Introduction
Imagine you are a parent of a four-year-old son
who has been repeatedly suspended and even expelled from various
child care programs. You are tired of receiving multiple phone
calls from the preschool, hearing that the teachers have nowhere
to turn for help, and trying to find yet another preschool
program for your son. This scenario is not unusual. According to
Linda Nelson, Program Supervisor for the Osseo Early Childhood
Special Education Program, "The number of young children
under the age of five with a history of being expelled from
multiple child care programs due to challenging behaviors is a
growing concern in rural Minnesota." In order to address
this critical concern, over the past eight years personnel with
the Minnesota Behavior Project directed by Education Psychology
professor Mary McEvoy and Communications Disorders professor Joe
Reichle, have trained over 25 early education teams in eight
states to prevent situations like the one described above.
The goal of the project, sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Education and Minnesota’s Department of
Children, Families, and Learning is to assist schools in
developing transdisciplinary teams that provide technical
assistance to early educators and families in addressing
challenging behavior of young children. These teams then serve as
local experts in the prevention and treatment of challenging
behavior.
The project is important for two reasons.
First, early childhood educators report that an increasing number
of preschoolers are engaging in challenging behaviors in their
homes, regular and special education classrooms, Head Start
programs, child care centers, and other community-based programs
(Buscemi, Bennett, Thomas, & Deluca, 1995). Furthermore,
early educators report repertoires of challenging behavior as one
of the greatest stumbling blocks in providing inclusive
educational services to preschoolers (Reichle, Davis, Freeman,
& Horner, 1999). This is a concern in rural as well as urban
areas. In fact, a legal advocate located in northeast Minnesota
reported that an average of 90% of her caseload reflects
challenging behavior (Linda Bonney, personal communication, Legal
Advocate for Northeast Minnesota, Grand Rapids, Minnesota,
11/28/00).
The second reason that this project is
important is the comprehensive nature of the training. Typically,
inservice training involves consultation and one-day workshops.
That training model does not usually include ongoing feedback and
follow-up to address unique intervention implementation issues
and does not result in a significant impact on teaching
practices.
Because of the problems associated with
one-shot inservice training, the Minnesota Behavior Project
involves a variety of inservice activities including a one-day
awareness-level workshop, a 20-hour course offered in local
school districts and agencies for credit, and on-site
longitudinal technical assistance. As a result of this intensive
training and support, local teams are competent in preventing and
treating challenging behavior and thus are able to provide
ongoing technical assistance and expertise to early educators and
families in dealing with challenging behavior.
Key Components of the
Project
The key components of the project involve the
content of the training as well as who participates in the
training. The most recent research regarding interventions for
young children with challenging behavior suggests that
interventions should be based on functional behavioral
assessments and that interventions should be proactive and
comprehensive (DEC concept paper, 1999; Horner & Carr, 1997;
Neilsen, Olive, Donovan, & McEvoy, 1998). Therefore, the
project focuses on these two main areas of training, given both
their research support and policy implications. Furthermore, a
hallmark of early childhood special education is its
multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, the technical assistance
teams consist of professionals in a variety of disciplines. A
brief description of each key component follows –
Functional behavioral assessment. An
underlying assumption of functional behavioral assessment
is that problem behavior occurs for a reason and serves a
specific purpose or function for the child. Most
challenging behaviors exist because they have been
effective for the child. For example, a child’s
aggressive behavior towards a peer may result in
immediate teacher attention. In this case, although the
behavior is not appropriate or safe, it is effective in
obtaining adult attention. The child may have learned
that aggression is the most efficient and effective way
to get his or her needs met. Although the behaviors may
be considered "challenging" by others, from the
child’s perspective they may be reasonable and
effective responses to events that have occurred in his
or her environment. A functional behavioral assessment
helps interventionists determine why the child engages in
challenging behavior as well as the events that
consistently predict challenging behavior (Horner &
Carr, 1997). As a result of functional behavioral
assessment, educators obtain information on (1) what the
challenging behavior looks like, (2) where and when it
occurs, (3) what triggers or occasions the behavior (the
antecedent), and (4) what social and nonsocial responses
or consequences maintain or reinforce the behavior
(Strain, McConnell, Carta, Fowler, Neisworth, &
Wolery, 1992; Sugai, Lewis-Palmer, & Hagan, 1998).
