Sari Kuperstein
Behavior Specialist in Autism
WHAT WHY WHERE
WHAT
Could the service technicians or the designated programs be contributing factors as to why your loved one is still exhibiting repetitive and/or disruptive behaviors?
Families with an autistic member face daunting pressures every day. Stress over accomplishing a simple shopping errand to meltdowns that cut short family outings. Episodes of head banging, screaming, elopement, kicking, hitting, fecal eating and smearing guarantee that everyone, including school personnel, are exhausted and on high alert 24/7. Sound familiar?
Behaviors that include sensory stimulation dictate, control and consume learning time in schools and services leaving goals unmet for years.
Want to know more about your loved one’s behavior and how it affects the class? How interventions are actually being applied? How the interventionist responds to an unwanted response? Because the well-being of the home is directly affected and family members are constantly having to check themselves for fear of an outburst which causes an underlying “carefulness” that’s not spoken about.
WHY
Do you believe more can be done in explaining and understanding sensory stimulation behavior in your child?
Do you feel that the encouraging words from your provider’s technicians don’t match with their iep or assessments as behaviors in the home are getting worse? Extreme and aggressive behaviors, including sensory stimulation, never improve despite adopting coping and behavioral maintenance strategies meant to “calm the child”? Behaviors that should have been extinguished are now controlling the environment and one parent becomes the primary support of the team.
How did we get here?
Behaviors left untaught in the art of management can and will get in the way of a correct assessment. It’s not unusual that even after changing providers the autistic returns home even more distressed. Wouldn’t it be nice just to go on family outings without time constraints dictated by providers, or sensory issues forcing everyone into a panic to leave?
Ask yourself: are school personnel truly taking your child’s abilities and future capabilities to heart? Is time passing and yet flapping, excessive touching, hair pulling, screaming, throwing and destruction are still unmanageable after years of continuous interventions? Behaviors that prohibit them from fully enjoying what the world has to offer?
If you suspect, if you know, that your loved one could be more than their autism specialist is bringing out, it’s time to take charge.
WHERE
In the environment where behaviors occur and interfere with daily life. Anywhere the behaviors interfere with learning. Anywhere the family needs an answer. Visits to the doctor and dentist are a major worry and hardship for family members. Rarely are these behaviors addressed by interventionists, yet it is a reality for many. Is it yours?
Communicating is paramount when understanding autism, and by this I mean between all service providers and schools. Wouldn’t you like to know about the autistic’s daily progress as it happens in a format easy to read, and filled out by all educators who have direct teaching sessions with your loved one?
Sessions are held in the home and tailored towards the family and the autistic’s immediate needs, while aiming for the future as a whole to enjoy.
ASPECTS
DEFINITION:
The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others. An action, activity of process, which can be observed and measured. Behaviors that are initiated in response to stimuli either internal or external.
EXAMPLES OF EXTREME TO AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR
Head banging ~ Fecal smearing/eating ~ Scratching ~ Hair pulling ~ Eating crayons, bedding, etc. ~ Elopement, escapism ~ Screaming ~ Hitting, harming others ~ Self harm ~ Bedtime ~ Dentist, doctor visits ~ Biting ~ Destruction of home and décor
SERVICES
Many behaviors stem from communication or miscommunication. Nuances of facial and body language in communication is perceived by neurotypical children very differently than by a child diagnosed with autism.
The physical innuendos of communication are not always recognized and it may not be understood that a behavioral change is being communicated. As a cycle continues to frustrate and agitate the child, it can provoke the very same behaviors the interventions are meant to fade.
Developing across-the-board behavior strategies can create new behaviors. Educators and service technicians should work together with parents towards obtainable goals that are realistic to the family’s needs.
We want them out of resource rooms and integrated into their age-appropriate classes where applicable.
It is crucial to understand that behind those behaviors are many hidden abilities and to address the neurotypical part, and less the autism itself. It’s a big world out there and the autistic should have the opportunity to experience it as well as the family.
I believe in free will when working with clients. I give that to them. It’s ultimately their choice and very hard work. One client was in the middle of a meltdown as I sat next to him with his runny nose and tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked up and in between sobs asked, “Are you here to help me?” I said yes!
SENSORY
DEFINITION:
Sensory processing is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Any activity that requires processing sensations.
Sensory processing challenges exist when sensory signals don’t get organized in an appropriate response. Persons exhibiting sensory processing behaviors have difficulties receiving information through a variety of senses, touch, vision and hearing, which can create challenges in many environments.
