understand the book through questioning and his ability to identify with the character’s poor choices and stating what the “good choices” would be.
 

Lesson 3:
Goal:  To make better choices and show flexibility with peers.

Materials:  “Chutes and Ladders” game by Milton Bradley

Procedure:
1. During free choice time, Andy will play the familiar game “Chutes and Ladders” with a friend.  In order to determine who will go first, both students will spin the arrow on the spinner and the player who spins the higher number will make the first move and choose his game piece first (This may prove difficult for Andy because students often want the same piece and it can result in frustration for either student).
2. The students will play the game, and Andy will show the ability to be flexible when his peer moves up ladders, spins a higher number than him, and/or climbs his way to the top before Andy.  (If Andy wins the first, the students will play again until the end of the 30-minute period).

Evaluation Criteria:
During free choice time, Andy will be more flexible sharing materials with friends and more flexible with the results (see assessment form #2).
 

Lesson 4:
Goal:  To identify with the “whiney” character and become of aware and reduce own “whiney” behaviors.

Materials:  Manners Can Be Fun, by  Munro Leaf, copy of the picture of the “whiney” from the book

Procedure:
1. Read story with Andy.
2. Discuss the qualities of the “whiney” and ask Andy if he thinks “whineys” are flexible students.  Next, ask questions about how to make good choices to avoid being a whiney.

Evaluation Criteria:
Andy will be evaluated on his ability to understand the book through questioning and his ability to identify with the “whiney’s” poor choices and stating what the “good choices” would be.
 

Lesson 5:
Goal:  To decrease amount of complaining during reading (not being a “whiney”) and increasing ability to be flexible with planned activities

Materials:  whiteboard, dry erase marker, copy of the “whiney” sign from the book Manners Can Be Fun by Munro Leaf

Procedure:
1. Post the “whiney” sign on the side of the whiteboard and ask Andy to tell what person is on the sign and the associated characteristics of a “whiney.”
2. Next, at the beginning of the reading period, have Andy write the daily agenda on the whiteboard instead of the teacher.  This will make the planned activities more predictable for Andy and the other students in the reading group.  If Andy complains about a particular planned activity, remind him to make good choices, and refer to the “whiney” sign posted on the board.

Evaluation Criteria:  Andy will decrease his outbursts during reading and show increased flexibility by limiting complaints (see attachment form #3).
 
 

Student:  _____________

Date: ________________
 
 

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Assessment Form #2
 

Student: __________

Date:  ____________

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Game:  ___________________________

Peer:  ____________
 
 
 

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Assessment Form #3
 

Student:  _____________

Date:  _______________

Time:  _______________

Subject:  ______________
 
 

	Antecedent	Type of Outburst	Type of Reminder	Result
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