quirky kids: understanding and supporting the unique … · quirky kids: understanding and...
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QUIRKY KIDS: UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING THE UNIQUE STUDENT
Dr. Roby Marcou , MD, FAAP, FSDBP Developmental Pediatrician, Singapore
The mind set that will be adopted in this presentation which is neither educational nor deficit-oriented at the core.
Rationale
Iliana- Age 16
Spoke well at an early age and developed an encyclopedic vocabulary related to crustaceans
Flourished in a small oil-field camp school from ages 6-11
Always had one best friend Disliked ‘camps’, assemblies and massages (!) ‘Collapsed’ in a US public school 7th grade and
relocated with the family to your school at age 14 Anxious, interesting, interested, targeted, adult-oriented
Today: two major themes
WHY: what is the neurodevelopmental and neuropsychological basis of quirkiness (and why does it matter!)
WHAT: what is in the realm of feasible for accommodating these students, and helping them thrive in an inclusive international school setting
Why Quirky?
Changing incidences Changing definitions The labeled child, the
eccentric child, the quirky child
The unique challenges of the international quirky child
Core Values of a Neuro-Developmental Approach
The difference between lumping and splitting
‘Michael is ADHD’ The critical nature of
an evidence base Leitmotifs and details
We all have imperfect minds
Children are inherently no more resilient than adults
Child perfection and the era of well roundedness
inspect respect
What or Why- of any of these
Auditory processing Processing Attention deficit Immature Non-verbal learning D. Sensory processing D. Social communicative D.
Asperger syndrome Twice exceptional Executive function D. Dyspraxia Specific language
impairment Autism Spectrum D. Pervasive
Developmental D. Tic Disorders
The appearance of order Amidst actual Disorder
OR: I SEE IT WHEN I KNOW IT
I KNOW IT WHEN I SEE IT
MY ASSUMPTIONS
If a student can, they will. No one is intentionally bad at their own
development. A label is sometimes right, sometimes
wrong, sometimes useful, sometimes limiting, sometimes understood, sometimes assuages guilt.
Variation is not the same as Deviation. Expectations, and thus the significance of
variations, changes over time.
Differential Thinking Meets Curriculum
Hoof beats usually mean horses, not zebras.
BUT: students do not study pedagogy.
Quirky children will do things differently and be consistently inconsistent.
What We Will Achieve …..
Goodness of fit Realistic adult
expectations A commitment to
salient instruction for a given student
A reduction in secondary issues
Change the underlying nature of the student
Be sufficient to mitigate all curricular mismatch
Prevent ultimate vulnerabilities
Understanding Creates Understanding May Not
Common patterns and some theories for understanding why.
Themes and Schemes
Recurrent Themes
Extreme developmental unevenness
Behaviors and patterns which are atypical, not just delayed
Awkwardness-physical Unique, well
developed, narrow interests
Often seen from early childhood
Sensory variations Rigidity and cognitive
inflexibility Social peculiarities Emotional reactivity
Neuropsychological and hence sometimes genetic variations. Environmental overlay in cases (ad).
Why.
Theory Of Mind:
The ‘Sally Anne’ Test. Baron Cohen 1985.
TOM: thinking about thinking of others
Others have mental states, intentions, needs, desires and beliefs which may be different than our own
Reading the mind of and being aware of the thinking of others
Developmental norms
Theory of Mind: Real Impacts
School Level What you might see Preschool Lack of interactive play
Idiosyncratic references Elementary Playground confusion- when to ‘stop’
Apparent lack of empathy Inappropriate social responses
Middle School Inability to ‘write for a reader’ Marked difficulty with social nuances
High School Poor interpretation of higher level language Inability to read between the lines in studies, preparation for examinations
Central Coherence- Frith 1989
CC: pulling together parts to make sense of a whole in context
Making sense of situations according to their context
Focusing on the correct level of detail to allow for cohesive rather than fragmentary processing
Focusing on wholes, as well as details
Central Coherence: Real Impacts School Level What you might see Preschool That’s my green chair!
Wandering and apparent disregard for norms of circle time.
Elementary Focus on a limited element of a task. Strong preference for routine.
Middle School Difficulty incorporating new organizational skills. Poor ability to prioritize.
High School Limited interest in new ideas. Discrete and poorly generalized skills.
Executive Functioning Deficits
Seen in multiple ‘diagnoses’ . Applied first to this population by Ozonoff 1995.
EF: the ability to maintain an appropriate problem solving set for attainment of a future goal
Planning Self monitoring Inhibition of responses Behavioral regulation
and flexibility Organized search Set maintenance and
change- seeing alternatives
Executive Function: Real Impacts
School Level What you might see Preschool Impulsive behavior
Poor pretend play- cannot suspend images
Elementary Poor ability to use organizational schemes Low frustration tolerance
Middle School Difficulty with processes Can’t get started or prioritize
High School Overwhelmed by task planning Poor time use and allocation
Question?
How does an understanding of the impact of Theory of Mind change the way you might work with a student in your class who: Talks on and on about topics that others are not
interested in. Seems unable to analyze the intent of a writer in spite
of excellent vocabulary. ‘Runs over’ his peers on the way to get a toy he wants
during play time.
