BEHAVIOR COACHING YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

17 OCTOBER 2009, SATURDAY

U.P. FILM INSTITUTE

Registration 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.

Morning Session: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

* Prayer led by Prof. Lutze- Sol A. Vidal

* Welcome Remarks Dr. Benjamina A. Pereyra

Directress, ChildFind Therapy
Center

* Lecture 1: Normalization,
Youth with Special Needs and
The Helping Process Dr. Edilberto I. Dizon

* Lecture 2: Behavior Coaching:

Rationale, Definition and Concepts Dr. Edilberto I. Dizon

* Lecture 3: Behavior Coaching:

Objectives and Guidelines Dr. Edilberto I. Dizon

* Lecture 4: Behavior Coach Preparation

and Competencies Dr. Marie Grace A. Gomez

* Open Forum

Afternoon Session: 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

* Lecture 5: Work Domain

of a Behavior Coach Dr. Marie Therese A.P. Bustos

* Lecture 6: Therapeutic Strategies

in Behavior Coaching Dr. Edilberto I. Dizon

* Lecture 7: Instructional Programming

And Planning in Behavior Coaching Dr. Edilberto I. Dizon

* Open Forum

* Inspirational Dr. Edilberto I. Dizon

* Special Number Selected ChildFind Staff

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PREFACE

This manual will be your important guide in behavior coaching youth with
special needs. Besides your strong desire and commitment to help the child, it is
important that you read this manual thoroughly. Your preparation will require
consultation with specialists and practitioners, and of course exposure to growing
children and adolescents as they transition from school to actual life settings.
Remember that the child will not be perpetually in school! We, thus, prepare
him/her to be an integral part of his/her home and the community – ensuring
that he/she too can be appropriate, adaptive, productive, literate, and
independent – as much as his/her abilities and potentials permit!

It is, therefore, the objective of this manual on behavior coaching to

facilitate understanding of the FACT that youth with special needs have a
FUTURE and pursuing such should start the soonest. More than anything else,
this manual aims to help you concretize actions on how you can – within the
context of therapeutic intervention – effectively support the child’s
transformation into an aspiring, positively relating, caring, appropriately
reciprocating, and achieving adult!
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BEHAVIOR COACHING YOUTH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

EDILBERTO I. DIZON, Ed.D.

Before anything else, let us review what NORMALIZATION is to enable us

to understand and appreciate the reasons for behavior coaching youth with
special needs.

NORMALIZATION

Normalization is a systematic process of providing youth with special needs the

needed training and opportunities given their normal counterparts enabling them
to maximize their potentials, achieve some degree of independence in leading
their lives, and access and participate in the benefits of their communities.

Normalization is anchored on the following tenets:

Acceptance of the child for whatever he is.
Respect for the dignity of the child.
Recognition of the child’s potential for learning in varied contexts.
Strong confidence in the ability of the child to become.
Openness to diversity and its positive implications.
Respect for the child’s unique/atypical developmental patterns.
Strong conviction that the child learns in a milieu of options, alternatives,
and practical-life situations.
Firm belief that living and learning with the child draw forth joy and
goodness.
Adherence to the value of loving the child that strengthens commitment to
his/her welfare.

Normalization can be viewed not only from the legal perspective but also from
the philosophical, social, psychological, and pedagogical perspectives.
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Normalization is much more than just physical placement in school. It is the

provision of education that does away with discrimination and labels/stigma.

Normalization teaches us the lessons of unconditional positive regard,

genuineness, and empathy.

Normalization permeates all the realms of life: education, vocational pursuits,

community affairs, etc.

Adolescents with special needs (ASN) are expected to have acquired skills
and competencies once they leave school. Such skills and competencies must
have enabled them to maintain sound physical health, and to be adaptive,
literate, productive, independent, and behaviorally and verbally appropriate.
Considering, however, ASN’s developmental conditions and limitations, further
intervention beyond schooling becomes imperative.

Providing intervention to an adolescent with special needs (ASN) poses a

big challenge to the family and his/her support persons. This is because the ASN
has psychosocial, physiological and cognitive needs that many school-based
programs can no longer solely and adequately address. Whether the ASN
transitions to either job training/employment or further schooling, there are
increasing needs as well as environmental demands that he/she has to satisfy
and confront. Cognizant of such pressing concern about the ASN's future, the
urgency of providing appropriate programs and services comes to the fore.

Rationale

Behavior coaching which is based on multidisciplinary perspectives and

concepts especially in Special Education and Guidance and Counseling focuses on
the ASN's holistic well-being as he/she moves on to adulthood. Such transition is
not easy for the ASN considering his/her developmental limitations and deficits.
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It is neither easy for the family and the support-service giver considering their
intervention limitations nor the community of the ASN considering its limited
understanding, support and accommodation.
Beyond the confines of the school, there are still concerns that
necessitates the committed involvement of a behavior coach. Such concerns
pertain to psychosocial priorities that teachers may not be able to
handle/address anymore considering that they have to remain in school most of
the time. Oftentimes, the adolescent still exhibits atypical behaviors that elicit
negative reactions in the community. Parents, therefore, usually become wary
and cautious taking their child to public places lest they get embarrassed or
emotionally involved if the child behaves awkwardly, aggressively and
inappropriately by himself/herself or with others. Such limitations compel many
parents to restrict the child’s integration into the mainstream by keeping him/her
at home most of the time. If this persists, the child will not be able to achieve
the goals of normalization. Keeping him/her isolated at home will be detrimental;
thus, responsive programs and services like behavior coaching will be beneficial
to the child as he/she moves on toward skill-building and developmental
maturation.

Definition

Behavior coaching refers to the individualized intervention designed for

the ASN enabling him/her to acquire psychosocial-educational skills and
competencies consistent with the normalization perspective. When an ASN
remains center/school-based or has moved on to a homebound program,
increasing further his/her behavioral, social and educational skills and
competencies through one-on-one intervention needs to be prioritized. This is so
because he/she needs further development and refinement/enhancement of
prioritized skills and competencies in day-to-day living with others at home, in
school and in the community. Behavior coaching empowers the ASN to know
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and utilize his/her abilities/potentials within the context of community living; to

blend positively and constructively within the community; and, to co-learn and
transact with others appropriately and possibly, independently.

Objectives

Behavior coaching aims, therefore, to help/guide the ASN to:

1. Expand his/her awareness of himself/herself and others. This

means helping the ASN to know and understand what in him/her
naturally shines and what needs polishing. It also means
understanding the strengths and weaknesses of others. All these
are the basis for self-improvement.

2. Demonstrate self-worth and self-confidence. Thorough behavior

coaching, we are able to help the ASN acquire needed
psychosocial-educational skills and competencies enabling him/her
to believe and trust in what he/she can do within the context of a
supportive environment.

