Presented by : Shareen Ratnani Addressing Challenging Behaviours in the Classroom

WORDS TO DESCRIBE CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR

BEHAVIOUR- CLEAR DEFINITION HE THROWS TANTRUMS HE DISPLAYS PHYSICAL AGGRESSION BE SPECIFIC

Challenging Behavior Interferes with children’s learning, development, and success at play Is harmful to the child, other children, or adults Puts a child at high risk for later social problems or school failure Timid and withdrawn behaviors also qualify as challenging

HOW DO TEACHERS FEEL ABOUT HAVING A CHILD WITH A CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR IN CLASS ?

“How do I deal with this ?”

“This child does not belong here!” “I do not have the training to deal with him.” “Nothing I do works!” “I can never complete an activity” “I have no time to give the other children the attention they deserve.” “I worry about what the other children are learning!” “I worry about the safety of the other children!” “He never shows remorse.” “I can’t predict what he will do next, his behavior comes out of no where.” “He’s only 4, I think we are expecting too much of him.”

Labels Are For Jars Teach Children – Don't Label Them!

THE IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT DIAGNOSIS

MAKING ASSESSMENTS Is there a problem? Evidence is collected through a brief procedure administered one-on- one SCREENING Is there a problem ? Evidence is collected through a procedure administered one- on-one DIAGNOSTIC What is the precise nature of the problem? Evidence is collected using norm-referenced assessments. ( SPECIALISTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS) CLASSROOM BASED How does the child learn? What does the child know? This helps you make decisions about how to adjust the curriculum, your instruction, the environment, and routines PROGRAM EVALUATION Is the program effective? Program evaluation is a process that looks at factors relating to the quality of the classroom and overall program.

GENETICSHEALTH FAMILY ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS INTERACTIONS INTEREST S UNMET NEEDS

Y OU CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE WITH PERSONALISED BEHAVIOUR COUNSELLING, SKILL BUILDING AND BEHAVIOUR TRAINING ! THE ICEBERG OF BEHAVIOUR AND NEEDS WHAT YOU SEE (coping behaviours) WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON (core issues) Need for justice Need for control Need for protection Need for affiliation Need for love/ attention Other needs / fears Am I safe? Am I secure? Am I loved ? Am I respected? Am I acknowledged? Am I included? Am I understood? Do I belong? Do my thoughts matter? Am I responsible? Am I given opportunities? Am I accepted? Am I treated fairly THE WATERLINE : CHANGE IS NEEDED Compiled by Shareen Ratnani

KNOW YOUR CHILD’S ABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS. Expecting too much or too little can lead to frustration for you and your child. Try to keep your expectations realistic!

The Goldilocks Principle

PREVENTION IS THE BEST INTERVENTION Effective teachers spend more time promoting appropriate behavior than responding to inappropriate behavior

REACTIVE STRATEGIES Meets the child’s needs Reduced the chances of the behavior Aims to keep the child as calm and relaxed as possible Done through modelling, coaching practicing PROACTIVE STRATEGIES Logical consequences for the behavior Aims at stopping the behavior Done when the challenging behavior happens Aims to keep the child safe

Why are they important ? They help us feel safe, secure and have predictability Why do kids test boundaries ? -learning to do so -testing to see how the world works and how far they can go -developing a sense of themselves PROACTIVE STRATEGY : BOUNDARIES AGREE ON CLASSROOM RULES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR

Encourages self – responsibility Safety. Predictability Increases emotional self regulation / self control Acts that occur repeatedly over time ( daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) CHECK IN WITH STUDENTS AT THE START OF A CLASS Have transitions for the most chaotic times PROACTIVE STRATEGIES STRUCTURES AND ROUTINES TRANSITIONS RITUALS AND TRADITIONS

GIVE CHOICES -Increase decision making abilities -Helps the child be in control -Sends a message of trust ENFORCEABLE STATEMENTS “ I will be happy to as soon as ” “ You are welcome to as soon as ” CONSISTENCY ( firm and kind) PROVIDING LIMITS WITHIN STRUCTURE

-Prepare the student before an event -Use age appropriate expectations -Say the expectation / use visuals to mentally prepare the children so they know what is to come PROACTIVE STRATEGY : EXPECTATIONS

CREATE A VALUES-BASED CLASS Establishing expectations (Kameenui & Simmons, 1990): What do I want my classroom to look like? How do I want children to treat me as a person? How do I want children to treat one another? What kind of information or values do I want to communicate to students about being an adult? How do I want children to remember me when the last day of school ends and I am no longer part of their daily lives?

DIFFERENTIATE LEARNING READINESS INTERESTS LEARNING STYLES

Whether the problem behavior is managed safely or not or is defused in a large measure depends on YOUR INITIAL RESPONSE

RESPONSE TO BEHAVIOUR 1. Separate the CHILD from the BEHAVIOUR. 1. ‘I-MESSAGES’. 1. REDIRECTION 2. RACES ( respond-ask-choices- encourage-solve) 3. POSITIVE RESPONSES

SEPARATE THE CHILD FROM THE BEHAVIOUR “I love you, but I will not accept this behaviour”.

I- MESSAGES

REDIRECTION Interrupting a challenging behavior and redirecting a child to another activity using either physical or verbal redirection REDIRECTION VERBAL REDIRECTION PHYSICAL REDIRECTION

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ? A Child is playing in the sink and splashing water all over the bathroom ?

SOLVING BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS : RACES STEP 1 # RESPOND ( with empathy and understanding) STEP 2 # ASK ( What the child is going to do ) STEP 3 # CHOICES ( if the child has no ideas give choices OR brainstorm ) STEP 4 # ENCOURAGE (your child to think of consequences of each suggestion) STEP 5 # SOLVE ( give the child the CAN DO message. Recognize his/her efforts )

POSITIVE RESPONSES 1.BE NEUTRAL, NOT ACCUSATORY 2.LOOK FOR THE CAUSE 3.GO FROM WHAT THE CHILD CAN DO- NOT WHAT HE CANT DO