Question? Is one size fits all ‘fair’?
Of course not.. Goals for the Quirky Student therefore:
Accessing curriculum Social functioning Affiliation Mastery leading to self efficacy Niche exploration Mood and motivation maintenance Progression Fostering optimism
What are the characteristics of Quirky students? What does this look like in my classroom?
Attributes: Social
The Core Issues are Often Social
The idiosyncrasies of a young child are often seen as precociousness Nicholas’ ileum
The first environment in the family is not reflective of the real world Rachel in Bontang
‘Relative’ skills are different Relatives may also be different
Hence> teacher as the first ‘informant’……………
The plight of the socially challenged..
imagine that you have to be explicitly taught many/most of the social skills and awareness that other people intrinsically have developed
any taught skill needs much, much more reinforcement for generalization
social realities of school life
Constant scrutiny Lack of privacy Humiliation avoidance Constantly social Status maintenance Being popular VS
having friends Quirky kids are often
‘clueless’ Pressures over time International schools!
All Learning is Social social cognition binds
factual learning tasks such as reading
comprehension- socially abstract concepts; thinking about the audience in writing; interpreting non-literal directions; participating in groups; functioning in unstructured times
learning from others experiences
Social Need: self marketing
Being interested in and legitimately adopting the style of peers to fit in
the fierce individualist: chooses no affiliation, would see this as a sell out
To help: Discuss the up and
downsides of group adherence
Make aware of the choices of others
Mentoring Foster acceptance in
the classroom for difference
Andrea is a new student to your classroom. Is there a concern? She has just moved
from a highly restrictive all-girls’ parochial school in a small village in Canada. She is first language French speaking, but fluent in English. Her mother has only told you that she is a ‘delightfully quirky child’
Social Need: collaboration Degree to which the child succeeds in cooperative learning by understanding their role and compromising within a group to move the task along The challenged child
feels frustrated and bull dozed, resentful or fearful>> aggressive and rude or passive behavior
To help: reduced emphasis on
competition encourage material sharing,
cooperative work provide class activities
contingent on positive interactions
shared interest in thematic content as meeting point
communication of positive, genuine statements about contributions during activities- allow students to develop their own
Be Selective.
Non-Compliance- For Discussion
why might a quirky child be perceived as avoidant/ oppositional theory of mind central coherence executive functioning
NON compliance as a lack of skills learned to behave otherwise.. Not seen as a CHOICE per se. Drs. Ross Greene and Stuart Ablon: Collaborative
Problem Solving
Social need: initiation technique
Skills are needed for appropriately meeting new people and joining in with those you know
Quirky kids respond to lack of skills by avoidance, barging in, inappropriate social proximity or levels of intimacy
the culture of social initiation and the international school quirky kid
Learning to meet and greet
guidelines for greeting informed by: pattern recognition response inhibition working memory issues
and greetings!
SOCIAL THINKING is more than a social skill.
Michelle Garcia Winner.
Teach explicit greeting techniques
Work on ‘social currency’- shared interests
Develop skills through board game play, etc.
Social Need: social control regulation
strong: nice level of give and take; are not always the boss, not always the follower; select peers as friends; share well with others
weak: may be too assertive and insist on control in relationships; may be too passive and allow others to make all the decisions; may select older or younger children as friends
will and grace: social control
talk about the signs that others are feeling over controlled, not listened to
provide guiding questions: “Do they not want to be around me because I act too bossy?” “How can I help in this situation?”
provide rules for guests and hosts
encourage ‘I’ statements and self advocacy
Parent screening ?? Whom does your child
play/associate with What do you need to do
to facilitate this What social rules do you
enforce for your child at home?
Social need: timing and staging relationships strong: know when a
relationship is ready for intimate sharing, good natured teasing or asking a favor; move a friendship along at the right speed
weak: use humor, ask for favors or tell secrets before trust is established
To help! discuss indicators that
relationships are proceeding too quickly- what others might do if they feel that way
use models in stories or film to help portray the timely development of relationships
prepare for friendship transitions the excitement of that first
friend for the quirky child, the sadness of loss
Social Need: social conceptualization
Distinguish different types of relationships: friendships, acquaintances, adult relationships
Ability to judge parameters and understand what constitutes a ‘friend’
concepts of social life
teach social concepts: friendship, teamwork, compromise, fair play, sharing, sportsmanship
use case vignettes- use models in stories and film to illustrate different relationship levels
conduct role plays of appropriate responses to similar topics in different relationships
Social Need: Political Acumen
Relates to ability to appeal to and be seen positively by adults and peer leaders- use of diplomacy and positive interest to facilitate relationships
Ability to ‘get’ the social architecture and hidden curriculum Mentorship for the less aware… reflection time.