3. Utilize educational competencies in comprehending his/her

environment, transacting with others, and making choices and
decisions. Through behavior coaching, the ASN is able to
access/utilize community resources/amenities/facilities, realize that
he/she needs to empathize with others and comprehend cause-
and-effect relationships – that what he/she says and does have
impact on/implications to others’ concerns/lives. Thereafter,
decision making in terms of meeting his needs, relating with others,
improving himself/herself, and aspiring realistically for specific goals
is facilitated.
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4. Demonstrate ample psychosocial maturity (as much as his/her

mental ability and potential permit). Behavior coaching aims to help
the ASN achieve psychosocial maturation indicated by increased
independent self-help and chores performance, successful social
adaptation, and emotional maturity, and self-reliance.

5. Express such psychosocial maturity through emotional-social

propriety and appropriate verbal-social reciprocity. Furthermore,
this objective aims to meet the most common expectations in
varied settings: the reciprocity and propriety in behaviors and
language use.

6. Spend time and effort constructively and productively through a

self-regulated/guided routine. Behavior coaching aims to train the
ASN to engage in constructive and productive tasks routinely with
the least assistance and even supervision.

The Helping Process

The behavior coach observes the following steps of the helping process:

1. Knowing and understanding the ASN and his/her environment. This is the
first step in helping. Nobody can ever achieve the goals of helping if, at
the very start no or limited effort is exerted at the onset of the
relationship. Remember that effective helping takes off and achieves its
purposes if the helper (i.e., the behavior coach) purports from the
beginning to gather information about the child. Such knowledge becomes
the basis for understanding him/her.
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2. Establishing rapport with the ASN. The behavior coach needs to establish
a warm and supportive relationship with the ASN so that helping can be
facilitated. The behavior coach accepts and respects the ASN for what
he/she is, listens to him/her intently, and demonstrates concern about
what happens to him/her.

3. Interacting socially and verbally with ASN in different contexts. The

behavior coach relates and communicates with the ASN wherever they
are: home, school, park, mall, etc. He engages the ASN in appropriate and
helpful conversations and consistently demonstrates the needed support
especially when the ASN gets awkward, agitated, sluggish, or impulsive.

4. Helping the ASN identify and demonstrate his/her abilities and capabilities
in such contexts. The behavior coach assists the ASN discover his/her
abilities and talents by providing/setting up the needed opportunities and
training in the different learning settings. He taps the ASN’s potential and
pursues such until he/she is able to manifest/exhibit such gift meaningfully
in different situation.

5. Helping the ASN achieve independence and make choices and decisions.
As the ASN grows in skills and values, the behavior coach ensures that
intervention is consistently focused and purposive with the end goal of
helping the ASN make guided choices and decisions and achieve some
degree of independence in performing and managing his/her day-to-day
routine and concerns.

6. Helping the ASN prepare action plans for his/her guided decisions. An
integral part of helping the ASN is teaching and guiding him/her to make
an action plan for his/her decisions. Here, the ASN is assisted in
crystallizing and concretizing his/her action plan in writing. This will serve
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as his/her task-analyzed guide in day-to-day activity routine to actualize

his/her decisions.

7. Helping the ASN implement his/her action plans. The behavior coach helps
the ASN actualize his/her action plan by providing the needed
opportunities, prompting him/her whenever needed, and simplifying
further the implementation of the action plan through task analysis (step
by step procedure ensuring mastering of a skill before proceeding to next
one).

8. Monitoring the ASN’s progress and helping him/her modify action plans
based on gains. The behavior coach supervises the ASN implement
his/her action plan. He/She records the ASN’s progress and based on
these, discusses with him/her the progress, affirms/commends gains, and
suggests further actions, if needed. If a specific subplan of the action plan
does not work or is ineffective, the behavior coach helps the ASN modify
it.

The behavior coach must expect – that in the process of helping the CSN
– certain impediments, concerns and problems will emerge. That is the
CHALLENGE in helping learners with special needs! With the best intentions and
constancy in helping the ASN no matter how slow his/her progress is or no
matter how resistant he/she is, the behavior coach will prove in the end that the
ASN can achieve the BEST he can!
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Behavior Coach Preparation and Competencies

Personnel and professional preparation and competencies expected of a

behavior coach include the following:

1. Psychosocial maturity,
2. Specific personal-professional qualifications: unconditional positive
regard, genuineness, and empathy, among others,
3. Special education training,
4. Guidance and counseling training especially along behavioral
therapy,
5. Specific therapeutic teaching and communication skills,
6. Specific knowledge about ASN's nature, needs and characteristics;
family dynamics,
7. Specific knowledge about and skills in curricular prioritizing and
programming and instructional strategies needed in behavior
coaching,
8. Specific knowledge about and skills in guidance and counseling
needed in behavior coaching, and
9. Linkages with a support system including the community and other
helping professionals.

The next article discusses elaborately the preparation and competencies of

a behavior coach.
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PREPARING TO BE A BEHAVIOR COACH

Marie Grace A. Gomez

Teacher Grace is a faculty member of the Special Education Area, UP College of Education. She
is a licensed guidance counselor and a C-level psychometrician. She earned her master’s and
doctorate degrees in Education major in Guidance and is currently working on her second
doctorate in Special Education. She was a recipient of the UP Presidential Scholarship Award.

Being a behavior coach is a fulfilling job. Seeing a child with special needs
improve to his maximum potential is indeed a reward in itself. The behavior
coach, however, will need much preparation academically, psychologically and
socially. The following will help the behavior coach prepare for his craft:

Knowing yourself well

The behavior coach must know himself well. People in the helping
professions have been acquainted to self-awareness exercises during their pre-
service training. Doing introspection exercises are necessary in order for one to
connect with himself intrapersonally. Such exercises enable the helping
professional to identify his resources and potentials for handling clients
competently and professionally.

For those who are just starting as behavior coaches, an inventory of

strengths and weaknesses can be done initially. The following is an example of
an activity that the beginning behavior coach can do:

Example: Personal Traits Inventory

There are several personality inventories that are standardized. Taking

standardized inventories will enable oneself to identify personality strengths and
weaknesses. Among the helpful standardized personality inventories available are
the 16 PF, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Neo-Personality Inventory.
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It is a known fact, however, that standardized tests are difficult and quite
expensive to acquire. In order to remedy this, having non-standardized ways of
identifying personality traits can be done. Listing down one’s traits is the simplest
way to obtain an inventory.

The following table presents the traits of a beginning behavior coach.

Notice that there is a column under which traits are listed (physical,
educational, psychological, spiritual and social). The next two columns identify
positive and negative traits in the specific domains. The last column, the
Remarks Column, identifies things that must be done in order to improve a
particular trait.

