(Adapted from JJ. MeGee et al (1987) "Gentle Teaching - A non-aversive approach to helping persons with mental retardation", Human Sciences Press, New York).

If the person tries to hit you...

• Protect yourself as non-intrusively as you can, for example: by blocking the hit with your arm;
• Generally say nothing about the hit;
• Firmly, calmly and fairly redirect the person to a task/preferred activity;
• Help the person return to the task/preferred activity with cues, physical assistance, etc.;
• Give concrete goals to the person;
• Give strong reward for engagement in or completion of task/preferred activity.

If the person is beyond redirection at the moment, that is, in a fury .....

• If possible, in a firm but fair manner, try to redirect the person to a task/preferred activity;
• if not, protect yourself, the person and others through environmental or physical control until the fury subsides;
• During the fury's peak, do not chastise the person, remain calm and soothing;
• As the fury subsides gently redirect the person to a task or activity;
• As helshe redirects, focus on gaining interactional control;
• Focus on prevention by identifying the precursors which lead up to the fury;
• In the future redirect the person as these precursors begin to appear.

If the person is working up to a fury....

• Identify the behavioural and physiological signs (precursors) which lead up to a possible fury as a preventative measure;
• Given concrete instructions to the person in the form of a goal -- "Lets do one more ......
• Remove unnecessary stimuli from around the person;
• Help the person meet the goal (succeed) through verbal or physical assistance;
• Take a short break with the person;
• As the signs subsides, gently redirect back to the task/preferred activity.

If the person is self-stimulating....

• If it does not interfere with learning, ignore it;
• If it interferes, find a way to prevent it or block it;
• If hand or arm waving, use task which require the use of both hands;
• Use tasks which require a relatively fast pace;
• If the person rocks, arrange the seating or table position to reduce it;
• Perform the task standing up if necessary;

If you are afraid to have the person go to school, work or live with others

• Teach sharing to all who live, work or go to school together.

If the person refuses to participate...

• Make sure there is a structured flow to the day;
• Make sure caregivers are not reinforcing such behaviour;
• Once refused, try to take the person gently by the hand or arm;
• If the person is cooperative, proceed with the person reinforcing the cooperative behaviour;

If the person still refuses to participate...

• Give the instructions again;
• Make the task/activity easy and reward any approximation towards participation;
• Do not get into a "tug-of-war";
• Remain near the person giving no eye contact or verbal input other than periodic gestural or verbal redirection;
• Use a visual cue representative of the task or activity;
• Be prepared to do this for 30 to 60 minutes;
• Make sure no one else interferes.

If the person runs from the classroom, workshop or home into a dangerous situation...

• Quickly catch up with the person in as non-conspicuous a manner as possible;
• Attempt to block their further progress unless this were to result in a physical confrontation;
• Redirect - "Let's sit down," "Let's go for a walk," "Let's look at"...
• If necessary, hold the person by the hand or wrist in a reassuring manner;
• As soon as the fury subsides, return to the appropriate place;
• Establish concrete goals -- "I will help you do five, then we will take a break / Let's go out the back and play on the trampoline."

If the person throws objects...

• Prevent through environmental and stimulus control in the future;
• Work quickly for interactional control;
• Gradually lessen the environmental control.

If the person punches his/her face...

• Initially sit face-to-face with the person ---their legs between you while teaching a task;
• Carry out programs in this position;
• If possible, gently physically redirect the person to the task as he/she attempts to strike a blow;
• If this causes a tug-of-war, shadow the blows-allowing the person to strike your hand;
• Say nothing while gesturally redirecting

If the person wets or soils his/her pants....

• Always have an extra set of clothing available;
• Accompany the person to the bathroom;
• Assist in changing clothes as necessary in silence;
• Redirect to the task;
• If necessary, develop a daily toileting schedule to prevent wetting/soiling in the future.

If the person talks incessantly, inappropriately or screams

• Ignore---say nothing, do not look at the person;
• Redirect the person to the task verbally or gesturally;
• Indicate when you will speak with the person;
• At that time, direct the conversation;
• Reward the person for appropriate conversation.
• Proceed with the task ignoring the thrown objects on the floor;
• Don't make the person pick them up;
• Have enough materials available to you so you can proceed;
• Avoid using such punishing consequences such as overcorrection, retribution, etc.

If the person ruminates food....

• Keep a towel handy;
• Ignore while redirecting to the task;
• Clean self or person as necessary;
• Watch your seating arrangement to avoid being spat on;
• Emphasise tactile praise;

If the person tries to eat dangerous objects (pica)...

• Be cautious through stimulus control;
• Present tasks initially shadowing the person's hand movements to block the possibility of the person putting objects in his/her mouth;
• Emphasize tactile praise;
• Use stimulus control and shadowing techniques;
• Fade these as interactional control emerges.

If the person bangs his/her head....

• If previously used, eliminate helmets, masks, straight jackets, etc.
• Focus on intensive developmental programming;
• Position yourself and the person to prevent headbanging, if necessary away from walls, table tops, arms of chairs, etc;

If the person talks disassociatedly but at the appropriate time and place....

