Guest guest Posted February 10, 2004 Report Share Posted February 10, 2004 You got it here. " >>while I might understand his communication (purpose) he may not know that I do. So I should respond to it by examining his ears or something like that to further shape his communication. " While the newborn infant may cry, if there is no response or feedback, is it really " communication " ? In order for the behavior to be classified as " communication " , there needs to be a process going on of a)being aware there IS in fact another out there to recieve the message being aware that the behavior itself will cause an effect c)being aware of a response, and therefor a reciprocal communicative process has taken place. Often young children who are deafblind, by vurtue of inefficient sensory processing, and/or being unable to gain information from the environment due to sensory loss, don't reach some of these stages of awareness in each and every behavior or reflex as it unfolds. If you define " communication " as an interactive process, which requires more then one individual in order for the process of " communication " to take place, then behavior is not always communication. Depending if you respond or not, communication can happen, but only through the child's awareness of the follow-up interaction taking place. I think the infants first cry is probably a neuro response to a state of change and lack of warmth. If you look at many of the infants early mov't, they are based on CNS reflex reactions. The rooting reflex is an example...by grace they have early vision to focus on Mother's breast but it is not a behavior which gets them attached...its a reflex. I would argue that the same type of " neuro " responses and adjustments take place in the process of these particular CHARGE-like challenging " behaviors " unfolding, and it is usually impossible during this short time to communicate anything in response, until the CNS system is ready for more input. OK that was really hard to spell " behaviour " American- like as we spell it with a " u " . I see your heading: my behaviour is bad eh? Ann Gloyn, Specialist Teacher Canada > Hi Ann, > > Thanks for your comments. I feel like I am starting to get a handle on > some of the behavior stuff, which is encouraging. In terms of behavior > as communication. I began with the principle that all behavior has a > purpose. This is the position of Adlerians (who follow the theory of > Alfred Adler), as I am from that orientation. Once you understand the > purpose of a behavior, the behavior makes sense. This is true of a > hiccup, eye blink, and other physiological responses. You can also > think of all behavior as a symptom, but my problem with that term is > that it gets people thinking from a disease orientation, and I want to > avoid that. I went to behavior as communication after being strongly > influenced by Ed Carr and his colleagues, particularly his book > Communication-Based Intervention for Problem Behavior (published by > s). I liked this because it gets people thinking about what the > child may be telling us by their behavior. I agree that it may not be > conscious, or it might be pre-verbal, but what is it telling us? When a > baby cries it may be instinctive, but mothers can often tell that it is > a hungry cry, or a sleepy cry, or a discomfort cry, or an attention cry. > As mothers differentially respond to cries, the baby begins to shape > their cry even more so that eventually the distinctions become sharper > and communication is established. When crams something sharp or > vibrating into his neck, it generally means his ears hurt. In writing > this it now occurs to me that while I might understand his communication > (purpose) he may not know that I do. So I should respond to it by > examining his ears or something like that to further shape his > communication. Does that make sense? > > For those of you who responded to my last survey, you will be getting > the next one very soon (with luck it will be in tomorrow's mail). Your > assistance with the research is deeply appreciated. For those who were > not a part of the last study, you will not get one because we have so > much data on the other group already. But Kim Blake and Jude > and I have a ton of studies in mind, and so your turn will come. > > Tim Hartshorne (father of ) > > S. Hartshorne, Ph.D. > Assistant Vice Provost and Professor of Psychology > Central Michigan University > Mount Pleasant, MI 48858 > (989)774-3632 phone > (989)774-1408 (fax) > harts1ts@c... > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2004 Report Share Posted February 10, 2004 You got it here. " >>while I might understand his communication (purpose) he may not know that I do. So I should respond to it by examining his ears or something like that to further shape his communication. " While the newborn infant may cry, if there is no response or feedback, is it really " communication " ? In order for the behavior to be classified as " communication " , there needs to be a process going on of a)being aware there IS in fact another out there to recieve the message being aware that the behavior itself will cause an effect c)being aware of a response, and therefor a reciprocal communicative process has taken place. Often young children who are deafblind, by vurtue of inefficient sensory processing, and/or being unable to gain information from the environment due to sensory loss, don't reach some of these stages of awareness in each and every behavior or reflex as it unfolds. If you define " communication " as an interactive process, which requires more then one individual in order for the process of " communication " to take place, then behavior is not always communication. Depending if you respond or not, communication can happen, but only through the child's awareness of the follow-up interaction taking place. I think the infants first cry is probably a neuro response to a state of change and lack of warmth. If you look at many of the infants early mov't, they are based on CNS reflex reactions. The rooting reflex is an example...by grace they have early vision to focus on Mother's breast but it is not a behavior which gets them attached...its a reflex. I would argue that the same type of " neuro " responses and adjustments take place in the process of these particular CHARGE-like challenging " behaviors " unfolding, and it is usually impossible during this short time to communicate anything in response, until the CNS system is ready for more input. OK that was really hard to spell " behaviour " American- like as