I am currently working as a behavior technician in a high school with teenagers who have special needs and severe behavior issues. As a "behavior technician," my job is to help adapt their behavior to be more appropriate in its social context. In this job, we use a lot of "redirection." Instead of saying to someone "No don't do that," we tell them to do something else instead, in order to replace the unwanted behavior with a preferred behavior.
For example, maybe my student is throwing a tantrum and pounding on the walls. Instead of saying, "No don't do that!" - I would say, "Come and bounce on your ball."
The special education teacher explained that these kids do not respond well to the concept of "no" or "don't do that," especially when they are lower functioning. Redirecting them to a calming activity or getting them to engage in something else helps them cope and cool off.
I am not really sure what is going through these kids' heads when we redirect them. Maybe they think we are punishing them, but really - as a behavior technician - I am helping guide their behavior so that they can be safer and happier.
A lot of times in life, we reject redirection. We do not like the idea of abruptly changing our plans due to some interruption. We think that nothing will be as good as the plan we already had in mind. We forget that if our plans must change, it's because God has planned something better for us.
I did not grow up with the best childhood. I longed for the day when I could escape after high school graduation and live my own life. I planned all my high school classes so that I could get the best grades and the requirements to be accepted into a university with scholarship. I was on my way to what I thought was freedom and happiness, but instead - my life was interrupted by an unexpected diagnosis that altered everything.
The summer before my senior year of high school, I was diagnosed with central nervous system vasculitis - where the immune system attacks the blood vessels in your brain causing severe neurological symptoms such as come, strokes, and seizures. I may have survived a death sentence, but the long recovery process weighed on my heart as I realized that I had lost everything of which I was certain. It was not certain whether or not I would graduate high school on time. It was not certain how much longer I would have to stay on chemo. It was nor certain about whether or not my brain would return with the same intellect I used to have. I lost my sense of independence, my confidence, my direction.
During that time I could not see it, but God's hand was bringing it all together to lead me to something greater. Eventually, I did graduate high school on time. Because I had missed the deadline for university applications, I took several months off to live with my aunt and uncle on the west coast. There, I decided to try out a small Christian university that I would have never considered before. At that school, I found my calling in human services, met my best friends, and through those friends I eventually met the love of my life.
My husband and I were planning on moving to Toronto where I was recently accepted in grad school for the social work program. However, after six silent years, my childhood illness resurfaced and made us rethink our priorities. We chose to stay in Washington and reluctantly, I accepted the fact that grad school was not a good option for my health at that time.
After we made the decision not to move, my husband eventually changed careers and found a job in a company that provides well. Right as we were settling down, my illness flared up again with worse consequences then the last. I was hospitalized for a month due to intractable seizures. Looking back now, it was a good thing this had not happened while I was attending grad school.
God healed me again, but this time - it took a while for me to find the blessing in the storm. It seemed like my illness was bound to keep interrupting life until a cure was found, and who knows when that would happen.
For now, I just remember to to place everything in God's hands. He can already make beautiful things out of the dust, and he can make something beautiful out of any situation. It takes a lot of practice to be able to say "yes!" to redirection in life...but I would rather take God's redirection than any direction I had planned for myself.For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