Proactive and comprehensive interventions.
Proactive interventions focus on helping children change
undesirable patterns of behavior and expand on their
growing repertoire of skills (Dunlap & Fox, 1996).
This is accomplished by organizing settings to decrease
the likelihood of challenging behavior and encourage
children to use new socially appropriate skills (Horner
& Carr, 1997). By thinking about how the environment
might influence the occurrence of challenging behavior,
adults can prevent the behavior. By learning new skills,
children can have more successful interactions with peers
and adults (Dunlap & Fox, 1996). For example, take
the child described above who engaged in challenging
behavior to obtain teacher attention. One possible
intervention would be to teach him a more socially
appropriate way to request attention (e.g., saying,
"Play, please"). Another possible intervention
might be to provide attention more frequently. For
instance, if he was previously getting teacher attention
on average once every 10 minutes as a result of problem
behavior, the interventionist would instead provide
attention on average every 8 minutes. (Please see
"But What
Can I Do?: Supporting Paraprofessionals" for more examples.)
Transdisciplinary training. This project
incorporates a transdisciplinary approach by encouraging
educators from different disciplines to work together
closely. This approach takes advantage of the expertise
of each individual team member. Without this shared
expertise, the team would miss out on the specificity,
resources, and wisdom accumulated through those
represented disciplines (McWilliam, 2000). For example, a
technical assistance team may be made up of any
combination of the following: an early educator, a speech
and language therapist, a school psychologist, a social
worker, a nurse, an occupational therapist, a physical
therapist, a paraprofessional, or family members. While
the teams are comprehensive, each team may have a
slightly different focus. For example, one team might
focus on providing technical assistance to families.
Other teams may have more of a classroom focus.
Technical Assistance
Process
The final outcome of the technical assistance
process is providing technical assistance to educators and
families who are struggling with a child’s challenging
behavior. However, the technical assistance process begins much
earlier with a three- to six-hour inservice for technical
assistance teams focused on identifying the causes of challenging
behavior and designing proactive interventions. Since 1992, over
400 professionals and paraprofessionals have participated in the
one-day workshops. Following the initial inservice training,
professionals and paraprofessionals are invited to enroll in a
graduate-level course that meets for 20 contact hours to expand
information presented in the initial workshop. To date, 182
professionals have participated in this course. Following the
course, team members from a variety of disciplines are selected.
Once the technical assistance team is developed, members receive
training in team-building skills as well as extensive field
experiences focusing on the following "best practices"
–
Actively include families in the design of
comprehensive intervention strategies that cross home,
school, and community environments.
Design environments that address the needs
of young children with challenging behaviors.
Facilitate the social integration of
children with challenging behaviors.
Conduct functional behavioral assessments
and utilize proactive strategies to diminish or prevent
behavior problems.
Establish functional communication skills
as an alternative to socially motivated challenging
behaviors.
To date, 16 technical assistance teams located
in six states have been developed.
After team members demonstrate their competency
in the "best practices," they are ready to accept
referrals from the center or agency. It is helpful if each school
district generates guidelines for how referrals are made to the
team. Generally, referrals are made at two levels. First,
teachers and families may request general technical assistance in
organizing the environment or general information about ways to
design proactive interventions to address the specific function
of a behavior. The second type of referral is child-specific and
generally comes via a request from the child’s teacher or
parent to the technical assistance team. Once this type of
referral is made, a member of the technical assistance team is
designated as the case manager and begins collecting assessment
information. This might include information about the
organization of the environment and individual functional
behavioral assessment data. Once the necessary assessment
information is obtained, the case manager presents the
information to the entire technical assistance team at a regular
weekly meeting. The team reviews the information and develops a
proactive intervention strategy. The case manager provides the
necessary training to the teaching team and helps to develop
appropriate data collection procedures. Finally, the case
manager, the child’s teacher(s), and family decide on the
level of ongoing technical assistance. (Please see "Jamie’s Story:
Technical Assistance in Action".)