we spell it with a " u " . I see your heading: my behaviour is bad eh? Ann Gloyn, Specialist Teacher Canada > Hi Ann, > > Thanks for your comments. I feel like I am starting to get a handle on > some of the behavior stuff, which is encouraging. In terms of behavior > as communication. I began with the principle that all behavior has a > purpose. This is the position of Adlerians (who follow the theory of > Alfred Adler), as I am from that orientation. Once you understand the > purpose of a behavior, the behavior makes sense. This is true of a > hiccup, eye blink, and other physiological responses. You can also > think of all behavior as a symptom, but my problem with that term is > that it gets people thinking from a disease orientation, and I want to > avoid that. I went to behavior as communication after being strongly > influenced by Ed Carr and his colleagues, particularly his book > Communication-Based Intervention for Problem Behavior (published by > s). I liked this because it gets people thinking about what the > child may be telling us by their behavior. I agree that it may not be > conscious, or it might be pre-verbal, but what is it telling us? When a > baby cries it may be instinctive, but mothers can often tell that it is > a hungry cry, or a sleepy cry, or a discomfort cry, or an attention cry. > As mothers differentially respond to cries, the baby begins to shape > their cry even more so that eventually the distinctions become sharper > and communication is established. When crams something sharp or > vibrating into his neck, it generally means his ears hurt. In writing > this it now occurs to me that while I might understand his communication > (purpose) he may not know that I do. So I should respond to it by > examining his ears or something like that to further shape his > communication. Does that make sense? > > For those of you who responded to my last survey, you will be getting > the next one very soon (with luck it will be in tomorrow's mail). Your > assistance with the research is deeply appreciated. For those who were > not a part of the last study, you will not get one because we have so > much data on the other group already. But Kim Blake and Jude > and I have a ton of studies in mind, and so your turn will come. > > Tim Hartshorne (father of ) > > S. Hartshorne, Ph.D. > Assistant Vice Provost and Professor of Psychology > Central Michigan University > Mount Pleasant, MI 48858 > (989)774-3632 phone > (989)774-1408 (fax) > harts1ts@c... > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 11, 2004 Report Share Posted February 11, 2004 Doubtless, this is one of the times when I should not post. We've - literaly - just returned honme from Perkins with . It is very late, haven't eaten, etc. However, Tim, I think we have done a good job at home (something I very seldom say) by KNOWING that when does X it means her ears hurt. When she does Y, she's constipated. For her - and us - half or more of the battle has been letting her know that we understand BY WHATEVER MEANS. It's a product, perhaps, of having learned to have one heck of a lot of confidence in the child. But - and it's a truly huge thing - seems to have learned that we will take her hitting her head, her off days as communicating that something physical is wrong. I don't care what I have to do to get across to her that her father and I understand. I think that she has learned to have faith in us - through her odd ways of communicating pain... Luckily, at times now, we've reached the stage that will tell us when she needs to see the nurse at Perkins or her ped here, etc. It's taken a lot of time (which shouldn't have been necessary) and a lot of imagination to reach this point. On and on. I am tired and hope that I've made a tad of sense. Martha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 The " behaviourist " type of approach may say that it is how you have reacted to the behaviour which reinforces it, and causes it to continue. A " CHARGE " way of looking at it is that the failure for the behaviour to stop may not be what you have or have not communicated to her about your wishes, but that this behaviour has become " patternized " or adopted into the " charge-like " compulsive type repetior. So what you may need to do instead of communicating verbally what you would like to see, is a) make her aware of the behaviour and its effects by videotaping her, your reactions, Dad's reactions, etc...b)to provide an alternative for the behaviour to be replaced by something else: example is provide a tape recorder in her room, and tangible reinforcement for the delay in showing your all that was said on the tape at one time at YOUR appropriate moment. The car: instead of the verbalization (which may be a distraction for her as we all know many of these kids with CHARGE have difficulty with travel) provide and model an alternative ex. a rip box of fluff... " see how much you can do before the next stop " , Ann Gloyn, Canada > Hi, This is a really interesting thread which I haven't followed properly > (too busy at work as usual), but what I'm interested in is how do you > actually enforce the fact that you have responded to the behaviour? Ellen is > 18 and a pretty well " normal " girl, in that she reads and writes at about an > age appropriate level etcetc, BUT we are having real difficulties at present > which revolve around her apparently not understanding that there are > parameters which she must adopt in her communication with us. Two things are > turning into really serious issues which are the causes of major stress. One > is that no matter how often I tell her that I cannot hear her if she is > lying on her bed and I am 3 rooms away in the kitchen or living room, she > will call out and try to have a conversation with me and get very cross when > I don't immediately respond. THis will go on for hours and will mean that I > may need to get up from eating or doing whatever I am doing 4 or 5 times in > an hour to see what she wants. The other is that when we are driving, she > will talk constantly even when her father specifically tells her to be quiet > as she is disturbing his concentration. No matter how many times we tell her > the reasons for our requests to get up and come in to the room to talk or to > be quiet in the car when told to, she just can't seem to comply and I think > really does not understand what is being asked of her. Any ideas? as it's > driving us all mad. > Regards, > Marea Howe > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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