Rationale & Overview

The practice of "hygiene" or cleanliness differs with each culture and each society. What Europeans think of as clean is different from what Americans think, and that in turn is different from what the Japanese think. One thing is clear, however, the cultural practice of personal hygiene or cleanliness has more to do with social norms of acceptance than health. Although the practice of good hygiene (particularly hand washing) can limit the spread of disease, doctors acknowledge that shampooing and bathing play a minor role in promoting health and longevity. This shouldn't be a surprise when you consider that homo sapiens were on this earth one million years before Soap was invented!

The bottom line is that people bathe and shower for social reasons, not health reasons. We bathe to prevent body odors, improve appearance, and feel presentable. In our culture, when we look and smell bad, others tend to avoid us. When we are clean and fresh, others are more likely to approach us.

Practicing good hygiene and cleanliness is essential to community acceptance and integration. With this module, you'll teach your students what they need to know.

Objectives

Students will learn:

1. The impact hygiene (cleanliness) has in making a good first impression.
2. The meaning and myth of hygiene.
3. To identify the benefits of practicing good hygiene.
4. The techniques involved in taking a good shower:
1. How to prepare for a shower.
2. The key parts of the body to wash.
3. What to know about soap, shampoo, and other personal care products.
4. When to use a conditioner
5. Proper drying off techniques.
6. How and when to apply anti-fungal medicine.
7. Cleaning up.

Teacher Notes

The first five minutes of Male Hygiene and Female Hygiene are identical. After a brief introduction to the topic and a short sequence with Justin, one of our video hosts, showing how NOT 1o 1ake a shower, two programs become gender specific. Even though much of the content is the same in both Male and Female Hygiene programs, due to some required explicit nudity, we recommend restricting the viewing of the Male Hygiene program to male audiences and the Female Hygiene program to female audiences.

Because of the vast number of bathing and grooming products available on the market today, consumer confusion often exists when it comes to choosing the best products. This is especially true among those consumers who have special needs.

To make things easier (especially for students with developmental and learning disabilities), we have suggested the use of specific name-brand products. Although these brands were recommended by our consultants, other brands may also be suitable. Further, the use of any specific brand recommended may not be appropriate for all consumers. Please remind your students that if any rash, swelling, soreness, or other irritations result from the Use of any product, they should stop using the product immediately and see a physician if the condition does not clear up.

How to Design Your Lessons & Use The "Optional Pause Points"

In the "Instructional Content" section of this guide, you will find the facts, concepts, and tasks we expect your students to learn. Use this information, as well as the material in the "Hygiene Rationale & Overview" section above and in the "video Synopsis" to develop pre- and post-video screening discussions and as a reference guide in leading the "Behavior Development Activities" appropriate to the functioning level of your students. More capable students will enjoy extended discussions of the power of personal presentation. Students with moderate to severe cognitive and/or behavioral impairment will gain most from repeatedly watching the "video modeling" of our First Impression Players and from “in vivo” (in a living body) practice.

We have incorporated many "Optional Pause Points" within the video itself. These Pause Points correspond to discreet content areas and make convenient stopping points to take a break and/or to answer questions We do, however, recommend screening the entire video with your class, over one or more class periods, before initiating any extended discussions or engaging in one the "Behavior Development Activities." After the class has seen the entire video, we suggest playing it again but this time stopping at the Optional Pause Points to teach and review in depth the "Instructional Content" for that Pause Point, as well as to initiate one or more of the suggested "Behavior Development Activities." No matter how you choose to proceed, be sure to take your time. Taking several periods to teach and practice the content at each Pause Point would not be considered unusual, especially when working with students with special needs.

Video Synopsis

All the video programs in the "First impressions" series open with a brief statement from a vocational counselor regarding the importance of making a good first impression at a job interview, Although the Hygiene, Grooming, and Dress Modules in the "First Impressions" series are not specifically about "getting a job," they are about the universal components that make up a good impression. The counselor's observations about how quickly impressions are formed (30 seconds) and his perception that the first impression we make is often the one thing we can control, and apply whether making an impression in the community, on a date, or at a job interview.

After hearing the counselor's admonition, we see a music video to the music of George Thorogood's "Get A Haircut." This 2-minute montage illustrates the negative consequences a bad first impression can make on getting service in a store, being seated in a restaurant, and getting a job. We clearly see the social rejection that occurs when our actors disregard social norms related to appearance, cleanliness, and attitude. We see how powerfully appearance and actions can speak louder than words in giving a "First Impression."

