Indispensable People
Making the Gospel Accessible to people of ALL abilities so that they may know Christ, grow in Him, and serve Him with the gifts He has given them.
Indispensable People
Behavior Management for Inclusive Ministry
Discover the transformative power of behavior management in church settings as we navigate the challenges of ministering to individuals with disabilities. What if inconsistent attendance and limited resources weren't barriers, but opportunities for growth and innovation? Join me, Tracie Corll, as I share insights from a multi-campus church grappling with issues such as broad age ranges and constrained spaces. Learn how enhancing volunteer engagement and utilizing alternative spaces can create a positive environment that fosters spiritual and personal growth. Through practical strategies like breaking tasks into manageable chunks and incorporating breaks, we can address common behavior issues and encourage self-regulation.
Unearth the profound impact of understanding behavior as a form of communication and how it can transform ministry settings. By focusing on positive reinforcement, we not only tackle off-task behavior but also pave the way for meaningful participation. Delve into the spiritual dimension of behavior management, where the teachings of Jesus and scripture inspire us to align our expectations with the belief that God has a plan for everyone. By fostering a supportive environment, we can collectively strive to be more like Him, supporting and encouraging one another on this transformative journey. Tune in and let’s embark on this enlightening journey of discovery and empowerment together.
Hi, my name is Tracie Corll, and welcome to Indispensable People. I'm a wife, mom, teacher, pastor, and missionary, and I believe that every person should have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him, and serve Him with the gifts that he has given, no matter their ability.
Tracie Corll:Over 65 million Americans have a disability.
Tracie Corll:That's 25% of the population. However, over 80% of them are not inside the walls of our church.
Tracie Corll:Let's dive into those hard topics biblical foundations, perceptions and world-changing ideas. Hey, hey, and welcome to this episode of Indispensable People.
Tracie Corll:Today we're going to be talking about behavior and how it impacts our everyday, what we do, how we serve, how we minister, and how it impacts really your Sunday services, your Wednesday nights, the events that you do. Behavior is a big concern across the board, why? Well, first of all, it brings the fear of what could happen. Right, if someone's having issues with their behavior, that means that we're not necessarily in control of the situation, and when we feel like we're not in control, then concern happens for what could happen next. Also, it adds to distractions that happen, that take away from other people who are trying to learn and be a part of what God has for them. So how do we deal with that? What do we do? How do we impact? Well, first of all, if you are a church or you're working within the church, we do not have the consistency of what would be called behavior modification. Okay, behavior modification is changing the way behavior happens and you get to root causes and you mold and shape that behavior. Well, as the church, you might see a family once, maybe twice at most through the week, and that's if they're consistent attenders and that's, you know, harder. We know that our attendance for families impacted by disability is less consistent than those who are not. Then you add to that sports and other activities and things like that that families are involved in, and we typically have an inconsistent attendance. So behavior modification really requires consistency and frequency, and obviously we lack both of those in the church, and so the church doesn't become a behavior modification. Now don't mishear me, because our relationship with Christ, as we grow in it and we become discipled, our behavior changes over time right To become more like Christ. So that is I'm not negating that but what I'm talking about is negative behaviors that you see on a regular basis in a child on a Sunday morning, creating ways to change that in the moment. Now that does not mean we have no options. We certainly have options.
Tracie Corll:So, for instance, I was working with a church last week and that church was a multi-campus site and one of their sites is a dinner church and they have a kiddo that has come a couple times and this kiddo's running the space and screaming and all that kind of stuff. And I had asked some key questions, which were you know, what's the age group, what is the space like, are there alternative spaces and how much help do you have in the room, and so her response was it is like toddlers or like four, maybe four or five-year-olds I can't remember the exact age of the youngest and then all the way up through middle school. And so ding, ding, ding. That's problem number one. Right, our kiddos are so different from those ages and stages, so that is a big impact on how things work. Two, she said there are no alternative spaces. They have just this one room that they can be in. So that's ding, ding, ding.
