Critically Reflective Lens

Some strategies or tools commonly used throughout education are listed below. Take some time to reflect on these tools/strategies from a Neuroaffirmative lens. 

Examples: 

Reward systems - why we don't use them 

• This can do more harm than good - it manipulates a good relationship

• Actually creates more stress on the students - if they try hard and still can't achieve the desired result, will feel defeated, demoralized, shame, and give up - can increase the stress "behaviours" 

• Can also cause insecurity and embarrassment amongst peers and trusted adults in the room - can cause resentment when you don't receive the reward 

• Reinforces masking and takes away autonomy 

"Studies over many years have found that behaviour modification programs are rarely successful at producing lasting changes in attitudes or even behaviour. When the rewards stop, people usually return to the way they acted before the program began." - Alfie Kohn https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/risks-rewards/ 

First/Then - Consider, is monotropism being weaponized? 

• Claim: to motivate students to complete activities they do not like and clarifies when they can do something that they prefer 

• First/then withholds a person's passions or special interests until the requested activity has been completed  

• The punishment ("consequence") of not performing the task may generate anger or defiance and actually have the opposite effect of the First/Then goal - "You're a bad kid or failure if you can't finish the task." 

• This is a common technique that many educators are familiar with, however it comes from behaviourism and compliance training 

"Control, whether by threats or bribes, amounts to doing things to children rather than working with them. This ultimately frays relationships, both among students (leading to reduced interest in working with peers) and between students and adults (insofar as asking for help may reduce the probability of receiving a reward." - Alfie Kohn https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/risks-rewards/ 

Instead of First/Then and Rewards: How to work WITH a monotropic way of being 

• Work with their interests - what are they passionate about? - Helps with intrinsic motivation

• Can you include those interests within the activities themselves instead of withholding them until tasks have been completed? 

• Many Neurodivergent people communicate through a monotropic style: through their interests, passions, and hyperfixations  

• Monotropism is also connected to sensory processing and how we process information; we like predictability and familiarity - new tasks or demands from other people shifts us from the predictable

• Including our interests and what we love in unpredictable situations, may help us process the new information and aid in regulation in uncomfortable situations 

• Incorporate UDL principles - provide a variety of materials: text, audio, video, interactive 

  • Give students choice in how they demonstrate their learning - acknowledging their preferred methods of communication as well 

  • Create a physical poster, design a Google Slide presentation, record an audio podcast, create a trivia board game, perform a dramatic skit, create a WeVideo, write a paragraph or essay - give them the choice

"Working with people to help them do a job better, learn more effectively, or acquired good value takes time, thought, effort, and courage. Doing things to people, such as offering them a reward for jumping through someone's hoops, is relatively undemanding for the rewarder" - Alfie Kohn https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/rewards-25-years-later/ 

Please check out these resources: 

Educator Resources: https://therapistndc.org/education/ 

Alfie Kohn https://www.alfiekohn.org/blog/