EXAMPLES OF SENSORY STIMULATION BEHAVIOR
Hand flapping ~ Pinching ~ Grabbing ~ Spinning objects ~ Swirling water ~ Hair pulling ~ Spitting ~ Rocking ~ Oral sounds unrelated to speech ~ Sitting/standing ~ Chewing
When presented with sensory stimulating behaviors my first thought is: when are the stims being exhibited, how long do they last, and what is the length of time between stims? My preference is observing behaviors as they happen in the environments in which they happen, be it at school or home, and with all service providers who have direct contact with my client.
Using this data, in many cases I am able to see who or what may be in conjunction with the behavior, or that the stim itself has been developed in order to understand information being processed.
Stims are a double-edged sword. They can be a hindrance to learning by taking up school and session time. The other edge is a tool which can help sustain the autistic during difficult tasks and new environments.
With understanding what triggers sensory stimulation we are able to see if it should, or could, be faded, or could be modified to help maintain attention to task.We may also find that it’s a useful but distracting coping mechanism. It may prohibit the client from obtaining the full value of each session and leave technicians feeling unmotivated by the client’s lack of response. It may be an extreme response reaction towards their teaching method or the task or program being presented.
It may be a combination of all of these.
VETTING
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OBSERVATION
Families have compiled years of hard data submitted richly by all service providers and schools. Within is a wealth of information not only about your loved one’s programs and progress, this data also exposes inconsistencies of teachers and providers. With vetting you were able to gather all those with direct influence to better translate the family’s immediate needs.
Observations during sessions offer insights into the triggers of the behaviors that interfere with learning, and into what the behaviors are trying to say. Correlating observations and data collection within all autism service providers greatly helps to demystify the reasons for the client’s reactions and offer strategies that empower the client to succeed!
It is my job to free the client to recognize their behavior and to nudge it to a more productive use, to encourage new synaptic pathways to be formed and to open possibilities that allow other expressions of the self to flourish. This is what observation and data collection can do for you.
TAILORED SESSIONS
Environments are created that mimic the possible causes or triggers, and then activities are offered that build confidence and skills in a fun and entertaining way, occurring in the home and carried into the academic arena. When the client feels successful and activities are becoming joyful, everyone prospers, and this is essential for harmonious entrance into all the world has to offer.
How are my services different from others who interact with autistic individuals? The focus is on the behaviors that interrupt or impede with correct assessments and family activities. I begin by listening to the family then interpreting their wants into my client’s sessions. Through observation, I am able to see where the behavior occurs. I sit in on sessions with service technicians and accompany parents to school meetings, equipping them with vetted data to ask questions or a new iep. With time families begin to see behavioral changes leading to a more harmonious household. It is truly a long road between an autism diagnosis and cycling through the vast array of service providers.
Overwhelming is putting it mildly, however know that behaviors in an autism diagnosis are NOT necessarily set in stone.
TESTIMONIALS
A few years ago I was struggling to cope with Jordan’s extreme behaviors (self-harm, aggressiveness towards others, etc.). We couldn’t go anywhere or do much at all! I’d receive calls from his school/nurse’s office while at work. One incident after another. I had enrolled him in ABA (applied behavior analysis) but no luck! In fact, he’d come home from the program more upset and frustrated. Nothing seemed to work and I was at my breaking point.
I came upon a post in an autism newsletter from a behavioral specialist, MS. SARI! She was the ONLY person who understood Jordan and things began to change for the better. Those behaviors have faded completely with her guidance. Jordan is now flying solo as we encourage him to find his interests and grow into a young man. Ms. Sari, THANK YOU! Please reach out to her if you know of a family struggling like we did. She is the best of the best! A true angel!
Jackie E
Brilliant, a lifesaver! Sari is All-In-One Behavior Consultant, Speech and Occupational Therapist whose unique intervention has improved my autistic 11-year old son. He was nonverbal with aggressive and self-harming behaviors and stims. In less than a year I have my son back! He’s happy and talking, while using his new coping skills in all areas of life. I couldn’t be happier.
Sari reached out to me after seeing my post on Valeries List. It took me 3 months before I called and set up a home visit. Needless to say, I am so glad we did! After working with many ABA companies, Speech and OT therapists, my son still couldn’t sit for more than half a minute much less do a puzzle. With Ms. Sari he sits for 45 minutes at the table, focused and having fun learning. We as a family have a new approach and are now able to see a bright future.
