FLIP: Environmental Arrangement Page 1
*********ANN & TEERY…clearly, need more assistance with graphics etc..-here is basic content, once we agree on that I’ll pull the clinic/micro portions for the trainer portion*********
I. Introduction
6 levels of environmental arrangement
LEVEL / AFFECTED AREAS / HOW WILL IT HELP LANGUAGE LEARNING.?Physical / Safety/zoning / Managing kid safety affects adult attention and creates safe spaces for language learning to occur
Organizing the Environment / Overall smooth running of household / Organizing the home environment creates opportunities/spaces in the day for language learning
Scheduling / Creating consistent opportunities / Guarantees a certain amount of exposure to language learning activities per day
Routines / Predictability / Parent and child both know when activities will occur-creates more time and space for language learning
Behavior Support / Consistency / Children know what is expected of them in the immediate environment-less time dealing with behavior creates more time for language learning
Micro Environmental Arrangement / Creating opportunities / Creating opportunities for child language during interactions increases the probability of having something to respond to within the intervention
Why is it important to “arrange the environment” when doing language teaching?
· To promote the use of language by increasing the opportunities for your child to use language
· To provide natural consequences (i.e., a material such as more snack and/or a social reinforcer such as praise) for using language
How do we use the environment to promote language?
· Create a context for conversation
· Select materials that are of interest to the child
· Arrange materials
· Mediate the environment
· Specific environmental arrangements
Strategies for Environmental Arrangement at Each Level
· Physical Environment-creating a safe space for you and your family to live in.
1. Basic child proofing of the house.
2. Creating a safe space where your child can remain unattended for short periods of time.
3. Creating a safe space in an enclosed area to conduct language learning activities.
· Organizing the Environment-consistent practice of methods to decrease stress and increase quality time in the day to interact with your child .
1.Always place keys in the same spot near the door etc.
2.Place items that need to brought out near the door to the garage.
3.Create a space where you can always find the items your child will be brining to school.
· Scheduling-Creating predictability and consistent opportunities to interact with your child.
1.Use visual supports in the household to help all individuals know what is coming
next etc.
2.Be consistent whenever possible.
3.Schedule at least one 15 minute interval throughout the day to engage in quality
time/language learning with your child.
· Routines-create predictability and space in the day for interaction.
1.Conduct routines in the same manner/spaces whenever possible.
2.Conduct routines at the same time of the day whenever possible.
3. Have fun.
· Behavior Support
How can environmental arrangement change my child’s behavior?
· There are multiple strategies for changing the behavior of a child by changing the child’s surroundings.
· By altering the environment, you can set the stage and support positive child behavior. Altering these variables in ways that contribute to positive child behavior is called arranging the environment.
What are environmental arrangement strategies for modifying behavior?
· Simplify your instructions for very important behaviors. Use a small number of words and only one sentence.
· Reduce environmental stimulation by removing distractions, i.e. turn off the TV during a conversation with your child.
· Simplify the environment by removing unnecessary items, i.e. give your child only one toy at a time.
· Restrict the environment. Set defined areas for play. For example, art activities may only occur when the child is seated at the kitchen table.
· Child-proof the environment. For example, turn the handles of pots on the stove inward so that an active child will not turn the pot over onto himself.
· Prepare the child for changes in the environment. For example, set a timer to let your child know how much time he has to play before washing his hands for dinner at the sound of the timer going off.
· Enriching the environment. One effective way of stopping or preventing unacceptable behavior is to provide children with a great many interesting things to do—enrich their environment with play materials and activities. If children are involved in something interesting, they are less likely to “get into things” or pester parents.
Example: Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were planning a trip to the beach with their daughter, Sara, that included a six hour drive. About three weeks before the trip, Mrs. Anderson removed some of Sara’s favorite toys from her bedroom and put them in a bag in the hall closet. She remember to pack the bag in the car, and kept it in the front seat, where she could manage the toys. She placed the tray on Sara’s car seat, and continuously traded the toys from the bag with Sara, being careful to notice when Sara was becoming bored so that she could introduce a new toy before a behavior problem occurred. Because she hadn’t seen her favorite toys in a long time, Sara loved the car ride and was more interested in the “toy bag” than she would have been if she’d just seen the toys.
· Reducing environmental stimulation. At other times children need an environment with few stimuli. A good example is just before bedtime. Much of the stress that happens while trying to get a child to bed could be avoided if the child is not over-stimulated just before going to bed. Using predictable routines throughout the day with your child is one way to arrange the environment to help the child to know what to expect.
Example: Jimmy has a hard time going to bed. He constantly gets out of bed, sometimes even jumping on the bed after he’s been tucked in. Jimmy’s mom asked his teacher for advice and decided to create a consistent bedtime routine. After dinner, Jimmy plays with “quiet” toys only. He isn’t allowed to play outside or to play rough with his brothers. Instead, his mom and dad make this time a special time to read with their children or to listen to Jimmy’s older brothers read to him. They also sometimes draw together as a family at the coffee table. When it’s time for bed, they complete a picture checklist that includes putting on pajamas, brushing teeth, reading from his bedtime book, and then turning off the light. His parents check on him consistently, beginning with every 5 minutes and then increasing the time to every 30 minutes. Now, he is asleep within 10 minutes because his body has had a chance to slow down.
