Teachers and/or Parents- Constant Talking?

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I am at my wits' end and would love any advice that you might have. I have a student who has been with me since November. This student is always talking. The student has a medical diagnosis of autism, but that is not the educational diagnosis. I am not an autism room. The student does not have very good language skills. In other words, the talking is not communicating anything to us. It is simply the student always making noise, yelling, etc. Most of the time teh student is just echoing things heard at home or at school.

Nothing has helped the constant talking. I can say their name until I am blue in the face and they will not stop. I have tried varying activities and trying to find an activity that they can do quietly. I did talk to one of the autism teachers, and she told me to try noise cancelling headphones. I am trying to find a pair to borrow to try first as anything would have to come out of my own pocket. The other thing she said to try was a chew tube or something simliar if it is a case of needing oral stimulation. I am a little loathe to try that as the parents put a pacifier in this students' mouth the moment they get off the bus and keep it in the kids' mouth basically until they get on the bus the next morning. They keep saying they are going to wean the student off of it, but have yet to do so. Therefore, I am a little wary of trying anything that would resemble a pacifier.

Does anybody have any other suggestions of things to try that have worked for them? It's really reaching a breaking point. I have several students in the room that can have very explosive tantrums and the constant talking and yelling is setting them off. It's become very hard to get any lesson done if that student is in the group. Thanks for any help. I appreciate it.

 

[kirstenb1]

I'm assuming this is a young child. If he/she is still using a pacifier, a chewy tube would be an Excellent transition from that. Our 5 yr old has mild autism. She has many inappropriate behaviors, including talking too loud, or soft, but at least she's talking, which is huge!!!

When she's being inappropriate, I tell her _____ is a rule. That means no____right now. Sometimes I set a timer to let her know when she can do _____ again. As you know, this process takes what feels like forever!! But eventually it sinks in, and we move forward. I might try to break it down for him/her, that this is listening time. Everyone will get a turn to talk, but right now we need to listen, and sit still (with the chewy is fine, and again, this might be the way to make it easier for the student, since they will still be getting oral stimuli).

Or give them a fidget toy that they only get to hold when they're listening.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

We've done the fidgets, and they basically just become toys with no effect on the talking. The receptive communcation is very low, so I just don't know how much they would comprehend "this is listening time." I have tried timers with no success. One thing the school that we got them from told us is that they will try something and within a week it is no longer effective. As far as I know, they were not able to address the constant talking. I might try fidgets again and emphasize that it is only for listening time. If you talk, no fidget. We hadn't approached it quite like that.

 

[MissElizabeth]

If the child is autistic, why isn't he in an AI program? Frankly, you sound like you aren't really prepared to deal with an autistic child, and he might benefit from a classroom more structured to his needs.

 

[eduk8r26]

I can't understand why, with difficulties like that, the student is not in some type of special ed class. At the very least, if the parents want full inclusion, I would push for a personal aide. That often helps a great deal in work completion and staying on task.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I am the special education room. I am a self contained room for students with MR. The problem is, this particular student did not necessarily fit any of the district programs exactly so they kind of put it where it seemed to be the best fit. Unfortunately at this time I just dont' have any other students who are anywhere near the level of this particular student and it's been very challenging meeting their needs while meeting the needs of the rest of the class. I feel like if we could get this one issue addressed, several others would fall into place.

 

[kirstenb1]

One more thought, the talking is maybe his equivalent of head-banging or biting, or another sensory seeking behavior. I'm sure you've tried this, but

1. does he have a weighted vest to wear, especially when it's time to listen?
2. is there a one to one aide who is helping keep him listening and attending, and gently restrained when it's time to listen?

For whatever reason, he's getting something out of the talking. It just needs to be replaced by something more appropriate.

Again, easy for me to say, but I am there walking this walk everyday.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

The autism program was looked at, but the child did not meet the criteria. I am a district program as well. I take students from schools from around the district when their needs cannot be met in their current placement. Believe me, a lot went into the decision to place the student in my room over one of the other programs.

We have tried a weighted snake, but the student did not use it in that way. They played with it and talked to it. I tried a pressure vest, but the student pulled at it. I also have a weighted turtle that was tried that also became a toy to the student.

The student had a one on one in their previous placement, but we were not allowed to keep the one on one. I do have a classroom para, but with the very wide range of abilities (I have a self contained room with students who do not even know all their letters all the way to students who are writing multi paragraph papers), I need the para to help me run groups. I have been expressly forbidden to use the para in any kind of one on one situation.

 

[Daisy&Max]

One more thought, the talking is maybe his equivalent of head-banging or biting, or another sensory seeking behavior. I'm sure you've tried this, but

1. does he have a weighted vest to wear, especially when it's time to listen?
2. is there a one to one aide who is helping keep him listening and attending, and gently restrained when it's time to listen?

For whatever reason, he's getting something out of the talking. It just needs to be replaced by something more appropriate.

Again, easy for me to say, but I am there walking this walk everyday.

As a parent and teacher of autistic children, I have to agree whole heartedly with this advice.

