BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES OR FASD

1. Behavior Management : Student
with a Specialty/ Disability
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
CAROLINA RINCON

2. FASD
 FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) is an
umbrella term describing the range of effects that
can occur in an individual whose mother drank
alcohol during pregnancy.
 The term FASD itself is not intended for use as a
clinical diagnosis.
fetal alcohol
Spectrum
(FAS)
alcohol-related alcohol-related
birth defects neurodevelopmen
(ARBD) tal disorder fetal alcohol
(ARND) effects (FAE)

3. Characteristics .
 These effects can include
physical, behavioral, mental and/or learning
disabilities with possible lifelong implications.
 It is identified by abnormal facial features, central
nervous system problems and slowness of
growth.

4.  Facial anomalies: short eye slits, smooth or
indistinct philtrum (the ridges running vertically
between the nose and lips) and a thin upper lip.
 Some brain damage to the central nervous
system demonstrated through microcephaly
(small size of the
brain), tremors, hyperactivity, fine or gross motor
problems, attention deficits, learning
disabilities, intellectual impairments and possible
intellectual disability.

5. Other important information:
 The damage of FASD caused by a mother’s drinking during
pregnancy is permanent.
 Each year in the U.S., as many as 40,000 babies are born with
an FASD. The cost to the nation for FAS alone is about $6
billion a year.
 Children With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Have
More Severe Behavioral Problems Than Children With
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
 The good news is FAS is not hereditary and only occurs if a
woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy.
 Secondary conditions (conditions that occur due to
having FASD) often occur later in life, such as inability to
live independently or hold down a job, mental health
problems, drug/alcohol addictions, failure to develop
appropriate sexual behavior and consequent legal
problems.

6. Concerns.
Common Learning Challenges:
 ✿Visual and auditory
processing problems. ✿Inability to understand
 ✿ Lower than average IQ cause and effect
 ✿Difficulties with planning ✿Poor grasp of abstract
and organizing (deficits in concepts (such as time
executive functioning) or money)
 ✿Short-term memory
problems ✿Developmental delays
 ✿Context-specific learning in language, motor, and
and difficulty accessing social skills
information on demand ✿Difficulty reading social
 ✿ Difficulty with reading cues for
comprehension.
 ✿ Problems following appropriate behavior
multiple directions or rules
✿Poor sensory
integration

7. Cognition and Behavior.
 Familiar to teachers from experience with other
disorders (such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder or ADHD, autism, and traumatic brain
injury), since the brain reacts to damage from a
variety of causes in similar ways.
 They may misinterpret (or simply miss) the
meaning of gestures, tone of voice, or facial
expressions.
 Poor social skills in elementary age
students, such as standing too close and
using bad language, may be perceived as
simply “acting young for their age.” Immature

8.  Even the smallest distraction in class, the hall, or outside seems to
pull them away from the subject at hand.
 Far behind classmates
 Several temper tantrums, often when the schedule for the day has
changed unexpectedly.
 By middle or high school age, they may engage in inappropriate
behavior such as touching and stroking others’ hair or clothing.
They may be unable to recognize appropriate sexual
boundaries, interpreting any attention from a peer as “true love.”
They may conduct personal or private activities, such as adjusting
their underwear, in public.
 As they get older, they may be more vulnerable to daily stresses.

9. Students Strengths:
 Many children with FASD are hands-on activities
often are strengths for these students.
 Most children with FASD have good expressive
language skills. However, they often have
difficulty understanding and acting on what is
said.
 Children with FASD often are described as
friendly , chatty, and helpful.

10.  Rules of Behavior.
* The child with an FASD may need to be reminded continually about how to
interpret cues and emotions.
*Difference between appropriate public and private behavior.
*Emphasize consistency
*Develop a consistent routine in the classroom and stick to it all year.
*Minimize transitions and provide clear and specific warnings in advance.
*Use a consistent signal (such as, a soft bell, a pencil tap)as a warning that a
transition is occurring.
 Prevention Of Misbehavior:
✿ Reach to Teach: Educating Elementary and Middle School Children with
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA07-4222
✿Show related visuals to reinforce transitions (such as, a book for reading
time).
✿Provide a transition buddy for students who must change classes.
✿Share the schedule so that parents can be equally consistent at home

11. General tips:
 1.- Use literal terms. Avoid with double meaning.
 2.-Be consistent. Use the same words for key
phrases and oral directions.
 3.-Repeat, repeat , repeat. Reteach information
multiple times.
 4.-Follow routine.
 5.-Keep it simple. Simple environment with few
distractions.
 6.-Be specific, step be step.
 7.-Provide structure.
 8.-Supervise.

12. Support of Proper Behavior.
 Teachers and other staff, in turn, can reach out to
the child, using specific classroom strategies to
assist learning.
 Shifting attitudes and improving understanding.
 Learning to translate misbehavior.
 Changing classroom teaching style.
 Restructuring the physical space in the
classroom.
• One-on-one counseling support.
• A caring and consistent environment.
• Adapting their classrooms and teaching styles for
students with disabilities

13. Intervention when Misbehavior Occurs:
 Minor Infractions :
✿For a child who cannot stop interrupting other
students while they are working, give a routine task
that involves getting up and moving around (for
example, sharpening pencils, going to the
office, feeding fish).
✿ Give directions by telling students what they should
do, rather than what they should not do.
✿Reinforce appropriate behavior. Redirect most poor
behavior.
✿Use immediate short-term consequences clearly
related to the inappropriate behavior.
✿Place a student at the head of a line to minimize
bumping.
✿ Early intervention services and an individualized
education program in school that includes preparation
for transition.

14. More Serious Infractions :
✿Provide one-on-one supervision during recess and
lunch.
✿Ask parents what strategies they use for
appropriate behavior at home.
✿Teach personal space (for example, stand no
closer to someone else than an arm’s length).
✿Teach self-talk for self control. Use very specific
short phrases ,such as, “Count to 10 first.”
✿Use role-playing or videotaping to help a child see
and learn appropriate skills for specific situations

15. References.
 http://www.thearc.org/page.aspx?pid=2554
 http://www.fasdcenter.samhsa.gov/
 www.samhsa.gov