Self-Instructional Training
"We are confronted with difficult situations, we tell ourselves what to do, what to think, and how to feel.
Self-instructions- are directed self-talk and serve six different functions, PREPARING CLIENT TO USE SELF-INSTRUCTIONS, FOCUSING ATTENTION GUIDING BEHAVIOR “All right. PROVIDING ENCOURAGEMENT . EVALUATING PERFORMANCE. REDUCING ANXIETY
Meichenbaum developed self-instructional training to teach people to direct themselves to cope effectively with difficult situations.
Children who act impulsively do not think before acting,
Undesirable consequences for both them and other people. The general goal of self-instructional training for impulsive behaviors is to teach children to think and plan - to “stop, look, and listen.
There are five steps
1. Cognitive modeling. An adult model performs a task while verbalizing aloud a deliberate strategy. As an example, while demonstrating a line copying task, the model said aloud,
2. Cognitive participant modeling. The child performs the task as the model verbalizes the instructions aloud.
3. Overt self-instructions. The child performs the task while verbalizing the instructions aloud.
4. Fading of overt self-instructions. The child performs the task while whispering the instructions.
5. Covert self-instructions. Finally, the child performs the task while saying the instructions to her or himself.
There are advantages to clients’ using both overt and covert self-instructions. Others can monitor overt self-instructions. Overt self- instructions are likely to increase clients’ attention to self-instructions because clients actually hear them aloud. Enhancing the Effects of Self-Instructional Training relationship with the therapist also is empirically positive
These procedures include making training materials (such as work sheets) similar to those the children will use in the classroom and arranging training