Let’s say for example that this is Sam’s trait profile:

TRAIT Positive Negative Remarks

Physical Does not get sick
often
Energetic Suffered an Will go on rehab to
accident and broke facilitate healing;
wrist initially will get
clients that do not
exhibit hyperactivity
as the broken wrist
would have to
completely heal
first
Educational BS Elementary
Education major in
Special Education;
Took psychology
cognates;
MA SPED, took
electives in Guidance
and behavioral
science
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TRAIT Positive Negative Remarks

Needs more hands- Will do volunteer
on training on work in SPED
behavior Centers to apply
management and enhance
behavior
management skills.
Psychological resilient
motivated
Handles stress Tends to overwork Management of
well time and activities
in order to create
balance
Spiritual Has deep May have to get
convictions clients with the
regarding faith same convictions
and morality on faith and
morality
Social Has a lot of
friends in the
profession; has a
good social
network
Is able to adjust
to different
personalities
Sometimes too Identify scenarios
shy to ask for help where help should
be asked for; will
ask help when
confronted with
these scenarios

Looking at Sam’s profile, it can be said that he displays good physical

health, only that he suffered an accident and temporarily has to choose his
clients. However, Sam may want to have clients who are more challenging,
behavior-wise so he chooses to undergo therapy to facilitate the healing process.
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Sam is resilient and motivated. He can adjust to different kinds of

scenarios and he is motivated by the “psychic rewards” or non-material rewards
of his profession. Seeing progress in the behavior of the client is a reward for
him and he values this over money. He enjoys going to work but he sometimes
tends to overwork himself. In this case, Sam must establish a time schedule of
activities to do. Furthermore, he can set limitations on what he will be doing. It
must be remembered that a behavior coach must also maintain a balanced life.
Taking in too many clients may reduce efficiency of work and may take a toll on
one’s health.

Sam has deep convictions regarding his faith. He belongs to a particular

religious group. Given this, Sam may want to work with clients who belong to
families with the religious conviction and moral standards. A behavior coach
may be dealing with sensitive issues such as sexuality. Whatever the behavior
coach teaches must be in line with what the family believes in, otherwise,
conflict may occur.

On the social side, Sam has many friends. He has linkages with SPED
teachers, developmental pediatricians and guidance counselors. He is able to
adjust to different personalities and he is not “pikon” whenever someone makes
fun of him. The linkages that he has may enable him to learn more techniques.
However, he sometimes feels shy to ask for help. What he may do is to identify
situations that help may be obtained. He can start with asking small favors
from his friends in the profession. Sometimes, asking for professional advice
from peers would be beneficial.

The objective of the personality inventory is identifying one’s strengths

and weaknesses. This is needed in order to know one’s fitness in taking the job
of being a behavior coach. Furthermore, this would help the behavior coach
identify the kinds of clients that he has the capacity of handling.
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Psychosocial maturity

Psychosocial maturity is needed by the behavior coach. Some clients may

call him names or make rude remarks about him. The behavior coach must
understand that all of these are part of his job. Sometimes, the client (or his
relatives) may utter demeaning remarks. The behavior coach must understand
that there may be problems and concerns behind this. He should therefore, not
be affected by these.
There may also be times when stressors may be too much. Having
psychosocial maturity would enable one to be resilient, despite the problems. He
would not easily give up when the going gets tough. Possessing psychosocial
maturity would make the behavior coach that problems encountered in his job is
normal. Whenever he faces problems, he would focus on solutions instead of
grumbling or complaining about the circumstances that he encounters.

Specific professional qualification

A behavior coach must have training in the fields of Special Education and
Guidance. In the succeeding portion of this material, a write-up of guidance-
related skills are identified.

SPED Training
SPED training is necessary for the behavior coach as he may need to
understand the nature of the disabilities, nature of the individualized educational
plan, teach new skills via task analysis, and write reports.
The nature of the particular disability is needed in order to come up with
specific strategies in behavior coaching. For example, how one deals with a child
with autism may be different from how one deals with a child with Down
Syndrome.
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The behavior coach is expected to synchronize his work with the

prescribed IEP. Though he would not be teaching academically, some priorities
when it comes to social skills may be identified in the IEP. For example, teaching
how to take turns may be continued by the behavior coach while having sessions
in the malls or parks. A shadow teacher may be teaching the skills of turn-taking
during recess in school, but when a child goes home or is on vacation, the
behavior coach may take over this responsibility.
Teaching new skills via task analysis is also done by the behavior coach.
For example, Jimmy has to learn how to greet the people in his community. The
behavior coach may task analyze this as follows:
Step 1- Name the people who will be greeted (Barangay captain, elderly)
Step 2-Practice a simple greeting, like saying, good morning. Let Jimmy
say Good morning (or good afternoon, etc)
Step 3- Go out in the community. Let Jimmy identify a person to greet.
Step 4- Let Jimmy greet, Good morning!

In dealing with clients with special needs, task analysis is important in

order to have mastery of a particular skill.

Skills in Counseling related to behavioral coaching

Behavior coaching techniques are related to behavior coaching.
Counselors with training in Special Education are qualified to be behavior
coaches for individuals with special needs.
The following are core conditions and important counseling skills needed
in behavior coaching:
1. Empathy
Empathy is the ability to put oneself in another’s place and understand the
other’s feelings, actions, ideas, aspirations, desires and plans. A behavior coach
must be able to empathize with the client.
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Empathy is not sympathy. Sympathy invokes feelings of pity on a person

but empathy sees that a person, even in deep need, can be empowered. A
behavior coach must therefore understand the current state of his clients,
without forgetting that the client, even if the disabilities are too severe, has the
potential to be somebody.

2. Genuineness

The behavior coach has to be true to his client. He must be able to convey
his true feelings and emotions as behavior coaching is grounded on a humanistic
framework. It is not a show where stage acting is involved. The therapy is not
rooted in fiction wherein the events that transpire are artificial. Just like teaching,
behavior coaching is a real life scenario. Being genuine would enable the
behavior coach to act and give therapeutic measures naturally. If a behavior
coach feels that he could not be genuine to his client, perhaps, it may be
necessary to change clients.

3. Unconditional Positive Regard

The term, unconditional positive regard was coined by Carl Rogers (1959),
referring to a blanket acceptance and support of a person regardless of what the
person says or does. This is needed in order to provide the best condition for
growth of an individual as he believed that all humans have the capacity for
growth.
Unconditional positive regard is needed in order for the client to help
himself change. Though it is assumed that there is acceptance and support for
the person regardless of his state, it does not necessarily mean that the behavior
coach will not correct the client. Unconditional positive regard comes into play
when the behavior coach accepts the disability/condition of his client and the
strengths and limitations of the client. Hence, the client is accepted as a person
who has feelings, ambitions and propensity to change for the better.
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4. Attending Skills

Attending skills involve observing verbal and non-verbal behavior of clients

as a way of understanding what the client is experiencing (Veach, Le Roy and
Bartels, 2006). For example, Gigi always taps her pencil briskly during Math
Class. For a person without the knowledge of attending skills, one may think that
Gigi is simply misbehaving inside the classroom. But someone who has good
attending skills maybe able to derive a pattern of behavior. In this case, Gigi may
be tapping her pencil because she does not understand the lesson. The behavior
coach may then teach Gigi how to ask questions if she does not understand the
lesson.