In addition to receiving referrals, the teams
often present workshops on topics including classroom
organization, optimal staffing patterns, and adapting activities
and curriculum to meet the needs of children with challenging
behavior. As the team demonstrates success (typically after one
year of assistance), project personnel systematically fade
technical assistance (see Table 1).
Table 1: Technical Assistance Process
| Project
personnel offer an awareness workshop on functional
behavioral assessment and proactive interventions for
local school districts and agencies. |
| A
20-hour course is offered through distance learning to
those interested in increasing their understanding of
functional behavioral assessment and developing positive
support plans. |
| From
course participants, school districts (or agencies)
select four to six individuals who become members of the
technical assistance team. |
| The
technical assistance team actively delivers technical
assistance within their district. |
| The
TA team accepts referrals. |
The TA team
members conduct inservice activities as needed and
requested by school district. |
| Accountability
on individual program tracking and group matrix |
Accountability
on TA recipients' level of participation. |
Next Steps
While this project has been successful, it has
not reached out to individuals living in rural areas.
Fortunately, one promising avenue to provide assistance to
families and educators in rural areas is through the use of
technology, including distance learning, videoconferencing,
interactive television (ITV), and an online course Web site.
Therefore, the Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and
Learning has funded a one-year project, the Greater Minnesota
Behavior Project, to develop technical assistance teams in rural
Minnesota. Through distance learning and information technologies
and limited face-to-face contact, the project will provide this
educational access to the state’s rural early childhood
service providers and families. Drs. Mary McEvoy and Joe Reichle
are in the process of developing a class via a course Web site.
In the meantime, the course will be delivered via interactive
television. In addition, other up-to-date distance learning
technologies, such as on-line Web support and videoconferencing,
will be used. Along with monthly face-to-face contact, we are
convinced that this blending of technology and technical
assistance will allow us to work effectively with families and
educators in rural areas to meet their unique needs.
References
Buscemi, L., Bennett, T., Thomas, D., &
Deluca, D. A. (1995). Head Start: Challenges and training needs. Journal
of Early Intervention, 20(1), 1-13.
DEC concept paper on the identification of and
intervention with challenging behavior (October 4, 1999). Young
Exceptional Children, Monograph Series, DEC, 63-70.
Dunlap, G., & Fox, L. (1996). Early
intervention and serious problem behaviors: A comprehensive
approach. In L. K. Koegel, R. L. Koegel, & G. Dunlap (Eds.), Positive
behavioral support: Including people with difficult behavior in
the community (pp. 381-402). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Horner, R. H. , & Carr, E. G. (1997).
Behavioral support for students with severe disabilities:
Functional assessment and comprehensive intervention. The
Journal of Special Education, 31(1), 84-104.
McWilliam, R.A. (2000). Recommended practices
in interdisciplinary models. In S. Sandall, M. McLean, & B.
Smith (Eds), DEC Recommended Practices in Early
Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (pp. 47-54).
Neilsen, S.L., Olive, M.L., Donovan, A., &
McEvoy, M. (1998). Challenging behaviors in your classroom?
Don’t react–Teach instead! Young Exceptional
Children, Monograph Series, DEC, 2, 5-15.
Reichle, J., Davis, C., Freeman, R., &
Horner, R. (1999). Effective behavioral support for socially
maintained problem behavior. In N. Wieseler and R. Hanson (Eds.),
Challenging behavior of persons with mental health disorders
and severe developmental disabilities (pp. 237-260). Reston,
VA: AAMR Books.