conflict resolution strong: perceive successful resolution of conflict as
gratifying; more interested in finding satisfactory solution to conflict than ‘winning’; describe problems mindful of the perspective of another; compromise to eliminate conflict
weak: may be passive or aggressive when conflict arises; conflicts left unresolved so continued pouting or punching
THEORY OF MIND
CENTRAL COHERENCE
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS
No Bullying: No Fighting
teach students to recognize signs the precede conflict help students identify events that frustrate or anger
them- teach alternative ways to handle them- give practice
seat and maintain environment to reduce chances for aggression
examine triggers and confrontational interactions define what they are doing wrong and what the alternative is
SOCIAL COGNITIVE HEALTH-
building ability to recuperate from social problems
have issues delineated in advance, use advance organizers to plan, response formats in many forms, appreciate the fluidity of the solving of social problems, plan for sustained effort
EMPOWER EVERYONE
lack of engagement: a choice?
not everyone needs to be or wants to be popular the path towards rugged individualism enjoy being loners/own person reject values or culture of classmates don’t want to emulate a popular sib
even when engagement is not chosen, possessing the skills is likely to be both useful and healthful in the future
SOCIAL COGNITION: TAKE AWAY
Most quirky students have areas where they are ‘okay’ but often have lacked practice which exacerbates the issues
International life- new coding, new norms, new peers is an inherent challenge for many quirky kids
There is a tremendous upside learning opportunity for peers…….
WHAT DO DEFICITS IN USING LANGUAGE FOR SOCIAL/ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT DO TO A CHILD’S LEARNING AND SENSE OF SELF?
ATTRIBUTES: PRAGMATIC LANGUAGE
Getting Pragmatic
Many quirky kids have very elaborate technical vocabularies and completely intact language structure
Nonetheless there is very little communication in reality- pragmatics/social use of language
OFTEN, the expressive skills can be more well developed than receptive ability, which is not apparent- and is not at all ‘typical’ of language disorders
the basic questions?
Does the student have the interest?
Does the student have the skills?
Does the child want to communicate or inform?
What is the underpinning?
How do you increase the motivation?
challenge: communication and interpretation of feelings
Using words and tone consistent with the situation and feelings
Appear empathetic and are good listeners
Understand and reflect non-verbal elements
To help: realize that the
‘aloofness’ is not ‘deliberate’
Load with emotional vocabulary and phrases that convey understanding
Use role play and pictorial approaches to increase awareness and experience
Emphasize a stop/think/recognize approach
Model and ‘Translate’
Challenge: code switching
Using the right form of language for the audience, time and place
Using humor when it is acceptable
Using colloquialisms and slang appropriately
Avoiding the ‘little professor 'mode
using the right code:
model and reinforce ways that students can switch codes
identify ‘classroom language’ versus ‘playground/social language’ role plays demonstrating the consequences of inappropriate switching
Do-say // Don’t- say charts
challenge:
topic selection and maintenance
Being able to choose topics of interest to others
Knowing when a topic is ‘getting old’
Reading the audience Keeping references relevant
and being mindful of partner’s knowledge
Responding to topical interest of others
Interested and interesting!
How to help
be mindful of the possible reasons for off the cuff remarks (unable to read situation, trying to change the subject c/o feel left out, impatient with peers)
script writing, role playing advanced organizers
challenge: humor regulation
create and describe anecdotes that listeners find amusing
engage in developmentally appropriate word play and hyperbole
see the humor in irony laugh appropriately during a
presentation enjoy good natured teasing
from peers or teachers
challenge:
conversational technique:
listen attentively to speaker and then produce responses related to what they hear
contribute to conversation and invite input of others
How to help! demonstrated methodology and
reinforce the idea of ‘social repair’ when miscommunications are made right– teach repair statements “let me say that another way”....
dinner time conversation teach the lingo, even to a student
who may never use it!
conversationally speaking:
identify/model phrases for asking for things Why is the quirky child likely to interrupt, likely to
disrupt, likely to run away rather than ask for help core elements every behavior meets a need skills to seek clarification or assistance as an
alternative to escape/ avoidance/ disruption need to be taught
imagine not thinking someone else could help you?
How about Social Skills Training?
undermined by: challenging groupings
of students timing lack of student buy-in impulsivity difficulty finding
means to assist in generalization
enhanced by: lawyer’s children using the natural flow
of school events students helping to
define the issues global awareness on
the part of teachers and aides to assist in generalization
home support
Teaching Social Thinking
considering the perspective of others..how to make this happen>>the importance of helping the child understand why social skills are used
use instruction to teach about social cognition– increase mindfulness
based upon a ‘desire’ to relate or an understanding of why/how they should be thinking about the other person (RDI, Jarvis Clutch, Michelle Winner)
not having the skills is not the same as not having the interest....
Example: Blurting Out
Behavioral Approach: ‘don’t yell’
Social Thinking approach: focus your eyes on the student, hold up the palm of the hand in the direction of the ‘blurter’ and say, “I was looking at ..., I was talking to ...., I am not talking to you right now.” COGNITIVE information that helps the student learn to understand how to not blurt out...and why they would not want to.
Classmates and Friends Thoughtful seating Educate peers Create cooperative
learning situations in which the students academic skills will be viewed positively by peers.
Peer buddy as social translator
Foster involvement with others by limiting time spent in isolated pursuits and structuring conversations