5. Active Listening

Active listening means one is listening to find meaning in what has been
said. The behavior coach has to be an active listener in order to understand the
client’s needs, concerns, issues and aspirations.
Active listening may be difficult to do. Before any behavior coaching
session, the behavior coach must make sure that his physical needs are taken
care of. For example, eating, going to the bathroom and doing a few stretching
exercises may help in keeping oneself alert to actively listen.
During the session, the client should be encouraged to speak. Comments
such as “Yes.”, “Uh-huh”, “Go ahead, continue”, and “Tell me more about it…”
may help the client express himself better.

6. Body Language

In dealing with clients, the behavior coach must be mindful of his own
body language.
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The following acronym, SOLERF can be used as a guide

S - Squarely face person

O - use Open posture

L - Lean a little toward the person

E - use Eye contact

R - Relax, keep it natural

F – look Friendly

Taken from http://www.basic-counseling-skills.com/body-language.html.

Retrieved September 18, 2009.

It is important to face the client during the behavior coaching sessions.

The use of an open posture is necessary. Crossing of arms and legs is
discouraged as this may convey a negative effect on the client. One must
remember that the behavior coach has a friendly relationship with the client and
he is not trying to be his boss.

If both the client and the behavior coach are sitting together and having
a friendly chat, the behavior coach may slightly lean toward the client (about a
20 degree angle lean). This gesture conveys that he is interested in helping the
client or what the client is saying.

Establishing eye contact is also necessary as this is an expression of being

genuine to the client. While communicating with the client, it is important to
establish eye contact, whenever possible in order convey genuineness.
Maintaining eye contact also enables one to present that one is confident with
what he is doing. Losing eye contact may mean that one is not serious with what
he is talking about. Worse, the listener may construe that the person that is not
having eye contact is being untrue, thus, trust may be lost.
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Being in a relaxed state is also important. The behavior coach and the
client maintains a friendly relationship and the behavior coach is there as a friend
and not as a teacher or a moralizing agent.

7. Asking Questions

Asking questions is needed in order to clarify matters or issues. It may

also be used to process specific situations. It may be able to help the behavior
coach identify the cause of a specific behavior that has to be corrected.

8. Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is needed in order to clarify what has been said. For

example, Leslie says, “My sister always gets to watch TV. She always gets new
things. She does not share with me.” Given this scenario, Leslie may be having
problems with her sister. In using paraphrasing, the behavior coach may say,
“Are you having problems with your sister?” or, “It seems to me that you do not
like your sister.” The behavior coach may then process the issue after
paraphrasing.

9. Summarizing

Like a teacher who ends the class session by asking what has been
learned or by summarizing the key points of a lesson, the behavior coach also
ends a session by summarizing what has been learned.

For example, Teacher Aia taught Krissie how to behave appropriately

during parties. She may ask Krissie what she has learned. Krissie may answer, “I
learned not to shout during parties.”; “I learned that I should fall in line when
getting food.”; “ I learned that I should chew food well.” As a reinforcement to
what has been learned, Teacher Aia may also ask, “The next time you go to a
party, will you do the things you learned?”
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Therapeutic Training

Knowledge of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is important in identifying the

needs of the client and his family. His hierarchy of needs consist of the following:
physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs and
self-actualization needs. The first two needs are considered as deficit needs (D-
Needs) and the latter are meta-needs. It is assumed that the individual must
fulfill the D-Needs before having meta-needs. Therefore, knowing the kind of
needs that the client and his family has would be essential to the type of
intervention to be given.
Client- centered therapy knowledge is important in behavior coaching.
This form of therapy looks into the capacity and worth of the individual to
develop to the best of his ability. The core of this therapy revolves around
empathy, unconditional positive regard and genuineness. All of these were
discussed earlier.
Knowledge on behavior therapy is needed in behavior coaching. For
example, the behavior coach may need to do a behavior chart of a specific
behavior that has to be minimized or extinguished. Role playing may be needed
to simulate a specific scenario. Assertiveness training may be needed to increase
one’s self-esteem. The use of a token economy may spell out a system of
rewards for the client.
Career education training may also be necessary. Knowledge of career
theories and how to help an individual with special needs choose a career may
be done by the behavior coach, in coordination with a guidance counselor.

Knowledge on Creation of Programs

The behavior coach must be able to create programs for his client. In
doing so, the IEP must be referred to. In addition to this, a needs assessment
may also be done in order to identify pressing issues and concerns that have to
be addressed.
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Creation of programs for the client would involve the client’s ability/skills
level; resources; health; other people who would be involved and what the client
himself desires. SPED and Guidance majors are exposed and well versed with
the creation of programs for their specific clientele.

Skills in Curricular Planning

Though the behavior coach would not delve in academic matters
frequently, it would be best for the behavior coach to have some skills in
curricular planning as there may be instances wherein functional learning may
take place. For example, teaching how to order food in a restaurant may also
entail learning about money, the four fundamental operations and nutrition.
Having skills in curriculum planning would enable the behavior coach to integrate
lessons and reinforce what is learned in school.

Linkages with a Support System

Linkages with a support system is important among behavior coaches.
Knowing where to get extra support is necessary for the client’s wholistic
development.
If the client is still going to school, the support system would be the
teacher, the school principal, the guidance counselor, classmates and peers, and
school personnel. Even the maintenance service personnel can help the child
with special needs.
Conferences with the school teacher is needed in order to know if the
client is performing the social skills learned consistently while in the school. For
example, does the client line up and wait for his turn while in the canteen? Are
the tantrums minimized when he does not get what he likes? Does the client
greet teachers and other school personnel? Since the classroom teacher is the
one who would regularly see the client, she is a rich source of information
regarding progress in behavior.
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The school principal may also have observations regarding the client. Data
on how the teachers think about the client and adherence to school regulation
can be obtained via the principal’s office. For example, when the behavior coach
is trying to minimize bullying behavior, the principal may have a record of the
frequency of such behavior.
The guidance counselor serves as emotional and social support at school.
The counselor may give counseling to the client when problems arise. The
counselor, together with the classroom teacher may identify on how well the
client is getting along with his peers via a sociogram. The guidance office may
also have standardized test data such as IQ scores, achievement test scores,
self-concept test scores, etc., which may be helpful in planning activities in
behavior coaching. For example, Emy is found not to socialize with her peers.
The self-concept test shows that she has a poor perception of herself. The
behavior coach, together with the guidance counselor, may then work on Emy’s
self-concept before teaching socialization skills.
Classmates and peers may help the client feel accepted. The behavior
coach may talk with the client’s classmates and peers for encouragement,
behavior reinforcement and socialization. For example, Tony does not like to
participate during recitation. His seatmate may tell him, “You can do it, Tony!”
Or, they can cheer for Tony if he answers correctly. Letting the client have a
good social support with his peers would boost his morale.
Behavior reinforcement can also be done by the client’s peers while in
school. The client may be reminded to fall in line, follow instructions and greet
teachers. For example, during recess, Joey likes to rush out of the classroom. His
classmates may politely remind him to fall in line and wait for his turn.
During recess and physical education time, classmates can invite the client
to play games with them. The behavior coach may also teach the client to have a
simple conversation with his classmates. These conversations may include talking
about their baon, their hobbies and interests. These activities may help in
improving the client’s socialization skills.
 24

