1. Understanding your reactions in a crisis situation
The Crisis Cycle
Understanding your reactions in a crisis situation

2. What is a crisis? A time of great difficulty or danger
Can happen anywhere– at school, at home, in public, etc.
Spectrum Academy’s Crisis Definition
Continuous aggression (violence towards others)
Continuous self-injury (violence towards self)
Continuous high-magnitude disruption (actions that make the classroom unsafe and a place where others cannot learn)
5 minutes

3. Continuous Aggression
Continuous = happening again and again in one time period
Aggression Examples:
Hitting, kicking, biting, or pinching another student
Hitting, kicking, biting, or pinching a staff member
Holding someone down against their will
2 minutes

4. Continuous Self-Injury
Continuous = happening again and again in one time period
Self-Injury Examples:
Biting yourself
Hitting your head
Hurting yourself in another way
Putting yourself in a dangerous situation
2 minutes
Discuss: Why is this a crisis? Why would people want to help you?

5. Continuous High-Magnitude Disruption
Continuous = happening again and again in one time period
High-Magnitude = really, really intense
Disruption Examples:
Taking classroom objects and swiping or throwing them
Screaming inappropriate words
Smashing a computer
Making threats
2 minutes

6. The Crisis Cycle
The Crisis Cycle describes the physical and emotional changes we go through when becoming upset, having a crisis, and calming down.
By understanding the Crisis Cycle, we can understand:
How to prevent reaching the level of crisis
How others will react to us during a crisis
How to recover from a crisis
2 minutes

7. The Crisis Cycle Crisis De-Escalating Escalating Stable and Calm
1 minute
Stable and Calm
Stable and Calm

8. The Crisis Cycle + Zones of Regulation
Crisis- Red
Escalating- Yellow
De-Escalating- Yellow
Explain that the Crisis Cycle often matches the zone we are in!
Hand out the Crisis Cycle Shuffle Papers. Have students put these in order (Stable and Calm, Escalation, Crisis, and De-Escalation) by using the context clues on the paper to figure them out. They can then make a little booklet with them (staple side or top) and tape them into their notebooks under “looks like/sounds like” in the notes.
Stable and Calm- Green
Stable and Calm- Green

9. Stable and Calm On-task behavior Reasonable thinking
Looks like/sounds like
Strategies to stay stable and calm
On-task behavior
Reasonable thinking
Feelings are appropriate to the situation
Relaxed body
Ask for clarification on confusing instructions
Think before you act
Do at first request
Show respect to all
Have a listening body
Use this for review only.
Discuss how people might react to you if you are stable and calm.

10. Strategies to return to stable and calm
Escalation
Looks like/sounds like
Strategies to return to stable and calm
Off-task behavior
Unreasonable thoughts
Feelings don’t match the situation
Body feels extra alert
Take a break
Challenge unreasonable thoughts
Deep breaths
Draw or color
Ask for help
Move to a safe place, with permission
Use this for review only.
Discuss how people might react to you if you are escalated.

11. Crisis Ask for what you need to calm down (silence, space, or help)
Looks like/Sounds Like
Strategies to De-Escalate
Continuous aggression, self-injury, or high-magnitude disruption
Irrational thoughts
Feelings don’t match the situation
Tense, stressed, and ready body
Making poor choices you normally wouldn’t make
Unpredictable behavior from self and others
Ask for what you need to calm down (silence, space, or help)
Take deep breaths
Use coping strategies that you know work for you (break, sensory, drawing/journaling)
Stay in a safe area
Use this for review only.
Discuss how people might react to you if you are in a crisis.

12. Strategies to use during
De-Escalation
Looks like/Sounds like
Strategies to use during
de-escalation
Body is becoming calmer but might still feel stressed
You can talk more clearly and calmly
Thoughts are becoming more rational
You begin to feel “normal” again
Communicate if you still need time to cool down
Ask for help
Drink water
Challenge irrational thoughts
Begin to think about the situation
Use this for review only.
Discuss how people might react to you if you are de-escalating.
Hand out the Crisis Cycle and You Labeling Chart and have students label what they look like/sound like during each stage. Or, have them write the color of the zone they are in at each stage. After, discuss their favorite ways to stay in green.

13. Responding to a Crisis You should…
Process (talk about) the crisis with a trusted adult.
Apologize if needed (in a note or in person).
Accept consequences appropriately.
Make strategies for de-escalation if something similar happens again.
Then, restart! We make mistakes in life and learn from every experience. Your teachers and parents love you and want you to succeed. You are always welcome back.
3 minutes

14. Preventing a Crisis
We want to work to prevent a crisis from happening.
This week, we will talk about strategies that will help us prevent a crisis.
Preventing crises is crucial!
It can help you maintain friendships and other relationships
It will help you avoid legal trouble now and when you are an adult- hurting others/destroying the stuff of others is against the law!
It will help you be more successful at school and keep a future job
Discuss how a crisis at work might affect you.

15. So Basically…
Crises happen, and are serious, but they aren’t the end of the world
We can react appropriately when others are in crisis
We can try to prevent crises/de-escalate by using strategies that work for us