Goals of this Lesson

Welcome to the second lesson in the Mentor Leadership Training Course. In this lesson, you will learn how to encourage your partner to use an effective strategy to set goals and solve problems.

  Introduction

	"I want to move out of my group home."
	"My parents are burnt out. They can't keep up the fight to make changes in my school."
	"I want to get a job, but I don’t know what’s out there."
	"I’m at risk of losing my attendant hours. What should I do?"

These messages were written by adolescents and young adults who use AAC. They are examples of some of the problems faced by AAC users in their everyday lives. Some are also examples of the goals and dreams held by AAC users.

Not all problems have simple solutions. Not all goals will be achieved. However you can increase the chance that your partner will find solutions to problems and meet desired goals if you help him or her use an organized strategy to set goals and solve problems.

  What is a problem solving and goal setting strategy?

A strategy is an organized approach to solving a problem or meeting a goal. Your partner will be more likely to solve problems and meet desired goals if he or she uses an effective strategy. You can help your partner by asking questions to encourage him or her to:

• Describe the specific problem or the goal.
• Outline lots of different ways to reach the goal or solve the problem.
• Identify the consequences of each of these options, and choose the best plan.
• Take action and check that he or she is making progress toward the goal.
• ! Celebrate success when your partner reaches his or her goal!

  Why is it important that I help my partner learn to use a goal setting and problem solving strategy?

In the course of daily life, your partner will face many problems. He or she may face challenges at home, at school, on the job, or in the community. No doubt your partner will also have some goals that he or she would like to achieve. For example, these goals might include graduating from high school, getting an 'A' in computer science, getting a job, making friends, or living independently.

If your partner does not have a good plan, he or she will probably not be successful in achieving goals and solving problems. Your partner is most likely to be successful meeting goals and solving problems if he or she uses an effective strategy.

  What are the steps that I should encourage my partner to use when setting goals or solving problems?

DO IT! is the name given to the goal setting and problem solving strategy (adapted from Wehmeyer, 1998). Each of the letters in DO IT! is used to remind us of one of the steps that we should follow when we are helping others set goals or solve problems.

The steps in the DO IT! strategy are:

	Describe the specific problem or the goal	Ask your partner these questions to encourage him or her to describe the problem or goal: What is the specific problem? or What is the specific goal? What would be different for you if you solve this problem or meet this goal? Who else is involved? What do they think?
	Outline lots of ways to solve the problem or meet the goal	Ask your partner these questions to encourage him or her to outline ways to solve the problem or meet the goal: What can you do to solve your problem or meet your goal? Remember to think of lots of possible plans!
	Identify the consequences of each plan and choose the best plan.	Ask your partner these questions to encourage him or her to take action: What will happen if you follow each of these plans? What help will you need? Which is the best plan?
	Take action	Ask your partner these questions: What are the steps you need to take to achieve your plan? Take the first step! Are you making progress toward your goal?
	Celebrate success when your partner meets the goal!	When your partner reaches his or her goal, share the news and celebrate his or her success!

  How do I ask questions to encourage my partner to use the DO IT! strategy?

Here is an example of an interaction where a mentor (Bill) asks questions to help his partner (Dan) use the goal setting and problem solving strategy. The mentor asks questions to help Dan use the DO IT! strategy.

Dan is 18 years old and in high school. He is very social and has lots of friends. He uses a wheelchair and an AAC system. Dan sends this E-mail message:

"How’s it going? Hope you had a good weekend. I’m pretty down today. I went out last night with a friend for pizza and the guy at the pizza place treated me like I was about 3years old. Everyone treats me like a baby. I am so sick of it."

Bill, Dan’s mentor, realizes that Dan has a problem. Bill remembers to ask questions to help Dan use the problem solving strategy - DO IT! Bill writes back:

"Dan, you sound really frustrated. Can you give me a few more details about this problem? What kinds of things do people say or do? How would things be different if they stopped doing these things? Let’s see if we can find some kind of solution to this problem."

In this message, Bill (the mentor) asks questions to help Dan use with Step 1 of DO IT! He encourages Dan to DESCRIBE the specific problem.

Dan writes back:

"Well mostly it’s the way they talk to me, if they talk to me at all. They use a baby voice like I’m a child. Or they just ask my friend what I want as if I’m too stupid to answer myself. It really makes me feel bad. And I think my friends must be embarrassed."

With Bill’s help, Dan is describing the specific problem and figuring out why it is a problem.

Dan’s mentor, Bill, responds:

"I can understand how you’re feeling. I don’t like it when people talk down to me either. Let’s see if we can think of some ways to deal with this problem. What could you do to change this situation? Try to think of as many different ideas as possible. Then we can talk about the different plans and figure out which one is best."

In this message, Bill (the mentor) asks questions to help Dan with Steps 2 & 3 of DO IT!. He encourages Dan to OUTLINE different ways to solve the problem, IDENTIFY the consequences of each plan, and choose the best plan.

Dan responds to his mentor:

"Well, I could just ignore them and try not to worry about what they say. But I think that it will still drive me crazy. And what about times when it does matter, like when I’m going for a job interview or something. Maybe it would be better if I tried to jump in first and say something to them to show them that I’m not an idiot. Maybe I could program something funny into my AAC system or maybe I could explain to them that I’m not a baby and that I can talk for myself. I guess this seems like a better solution. Then my friends won’t think I can’t look after myself. I might even change some people’s attitudes."

With his mentor's help, Dan comes up with some good ideas for solving the problem. He thinks about the outcomes of each plan and decides on the best plan.

Dan's mentor writes back:

"Dan, sounds as if you've got a great idea for solving this problem! I have a few good jokes programmed into my system that I use in situations like you described. I find this works really well usually. Now let's get started putting this plan into action. What steps will you need to take to make sure you solve this problem? Maybe you could make a list and then get started on the first step?"

In this message, Bill asks questions to encourage Dan with Step 4 of DO IT!. He encourages Dan to TAKE ACTION. He encourages Dan to put his plan into action.

Dan responds:

"I don't think it should be too hard to do. I just need to think up a few good jokes and then get them programmed into my system. Then I just need to remember to use them next time I meet someone new. I'll start working this weekend."

With his mentor's help, Dan comes up with a good plan for solving the problem and prepares to take action.

Bill responds:

"Sounds like you've got it figured out, Dan. Good for you! Let me know how it goes on the weekend. I hope that this plan will solve the problem."

In this example, Dan's mentor asks questions to help Dan find a good solution to his problem. Bill asks questions to help Dan:

• DESCRIBE the specific problem (Step 1)
• OUTLINE lots of different ways to solve the problem (Step 2)
• IDENTIFY the consequences of each of these options and choose the best plan (Step 3)
• TAKE ACTION and check that he is making progress toward his goal (Step 4)
• ! Celebrate his success when he reaches his goal! (Step 5)

Dan's mentor does NOT just give advice and tell Dan what to do. Dan's mentor knows that it is important for Dan to learn a strategy to solve his own problems. So Dan's mentor does NOT tell Dan what to do. Instead he asks questions to encourage Dan to use the DO IT! strategy to solve his problem.

  Check Step

Before you go any further, check to see that you remember the steps in the DO IT! strategy:

  If your answer is correct, congratulations! You remembered the steps in the DO IT! strategy. Now let's practice using them in some practice examples.

 If you had trouble remembering the steps in the DO IT! strategy, review the steps at the beginning of this page again. When you are comfortable remembering the steps in the DO IT! strategy, then you are ready to practice using the strategy in some practice examples.

This research is supported by Grant #H133G8004 from The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and no official endorsement should be inferred.