School personnel such as the maintenance department can help the client
by instructing him to avoid places that are dangerous (example: high voltage
places, kitchen) or not to loiter around after class. They may also be instructed
to immediately lock classrooms that are not occupied or keep an eye on the
client.
If the client is no longer going to school, other professionals may be
tapped, as needed. For example, the religious minister may be approached if
there are questions on spirituality. When the client is already ready to work, the
barangay captain may know jobs within the community that can accommodate
clients with special needs. Or, the city mayor may be able to create employment
for people with disabilities.

References
Rogers, C.R. (1959). A theory of therapy, personality and interpersonal
relationships, as developed in the client-centered framework. In S. Koch (ed.).
Psychology: A study of science. New York: McGraw Hill.
Vearch, P., Le Roy, B. and Bartels, D. (2006). Facilitating the Genetic
Counseling Process. New York: Springer New York.(n.d) Encouraging Body
Language. Taken from http://www.basic-counseling-skills.com/body-
language.html. Retrieved September 18, 2009.

The behavior coach is not a stationary teacher-therapist/counselor as

he/she performs functions in actual settings where the ASN needs to be trained
in. He/She situates himself/herself in contexts where the child is expected to
learn, rehearse and perform target behaviors. Such contextual hands-on
learning is a potent factor facilitating demonstration and mastery of skills. The
ASN is taken to the mall to learn therein specific social skills like turn-taking,
using polite terms appropriately and consistently, and proper conduct in
relating/interacting with members of the opposite sex. He/She is taken to the
supermarket to shop correctly and systematically alongside requesting, seeking
information, and possibly computing money. He/She is taken to church so
he/she can patiently sit and follow the mass through actively and properly.
 25

He/She is given opportunities at home and in other places: park, gym, movie
house, resort, etc. for worthwhile recreation and leisure such as meal
preparation, arts and crafts, physical exercises, swimming and movie watching.
He/She is taken to new places to learn where to go for specific items, do specific
tasks, attend to his/her specific needs: eating, toileting and relaxing, among
others. He/She is taken to libraries, concerts, museums to learn specific verbal-
cognitive skills, as well as specific behaviors therein: turn-taking, following
directions, observing caution in handling materials, demonstrating appreciation
appropriately, and commenting on what he/she sees, hears and feels. He/She is
taken to parties where he/she can interact with peers appropriately.

The above examples truly capture the essence of teaching the ASN in
actual settings! Through these, the ASN accesses real-life opportunities which
are eventually translated into meaningful, relevant and practical learning!

The next part presents the details about the work domain of a behavior
coach.

WORK DOMAIN OF A BEHAVIOR COACH

Marie Therese A. P. Bustos

Teacher Therese is an assistant professor of special education at the University of the Philippines
- Diliman. She has degrees in education, majoring in teaching in the early grades, reading and
special education. Her research interests include literacy, deafness, cognition, learning disabilities
and transition planning.

As human beings, we develop as a result of the interaction between our

needs and abilities and society’s expectations of and demands on us (Newman
and Newman, 2003). We go through progressive stages and perform
developmental tasks appropriate for our age. Our behavior adjusts accordingly
as we understand these cultural and societal expectations.
 26

Youth with special needs go through the same stages of human

development, albeit slower than those without disabilities. The process of
normalization entails providing them opportunities to perform developmental
tasks as their non-disabled peers. A behavior coach can help youth with special
needs process cultural and societal expectations and guide them to achieve age-
appropriate tasks. Table 1 presents these developmental stages and the tasks
expected at each stage. Bear in mind that youth will special needs will have
difficulties and limitations as they go through these stages. Some may not be
able to go through them successfully. Nonetheless, these developmental tasks
are important aspects of normalization and serve as possible entry points for the
behavior coach’s work with the child.
Table 1. Psychosocial Developmental Stages and Tasks

Developmental Stages Developmental Tasks

Early school age (ages 4-6) Gender identification

Middle childhood (ages 6-12)
Early adolescence (ages 12-18)
Later adolescence (ages 18-24)
Early adulthood (ages 20-34)
(adapted from Newman, Barbara and Philip Newman. (2003). Development Through Life: A
Psychosocial Approach. California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.)
Early moral development
Self-theory
Peer play
Friendship
Concrete operations
Skill learning
Self-evaluation
Team play
Physical maturation
Formal operations
Emotional development
Membership in a peer group
Relating with the opposite sex
Autonomy from parents
Gender identity
Internalized morality
Career choice
Exploring intimate relationships
Starting a family and childbearing
Finding and keeping a job
Deciding on a lifestyle
 27

In early childhood to early adolescence, schools can address many of the

developmental tasks mentioned. However, the need to include youth with
special needs in society calls for real integration activities outside the school
setting. Joining neighborhood events such as parties, going to the theater,
attending worship services and so on, are part of community life. Simulations of
these activities are often done in school but these should translate into real-life
integration activities that facilitate the transition of youth with special needs from
school to the community.

Developmental tasks are not entirely social in nature. Cognitive activities,

which can be reinforced at home by parents and tutors, are mainly taught in
school. The following discussion focuses on the non-academic areas where
youth with special needs are expected to thrive side by side with non-disabled
peers. These are the areas where a behavior coach can help.

Early school age to middle childhood

A behavior coach can help the child understand gender and sex-role
standards. During these stages, the child identifies with the same-sex parent
and later on, establishes a gender-role preference. The behavior coach
reinforces gender identification and helps the child act accordingly. It is
recommended that the behavior coach be of the same gender as the child to be
able to effectively serve as a gender-role model.
The behavior coach guides the child in developing a concept of
himself/herself as a separate entity from others. This is essential in enabling the
child to successfully relate with other children. The behavior coach also helps the
child learn skills, be confident in performing them knowing that these add to the
child’s self-esteem. Guiding the child in self-evaluation to eventually attain a
concept of his/her efficacy is part of the behavior coach’s job.
 28

As part of early moral development, the behavior coach helps the child
with special needs identify his/her own emotions and recognize these emotions
in others. S/he also teaches the child about good and bad, right and wrong and
guides the child in making choices. Empathy is an important lesson for the child
with special needs to learn.
Self-concept and an understanding of right and wrong are bases for
relating with others. One important aspect of any child’s life is peer play.
Children who are aggressive and withdrawn often experience rejection by peers.
A behavior coach can help them relate and play with children in the
neighborhood and help them establish acceptable ways of communicating with
them. Children with special needs form friendships but may need social skills to
be able to do so. In middle childhood, children get into more organized play
such as team play where interdependence is at work and each player takes on a
role based on a set of rules. A behavior coach helps the child understand that
division of labor within a team and competition are important aspects of team
play.
As children move from stage to stage, the radius of their significant
relationships expands, from family members to teachers and classmates,
neighbors and the community. The behavior coach plays a pivotal role in
ensuring that children with special needs transfer their school learning to
practical life settings.

