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?
Perhaps the student struggles to recognize any physiological or behavioral signs of his escalating anxiety. In the initial stage, it may be necessary to target identification of the most explicit behaviors and feelings that indicate he is just about ready to “melt down,” “shut down,” etc. You might pair this shaping process with a number scale (i.e. graphic organizer) that shows where those behaviors fall (at a level 5, at a level 10?). Over time, you would work to support the student in recognizing the less extreme physiological and behavioral responses that would fall “lower” on the visual scale, those that would precede the more extreme responses.
What visual supports (scripts, instructions, reminder cues, etc.) will you use to help the student develop skills in identifying personal signs of anxiety and triggers, and exploring and practicing coping strategies?
A social narrative can be used to introduce anxiety as well as to illustrate physical signs, various antecedents, and the steps of coping. A graphic organizer can help provide visual support in recognizing and labeling potential triggers, selecting response options, and visually representing abstract feelings like anxiety, worry, stress, and calm. A script or video model can also depict an appropriate coping strategy to use when confronted with an anxiety-provoking situation. Although there are many options, the instructor is encouraged to choose one support that fits the student and help him or her use that one well.
What type of prompting might you need to provide in the initial learning phase?
For the student who struggles to appropriately respond to anxiety antecedents, it is likely that modeling and verbal prompts would be necessary in the initial stage to redirect behavior. Initial practice must occur under conditions where the student is calm. Avoid the high anxiety situations initially in order to build confidence and success in handling anxiety.
What is your plan for systematically and quickly fading out your prompting?
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?
As the student progresses, it is sometimes helpful to show comical and ineffective responses via role-play scenarios, video scenarios, and coping comics or thought stories (i.e. types of social narratives) to help the student make accurate discriminations between more appropriate and less appropriate responses to anxiety. For example, use a coping comic to set a stressful scene, such as an employee spilling coffee on his computer. Under the stressful scene, provide 2-3 images of possible reactions, such as a) the individual throwing the computer and screaming, b) the individual hiding in a cave, and c) the individual taking 10 deep breathes before going to retrieve paper towels. Work with the student to identify the best solution while identifying why the other options are not as appropriate (see Social Narratives section for this printable example).
Are you arranging frequent practice opportunities to build fluency through repetition?
This is an area that is often over-looked. When a student is in an escalated state, it is not the time to try to introduce a new coping strategy! A key is to start with low-level anxiety situations and incrementally build in complexity as the student is consistently successful with each level. Once the student has learned to successfully recognize when he is becoming stressed, label possible antecedents, and even identify coping strategies. It is very important that he maintains frequent practice of the strategies during non-stressful times. Much like professional athletes with off-season training and dedication to skill-development between games, we must keep our skills conditioned and not just attempt to implement them when needed. Even for the person who is fully aware of escalating anxiety, it is difficult to have great success through breathing or muscle relaxation exercises if they have not been practiced since the last stressful event. Consider how you use the data that you have gathered to design your practice opportunities. Ideally, you are using data to arrange and design instruction.
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?