· Simplifying the environment. Children often engage in “unacceptable” behavior because their environment is too difficult and complex for them—they pester parents for help, throw things on the floor, whine, run away. By arranging things in the house so that it is easier for child to do things for himself helps to avoid frustration and behavior problems.
For example:
-putting breakable things out of a child’s reach
-buying clothes that are easy for the child to put on by him/herself
-buying unbreakable cups & glasses
-putting away a toy that children are fighting over
· Restricting the environment by setting boundaries. When a child is small, a mother places a child in a playpen. This limits his space so that the child will not wander off and get into trouble. This same principle applies with older children. For example, it sometimes helps to designate a special place in the house where a child can play or be noisy or to do a specific activity.
Example: Raúl has discovered the joy of coloring with markers. Unfortunately, he is extending this favorites past time to his parents’ bedroom walls. Shocked by the difficulty of cleaning up such a mess, his parents decided to make some changes to prevent this behavior. His mother cleaned out a low cabinet that Raúl can reach in the kitchen for his art materials, and she told Raúl that he can only use them when he is seated in a chair at the kitchen table, making sure that she consistently enforced this new rule. She threw out all permanent supplies, replacing them with washable paint and washable markers. Additionally, his mom and dad decided to purchase a piece of glass to put over the nice table in their kitchen while Raúl is young so that he can still explore his art materials, and they can easily clean up the table together.
· Child-proofing the environment. It is important to think about what is out in your home that could be changed that would help to prevent unacceptable child behaviors. Most parents remove medicines, sharp knives, and dangerous cleaning items from the reach of children. It is also important to do other things like
-turning pot handles to the back of the stove when cooking.
-buying unbreakable glasses & dishes.
-putting matches out of reach.
-putting plugs in electrical outlets.
-keeping the doors locked.
-removing breakable objects.
-storing slippery throw rugs.
-attaching cabinet/door guards so the child cannot reach dangerous items such as cleaners.
· Substituting one activity for another. If you see your child is about to do something that you don’t want her to do—for example, get into your lipstick and make-up, then give her something else to play with. Failure to offer a child an alternative before taking something away from him will generally produce frustration and tears, but children will often accept a substitute without a fuss, provided the parent offers it calmly. Another helpful strategy is to offer the child a choice of two other activities to do—this way the child is distracted, but he also has a choice about the alternative activity.
Example: Jamica likes to be around her mom as she gets ready for work in the mornings. Lately, this has become a problem because Jamica tries to put on her mom’s make-up just like her mom does! Jamica’s mom decided to try to think of something Jamica could do instead that would be more appropriate and more fun. She bought some dry erase markers and a box of tissues to use for an “eraser.” The next day, when Jamica reached for her mom’s lipstick, her mom handed her a basket with the items in it, and said, “No makeup, Jamica, but here is a basket of toys for you to use to draw your face.” She showed Jamica how to use the markers to “draw on her face” on the large mirror on the back of the bathroom door and how to erase her pictures using the tissues. Now Jamica has an appropriate and fun activity that engages her attention as her mother gets ready.
· Preparing the child for changes in his environment. Many unacceptable behaviors can be prevented by preparing a child ahead of time for changes. For example, to prepare a child for bedtime, you might tell him or her that it’ll be time to go to bed in five minutes or if it is time to leave for school, you might say, “We’ll have to leave for school in a couple of minutes.” Another way to prepare children for change is to set a visible timer that shows the child when the next activity will occur. The bell of the timer lets the child know that a transition is beginning. Children can often adjust to changes if you just let them know ahead of time what will be happening.
Example: Mrs. Clark is keeping her nephew, Jamal, while his mom goes to a doctor appointment. She notices that his mom will be back in about 10 minutes, and knows that he is having a lot of fun baking cookies with her. She says, “Jamal, your mom will be here to pick you up in 10 minutes. When the cookies are ready, you, your mom, and I will all sit together to eat them. When we finish eating the cookies, it will be time for you to go home with your mom.” Jamal said, “Okay. Mom likes cookies!”
What environmental strategies can I use to promote my child’s positive behavior?
· If you can predict inappropriate behavior, you can stop it. Change the environmental circumstance that is causing it.
Example: Mrs. Henderson always goes to the store after picking up Sammy from child care at 5:00 and just before dinner. Every day at the grocery store, Sammy has a meltdown and screams and cries in the store. Mrs. Henderson decided to rearrange her schedule to meet Sammy’s needs. She realized that he was hungry and tired from a long day in child care. Now, she and Sammy go to the grocery store on Saturday mornings for the whole week, and if she does need to go to the grocery store during the middle of the week, she makes sure that Sammy has some crackers and juice to eat in the car on the way and tries to make it a quick stop.
· Give your child appropriate choices as often as possible. Choices allow your child to have autonomy and independence, but you can restrict the range of their choices so that all choices presented are acceptable. This increases positive behavior because it makes children feel confident and allows them to participate in a way that will allow them to be successful.