Early adolescence

Youth with special needs who enter adolescence experience physical

changes in their bodies. The behavior coach can help him/her make sense of
these and adjust to these changes. When secondary sexual characteristics
become more evident, the youth are expected to take care of themselves.
Dealing with one’s sexuality and wanted or unwanted sexual attention can be
addressed by the behavior coach.
 29

Group membership and the maintenance of friendships are likewise

expected of youth at this stage. A behavior coach assists the youth with special
needs in developing and maintaining relationships.

Later adolescence and early adulthood

Achieving autonomy or at least a degree of autonomy from parents is very

important for the youth with special needs. The behavior coach helps develop
and strengthen the youth’s social skills that are essential for independent living.
Daily living skills also include recreation and leisure. While it is true that many
skills can be taught in school, real life education benefits youth with special
needs. The behavior coach models proper responses to life situations and guides
the youth’s own responses to these real situations. Table 2 presents some
domains of adulthood for which we need to prepare the youth with special
needs. This can serve as a guide for programming behavior coaching activities.

Table 2. Some Domains of Adulthood

DOMAIN SUBDOMAIN LIFE DEMANDS

LEISURE PURSUITS Indoor Activities playing table/electronic games (e.g.

cards, board games, puzzles,
arcades, etc.)
Possible settings: joining an exercise class,
membership in a gym
Airport participating in group indoor sports
Arcade Outdoor Activities participating in group outdoor sports
Church engaging in general recreational
Friends’ homes activities (e.g. camping, sightseeing,
Gym picnicking)
Movie theater Community/ going to neighborhood events (e.g.
MRT/LRT stations Neighborhood bingo socials, garage sales, fiestas)
Public Activities attending other special events (e.g.
transportation fairs, trade shows, carnivals,
Restaurants and parades, festivals)
bars participating in clean-up campaigns
 30

DOMAIN SUBDOMAIN LIFE DEMANDS

Travel preparing to go on a trip (e.g. joining
Shopping malls a field trip, traveling with strangers)
Sports events Entertainment attending out-home events (e.g.,
Theater theaters, spectator sports, concerts,
Theme parks performances, art shows)
Village/barangay going to socially oriented events (e.g.
Vacation restaurants, parties, bars)
destinations

COMMUNITY Citizenship exhibiting civic responsibility (e.g.

INVOLVEMENT helping pack relief goods)
obeying laws and ordinances
Possible settings: Community knowing major events at the local,
Awareness regional, national, world levels
Barangay hall using mass media (TV, radio,
Church newspaper)
Community Services/ asking help from a government
where s/he lives Resources agency
Government accessing public transportation
offices (trains, buses, jeep, ferries, etc.)
Internet cafe accessing services (e.g. sign
Malls language interpreter) and utilities
Public libraries [phone, water])
Self-help accessing emergency services/
organizations resources
Transportation accessing agencies that provide
terminals special services (self-help
organizations)
PHYSICAL/ Physical having regular physical/dental
EMOTIONAL checkups
INVOLVEMENT using proper hygiene/ dental care
preventing illnesses and accidents
Possible settings: reacting to medical emergencies
Funeral Emotional recognizing and understanding
Home emotions
Hospital managing stress
Informal date dealing with sadness, anxiety
Medical/dental coping with separation/death of
clinic family members and friends
Sports events understanding emotional dimensions
of sexuality
 31

Table 2 (continuation)

DOMAIN SUBDOMAIN LIFE DEMANDS

PERSONAL Personal recognizing one’s strengths and

RESPONSIBILITIES Confidence/ weaknesses
AND Understanding appreciating one’s accomplishments
RELATIONSHIPS reacting appropriately to the positive
or negative feedback of others
Possible settings: using appropriate communication
skills
attending to religious obligations
Church Goal Setting exercising problem-solving/ decision-
Hobby making skills
stores/shops becoming independent and self-
Home directed
Lunch date Self- maintaining personal appearance
Neighborhood Improvement learning a hobby
Self-help Relationships getting along with others
organization establishing and maintaining
friendships
developing intimate relations
being sensitive to the needs of others
communicating praise or criticism to
others
being socially perceptive (e.g.,
recognizing contextual clues)
dealing with conflict
Personal sharing personal feelings,
Expression experiences, concerns, desires with
other people
(adapted from Cronin, ME and JR Patton. (1993). Life Instructions for All Students with Special
Needs: A Practical Guide for Integrating Real-life Content into the Curriculum . Austin Texas:
ProEd.)

Integrating youth with special needs in the community should begin early
in their life. The gains of special education are wasted when they are not able to
apply their skills and integrate in their immediate community. Behavior coaches
play a significant role in allowing children and youth with special needs the
opportunity to take part in community life. They close the gap between the
 32

school and the community by not just being a coach or a teacher but by being a
friend, a mentor, an interpreter of social and cultural expectations and an
advocate.

References:

Cronin, ME and JR Patton. (1993). Life Instructions for All Students with Special
Needs: A Practical Guide for Integrating Real-life Content into the Curriculum .
Austin Texas: ProEd.

Newman, Barbara and Philip Newman. (2003). Development Through Life: A

Psychosocial Approach. California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning

Therapeutic Strategies

These are the most important questions that will guide us in making
behavior coaching most constructive and helpful. It is imperative that these
questions are amply and sfactorily answered before considering a career in
behavior coaching:

1. Do you as a person and helper possess the facilitative dimensions of

helping: unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding and
congruence?

2. Are you deeply concerned about how you can concretely express/
implement these facilitative dimensions in your relationships with the
ASN?

3. Do you truly know and understand the nature, needs and characteristics
of the ASN?

4. Can you specify problems and concerns that need behavior coaching?
 33

5. Can you tell or explain possible causes of problems and concerns within
the light of the different theoretical frameworks of personality/therapy?

6. How can behavior coaching strategies be systematized through

appropriate curricular programming and lesson planning?

7. What are your objectives in conducting lessons through appropriate

strategies?

8. What specific activities can you conduct to achieve formulated objectives?

9. What are the resources needed in the implementation of behavior

coaching?

10. How can you reinforce/deepen in practical/functional situations specific

behaviors/values taught?

11. How can you help the ASN maintain the demonstration/manifestations of
learned positive behaviors and values in day-to-day life?

The above questions pursue the basic preparation and competencies

needed in the successful planning and implementation of behavior coaching.