Strain, P.S., McConnell, S. R., Carta, J.J.,
Fowler, S.A., Neisworth, J.T., & Wolery, M. (1992).
Behaviorism in early intervention. Topics in Early Childhood
Special Education, 12(1), 121-141.
Sugai, G., Lewis-Palmer, T., & Hagan, S.
(1998). Using functional assessments to develop behavior support
plans. Preventing School Failure, 43(1), 6-13.
Jamie's Story: Technical Assistance in
Action
The Early Childhood Coordinator referred
four-year-old Jamie to the Positive Behavioral Support Team.
Jamie’s Early Childhood teacher had expressed considerable
frustration with his challenging behaviors.
Following the referral, a member of the
district’s Positive Behavioral Support Team volunteered to
case manage Jamie’s referral. First, she conducted a
functional behavioral assessment, which consisted of an interview
with Jamie’s teacher and the collection of data from direct
observations. In the interview, Jamie’s teacher expressed
concern about Jamie’s challenging behaviors during opening
circle time. During this activity, he cried, yelled, left his
seat, dropped to the floor, hit, kicked, and spat. Jamie’s
teacher reported that the classroom staff ignored his behaviors
whenever possible. She also indicated that when Jamie’s
behaviors escalated and became excessively disruptive, the
classroom aide would remove him from the activity, taking him
either to a brief time-out or to an alternative activity. The
direct observation revealed environmental events that occurred
immediately before and after each occurrence of Jamie’s
challenging behavior. From these data, it was hypothesized that
Jamie engaged in challenging behavior to obtain teacher
attention. Additionally, the data suggested that when the teacher
diverted her attention to materials or peers, Jamie’s
challenging behavior was more likely to occur. Three additional
observations were important influences in linking assessment to
intervention: (a) Jamie received large amounts of one-to-one
attention during time-out, (b) Jamie used both appropriate and
inappropriate behaviors to obtain attention, and (c) staff rarely
interacted with Jamie when he was behaving appropriately.
Second, in consultation with the classroom
teacher, the technical assistance team developed an intervention
plan to systemize time-out (i.e., time-out from the maintaining
reinforcer) and to include two proactive intervention strategies:
(a) providing attention each time Jamie appropriately requested
attention and (b) providing Jamie with attention frequently
(i.e., once every 30 seconds). Data were collected for how often
Jamie engaged in challenging behavior, how often he appropriately
requested attention, and how often teacher/staff provided
attention.
To ensure that the intervention was implemented
correctly, coaching was provided to the teaching team. Coaching
consisted of reviewing the intervention with the teaching team
prior to the activity and providing prompts to the teachers if
they failed to implement the intervention at the specified time.
The results of the intervention show rapid change in both child
and teacher behaviors (see Figure 1). Additionally, proactive
attention exceeded target levels. Furthermore, following the
summer break, technical assistance team members reported
continued low rates of problem behavior and that his new teachers
were providing high rates of teacher attention when Jamie was
behaving appropriately.
|
 |
What is the
Quality of Child Care in Minnesota?
Are We Measuring Up?
Four Child Care Resource and
Referral programs in Minnesota and faculty from the University of
Minnesota recently asked themselves this question. They decided to
take a close look at child care in four representative counties to
learn more. Measuring Up is their report.
The research project pointed
toward actions that could have a significant impact on quality of
care, including –
• Resisting attempts to
lower educational requirements for staff.
• Supporting T.E.A.C.H., a
program currently under consideration for funding by the
Minnesota Legislature that would provide tuition scholarships
for early childhood professionals.
• Providing accreditation
scholarships for centers and family child care providers
• Exploring additional
ways to increase child care wages.
• Expanding the resource
and referral system to reach more parents and to include
additional information about centers and providers.