Something else you should do, is study the behavior. When does it happen? Who is around when it happens? Why does the student do it? (is it to get attention, is it task avoidance, etc) Then look at when it seldom/never happens. Who is not around (are there certain people that he does it around but doesn't when they aren't around)?

Have someone observe him for set periods of time for a week (30 minute increments or more if you can get them) and have them tally the number of noises he makes in a given period of time. Have that person also put down what is going on in the room (other students melting down or math time). Then sit down and review the data. See if you see a pattern of the behavior. I know you said that it happens all the time but there is a reason for the behavior.

Once you have the data see what behavioral changes you can work on. Pick one at a time to work on, don't try to hit every single target behavior at once. You can replace the behavior if you know what motivates the student and what he is seeking.

There is lots of information on the web about changing the behavior of autistic children. I am totally drawing a blank on what this is called but if you search out your local chapter of the Autism Society of America and see if you can consult with a behaviorist.

Good luck to you and your student.

Daisy

 

[Liberty Belle]

I am at my wits' end and would love any advice that you might have. I have a student who has been with me since November. This student is always talking. The student has a medical diagnosis of autism, but that is not the educational diagnosis. I am not an autism room. The student does not have very good language skills. In other words, the talking is not communicating anything to us. It is simply the student always making noise, yelling, etc. Most of the time teh student is just echoing things heard at home or at school.

Nothing has helped the constant talking. I can say their name until I am blue in the face and they will not stop. I have tried varying activities and trying to find an activity that they can do quietly. I did talk to one of the autism teachers, and she told me to try noise cancelling headphones. I am trying to find a pair to borrow to try first as anything would have to come out of my own pocket. The other thing she said to try was a chew tube or something simliar if it is a case of needing oral stimulation. I am a little loathe to try that as the parents put a pacifier in this students' mouth the moment they get off the bus and keep it in the kids' mouth basically until they get on the bus the next morning. They keep saying they are going to wean the student off of it, but have yet to do so. Therefore, I am a little wary of trying anything that would resemble a pacifier.

Does anybody have any other suggestions of things to try that have worked for them? It's really reaching a breaking point. I have several students in the room that can have very explosive tantrums and the constant talking and yelling is setting them off. It's become very hard to get any lesson done if that student is in the group. Thanks for any help. I appreciate it.

I had one student who was similar. I taught him (but it took a while) to whisper and that really, really helped. I think his parents were happier about that than anything else he learned that year.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Like I said, it is constant, non stop. I have not had a class period yet where the talking and yelling has not happened. Normally the yelling is sort of an immediate response to something they don't want to do or being asked to transition. But the talking is continual. That's one thing we're trying to do is figure out what the purpose could be. The autism teacher told me that if it is to sort of buffer out other noise the headphones could work. Unfortunately I still haven't found a pair to borrow and I just don't have the money to pay for something out of pocket without knowing if it's going to be effective.

I do wonder about needing oral stimulation given that this student is always given a pacifier at home. We may just have to bite the bullet and try a chew tube, although again, it's going to involve me going out and getting something since our budget for the year is already gone.

We had a huge packet of data that came to us from the home school when initially referred, and nobody was able to see any pattern in the talking, other than the yelling when asked to transition. The rest of the talking just seemed to never end. Occasionally the student will stop talking if given a computer program, but even that is fairly rare.

Looking at that last paragraph, I wonder if as opposed to noise cancelling the student would do well with some calming music played through headphones, at least during times when they need to be more independent. In your experience, does that tend to make things worse for these kids by overstimulating, or do you think they might respond?

 

[Liberty Belle]

Like I said, it is constant, non stop. I have not had a class period yet where the talking and yelling has not happened. Normally the yelling is sort of an immediate response to something they don't want to do or being asked to transition. But the talking is continual. That's one thing we're trying to do is figure out what the purpose could be. The autism teacher told me that if it is to sort of buffer out other noise the headphones could work. Unfortunately I still haven't found a pair to borrow and I just don't have the money to pay for something out of pocket without knowing if it's going to be effective.

I do wonder about needing oral stimulation given that this student is always given a pacifier at home. We may just have to bite the bullet and try a chew tube, although again, it's going to involve me going out and getting something since our budget for the year is already gone.

We had a huge packet of data that came to us from the home school when initially referred, and nobody was able to see any pattern in the talking, other than the yelling when asked to transition. The rest of the talking just seemed to never end. Occasionally the student will stop talking if given a computer program, but even that is fairly rare.

Looking at that last paragraph, I wonder if as opposed to noise cancelling the student would do well with some calming music played through headphones, at least during times when they need to be more independent. In your experience, does that tend to make things worse for these kids by overstimulating, or do you think they might respond?

Wouldn't your school OT have chew tubes you could use? If not, I think they're only about five or six dollars each.

 

[Daisy&Max]

Like I said, it is constant, non stop. I have not had a class period yet where the talking and yelling has not happened. Normally the yelling is sort of an immediate response to something they don't want to do or being asked to transition. But the talking is continual. That's one thing we're trying to do is figure out what the purpose could be. The autism teacher told me that if it is to sort of buffer out other noise the headphones could work. Unfortunately I still haven't found a pair to borrow and I just don't have the money to pay for something out of pocket without knowing if it's going to be effective.