The following are doable, growth-focused and child-friendly (although

expect initial reactions/resistance! Keep going! Keep helping!) strategies in
behavior coaching adolescents with special needs:
 34

A. Use behavior modification strategies such as the following:

1. Positive Reinforcement. Use reinforcers such as rewards to

motivate the ASN to attend and respond to instructions, to comply,
and to affirm positive behaviors. The reinforcing value of the object is
evaluated by noting if the ASN reaches for it or manipulates it, and
resists when it is taken away.

2. Shaping. This technique is used when the ASN does not initially have
the desired skill in his/her repertoire of behaviors. Shaping takes
advantage of related responses the ASN already has. Reinforce a skill
in successive approximation – step-by-step – until the desired behavior
is achieved.

The following steps must make up the shaping procedure:

a. Define the terminal behavior, that is, what the ASN should be able to
do at the end of the procedure. Assess current behavior level.
b. Find a beginning behavior that the ASN can perform and that
resembles the desired terminal behavior.
c. Task analyze or break the behavior into steps that are sufficiently small
for the ASN to achieve beginning with the easiest and ending with the
terminal behavior.
d. Have the ASN perform each step, reinforcing each as it is successfully
accomplished.
e. If the step is not performed, go back to an easier one, or divide the
step into smaller ones.
f. Continue the procedure until the ASN is performing the complete
behavior being reinforced.
 35

3. Modeling. This technique represents an attempt on the part of the

teacher to teach the behavior by performing the act while the child
observes. The ASN is then asked to imitate the demonstrated behavior.

4. Extinction. It is a strategy to decrease maladaptive responses. This

involves the cessation of previously provided reinforcement – eliminating
whatever reinforcement is thought to be maintaining the behavior.

5. Physical/Verbal Prompting. Prompting refers to physical or verbal

cueing of the teacher to the ASN to facilitate occurrence of a response.
While prompts are necessary in teaching ASN, they should be faded as
soon as the he/she is beginning to show responses independently.

6. Over-stimulation/Over-correction. Over-correction is an effective

technique in training ASN. It has two objectives: (a) to over-correct the
environmental effects of a maladaptive response, and (b) to require the
disrupting ASN to practice a correct form of an appropriate response.

In achieving the first objective, the teacher makes the ASN correct the
consequences of his/her action/misbehavior by having him/her restore the
situation to a state greatly improved from that which existed before the
disruption. The second objective requires the child to practice the positive
aspect of the misbehavior.

7. Putting-Through. This technique is done by physically prompting an

ASN who refuses to work in completing his/her tasks. The technique may
be modified by modeling the specific task/behavior to the ASN while
ignoring his/her deviant behavior.
 36

8. Aversive Conditioning. Painful or obnoxious stimulation is used in this

strategy to decrease maladaptive responses manifested by the ASN (e.g.,
lemon juice, sticky but safe substances).

9. Contracting. The teacher/caregiver and the ASN specify and agree on

expected behaviors or tasks the ASN ought to exhibit/do for self-
improvement. Afterwards, they agree on rewards the ASN will get if the
tasks/behaviors are exhibited/done and also the “punishments” if not. The
agreement is written on paper for both teacher/caregiver and ASN to sign.
A copy is posted on the board to serve as a reminder. A punishment may
be in the form of withholding of things the child likes or depriving him/her
of privileges.

10. Token System. Colored chips (or other objects) with the corresponding
points are given commensurate to the ASN’s positive behaviors. Chips are
retrievable for negative behaviors. These earned chips are convertible to
item/s the child likes.

11. Stimulus Control. This involves presenting a visual or aural cue with
which the ASN associates stopping or continuing on with a behavior.
Examples of visual cues are (a) nodding and (b) smiling to signal letting
the ASN go on with a behavior or task. Examples of aural cues are saying
“NO” or “STOP” to stop a behavior and “GO AHEAD” or “GOOD” to let the
ASN go on with a behavior or task.

12. Time Out. Pulling the ASN out of the group for an unacceptable
behavior. Placing him/her back when he/she is ready.

13. Ignoring the ASN. Ignoring the ASN if he/she resorts to non-positive
attention-getting behaviors.
 37

B. Journal Therapy. Here the ASN is asked to keep a detailed diary

recounting his/her thoughts, feelings and actions when specific situations
arise. The journal helps the ASN expand his/her awareness of his/her
maladaptive thoughts, and their consequences on his/her behaviors. The
behavior coach processes the entries with the ASN and helps him/her modify
his/her thinking, make decisions and plan actions.

C. Cognitive Rehearsal. The ASN imagines or recalls a difficult situation, and

the behavior coach guides him/her through the step-by-step process of
fading and successfully dealing with it. The ASN then works on practicing or
rehearsing these steps mentally. The behavior coach then recreates the
situation and conducts mock rehearsals through simulated dialogues or role
playing. He then processes the outcomes – affirming good points and
suggesting points for improvement.

D. Disputing. Rational-emotive coaches believe that the problems are caused

by irrational beliefs such as, “I must be loved at all times”; “It’s someone
else’s fault if something bad happens to me”; “I am worthless”. It is not the
activating event (e.g., Not winning a contest) that causes the problem; it is
his belief system (i.e., “I must always win contests”). Thus, disputing
involves these processes:

1. Detecting. It is deciding the musts, shoulds, oughts and have-tos that

lead to self-defeating emotions and behaviors.
2. Debating. The behavior coach often plays the devil’s advocate by
putting such rhetorical questions squarely in the path of the client’s
illogical inferences and absolustic evaluations about events. The
behavior coach asks several questions, which is designed to help ASN’s
give up irrational beliefs.
 38

3. Discriminating. The coach helps the ASN to clearly distinguish

between wants and needs, desires and demands, rational and
irrational ideas, absolute and non-absolute values, and behavior and
personhood.
4. Defining. The coach helps the ASN make increasingly accurate
definitions in the language that the ASN employs when referring to
his/her beliefs.

E. Reciprocal Inhibition Thru Stopping. It is a technique aimed at breaking

the connection between maladaptive anxiety and the condition that produces
it. In thru stopping, the ASN is taught to interrupt the connection between
the evoking stimulus and the anxiety by firmly telling himself/herself
“STOP”/ “That’s Enough!”/ “Switch it off” etc. When the thoughts are
producing anxiety. With practice, and usually in connection with other
techniques, the ASN eventually does the self-command mentally.

F. Assertiveness and Social Skills Training. To be assertive requires that

the ASN have confidence in his/her judgments and sufficient self-esteem to
express his/her opinions. Assertiveness and social skills training teaches the
ASN how to respond appropriately in social situations, and to express his/her
opinions in acceptable ways. Assertiveness training also attends to a variety
of real-life tasks such as food shopping, interacting with other people,
overcoming shyness, and waiting for his turn.

