I am Seldom Speechless, but when I am it is because of the field of Speech Language Pathology and the amazing littles I meet and work with everyday. My name is Brittney and I am a pediatric SLP.
Behavior routines are sets of expectations consistently implemented and reinforced in order to support attention, self-regulation, and autonomy.
Why use behavior routines?
First, establishing behavior routines frees up cognitive resources allowing you and your students to focus on what is really important–the intervention. As with anything, when you are learning to do something it requires attention and effort, but after you do it CONSISTENTLY and REPEATEDLY it becomes automated. Once your students have learned the behavior routines, they will implement them automatically allowing them to focus their effort and attention on you and the skill you are targeting.
Second, establishing behavior routines supports self-regulation and increases autonomy. I can relate to my students who feel disregulated when things are unexpected or outside of my control. Establishing routines provides your students with consistency, which supports self-regulation. Additionally, once the routines are established your students do not need to rely on you to know what to do, which gives them autonomy and a sense of control.
What do behavior routines look like in speech therapy?
FREEBIE! Click here to download the visuals pictured above.
My school district uses the Responsive Classroom Model, which is a student-centered, social and emotional learning approach to teaching and discipline. It is evidence-based and emphasizes building interest in learning through engaging academics, positive community, effective management, and developmental awareness. I use many of the components in my own behavior routines.
One component of classroom management that they teach is the idea of using “teacher language” to effectively communicate expectations to your students. I use “teacher language” (i.e., reminding language, reinforcing language, and redirecting language) to consistently reinforce the routines I have established with my students. They have an excellent book about this topic called The Power of Our Words by Paula Denton Ed.D. I wrote a four-part blog series about how it applies to Speech Language Pathologists, if you are interested you can check that out here.
In my description of my personal speech therapy routines above, I mention two resources that I incorporate into my routines that help establish a rhythm to the session: goal nameplates and speech bins. You can read more about those tools here: goal name tags & speech bins.
What do behavior routines look like in your speech therapy sessions?
If you asked me, what is one thing you learned in your graduate clinical placements that you still use in your practice today? My answer would be speech bins. Speech bins are an adapted work system consisting of three numbered plastic bins (I use a three drawer Sterilite container). At the beginning of each session, you place an activity or set of activities in each bin. During the session, the student(s) work through the bins until all of the activities inside have been completed. Speech bins define the amount of work expected and establish a definite ending to when the session is over.
The idea of speech bins comes from the Structured TEACCHing approach.
What is TEACCH?
The TEACCH Autism Program is based out of the University of North Carolina. It is a university-based system of community centers that offer programs providing clinical services and trainings, and conducting research.
TEACCH stands for:
Teaching – Sharing knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder and increasing the skill level of professionals and practitioners through innovative education, teaching, and demonstration models.
Expanding – Commitment to expanding our own knowledge and that of others to ensure that we offer the highest quality, evidence-based services to Autistic individuals and their families across the lifespan.
Appreciating – Appreciating the strengths and uniqueness of Autistic culture.
Collaborating and Cooperating with colleagues, other professionals, Autistic people, and their families.
Holistic – Adopting a holistic approach, looking at the person, their family, and their communities throughout the lifespan.
TEACCH is known for utilizing a Structured TEACCHing approach, which is designed to respond to the needs of Autistic people using the best available, evidence-based methods known so far, for educating and teaching autonomy. It is not a curriculum or program, but rather a framework to support access to academic instruction and therapeutic intervention. The framework includes physical organization, individualized schedules, work systems, and visual structure of materials in tasks and activities.
Primarily, Structured TEACCHing aims to carefully construct the student’s environment to support self-regulation and the highest level of independence.
Work Systems
One component of the Structured TEACCHing Framework is work systems. Work systems are bins, each containing an activity to be completed. Work systems, as they are described in the Structured TEACCHing approach, are intended to be completed independently. Therefore, only already mastered activities with clear start and endpoints should be placed in each bin. Work systems teach independence, NOT skills. Work systems help the student answer the following questions:
What work needs to be done?
How much work needs to be done?
How do I know when I’m finished?
What do I do next?
Speech Bins
Okay, so speech bins are basically just an adapted work system. TEACCH emphasizes that teaching organizational and environmental management skills supports not only independence but also self-regulation. Using consistent routines helps our students with regulation challenges by providing a sense of predictability and control. I use speech bins to structure my sessions in a way that is visual and consistent. It is important for consistency and predictability purposes that you always complete all three bins, even if you only spend one-minute or complete one trial on one of the activities.
