Where is the student now? Where do you want him to be? Given the sub-skill you selected within your task analysis (your starting point for instruction), how can you shape this behavior into a practical skill for the future?
First, be sure you have worked to support the student in recognizing bullying in its many forms (see Identifying Bullying topic). As you target the 3W’s plan, begin with the first step (WHAT to do and say). In many cases, this will involve heavy emphasis on self-regulation skills as well. If the student is likely to explode if he is bullied, he needs anger and anxiety regulation strategies in place first, before he can respond safely and assertively to a bully.
What visual supports (scripts, instructions, reminder cues, etc.) will you use to help the student rehearse the expected behavior or skill?
Scripts will help guide rehearsals of responding to face-to-face or phone-based bullying. They may also be developed to support a student in knowing what to say when reporting the issue to a co-worker, supervisor, or other authority figure.
Graphic organizers might be used to support the student in recognizing and initiating the steps within a response plan. Consider how a graphic organizer might also serve as the “report form” on which the student describes a bullying event. These can be important for the student who struggles to verbalize what has happened, particularly when the event is very stressful and upsetting.
Social narratives are likely to be very important as you address this topic. They might be used to help the student connect the key details in a situation to recognize what is happening and why it is happening (i.e. to support accurate recognition of bullying attempts; “friend” versus manipulative or teasing “foe”). Social narratives may identify what to do and say when confronted with a bully, and why such a response is the “best” response. They might help the student to recognize why it is so important to tell a trusted adult when bullying events occur. They can serve to explain why some people bully (not to make excuses for the bully’s behavior, but to explain their motives), and they can be used to emphasize that it is NEVER the victim’s fault.
Finally, visual instructions can further teach how to respond to bullying, and visual reminders can serve as cues to support performance of the relevant sub-skills in the natural environment.
What type of prompting might you need to provide in the initial learning phase?
Talk through the purpose and process of responding to bullying with the student. Provide a list of possible phrases for the student to select when responding to a bully, then model saying the phrases while incorporating appropriate facial expressions, body language, and vocal tone. If the plan is for the student to get away from the bully without saying anything at all, model those responses. As you model, label what you are doing for the student. Then after the student observes you, have her perform the targeted response with your guidance. Systematically reduce your modeling for the student and only guide her with verbal or gestural prompts as necessary. Throughout the process, incorporate visual supports that can replace the student’s reliance on your prompting and feedback. These supports will eventually evolve into visual cues for quick-referencing by the student.
Can the student discriminate between the more versus less appropriate response in a given role-play scenario? Are you arranging opportunities for the student to make such discriminations and to label when the instructor or someone else performs the behavior incorrectly?
Use scenario cards and role-play to demonstrate what inappropriate responses might “look like” (e.g., yelling threats to the bully, physical posturing, writing emotional or angry messages back to the bully on a social networking site). Contrast those with appropriate responses under the same conditions to help the student to recognize that more appropriate and safe options do exist. Then engage the student in opportunities to practice the more appropriate responses. Guide the student in labeling the steps that should be corrected, and support the student in coming up with alternative responses.
Are you arranging frequent practice opportunities to build fluency through repetition?
What steps do you need to take to ensure that everyone targeting that skill applies the same level of prompting and fades it out at the same rate to support initiation by the student?