G. Therapeutic Teaching Thru Art. Here, the behavior coach provides a

non-threatening environment and encourages the ASN toward self-
interpretation of his/her own artworks. The behavior coach ensures that the
ASN develop at his/her own pace. When he/she discloses his/her emotions
and thoughts, the behavior coach analyzes and interprets his/her output in
relation to his/her disclosures. The art product serves as a record of the
 39

events which the ASN can later reflect on and eventually understand with
greater clarity.

a. Activity of Self-expression - It is the individual’s innate need to

communicate his/her thoughts, feelings and emotions to other people.
b. Activity of Observation – It is the individual’s desire to record his/her
sense impressions, to clarify his/her conceptual knowledge, to build up
his/her memory, to construct things with his/her practical activities.
c. Activity of Appreciation – It is the response of the individual to the modes
of expression, which other people address or have addressed to him. It is
generally the individual’s response to values in the world of facts – the
qualitative reaction to the quantitative results of self-expression and
observation.

H. Therapeutic Teaching Thru Role Playing. Here an incomplete story is

related to the ASN. The ASN listens to the story and then is asked to give
different endings to the story. The behavior coach discusses with the child
the different endings and afterwards instructs the ASN to act out/enact the
entire story including each of the endings verbally given earlier. Props are
readied and some home members can participate in the enactment.
Afterwards, the ASN is asked to choose the best ending (solution). The
behavior coach draws the implications and deepens learning thru enrichment
or practical/ application exercises/assignments to be reported and discussed
with the behavior coach.

I. Therapeutic Teaching Thru Literature. Different literary forms like essays,

short stories, poems, legends, parables, anecdotes and short
biographies/autobiographies are good sources of inspiration and values! A
good behavior coach utilizes, for example, a poem to teach a value or a
specific behavior. He/She does not primarily focus on the structure: choice of
 40

words, meter, rhyming scheme, and poetic devices like metaphor and simile.
He/She does not concentrate on the aesthetics but on the message/content
of the poem. He/She relates the message/content to the ASN’s experiences,
draws implications, and teaches the values the poem imparts. The ASN is
inspired not only to think but also to feel and learn the lesson/moral the
poem teaches. Internalization is pursued by deepening the poem’s message
onto the experiences of the ASN and actualizing in practical life values/morals
learned.

J. Therapeutic Teaching Thru Music. Music is an organizer and energizer, a

source of gratification and provider of aesthetic experience and expression. It
allows one to establish or re-establish relationships, builds a sense of
community, expands awareness and heals. Through listening, singing,
expressive body movements, playing instruments and music improvisation,
the behavior coach utilizes appropriate musical exercises and activities with
the ASN for relaxation and enjoyment, socialization, and self-expression, for
skill-building and even discipline, and decision-making and values formation.

K. Multi-Media Assisted Intervention. Definitely, at theses times, we cannot

do away with current technology in pedagogy. Thus, with well-defined
parameters(limitations!), the behavior coach can use the computer and other
gadgets from which values education can be derived from. Those are useful
and helpful strategies because they enable the ASN to be visually and aurally
focused, and to utilize his perceptuo-cognitive-motor skills in learning specific
values/behaviors. Charts, pictures, kits, audio devices, etc. when utilized
properly and developmentally, and synchronized with specific objectives are
extremely helpful.

L. Therapeutic Teaching Thru Human Kinetics. Providing the ASN with

opportunities and training regularly in engaging appropriate and helpful
 41

regimen of physical gross-motor activities and exercises (e.g.,

team/organized play, sports) and recreation (e.g., board games, nature walk,
biking) is necessary considering developmental changes as well as the
associated manifestations of their disabilities.

M. Non-Formal Structured Verbal Exercises. For sure, the behavior coach

will also relate with the ASN verbally. It is this very pivotal verbal exchange /
reciprocity that strengthens bonding, improves focus and compliance, and
increases comprehension. The behavior coach must, therefore, take it upon
himself/herself to provide/set-up plenty of opportunities for social-verbal
reciprocity. Exercises like asking questions especially those requiring logical
reasoning , telling cause-and-effect relationships and making social
judgments; expressing appreciations and useful polite terms; seeking
information and commenting; and, other pragmatic language
expressions/structures like storytelling, reporting incidents, and relaying
messages must be consistently and effectively rehearsed and exercised.

Sample Lessons

Below are sample lessons of a behavior coach which in practice are

prepared as priorities of an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP):

Case: A 16 year-old male adolescent with autism with language-cognitive and

psychosocial delays including atypical behaviors: verbal “stimming”, rigidities
(maladaptation to changes), and lack of impulse control and social propriety.
A. Educational Concerns
Objective Content/Activity and Procedure

1. Discriminate and observe signs in Taking the child to the

specific places in the community: library, community and
teaching him/her different signs: museum, roads, parks, etc.

No Littering, danger sign,
no entry sign, etc. and their meanings.
2. Buy and pay for specific items chosen in
public places: malls, eateries, stores, etc.
3. Follow directions given a set of
instructions.
B. Language Concerns
Objective
1. Observe conversation rules in a group.
42
Demonstrating the appropriate
behaviors in observing the signs
for him to follow; Explaining
why one has to follow the
signs.
Teaching him to:
a) Choose an item and inquire
about cost, color, size, etc.
b) Pay for the item,
c) Count the change using the
calculator, if needed.
d) Wait and then say, “Thank
you” after the transaction.
Reviewing following simple
directions in the use of simple
tools/gadgets/facilities/etc., at
home.
Following directions in locating
specific places in the
community.
Content/Activity and Procedure
Reviewing rules in reciprocal
communication.
Rehearsing him converse given
a topic.
Suggesting/giving further points
for Improvements.
 43

Implementing conversation
rules in a group with some and
later on without
prompting/leading.

2. Use polite terms in relating with others Rehearsing at home situations

in the community. necessitating use of polite
terms: Excuse me, Thank you,
I'm sorry, Welcome, Please, etc.

Taking him to the community

and setting up opportunities for
him to use the polite terms.

3. Report incidents/experiences. Letting him recall important

incidents in the community.

Prompting/Leading him to
report about them.

Giving him more opportunities

to report more elaborately and
sequentially.

C. Social Concerns

Objective Content/Activity and Procedure

1. Wait for his turn in public places: Telling him why one has to wait
shopping malls, food shops, bus station, for his turn.
entrance to specific places where people
line up.

Demonstrating turn-taking and

then instructing him to wait for
his turn.
 44

2. Order what he likes in eateries in public. Rehearsing him in mock situations

at places home on how to order.

Taking him to an
eatery/restaurant and teaching
him further to choose what he
likes from the menu; order food
he likes, and then say polite terms
after ordering and when food has
been served.

3. Extend help to those in need in the Rehearsing him to extend help to

community. others in mock situations at home.

Taking him to the community and

setting up opportunities for him to
extend help (e.g., helping an old
lady cross the street, cheering up
a crying child, picking up and
giving an item to someone who
drops it).