by Beverly Vicker
THE MESSAGES OF BEHAVIOR
The three negative behaviors described above are examples of potential communicative messages. The exact meaning of any one of them would depend upon the circumstances surrounding each real situation. Sometimes a behavior such as screaming may represent two different messages in what seem like identical circumstances. To help you understand the idea of messages hidden in behavior, let's re-examine the three scenes.
Scene #1
In the self-injury situation, the person might have been protesting an unexpected change in his daily activity schedule. He was expecting to go out to eat. No one remembered to tell him in advance that the activity was postponed until tomorrow. To put it mildly, he is upset and disappointed.
Scene #2
In the throwing of materials situation, the person might be communicating: (a) boredom with the task at hand, and (b) the need for a break. Because of an inability to talk, this man cannot tell anyone in a direct fashion how bored he is with doing the same task day after day. He needs a break, but, more importantly, he needs a greater variety of challenging tasks to fill his day.
Scene #3
In the non-compliance situation, the child might be confused about the assignment and needs help or an explanation. He may have been unable to process all of the spoken instructions when they were given to the class ten minutes ago. Now he does not know what to do and feels he is a failure.
WHY USE NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR?
A reasonable question to ask is "If someone really wants to communicate a message, why would he or she use a negative behavior?" The reason is that some people with Autism Spectrum Disorders have difficulty producing conventional communication. You and I may have skills that the person with autism may not have. You and I would know what to do in each situation. You could tell someone that you needed a break. I could seek a reason for the schedule change. We both would raise our hands and ask for additional directions. Some individuals with autism may be unable to do any of these things unless someone actively teaches them better communication skills. Other individuals may need reminders before they will use the more positive communication strategies.
Many people with autism can not speak. Others:
(a) may have some ability to talk, but may have limited skills (remember Raymond inRain Man?)
(b) may become inarticulate and not be able to use their skills when they are in a distressing situation
(c) may freeze and not be able to find or retrieve the right words to clearly express their message when they are under stress.
Instead, people with autism often use a means of communicating that is immediate and effective, i.e. negative behaviors.A negative behavior almost certainly will get someone's attention. It also may quickly achieve the desired intent. The person with autism may have learned the effectiveness of a given negative behavior when more subtle communicative messages were ignored. For example, in the wanting-a-break situation (scene #2), the following may have occurred:
His wiggling around in a chair was too subtle of a message. No one had a clue that he needed a break and they overlooked or ignored the wiggling.
His standing up was not an effective cue either. The person with autism was told to sit down.
His throwing of materials, however, communicated a clear message. The excitement broke the boredom. The person got to leave the task. As punishment, he was sent to a time out area. He may not have perceived time out as a punishment. He may have seen it as a welcome relief from his dreary assigned task.
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