Tracie Corll:Another problem, the third one, in addition to that, is that there are only two volunteers in this space and they don't really have extra help. Then you add to you know just the options of what's available to them. So a big age span, minimal space, minimal volunteers, and they're going the length of the time of the dinner church Well, so they have the children for a very long time in a small space. So there are a couple of things that those would be my first kind of modifications to the space. Right, we want to provide an environment that best fits the people that we're serving, so limiting the age span would be number one, but that's not a possibility for them. Second stage is limiting the amount of people in the room. We can't do that, then we would maybe consider providing an optional space. That's not an option. Then providing more volunteers, which I think over time could be an option and might be their best option to control the environment. So then, what are some other options? If we can't control the environment, then we have to put things in place that control, and I don't want to say we can't control the environment, we can't change the environment that we're in. Maybe you're working in a space that you're a volunteer. You're not the leader. The leader is happy and content with the way things are. So you have to find some alternatives to positively work with the children, make sure that there is an, a positive environment where learning is happening and the children can engage. So here's some typical behavior things that we run into.
Tracie Corll:The number one thing that I would say that we experience on a frequent basis is noncompliance, and some of that is they're young kids and they're still learning. Some of it is self-regulation and issues with sensory things or the ability to focus and listen and engage. Some of it could be due to intellectual capacity and frustration with what they're learning. So you can add to that. Maybe they've grown up in an environment which compliance was not taught, that they don't have that kind of built-in system that maybe you grew up with or I grew up with or anything like that. And so how do we go outside of those parameters? Now, first of all, I want you to know that if it is rooted in a sensory issue or an intellectual issue, there are changes that you can make based on the way that you learn, to make sure that, if it's trouble focusing, that you create opportunities to use multiple senses. So it's a multisensory approach in teaching which keeps engagement. You can maybe regulate sensory items using fidgets and optional seating or different types of engagement in the lesson.
Tracie Corll:But if, let's say there's just we're not finding the root cause to the noncompliance and we don't see that it's rooted in an intellectual or sensory or focus type of thing, what is our next step? And honestly, even if it is some of those things, this next step can work. So I came up with this is Luna, respite and Learning, and they're sharing some strategies and when it comes to noncompliance, they suggest a token economy system. So positive reinforcement for when a student is showing compliance. And if you grew up in a old school home, like I did. The token economy system is troubling to you, right? We're paying students off for correct behavior.
Tracie Corll:However, listen, I sat listening to a child psychologist that said to me we, as adults, don't do anything without a reason. We have some kind of reason built in, whether it's an intrinsic or extrinsic or whatever reasoning that we do it. Whether it's an intrinsic or extristic or whatever reasoning that we do it, whether it's internal or external, that's what that means. But we have reasons for doing what we do, and so, whether you can use a sticker chart, you can use a cup that you put marbles in and they earn the marbles, and maybe, when they get to a certain amount of stickers or a certain amount of marbles, my children's pastor used what she calls power bucks so they earn things and they can buy things at the store within the children's church. Whatever that looks like, you can choose what it is and, honestly, it will be most effective when it is something that is interesting and beneficial to that child that they enjoy. Also, maintain the demand right.
Tracie Corll:Students or children or teens, whatever that looks like in those who you're serving, they must complete the task. Okay, we're not like making up things, giving them frou-frou points or whatever stickers for nothing. Now that doesn't mean that what you're rewarding has to be big. Okay, maybe you're building stamina for sitting and listening to the lesson, so you're going one minute at a time and for every minute they earn a sticker. For every five minutes they earn a sticker For every activity that they sit through or participate in. They earn a sticker Every time they follow directions, every time they participate in something. All different kinds of ways and things that you can reinforce the positive behavior. It doesn't have to be big things. It doesn't have to be like giant accomplishments. It really is going to need to start with the very, very small things and where they can feel like they can interact with that, they can get excited about achieving those goals and then you build up to bigger expectations and bigger things over time.
Tracie Corll:Another thing that we may run into when it comes to behavior is physical aggression. Now, I would say in a church setting, this is less likely than an intensive setting like a school setting or a therapy setting. When we're pushing students to do things, or children or teens, adults, whatever we're pushing them to an extreme to handle things that is difficult for them. So when it comes to physical aggression, that is usually a regulation issue, which means I'm having feelings and I don't know how to deal with it, and so, therefore, I go to the inappropriate responses. So the way to handle that is what can I do instead? Number one you validate their feeling. I see that you're angry, I see that you're upset, I see that you're sad. I notice that you're feeling this way, all of those kinds of things, and then you give alternative options. Would you like to take a walk? Do you want to go to the calm down corner? Do you need some space? Do you want to have a few minutes on your own, where someone's not just standing over them? Do you want to talk it out? Do you want to them? Do you want to talk it out? Do you want to whatever that may look like for the person, give them a place of replacing it and it might be as simple as here's a stress ball or do you want to write down or draw a picture of your feelings, all that kind of stuff? And then, when you start to see them tailoring that anger in a different direction, you're going to want to lay on the positive reinforcement and let them know what a great job they're doing and how you're proud of them that you are, that they are using that different strategy that is more beneficial.
