Connie Persike, M.S.,CCC/SLP
My older sister has cerebral palsy. She cannot walk and requires 100% care with tasks such as dressing and feeding. Nobody would think to impose punishments on her because she cannot walk or feed herself; yet we do this to students with social and emotional deficits every day.
I truly believe, as Dr. Ross Greene says, “Kids do well if they can.” It is our responsibility as educators to determine the function of challenging behaviors as well as their skill deficits so that we can teach students! This is the most effective way to decrease challenging behaviors over time.