• Politely break into conversation;
• Indicate that you will not talk on the disassociated topic;
• Reinforce conversation that is appropriate to the time and place;
• Make sure others are consistent in this approach for it is easy to reinforce "funny" conversation.

If the person is depressed - withdrawn, slovenly, possibly regressing, crying,  non-verbal....

• Be especially gentle;
• Become their emotional structure - schedule their day, set up concrete, attainable goals, etc.;
• Use verbal and tactile rewards;
• If necessary, use exaggerated verbal and tactile rewards;
• Use necessary physical assistance as a way to sooth and reassure the person;
• Avoid delving into the causes of the depression with the person;
• Examine causes with significant others;
• Ensure supportive stability in their lives.

If the person is "high functioning", functionally capable of independence but a danger to self and others...

• Take a firm posture;
• Structure their day - setting rules and limits;
• Give adequate supervision;
• Expect three to five years of such structure and supervision.

If you think your work is in such a poor setting that Gentle Teaching is impossible....

• Examine the needs of all the persons whom you see, and prioritise the individuals according to who most needs interactional control;
• Provide whatever number of minutes per day of Gentle Teaching, you can;
• Make sure the person has a range of activities;
• Teach interactional control to one person at a time;
• Imagine your most difficult person's bonding as a result of the care provided;
• Over time, publicly advocate for this approach;
• Organize residents, other caregivers and parents to bring about positive change in the setting.

If members of the team use covert forms of punishment .....

• Contact the Redfern Legal Centre or Guardianship Board for clarification of the legal issues.

If you find restraints being used on a person ....

• Untie him/her;
• Spend as much time as possible for 5 to 10 days working with the person;
• Be concrete and soothing;
• Do your work with the person in a group;

If the person is on psychoactive medications ....

• With the supervision of a psychiatrist see what the person is like medication-free; if a psychiatrist is not prepared to consider this, suggest a second opinion be obtained
• If used, reduce the dosage (under medical supervision) as the person gains interactional control
• Eliminate the drug whenever possible as the person gains " redirectable" behaviour.

If nothing has worked....

• Examine the tasks in which the person is involved;
• Question their functionality and meaningfulness;
• Question whether you might be inadvertently reinforcing inappropriate behaviours with attention or by withdrawing demands;
• Examine the "power" of your teaching methods--- especially your degree of assistance for successful task completion.

If you are short- staffed...

• Start with less complex tasks to lessen instructional time;
• Provide frequent praise to all persons;
• Set up groupings which are positively self-reinforcing;
• Use modeling of appropriate behaviours if persons go off task.

If one person fights with another...

• Given attention and praise to the person attacked;
• Ignore the attacker;
• Use your body or furniture to protect;
• Separate and redirect;
• Avoid future attacks through better environmental control;

If the person fails to respond at all or minimally...

• Give physical assistance, if necessary, work hand-over-hand;
• Simplify the task to ensure success;
• Use prosthetic devices to help the person;
• Seek tasks which are within the person's ability;
• Gradually fade assistance.

If the person lays on the floor...

• Verbally or gesturally redirect to seat;
• Say nothing and give no eye contact;
• If the person does not return to seat, give a physical prompt;
• Avoid a tug-of-war;
• If necessary, work on the floor until the person engages in interactions;
• Examine whether the person is over-stimulated or under- stimulated;
• If necessary, remove a sufficient amount of stimuli or increase the challenge of the task.

If fellow staff members do not know how to carry out this approach...

• Spend time working "hands-on" with the person you are 'Gently Teaching';
• Have staff watch and ask questions;
• Coach them in working with the person;
• If necessary, seek outside help.

What do you do in a class room or workshop if the person is disruptive....

• Look for prevention techniques in the future, where he/she sits, whom with, types of work contracts or materials, etc;
• At the moment of disruption, apply the range of techniques described previously;
• Interrupt and protect when necessary.

If the person is not learning the task....

• Reanalyze the task;
• Try to simplify the task;
• Use a layout board to sequence the tasks in steps;
• Provide initial assistance;
• Focus on reward as the primary teaching/training goal in the first phase of learning;
• See if the task or work itself might be boring.

If the person gets into fights....

• Structure the person's day;
• Avoid sudden (and confusing) changes in the routine of the day;
• Focus on group work to teach socialization as well as educational or work skills.

What do you do if there is "no way" to structure the group home...

• Look at the natural flow of the day;
• Understand that much of the home's structure can be found in ordinary transactions;
• Focus first on self-care skills and daily living skills;
• Determine how much teaching or supervision you have to do;
• Recognise these ordinary activities as potential vehicles for teaching reward.

If this is not enough....

• Invent "sit down" programs which give, especially in the beginning, more structure and insight into the person's needs, fast run-around in terms of interactional control and some carry-over in other areas of living;
• Use the insight and practical techniques which you learn in these programs as the basis for your techniques in less structured times and settings.

If you feel that he/she will be too disruptive in a group home....

• Place the person with a compatible mix of other persons;
• Avoid placing persons with similar needs in the same setting;
• Mix and match people's needs and strengths.

VALIDATION
The research data concerning the successful application of these techniques to over 650 people demonstrates its validity.