Adults working with children will often have a child or children with special needs in the group. Most school systems and community groups now have inclusive classrooms or activities. It is often difficult to understand and know what to do when a child has unusual behaviors in a group setting like a general education inclusive classroom. What the adults working with children need are in-the-moment behavior solutions that are a snap to find, easy to do, and effective. The book that provides all this is Behavior Solutions for the Inclusive Classroom: A Handy Reference Guide that Explains Behaviors Associated with Autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, and other Special Needs.  The book was written by  Beth Aune, OTR/L, Beth Burt and Peter Gennaro. Behavior Solutions for the Inclusive Classroom is a must-have guide to find how to most effectively help these children be happy and productive in inclusive settings.

Small but mighty is what this handy, easy-to-use resource brings to mind. In a few hours a classroom teacher, homeschooling parents, special needs caregiver, day care workers, early intervention teacher, babysitting grandparents …can go from cover to cover. When I arrived at the last page of Section Four, I was disappointed I had reached the end…  just like how you feel after a great movie or exciting hockey game seems to end too soon. Also disappointed that this book was not available while I was a teaching.

The detailed Table of Contents and efficient eleven pages of Index makes it a breeze to find solutions to your problems. For example, you have a child who is constantly chewing his clothes making them soggy and full of holes…What to do? Look in the Index. Find Chewing

Behaviors, 13 “One coping mechanism for self-regulation used by students is to chew on their shirts, causing holes…Oral input is organizing and calming (as when an infant sucks on a pacifier, or an adult chews gum). It is important to provide them access to that in a way that is socially acceptable and age-appropriate.”

Solutions, 14-15  Three solutions are given one of which is: “For younger students (Kindergarten and below), it is possible to use a length of aquarium hose or Chewy-Tubes for the student to chew on. Students this age are less socially aware, and there is less of a stigma on the child who uses such a devise.”

To bring this chewing topic to a close, the authors have added as they do in other parts of the book also, suggestions or guide lines to help the reader make the right decisions. This one reads: “…As educators, we must not let established policy be a substitute for wise and successful decision-making.” Then they touch on the ‘NO-FOOD’ policy in many schools that should be adjusted for the benefit of the student with a disability.

The following are the headings for the four sections and some of the subheadings :
Section One: Movement Issues
*Arm- & Hand-flapping
*Arm-swinging
*Breaking Pencils and/or Crayons

Section Two: Avoidance and Retreat Behaviors
*Avoiding Physical Contact or Messy Activities
*Covering Ears
*Hiding or Running Away When Upset

Section Three: Difficulty with Routine and Academics
*Difficulty with Carpet Time
*Difficulty with Lining Up
*Difficulty Starting Assignments

This well planned reference will be one that you will be recommending to parents and co-workers. Hope it is also on the shelves of your school’s resource reading corner.

Companion to above Bestseller! October, 2011:  More Behavior Solutions IN and BEYOND the Inclusive Classroom by Beth Aune, Beth Burt and Peter Gennaro

Meet the authors:

Beth Aune, OTR/L is a licensed, registered Occupational Therapist who currently has a private practice as a pediatric occupational therapist in the Coachella Valley area.