Monday, May 09, 2016
Compliance
Looks like its been a while since I wrote anything, so here goes...
Compliance - sounds obvious, doesn't it? We of course, want our clients to comply with our directions. But is compliance always what we want?
I tell the story in my book "How to Teach Daily Living Skills to Adults with Developmental Disabilities about one of our clients who showed up one morning with a brand new lunch pail. He was VERY proud of this lunch pail. Staff said, "Yeah, yeah," and told him to put it in his locker because he was scheduled for a Nutrition Activity that day and the group would be making lunch there at our facility.
And they didn't just tell him once, they repeated the demand until he finally reached the assaultive stage of behavior. Then somehow, it was his fault that he hit a staff person. Seriously? What would it have hurt to let him take his lunch box into the kitchen during lunch time? Would it have interfered in his participation in the nutrition activity somehow? Staff agreed afterwards that no, it wouldn't have hurt a darned thing... but he's supposed to do what he's told!
Do you always do everything that you're told to do?
Don't get me wrong... when a safety issue is at hand, then yes, we want compliance! But use some common sense - if you can prevent someone from becoming assaultive by letting them carry a lunchbox around, then let them carry the danged lunchbox. If he's threatening others using the lunchbox as a weapon, that's another story. That's a safety issue.
I think one of our goals is to teach our clients to be independent thinkers. We can certainly talk to that client about why packing around a lunchbox when it isn't needed is unnecessary (why is it unnecessary - especially if its comforting to him?), and maybe talk to him about learning to make a schedule and follow it so he knows the days when he doesn't even need to bring a lunch, but just demanding that he 'follow directions' for no reason isn't a good idea.
You can tie that with using a Prompting Hierarchy to teach skills to clients, also. Using a criteria such as 'Bob will (do whatever) with no more than three verbal prompts' isn't necessarily a good one. Really? We want Bob to learn to do things with three prompts?
Bob, get out of the street, there's a truck coming. Bob, get out of the street, there's a truck coming. Bob, get out of... thump! There's an example of when we do want compliance! But teaching him to wait for a third prompt before getting out of the street is setting yourself up for disaster... and a LOT of paperwork!
Remember... we are supporting ADULTS here. Treat them as adults and explain rationally and calmly WHY you want them to do things a certain way and see if you don't get some results.
Compliance - sounds obvious, doesn't it? We of course, want our clients to comply with our directions. But is compliance always what we want?
I tell the story in my book "How to Teach Daily Living Skills to Adults with Developmental Disabilities about one of our clients who showed up one morning with a brand new lunch pail. He was VERY proud of this lunch pail. Staff said, "Yeah, yeah," and told him to put it in his locker because he was scheduled for a Nutrition Activity that day and the group would be making lunch there at our facility.
And they didn't just tell him once, they repeated the demand until he finally reached the assaultive stage of behavior. Then somehow, it was his fault that he hit a staff person. Seriously? What would it have hurt to let him take his lunch box into the kitchen during lunch time? Would it have interfered in his participation in the nutrition activity somehow? Staff agreed afterwards that no, it wouldn't have hurt a darned thing... but he's supposed to do what he's told!
Do you always do everything that you're told to do?
Don't get me wrong... when a safety issue is at hand, then yes, we want compliance! But use some common sense - if you can prevent someone from becoming assaultive by letting them carry a lunchbox around, then let them carry the danged lunchbox. If he's threatening others using the lunchbox as a weapon, that's another story. That's a safety issue.
I think one of our goals is to teach our clients to be independent thinkers. We can certainly talk to that client about why packing around a lunchbox when it isn't needed is unnecessary (why is it unnecessary - especially if its comforting to him?), and maybe talk to him about learning to make a schedule and follow it so he knows the days when he doesn't even need to bring a lunch, but just demanding that he 'follow directions' for no reason isn't a good idea.
You can tie that with using a Prompting Hierarchy to teach skills to clients, also. Using a criteria such as 'Bob will (do whatever) with no more than three verbal prompts' isn't necessarily a good one. Really? We want Bob to learn to do things with three prompts?
Bob, get out of the street, there's a truck coming. Bob, get out of the street, there's a truck coming. Bob, get out of... thump! There's an example of when we do want compliance! But teaching him to wait for a third prompt before getting out of the street is setting yourself up for disaster... and a LOT of paperwork!
Remember... we are supporting ADULTS here. Treat them as adults and explain rationally and calmly WHY you want them to do things a certain way and see if you don't get some results.