Commissioned by Resources for
Child Caring and funded by the McKnight and Otto Bremmer
Foundations, Measuring Up is an assessment of the quality of child
care in Clay, Hennepin, Lyon, and Ramsey counties.
|
But What Can I Do?: Supporting
Paraprofessionals
Sites selected to participate in the Minnesota
Early Childhood Special Education Program are encouraged to
include all staff members, including paraprofessionals, in
project workshops, coursework, and the transdisciplinary
technical assistance team. Teachers go to workshops and receive a
lot of information about where to get training and yet the
paraprofessionals are often the ones who are asked to address the
needs of children engaging in challenging behavior and implement
behavior support plans. Paraprofessionals frequently are called
upon to implement strategies without necessarily understanding
what they are doing or why. What follows is a reprint of an
article written by Judy K. Swanson, Project Coordinator, for
ParaLink (Fall 2000), a newsletter for paraprofessionals working
in education in Minnesota (reprinted with permission). While this
article provides tips and strategies for paraprofessionals
addressing the needs of children engaging in challenging
behavior, it is only the beginning. It is our hope that
paraprofessionals will receive additional training to work with
teachers in implementing these important strategies.
Frequently, it is the paraprofessional who is
asked to manage the needs of the child engaging in challenging
behavior. This can often lead to the frustrated response,
"But what can I do? This child is totally out of control and
I’m not the teacher." Although the teacher is the
person responsible for the development of a behavior support
plan, paraprofessionals in the classroom can have a significant
influence on the instruction and education of students.
What is Challenging
Behavior?
A variety of behaviors can be the cause of
concern, but a child’s behavior is considered challenging if
it results in self-injury or injury to others or damages the
physical environment. Behavior is also considered challenging if
it interferes with learning new skills or socially isolates the
student (Doss & Reichle, 1991). Most children engage in
unruly behavior at one time or another, but when the behavior is
more frequent, has greater intensity, or lasts for longer periods
of time, it is considered a challenging behavior.
Understand the Child
Why do children engage in challenging behavior?
Research has shown that behavior serves a function or purpose for
a child, is predicted by the events that take place before the
behavior occurs, and is maintained by events that take place
after the behavior occurs (Neilson et al., 1998). Children can be
motivated by the desire to obtain or avoid attention, to avoid a
task or activity, or to gain an object or opportunity for action.
There are also behaviors that occur for nonsocial reasons, such
as pulling on an ear to get rid of the pain from an infection or
rocking to self-calm.
When we focus on the needs of the child
engaging in challenging behavior, the goal becomes prevention and
the focus of intervention planning shifts from what we might do
to change the child to what we might change about our
own practices (Strain & Hemmeter, 1997).
Consult the Behavior
Support Plan
When there is a behavior support plan written
for a student, the paraprofessional should be a willing
participant in its implementation, including the taking of
accurate data. It may be difficult to find the time, but data
will reveal the effectiveness of the intervention being
implemented. When the frequency or intensity of challenging
behavior decreases or desired participation increases, you will
know the intervention is effective for the student. If there is
no change or challenging behavior is increasing, it will guide
instructors to understand what changes are needed in the
student’s plan. Behavior support plans may include a
communication replacement or other interventions designed to
teach the child rather than react to the behavior. If you have
questions about implementing the plan or taking data, seek
clarification from the teacher (see questionnaire,
"What Should
You Ask The Teacher?"). The plan
will be more effective if all instructors are implementing it
consistently.
Be Proactive: Prevent Rather Than Respond
If you know a particular activity or event
frequently results in potentially challenging behavior, you can
preplan activities that will eliminate the behavior before it
occurs.
Example: John typically likes to chat with
his friends and gets angry when asked to go to his desk
for the next subject. Asking John to pass out the next
subject’s worksheets while others take their seats
can provide a distraction, allow him to finalize
conversations, and lessen his need for an outburst.
