When students with ODD refuse to engage, give them choices about task order, materials, or seating to increase their sense of control. Start with small, achievable tasks that match their current level, then gradually build up, like the first week of Couch-to-5K.
Great question on what to do with students who have oppositional defiance disorder when they refuse to do anything in the classroom. Now, general advice for students that are just engaging in any type of refusal, right? They don't want to engage really in anything in the classroom. Two big strategies that I lean on. One is choice. It seems so simple, but oh my gosh, giving choice is a game changer. Choice on the order of activities, choice on the materials, choice on where to get started, where to sit, who to work with. Give so many choices. If you feel like you're giving too Too many, give more. Second strategy is demand fading. You're not gonna start with like, hey, let's do everything we're supposed to do in this class period. We're gonna start small, doable. The example I always give in trainings is, you know that running guide, Couch to 5K running guide? It's gonna teach you how to run a 5K by getting off the couch, right? The first step in the Couch to 5K running guide is not run a mile, it's walk 20 minutes. That's what you have to give that student. Something that's doable, that's easy, that's in their repertoire, and start there.