I do wonder about needing oral stimulation given that this student is always given a pacifier at home. We may just have to bite the bullet and try a chew tube, although again, it's going to involve me going out and getting something since our budget for the year is already gone.

We had a huge packet of data that came to us from the home school when initially referred, and nobody was able to see any pattern in the talking, other than the yelling when asked to transition. The rest of the talking just seemed to never end. Occasionally the student will stop talking if given a computer program, but even that is fairly rare.

Looking at that last paragraph, I wonder if as opposed to noise cancelling the student would do well with some calming music played through headphones, at least during times when they need to be more independent. In your experience, does that tend to make things worse for these kids by overstimulating, or do you think they might respond?

What put in font could be your first behavior to change. If the computer is something that he enjoys then you can start with "If you don't talk while we go to centers I will let you play on the computer for 5 minutes when you finish your work." Use the If / then statements and then follow it up with "The rule is, we do not talk when we move to centers". Like a pp said, putting it into the framework of a RULE often works with autistic children. It works great with my own children and many of the ASD kids I work with.

If you think that using some soothing music then definitely give it a try. See if your library has a tape recorder that you can use have him listen to that when he works. I would ask the parents too what works for them (sometimes we know something that we forget to tell the teachers) and then if it requires equipment ask them if you could borrow it in the classroom. And if you put in the IEP as a necessary piece of equipment then the division has to pay for it. That's just IDEA. The parents can push and go Due Process if they know something works and the school system doesn't provide it for him.

Another thing you might want to do is talk to your speech person and look at alternative types of communication. Can he use simple signs. Maybe he can sign a word that helps you know what is wrong with him. There might be language there that he cannot get out. I have a student that sounds like a 2 year old but is cognitively on a 6th grade level and I have another student who uses a "Lite Writer" to communicate.

Good luck.
Daisy

 

[TheZue]

Suggest the chewies and headphones to the parents. Just tell them outright that some other teachers and people familiar with autism think they may help. Our son takes him headphones to school every day. If it's too loud he puts them on (often when his little brother is irritating him he'll pop them on in the car LOL) and we've gotten PLENTY of use of them outside the classroom as well. Hunting stores should have child sized ones, if not they'll have them online...I think ours were only around $20. It would be better if they were his anyways.

 

[meliss8599]

Can you try gum?

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

We've asked the parents for ideas and the pacifier is the only thing they use, and we keep trying to get them to wean the child off. There is very severe mental illness in the home, so it can be difficult to work with them. I have asked our speech therapist as well our OT about chew tubes and we don't have them because they have to be specific to each student. I did necklaces out of aquarium tubing last year, I might try that as it is cheaper and if that works, then order a chew tube myself.

If/then statements just do not seem to work. I wonder if it is a communication barrier. At this time the speech therapist does not seem to feel this student is a candidate for signing or PECS. The student can produce all the sounds and knows the words of the language, they just do not do well at communicating if you know what I mean. We have tried a visual schedule with rewards built in (so if you do this, then you get this) and it just didn't seem to have much of an effect on the student. It's been a lot of trial and error as we switch the placement.

 

[agnes!]

Wouldn't your school OT have chew tubes you could use? If not, I think they're only about five or six dollars each.

Suggest the chewies and headphones to the parents. Just tell them outright that some other teachers and people familiar with autism think they may help. Our son takes him headphones to school every day. If it's too loud he puts them on (often when his little brother is irritating him he'll pop them on in the car LOL) and we've gotten PLENTY of use of them outside the classroom as well. Hunting stores should have child sized ones, if not they'll have them online...I think ours were only around $20. It would be better if they were his anyways.

Because the OP said she would have to pay for anything extra in the classroom out of her own pocket...all those "$5 here" and "$20 there" adds up. And in a more recent post the OP said there is severe mental illness in the home so it sounds like the parents might be overwhelmed at this point and not able to help much.

agnes!

 

[PlaneJoy1]

I know this is a reach, but what about a picture board with the days activities? That way he/she will know what to expect. You or the para could give them a 5 minute warning or something. These things take time to work, definitely not an overnight fix.

Oral stimulation is probably a problem. If he/she has something in their mouth most of the day, but not at school, he/she most likely is trying to find replacement. What about trying something cheap - like Airheads or something chewy that lasts a while - and see if that helps? You may be against giving candy but may a small trial would help?

Also - an exercise ball to sit on? Like the weighted vest (which he/she seems not to like) it can help them concentrate on balancing/core activation.

Good luck and thank you for working with this student. I know the feeling of really wanting to help, but just not knowing the right thing!

Have a great day!

 

[Jennasis]

out of curiosity...what is a "chew tube"? Im envisioning a piece of surgical tubing used as a chew toy to occupy the kid orally.

 

[koolaidmoms]

I would definitely try the weighted vest and something my son used to use was a half ball on the floor with a bag of rice in his lap. We worked very hard to get his stimming to something more acceptable. He is VERY verbal and talks incessantly.

He chews gum, he doodles, he whispers if he absolutely needs to talk...

I hope you find something that works. Have you thought of posting on the disABILITIES board?