Pardeep T
I hired Sari to care for my sister, Nicole. My sister is severely autistic, has never spoken in all her 58 years, will not do sign language, does not function in any way except to eat, and has spent a lifetime not cooperating with any attempts anyone has made to work with her or help her.
I arrived to observe their session and found Sari with a big smile on her face, energetically working with Nicole on basic skills such as removing a ball that was wedged into a cup (fine motor skills), matching colored objects to colored squares, standing up and sitting down, putting her legs up and down. Nicole looked pissed off and was characteristically needing multiple prompts to do anything, but Sari just happily carried on.
I sat there just in awe of what she was doing and how committed she was to whatever it takes to outlast Nicole’s resistance and keep her progressing. It struck me as exactly what Nicole needs—someone to make her comply and perform, to not give up, to keep on her, to not give in to Nicole’s various manipulations and ploys to get out of ever doing anything (all of which demonstrates how smart she actually is).
This is what I have dreamed of. I have always had the feeling that if Nicole were worked with, consistently, in a way that made sense, with the workers outlasting her defenses, that she would eventually go with the program and progress. I had dreamed to find someone who loved working with Nicole rather than being utterly depressed at having to deal with her, as I am. I found that in Sari. My ultimate goal was that Nicole would be able to enter into a Day Program. Seven months later, she did!!! I am just in awe and so immensely grateful. It truly feels like a miracle.
Daria D
Hello, my name is Sharon, and I am speaking for those who have not found their voices yet, and to what I personally witnessed. It started when an old friend of mine, Daria, asked if I would be a part-time caregiver for her mother who had advanced Alzheimer’s. Soon after Daria's sister Nicole was brought to California and some of that responsibility would be mine.
On the day of Nicole’s arrival she came in and proceeded to grab items from the walls and tables, tip over dressers and toss the drawers and contents all around the room. She pulled sockets from the wall, and tore up blankets and pillows. (Her bed was a gym mat and indestructible).
This was my introduction to Nicole. She also had a full-time caregiver, Robin, who cared for Nicole with much love. He would wake up early every morning to clean her fecal eating/smeared room, while having her showered and ready for the day before Sari arrived. One day Sari caught Robin cleaning up, and asked why he hadn’t told her earlier? At this point he was exhausted and ready to quit. The next day Sari proceeded to take care of the problem, and it became immediately manageable to Robin's relief. It seemed a miracle that after seven months with Sari, Nicole was enrolled for the first time in her life in a full-time adult daycare program, truly enjoying her experiences. One day, I knocked, she guided me with her arthritic hand, and we sat together while she proceeded for 45 minutes speaking in gibberish (nonverbal), telling me all about her experiences. When she was done, she again grabbed my wrist and showed me the door. She was tired, and I was very, very happy. After that, I watched Sari go on to two other clients as she helped change their lives forever. I watched mothers go from being overwhelmed to complete joy at having their homes back, sitting together as a family during meals, and doing chores without worry. I have seen such amazing changes in these families' lives.
Sharon R
FAMILY ENRICHMENT
ART GALLERY
Autism is an umbrella word and dependent on many factors such as: not all stims are beneficial and all meltdowns are both scary and hard to watch.
What you are about to view are some of my clients’ most excellent accomplishments and it was my pleasure.
Thank you and enjoy.
BEHAVIOR
MISSION
Enable families to reevaluate and rein in those who have direct influential contact with their loved ones' autism education.
Offer tools to help navigate the storm of advice and the bluster of specialists.
Help loosen the grip extreme behaviors have on the home, school and sessions while encouraging their best in a timely manner.
VISION
For families of autism to experience all that life has to offer.
To look beyond the veil of autism without the miasma of disruptive behaviors.
To expose hidden gems that ignite courage, happiness and lots of smiles.
SERVICE AREA
San Diego, California
East Hampton, New York
VALUES
Free will is important. I offer this.
When the autistic individual chooses on their own to adapt a self maintaining style and follow through with difficult tasks in new environments, it is true success!
ABOUT
Family Enrichment:
Finding solutions and helping parents tackle extreme behaviors within autism. To fortify and strengthen the family unit in an effort to promote wellbeing within the home.
By adjusting the attitude or actions through which the family and autistic interact with one another.
Time becomes a major factor when living with extreme types of behaviors.
Many families suffer under this enormous weight. I offer leverage.
Private Behavior Specialist
Email: sdkbehaviors@gmail.com
Virtual consultations available