Image of speech bins (three-drawer black Sterilite container on wheels) to the right of the bookshelf.
For my preschool students and early communicators, I have labeled each bin with a picture of a numbered shape. During the session, I give the student(s) the appropriate image, and they match it to the coordinating image on the proper bin. Using this system provides autonomy within the session and a quick movement break. I use the phrase “1-2-3-Play” to support the students in understanding our schedule. You can find a free download of the basic speech bin labels, speech bin schedule reminder visual, and editable digital speech bins template I use in the Freebie Library.
Image of speech bin routine visual for preschoolers and early communicators. Shows three speech bin labels followed by an image representing play.
Adapting to COVID
In the spring, when I first switched to teletherapy, I continued to use my speech bins to structure my sessions. I relocated my plastic bins to my new bedroom office. I would show the label, place it on the bin, and then pull out the activity. As I transitioned to using more digital activities I created a simple editable, digital speech bin template on Google Slides. I have included access to a copy of the editable, digital speech bins template in the freebie library. I paste pictures or screenshots of the activities I have planned into the boxes on the template and check each activity off as we complete it. Because the speech bins are hosted on Google Slides, you can duplicate the “schedule” as many times as you need and make small adjustments to plan ahead for all of your students.
2. Convey Faith in Students’ Abilities and Intentions.
3. Focus on Actions, Not Abstractions.
4. Keep It Brief.
5. Know When to Be Silent.
Denton, P. (2018). The power of our words: Teacher language that helps children learn. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.
The author of the Power of Our Words speaks of conveying faith in students’ abilities and intentions through the language that you use. This made me think of the concept of presuming competence, which is a common theme in the field of special education. When you are focusing on identifying and addressing areas of weakness, it can be easy to fall into the trap of promoting learned helplessness and taking a weakness-based approach. Presuming competence creates a noticeable difference in student engagement.
If we are practicing the teacher language outlined in The Power of Our Words, we have already established clear expectations in our classrooms by being direct and focusing on action. We have also created a foundation of trust with our students by being genuine listeners. Now, it is time to presume competence. Our students are capable, and they need to believe that we view them as capable. Presuming competence means trusting that students can rise to our expectations, given small supports, which is where the concepts of reminding language and redirecting language come into play.
Reminding Language
Reminding language places ownership of classroom expectations on the student. It prompts them to remember the expectations for themselves. The school adjustment counselors in my current district recommend using reminding language to help students learn to self-regulate their anxieties. Children with anxiety may struggle with continuously asking questions to get reassurance that the answer and expectations have not changed. Using reminding language helps the students learn to reassure themselves.
Reminding language is asked as a question in a neutral, direct tone. For example, “Tell me how we will walk back into your classroom when speech is all done?” Reminding language is only effective in calm situations, and when you follow up to see that the students’ actions reflect the answers they just provided.
Redirecting Language
Redirecting language is brief, specific statements that immediately stop and change the direction of a students’ behavior. When you redirect, you want to directly, but discreetly call on the particular student and explicitly label the wanted behavior. For example, “Ben, freeze. We use safe hands at circle time.”
Naming a consequence in your redirecting statements implies that we do not expect the student to follow through with our expectations. When children feel like they are not capable, they manifest that belief. Using threats and consequences emphasizes our capacity as an authoritative figure with the power to get students into trouble, rather than focusing on the students power over their actions. Furthermore, consequences, turn fixing mistakes into punishments rather than opportunities to learn and grow (Denton, 2018 p. 27).
Managing Your Anger
“[Anger teaches] children to either comply with or rebel against [your] will rather than teaching them self-control.”
(Denton, 2018 p. 121)
Working in the schools is difficult. Spending hours on end with children, while extremely rewarding, is exhausting. We all get frustrated. We all feel anger. How we handle our anger matters because it sets the tone of our relationships with our students. Using reminding language, consistently and early, while the problems are still small, can help prevent situations that provoke anger.
Having a take a break chair available for students, when you need a minute to decide how to proceed, can be an important preventative measure. I have a comfy papasan chair with tons of fun pillows and a stool to place your feet on in the corner of my speech therapy room. At the beginning of the year, I explain that this is our take a break chair. We take time to discuss the purpose of the chair, which is to help us calm down and return to being ready to learn. We also discuss how we get access to the chair, which is either I have told you to take a break in it, or you have calmly and respectfully requested a break in the chair.
