Behavior Solutions for the Home and Community: The Newest Companion in the Bestselling Series!

by Beth Aune

Overview

Behavior Solutions for the Home is a tool for parents who have children whose behaviors are impeding their daily life. Once they see a particular behavior, they can quickly look up an in-the-moment solution, and then read more about what could be causing that behavior, and more importantly, how to overcome it. This helpful book is intended to provide general, practical solutions for busy (and often overwhelmed) parents who can benefit from a handy reference guide to help them address common behaviors at home and in the community. A must-have for every home with a child with autism and/or sensory issues!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780986067389
Publisher:	Future Horizons, Inc.
Publication date:	05/15/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	101
File size:	646 KB

About the Author

Beth Aune-Nelson, OTR/L, teaches at Loma Linda Universityand currently has a private practice as an occupational therapist. She has worked with school districts throughout California. She has developed and presented many workshops on the care and treatment of disabled students.

Read an Excerpt

Behavior Solutions for the Home and Community
 
Introduction
 
As a pediatric occupational therapist, it is an honor and a privilege to work closely with parents and caregivers of children with a variety of special needs.   This partnership is a valuable and critical component to help children develop vital skills to help them be effective and active participants during the daily activities of their lives.  Challenges experienced by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), ADD/ADHD, and other diagnoses must be addressed within the context of the family.  This approach is both necessary and beneficial to foster the children’s increased independence, improved behavior, and healthy self-image, as well as promoting improved peace and harmony for the entire family at home and in the community.
 
During my work with children and their families, questions and concerns that consistently require guidance, strategies, and support are in the areas of:
 

• Self Care
• Eating and Mealtime Issues
• Bedtime and Sleeping Concerns
• Community Outings
• Relationships with Family and Friends

 
My two previous books, coauthored with Beth Burt and Peter Gennero, Behavior Solutions for the Inclusive Classroom and Behavior Solutions for the Inclusive Classroom and Beyond, focused on providing solutions and strategies for teachers and school personnel.  The straightforward format of the books:  “What is the behavior, why is it occurring, and what can we do to help?” has been extremely well received and found to be effective by offering practical solutions for challenging behaviors. 
 
Parents, as well as educational professionals, have also expressed a desire to understand why their children exhibit behaviors such as:  melt-downs and becoming over-stimulated, rigidity, controlling behaviors, avoidance, disorganization, limited independence during self-care, and decreased social interaction.  They are interested in learning and implementing strategies that are practical and relevant to their child’s specific needs, with the added element of considering that child within the context of the family’s daily life.  Comments such as, “I need ideas that don’t add more work for me” and “I have three other children.  I don’t have time to implement a complicated plan” are becoming a theme during my work with parents.   
 
This book, the third in the series of Behavior Solutions, was conceived in response to those desires.  There are numerous, extremely helpful resources for families that delve more deeply into the areas discussed in this book and some are included in the appendices.  This book is intended to provide general, practical solutions for busy (and often overwhelmed) parents who can benefit from a handy reference guide to help them address common behaviors at home and in the community.  These solutions have been successfully implemented, for years, by a multitude of parents and caregivers with whom I have been honored to work with, as a partner, to foster their child’s growth and progress.  This book is a labor of love, dedicated to the families and to the wonderfully unique children who have challenged and inspired me to become a better occupational therapist, and even more important, a better person.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Part I Self-Care and Promoting Independence 1

Chapter 1 Getting Dressed 5

Chapter 2 Restricted Clothing Choices 7

Chapter 3 Buttoning, Zipping, and Snapping 11

Chapter 4 Tying Shoelaces 13

Chapter 5 Bathing and Showering 17

Chapter 6 Haircuts and Grooming 21

Chapter 7 Brushing Teeth 23

Chapter 8 Cutting Fingernails and Toenails 25

Chapter 9 Lotions and Sunscreens 27

Chapter 10 Using the Toilet 31

Part II Eating and Mealtime at Home 35

Chapter 11 Trouble with Textures 37

Chapter 12 Restricted Diet and Picky Eating 41

Chapter 13 Messy Eating 43

Chapter 14 Overstuffing the Mouth 47

Chapter 15 Utensil Use 49

Chapter 16 Sitting at the Table and Staying in the Seat 51

Chapter 17 Swallowing Medication and Supplements 53

Part III Bedtime and Sleeping 55

Chapter 18 Waking Up 57

Chapter 19 Getting Out of the House on Time 59

Chapter 20 Calming Down for Bedtime 61

Chapter 21 Inconsistent Sleep Patterns 65

Chapter 22 Staying in Bed 67

Part IV Community Outings 71

Chapter 23 Grocery Stores 75

Chapter 24 Malls 79

Chapter 25 Movie Theaters 83

Chapter 26 Restaurants 87

Chapter 27 Extracurricular Activities 91

Chapter 28 Dentist and Doctor Appointments 95

Part V Family and Friends 99

Chapter 29 Family Gatherings 101

Chapter 30 Holidays 103

Chapter 31 Vacations 107

Chapter 32 Car and Air Travel 109

Chapter 33 Pets 113

Chapter 34 Sibling Relationships 115

Chapter 35 Playdates and Socializing 117

Appendix A Calming and Alerting Activities and Ideas 121

Appendix B Backward Chaining Example for Dressing 127

Appendix C Example of a Visual Schedule for the Morning Routine 131

Appendix D Example of a Visual Schedule for the Night Routine 133

Appendix E Fun and Easy Activities to Develop Pine-Motor Skills 135

Glossary 139

Additional Resources 143

About the Author 145