Tracie Corll:Moving on to screaming or having a tantrum and listen. Your immediate thought may go to young children, but this can go across the board with different age groups and again, this has a lot to do with regulation. What am I doing with the feelings that I'm having? So you go back to teaching those replacement things, giving other options to fill in the place for the behavior that they're having. Do you want to draw your feelings? Do you want to write them down? Do you want to use that calm down quarter? And you could have a chart in your room where they can identify their behaviors if they're not able to verbalize them, their behaviors if they're not able to verbalize them. So there are lots of different options with them.
Tracie Corll:Again, going back to the positive reinforcement when they're doing the right thing and then giving those options for outlets, whether it's stepping out of the room, that kind of thing, um, another thing is it kind of goes with the screaming, the tantrum, throwing the objects, doing that kind of stuff. In some cases you're going to have to remove that object from them If they're hurting or harming someone with them. You might need to remove them from the situation and the area so that they're not causing harm to someone else or to themselves. You're going to want to push back things out of their way so that they're not getting into. This is going to be more destructive behavior that becomes a safety issue. But that doesn't mean that these are not possible moments of growth that we can't see outside of these opportunities, right?
Tracie Corll:So what do we do? We can give those options, take away, create safe spaces, all that kind of stuff, but then, after that behavior ends, becomes the conversation of hey, what do you think we could do next time? What do you think would be helpful? How could I better help you when you feel that way? All of those kinds of things and even those conversations. If the person isn't able to help you with some ideas, then you go to their parent or their caregiver and have those conversations that maybe work for them at home or in school situations. In addition to that, you might have a situation where the student might try to run away from the current situation. The child may get upset, the adult may feel like they have to flee the situation to gain back control of their feelings and regulate their feelings. So what does that look like? How can we do that? Provide breaks, given out, break things up for them Maybe the situation that they're in is too intense. Provide visuals, like a visual schedule, visuals of expectations. Any of those kinds of things would be incredibly beneficial as well.
Tracie Corll:The last thing I'm going to mention and this is really a minor behavior becoming off task or trying like a non-participation type deal. Positive reinforcement is going to be incredibly important at that point. Notice when they're participating. Say what a great job and how you love when they join in and be a part of things. When they join in and be a part of things and maybe the off task or distraction is coming because they're being expected to focus too long or participate in multiple tasks at one time. So maybe break things apart or chunk up the things so that you're not putting all one thing at one time. Give them a break in between that kind of stuff. But a lot of everything that we're talking about is rooted in that self-regulation strategies. So you may have to come alongside them and help them to regulate so that they can actively participate and be a part of the things that you have.
Tracie Corll:We've said this before. I'll say it again, you've heard it in other realms Behavior is a form of communication. It's happening because they need to do or change or interact in a way that they're not sure how to do and they need to let you know. Listen, this is too much for me or I need a break, whatever that may look like. And there's some simple things that we can do in our environments to provide positive experiences, growth. And not only do we have these behavior strategic type things, but, listen, we have the scriptures to grow on, we have the scriptures to build foundation, in that we can help them, as we're teaching them things to grow on and talking about the fruit of the spirit and all the different things that we can put on and help to engage and encourage this positive behavior growth.
Tracie Corll:Why? Because God knows who you are. God sees who you are, he has great plans for your life and he knows that you can do the things that glorify him. And that is what we're all reaching for. And not because of my expectations, not because of any teacher's expectations in the classroom, any volunteers' expectations in the spaces that we serve in, but because we serve a God who knows who we are, that we can grow into that. We can be more and become more like him day after day after day after day, and we can do that as we grow into that. We can be more and become more like him day after day after day after day, and we can do that as we work together, support one another, encourage one another to be more like Jesus every day.
Tracie Corll:Do I know everything about disability ministry? Do I have all the answers? Have I done everything perfectly? I've absolutely not, but we are going to continue this conversation so that people of all abilities can have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given them.
