elitefts™ Sunday Edition
Training clients, athletes, or children with special needs requires a basic understanding of human behavior. The original intent of this article was to reach out to parents and trainers who are struggling with special needs clients who won’t actively participate in training sessions. As this article unfolded, however, I was reminded that these concepts extend far beyond the client with special needs. Behavior and motivation are both issues that are alive and well in life and in the gym every day. There will be a spin-off of this article with strategies and concepts specifically targeted for populations with special needs. Therefore, this article is a nice precursor to the concepts that will be shared in it.
People are motivated by things they enjoy, and they avoid those things they do not enjoy. It’s a basic concept that carries over into any component in life. Meatheads lift heavy stuff because they like it. In the realm of athletic performance, it is fair to generalize that those types of clients are highly motivated and internally driven by success. People engage in specific behavior because it works for them. Simple enough.
Now, apply that same thinking to motivating or working with a client who doesn’t want to be there. Someone who is riddled with health issues due to a sedentary lifestyle, thinks the Prowler® is too hard, doesn’t like sweating, or would rather be playing games on the computer and relaxing in bed. The session will likely be filled with much resistance, negativity, resentment, etc. Remember, the client is engaging in that behavior because it has worked for them up until this point. However, at this point, it becomes your job to manage and change that maladaptive behavior to best support your client and his/her goals, and to develop a mutually rewarding relationship. For most typical clients, they are coming to you for a reason. There is something motivating them to be there although their active participation may be minimal. When they are no longer motivated to be there, they simply won’t show up anymore. When working with a client with special needs, they are probably there because someone else determined that it was something he/she should do. Therefore, the level of motivation and interest may not be very high.
If you can apply some basic behavioral fundamentals, you can be empowered to take control of your training sessions and help your client reach his/her goals for the short- and long-term.
Behavior 101
To put it simply, people engage in behavior to either get something or to avoid something. This behavior has been learned, reinforced (positively or negatively), and is often the quick “go-to” in a pinch. Behavior is observable and measurable. Meaning, you should be able to define and describe the behavior. Be as specific as possible so that you are able to better understand and take control of your training sessions.
Take a look at these descriptions of the same behavior:
Non-Example: When instructed to push the Prowler®, the child blows out and won’t cooperate.
Example: When instructed to push the Prowler®, the child begins screaming in a high-pitched manner and begins throwing nearby drill cones on the floor.
The ABC’s of Behavior
Behavior does not occur in isolation. Prior to a specific behavioral response, the behavior is preceded by an antecedent. That trigger sets the behavior in motion and is followed by a consequence, or a reaction, to the behavior. This process is easily remembered by the acronym ABC.
Referencing the behavior example above, here is a realistic example of the ABC’s related to a child with special needs:
A = Antecedent
The antecedent is what happens immediately before the behavior happens.
Example: The trainer instructs the child to begin pushing the Prowler®.
B = Behavior
The behavior is what the client is actually doing. It must be identified in observable and measurable terms. Rather than, "she wouldn’t do it, she wasn’t listening, she had a tantrum," be very specific. (This description does not properly depict an escalated situation).
Example: The child begins screaming in a high-pitched manner and throws nearby drill cones on the floor.
C = Consequence
The consequence is the reinforcing outcome of the event. It can be positive (praise/rewards) or negative (punishment/negative attention).
Example: The child is escorted out of the gym to the waiting area, the parent attempts to soothe the child with a favorite toy, and the trainer returns to the gym and picks up the cones. The child and parents leave the gym for the day.
In this situation, it is a safe assumption that once the Prowler® comes out, the child will begin screaming and throwing cones. The child has learned that once he or she begins crying, the Prowler® will no longer be required, the session will be over, and he/she can go play with his/her favorite toy. Pretty smart AND pretty effective.
The traditional approach and time allotment in regards to how we respond to behavior is best represented by this triangle. The biggest chunk of our time is typically spent focusing on the consequences. People often spend the least amount of time trying to identify the antecedent — where you can work to establish a proactive environment and thus avoid a negative behavioral response.
How we approach behavior needs to be flipped, with the biggest allotment of our time designated to analyzing the antecedent, or cause, for the behavior.
Spending time identifying and investigating different possibilities for the antecedent should always be the main focus and priority. The idea here is to be proactive and orchestrate the environment so the client does not need to engage in the behavior to begin with. When working with special populations with limited verbal skills, this task can be challenging and will require much trial and error. At this stage of the game, you are working as a detective—trying to find clues and understand the sequence of behavior in order to prevent a repeat occurrence.
Referring back to the previous example, the antecedent can be changed. The activity can be switched to sled dragging, the timing in the session can be changed, the child can select two options for an activity prior to the session, the other kids will be removed from the area during this activity, etc.
When working with a special needs client, the family and trainer must acknowledge and understand that initially the training sessions may not be a pleasant experience. The hope is that they are, but it is possible that the child will show significant resistance to the entire process. Through behavior modification and positive behavior supports, the goal is to work through the behavior and the maintaining consequences. Hanging in there is easier said than done, but nothing worthwhile comes easy.
Keep your eyes peeled for the next segment of this article which will feature specific strategies and techniques to better support a client with special needs in a training program.