Communication Corner-- Protest

Today's Communication Corner is continuing our quest to provide teams with strategies for teaching functional communication skills and focusing on the function of protesting. 

Our students may have a variety of reasons to protest. They may protest changes to their routines or schedule. Their protest could be communicating that they don't want something that has been offered. For some students it is important to protest when sensory stimuli is too overwhelming. There are a variety of reasons, which leads to a variety of strategies. 

Teaching "No"

It is important for us to teach the word "no" in a functional way. Our students need to be able to self-advocate when there is something they don't want. Teaching them to better express their wants and needs can prevent them from being taken advantage of as they get older. 

Initially, you will want to teach "no" in a very concrete way that has meaning. Often this can be done with tangible items such as asking them if they want an offered item or food. Don't propose questions that may be confusing or abstract for the students or may not have much meaning to them such as "Is the sky purple?" Also, be mindful once you start teaching "no" and avoid phrasing directions as questions when the student doesn't really have a choice. For instance, don't say "Do you want to work?" instead say, "It is time to work".

Use visuals to help students understand when it is time to respond with a "yes" or a "no". These visuals can also decrease echolalia when asking yes/no questions. 

Kirsten Johnson
Greene INC

Once the student understands the function of saying "no" you can work on generalizing to more abstract concepts. Additionally, you will need to teach the boundaries to saying no because sometimes there may not be a choice. This skill is taught later because you first want the student to understand the power of using the word "no" versus more unexpected behaviors. 

Teaching "Stop" 

The word "stop" can also be used to teach protest. It is a very functional way to tell others when you no longer want something to occur and can also be an important safety skill. As with most functional communication skills, you will want to start teaching "stop" in a concrete way such as with stop and go games or with specific actions. 

Being able to say "stop" is also great for providing feedback during sensory activities. A student may want to stop swinging or jumping on a trampoline. They may also want to ask staff to stop when brushing or giving compressions. This would be a great alternative to using behaviors or pulling away unexpectedly. 

Teach Descriptive Language

Consider teaching your students other ways they can give important feedback such as "too loud" or "too hot". This descriptive language can provide staff with more information about what may be bothering students. 

Visual supports are great for giving students options and communicating to them what appropriate responses may be in a given situation. As various words and phrases are taught, add them to a visual for students. We love how ALIST teacher, Rebecca Lemons, has a poster available for her students to reference with a variety of taught protest options including "please stop", "no thank you", "I don't want to", and "leave me alone please". This is a great way to support an expanding vocabulary. Smaller versions of this visual could also be provided to individual students so that it is readily available when needed. 

Rebecca Lemons Miamisburg Middle School, Miamisburg

Don’t be afraid to teach your students how to protest.  If you don’t teach them an expected way to protest, they will most certainly find some unexpected ways to tell you NO.