When a behavior is reinforced, it is likely to
be repeated. Look at challenging behavior that persists over time
to see if it is being unintentionally reinforced.
Example: Bill is working on his art
project at the table with his classmate, Carol. He will
usually work independently for about three minutes before
asking Joan, the paraprofessional, to look at his work.
Joan is working with another student when he says,
"Joan, Joan, look at my painting." He repeats
his request four times, each time a little louder and
more insistently. Finally, Bill throws a marker across
the table at Carol, and Joan immediately responds by
going to him and saying, "Stop that! You know
you’re not supposed to throw markers. Tell Carol
you’re sorry." Joan then stays in close
proximity to be certain Bill stays on task. His
subsequent requests for her to look at his project
receive immediate attention.
The event before the behavior was an ignored
request for attention. After the behavior, Bill received
immediate and continued attention for his behavior even though it
was not pleasant. Understanding the motivation of the behavior
can help you to be prepared before the behavior happens again and
may prevent it from happening in the future.
When a child’s behavior is motivated by a
desire for attention, intermittent positive attention (periodic
eye contact and a simple "thumbs up," wink, smile, or
pat on the back) during appropriate behavior may lessen the
child’s need to obtain your attention with a challenging
behavior.
When a challenging behavior consistently
results in the premature ending of a task, the child may be using
the behavior to avoid the activity. Releasing the child before
the behavior occurs allows you to be the one to determine the
timing of the task’s completion. In the future, when the
child can see that they will be released, there can be a gradual
increase in participation expectations.
One way to build the student’s tolerance
for a delay in the reinforcement is to give a delay cue just
before releasing the student. As mentioned above, Bill’s
critical time was three minutes. A delay cue would be given prior
to the three minutes and the first request for attention:
"Bill, I’ll be right over to see your art work,"
followed by immediate attention: "Bill, you’re really
doing a nice job on your art project today."
The time between the delay cue and the release
or attention is then gradually increased. Do not try to stretch
the time too quickly or you will increase the potential for the
challenging behavior to reoccur.
Collaboration is another good strategy for the
child who wants your attention or is trying to avoid a task. When
you know a student frequently refuses to participate in a task or
activity, offering to collaborate when introducing the activity
or task may prevent a challenging behavior. Sharing the task and
offering praise for participation is an opportunity to teach
positive interactive skills. It will also allow you to control a
planned, gradual increase in the child’s participation.
There are two critical keys to success with
these strategies –
1. Respond to the child and implement
strategies BEFORE the behavior occurs.
2. Increase expectations gradually.
Offer Choices
Control is a topic that often surfaces when
there is a discussion about behavior. The student who tells you
"no," no matter what you’re asking of him or her,
presents a significant challenge. In some cases, the student is
simply trying to obtain control over the situation or
environment. Too often our focus is on controlling or managing a
child rather than teaching the child problem-solving skills.
Offering choices is a strategy that allows the
child to have some control. It’s a win-win strategy. Choices
can be offered as options in time, activities, or sequence of
events. Choosing between two positive choices is a positive way
to introduce choice making. For younger children, you can ask:
"Do you want to play with the trucks or the puzzles?"
For all ages, a choice between two negatives might be reflected
in a choice of timing: "Do you want to do your math
assignment now or after lunch?"
Another way to be proactive is to set children
up for success through the arrangement of the environment. Some
environments can provide triggers for challenging behavior.
Whenever possible, provide an environment where a child can be
successful by anticipating situations that might cause problems.
For example –
• Seat the student who is easily
distracted away from the doorway or pencil sharpener.
• When it is time to get ready for the
bus, rather than releasing the whole class to get ready in a
small locker area, release small groups, providing an
alternative activity for those waiting.
