Community Trips & Challenging Behaviors Part 2

This is part 2 of the series during which I share some tips and suggestions for successful community outings in the face of challenging behaviors.  At the end of each post, there will be a FREE download to help you take this information and put it into action.

So, this post is all about the BEHAVIOR.  I know it can be an uncomfortable topic to focus on.  No one likes to talk about the times we, or our loved ones, are at our worst.  But, if we ask the right questions, it can truly help to diminish the likelihood we will have to deal with this potentially scary and dangerous situation in a crowded aisle in the middle of Wal-Mart.

I cover lots of questions in the handout, but in summary, we need to consider:

1. Are there any triggers?
   • Crowds
   • Sounds
   • Smells
   • Temperature changes
   • Lighting
   • Keywords or phrases
2. What does the behavior look like?
   • Signs an annoying behavior may be escalating
   • Self-injurious
   • Targeting others (staff or strangers)
   • Destruction of property
   • Targeting animals
3. How long does it last?
   • From start to end
   • Follow-up outbursts
   • Recovery period

I hope you now see the value in asking these often difficult and emotional questions.  Click on the button below to download the free list of questions to consider.

Questions to ask about the behavior

Make sure to check out the post all about getting to really know the person before going into the community, including a list of questions to ask about the person you can download. Visit the blog post, Community Trips, and Challenging Behaviors Part 1.

I also have a second behavior series that talks about strategies to use in the classroom. Click on the title below to check them out and get more free resources for dealing with common behavior issues.

• Escape behaviors
• Denied Access
• Attention seeking behaviors