Managing Social-Behavioural Issues
Get to know the child/youth and his or her needs
- Teach the child the appropriate words to identify his or her feelings.
- Feelings are abstract, so the student with FASD needs to use body cues – e.g., the look on a person’s face when angry, sad, etc., or what your stomach feels like when you are scared, etc.
Ensure personal safety
- Teach what to do instead of what not to do; e.g. say “walk” instead of “don’t run.”
- Learn to identify and avoid dangerous situations. Practise “what-if” situational role-playing.
- Be very specific: identify what buildings are safe (e.g., a store, rather than a bar).
- Practise skills in real-life settings.
- Help set up safe adult supervision with members of the community, so that children with FASD are never left unsupervised.
Respect personal boundaries
- Teach about personal space and appropriate distances from others. Be very specific, using visual and kinesthetic cues.
- Practise in real-life settings.
- Train the child about what is appropriate or inappropriate touching (e.g., hitting).
- Put tape around the floor of each child’s desk so that other children know they never enter the space belonging to another child without his or her expressed permission. This is a very important rule as it sets the stage for understanding personal boundaries
- Teach the child the appropriate words to identify his or her feelings.
- Feelings are abstract, so the student with FASD needs to use body cues – e.g., the look on a person’s face when angry, sad, etc., or what your stomach feels like when you are scared, etc.
Ensure personal safety
- Teach what to do instead of what not to do; e.g. say “walk” instead of “don’t run.”
- Learn to identify and avoid dangerous situations. Practise “what-if” situational role-playing.
- Be very specific: identify what buildings are safe (e.g., a store, rather than a bar).
- Practise skills in real-life settings.
- Help set up safe adult supervision with members of the community, so that children with FASD are never left unsupervised.
Respect personal boundaries
- Teach about personal space and appropriate distances from others. Be very specific, using visual and kinesthetic cues.
- Practise in real-life settings.
- Train the child about what is appropriate or inappropriate touching (e.g., hitting).
- Put tape around the floor of each child’s desk so that other children know they never enter the space belonging to another child without his or her expressed permission. This is a very important rule as it sets the stage for understanding personal boundaries