Next, Justin and Kisha, the hosts of the program, welcome the viewers and discuss the importance of good hygiene (cleanliness). We then watch a dramatization of the effect Justin would have on the passengers of an elevator if he never bathed, humorously demonstrating the effects of bad hygiene.

Next, Justin dramatizes some of the wrong ways to take a shower-from what he's learned through television commercials - he uses too much soap and shampoo, uses abrasive scrubbers, spends far too long under the water, and forgets to rinse.

Justin and Kisha then talk to Dr. Gary Novatt, a dermatologist. Dr. Novatt sets the record straight by explaining that good personal hygiene is necessary for social reasons.

With Dr. Novatt's help, Justin then takes us through a step-by-step demonstration of the proper way to take a shower.

Instructional Content

The following is a list of basic facts, concepts, and skills relevant to the practice of good basic hygiene and cleanliness. The videos in this module present most of this content. However, you will notice that some of the items below are in italics. These points are additional information, related to the information in "First Impressions," but a not discussed directly in the videos

What to know about hygiene and bathing:

"Hygiene" essentially means keeping yourself clean.

• People bathe and shower mainly for social reasons, to give the impression that:
• "I can take care of myself "
• “I care about cultural norms”.
• "I care about myself and the impression I make."
• "I’m okay to be around."
• Using too many different skin and hair products can create problems, such as irritated, dry skin, brittle hair, and a flaking scalp.

• Dermatologists agree that the three important things to remember about bathing are:
1. Keep it simple instead of complex (you only need one bar of gentle soap (Dove or Oil of Olay) and one bole of mild shampoo (Johnson's Baby Shampoo).
2. Be gentle rather than abrasive (use your hands, not washcloths or brushes).
3. Always do less, rather than more (the less soap & shampoo you use, the better).
• There is no need to take a bath or shower daily if you are not dirty, Sweaty, or smelly, but it's a good "Better Safe Than Sorry" habit.
• Taking a shower or bath is a private task.

⏸️ First Video Pause Point

Shampoo & Soap

What to bring into the bathroom:

1. A hygiene pail containing:
• Mild bar or liquid soap (Dove or Oil of Olay)
• Mild shampoo (Johnson's Baby Shampoo)
• Deodorant/anti-perspirant (Stick" type)
• Comb or brush (Wide Tooth Comb/Vent Brush)
• Toothbrush with a small or medium-sized soft bristle head
• Toothpaste with fluoride
• Dental floss
• Mouthwash
• Cologne or perfume Electric shaver (Three Head Rotary" kind)
• Nail clipper
• Nail bush
• Nail file
• Acne, fungus medication, or any other medication you need to apply for a specific condition
• Sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher

(As we go through the hygiene and grooming parts, we will go into more detail about each of the above items. Also, avoid the use of glass containers in the bathroom and remind students not to use electrical appliances while showering or bathing.)

2. Clean underwear, a change of clothes, or a bathrobe.
3. A clean towel.

What to first do before getting into the shower or bathtub:

1. Adjust the water to warm and check it before you get in so you don't get burned. Warm rather than hot water is best for your skin.
2. Make sure there is a rubber bath mat on the floor of the shower or tub so you don't slip and fall.
3. Keep the towel within easy reach of the shower.

The "Top to Bottom" Showering Sequences

⏸️ Second Video Pause Point

Bathing and Drying

⏹️ End of Video

Behavior Development Activities

The following "Behavior Development Activities" are designed to augment and reinforce the content presented through the video and classroom discussions. These activities were designed to meet the needs of students with cognitive and/or emotional disabilities. Since the verbal levels of individuals within this group vary widely, it is expected that the teacher will adapt these activities to meet the needs of his or her students. For example, an activity calling for making magazine collages may be appropriate for students with low verbal skills, but substituting "making a list or "having a small group discussion" would be an appropriate adaptation of this activity for students functioning at higher verbal levels. In other words, don't overlook an activity because the response called for is inappropriate to your students-just adapt it to make it so.

Invite students to:

On-Going Activities

• Ask your students to make a note of when they see someone else making a bad or good "first impression" on TV or in public and share it with the class at regularly scheduled (daily, if possible) First Impressions Sharing Time."
• Create personal "First Impressions" reference notebooks in which students can keep track of the finished projects of all the activities from all four modules in the "First Impressions" Series, such as lists, collages, drawings, handouts, etc.