One time, I asked a student to take a break and rejoin our lesson when he was ready to use kind words towards the other students. He fell asleep within seconds. Sometimes, taking a break helps you see the real problem. For this student, the problem was being cranky from not sleeping the night before.
I highly recommend reading The Power of Our Words for yourself! It includes concrete examples of what to say and when to say it, as well as more in-depth information about each of the general guidelines and types of teacher language. It also includes steps to begin practicing teacher language with your students.
It can be hard starting our with changing your language. I made this The Power of Our Words Reference Sheet, which I keep on my therapy clipboard, to help me remember the changes I am trying to implement.
References:
Denton, P. (2018). The power of our words: Teacher language that helps children learn. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.
2. Convey Faith in Students’ Abilities and Intentions.
3. Focus on Actions, Not Abstractions.
4. Keep It Brief.
5. Know When to Be Silent.
Denton, P. (2018). The power of our words: Teacher language that helps children learn. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.
The Power of Our Words describes two types of language to help educators focus on actions, not abstractions: Envisioning Language and Reinforcing Language.
Envisioning Language
In general, when working with children, it is helpful to focus on clear, actionable ideas over abstract ideas. This is especially true for children with language disorders, who often lack the vocabulary and comprehension skills to follow indirect and implicit classroom expectations.
The author of the Power of Our Words recommends using vision statements to help guide students’ behaviors. As SLPs, we write vision statements in Individual Education Plans (IEPs) all the time. An IEP vision statement is a clearly defined future the Team is trying to attain by completing the steps outlined in the IEP. A student vision statement works in the same way. When creating a vision statement, educators draw on the students’ intrinsic values (e.g., to have fun, be safe, feel important, make friends, learn interesting things) to define an accessible future. They complete the vision statement with clear, actionable steps to achieve that future.
Example of Envisioning Language in Speech Therapy:
“Today, in speech, I expect everyone will listen to each other and participate in the activities to become better communicators.”
Following vision statements with open-ended questions, which ask the students how they can make this vision come true, is an excellent way to gauge their understanding of expectations, as well as learn their perspective on the vision.
Reinforcing Language
“Children need to know their strengths in order to know what to stand on as they reach for the next higher rung. They need our words to help them do this.”
(Denton, 2018 p. 89)
“Children build on their strengths, not their weaknesses” (Denton, 2018 p. 88). Light bulb! How great is that quote?! I was blown away by it. Seriously, I had to put the book down and digest that little sentence. I spend so much time identifying weaknesses and figuring out the best evidence-based way to improve upon those weaknesses, and then I read this book. I have heard of taking a strengths-based perspective before, and I thought that was what I had been doing. I realize now that I had just been documenting strengths and weaknesses and then focusing on the weaknesses.
This links to my previous post about being a genuine listener; what I need to do is pay attention to my students’ interests, and strengths to help build an engaging learning environment. Reinforcing language can help force that perspective for educators.
“Good job!” “Nice work!” “I like your work ethic.”
What I liked about the Power of Our Words was that the advice and instructions were realistic for educators. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I attended a two-day Responsive Classroom training and left feeling overwhelmed and leery of the concepts. This book does a much nicer job explaining the ideology.
The author says that expressing your personal approval has its time and place. If you are genuinely expressing praise and personal approval to celebrate your students’ triumphs, go for it. “Good job” is for celebrating, not for effecting change. If your goal is to help your students grow, then use specific descriptive feedback. By explicitly labeling positive, concrete behaviors, students learn exactly what they are doing well and should continue doing to succeed.
Continuously framing behaviors emphasizing your personal approval sends the “message that the purpose of good behavior is to please us, when what we want is for children to be motivated toward cooperative, careful behaviors for the sake of themselves and the group” (Denton, 2018 p. 97).
Are you a good jobber? I definitely am! One thing the book mentions while you are embarking on this journey of improving your language for behavior management is to practice catching your mistakes and following them up with the appropriate response. In my speech therapy sessions, you will hear me say things like, “Good job! You used the visuals to help you remember the setting of the story that time.” It is a work in progress.
I highly recommend reading The Power of Our Words for yourself! It includes concrete examples of what to say and when to say it, as well as more in-depth information about each of the general guidelines and types of teacher language. It also includes steps to begin practicing teacher language with your students.
References:
Denton, P. (2018). The power of our words: Teacher language that helps children learn. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children.