Use Distractors and
Reinforcers
Most restaurants have distractors available for
young children and everyone dining in the restaurant appreciates
them. In the school setting, a younger child waiting for a late
bus could be given a koosh ball to hold or a book to read. During
difficult transitions, carrying objects, (i.e., a ball to gym
class) can provide an effective distraction. Distractors need to
involve an item or activity that is enjoyed by the child (i.e.,
being line leader, running an errand, erasing the board, or
enjoying time in an activity with a peer).
These same items and activities can also be
used as reinforcers. As discussed above, reinforcement that
follows a challenging behavior maintains that behavior. In the
same way, using reinforcers following appropriate behaviors can
cause them to increase. In addition to items and activities,
interactive rewards, such as getting more of your time and
attention through a special activity, can be a very effective
reinforcer.
It is critical to note that in order to be
effective, items or activities used as distractors or reinforcers
need to be valued and preferred by the student and saved
exclusively for those purposes.
Prompts can also encourage appropriate behavior
and distract attention from or stop an inappropriate behavior
before it becomes challenging. Prompts can be given verbally or
as gestures. Offering praise for appropriate behavior, giving
instruction, putting a finger to your lips for silence, touching
the chair where you want the student to sit, or pointing to a
schedule are some examples.
Some children are visual learners, watching for
cues from peers before taking action. For this child, offering
visual cues can clarify instructions. Effective cueing needs to
be clearly understood by the student and done as a natural part
of the routine and should not be used in frustration or anger.
Some children can view behavioral goals as
insurmountable. Reinforcing any progress toward the goal is a
natural way of cueing and encouraging the student to increase
appropriate behavior. For example, "Walk quietly in the
hallway" may be a difficult rule for some children. Rather
than waiting until the end of a walk down a long hallway to
reinforce appropriate behavior, frequently give a smile, nod, or
"thumbs up" along the way to provide reinforcement and
prompt continued success. This step-by-step shaping approach
recognizes progress, offers encouragement, and provides an
opportunity for a positive interaction.
Listen to Your
Language
Your communication techniques can reduce
challenging behavior as well. Some strategies for preventing and
reducing challenging behavior through language include –
• Be generous with encouraging words:
"It looks like you worked very hard on that paper"
and "I like the way you handled that situation."
• Avoid nagging warnings: "I know
the assignment was difficult for you yesterday. If you need
help just raise your hand and I’ll come to help"
versus "Get busy and get that assignment done or
you’ll be in trouble again today."
• If you like a behavior, pay
attention to it: "I liked the way you did that" and
"Thanks, that really helped."
• Offer reasonable choices to the
child when choices are available, but don’t word your
directions as a choice when none is available:
"It’s time to get ready for Phy Ed." or
"We’re going to Phy Ed now" versus "Do
you want to go to Phy Ed?" or "It’s time to go
to Phy Ed, okay?"
• Use the child’s name in
positive conversation. Frequently a child’s name is used
only in addressing challenging behavior.
• Give reasonable explanations for
requests and directions: "You need to get ready now so
we have enough time to play on the playground."
• Signal or cue the student that an
activity is about to end. This allows you to prepare the
student for the end of an activity, and can also give
information to prepare for the next activity: "Your art
project is really looking great! We’ll be going to the
library in five minutes. I hope they have the next book in
that series you’re reading. Finish what you are doing so
we will all be ready to go." Or, "It really looks
nice outside. We’ll be going out for recess as soon as
everyone is done with their assignment."
• Address the behavior and teach the
child. How we view the child is all-important. When talking
with a child about their behavior, talk about what they
should be doing: "Johnny, you need to be working at your
desk during this assignment", versus ,"Johnny, you
aren’t in your desk. You know you’re not supposed
to be out of your desk!"
• When you know a particular task or
activity is a difficult one and often results in challenging
behavior, offer a collaboration or choice in your wording of
the initial request. Again, avoid nagging.
• Set a good example. Model the
behaviors you want to see in the children. Children will
often imitate the language, tone and actions of adults,
whether or not it is your intent.
Set a Positive Tone
You can have a significant influence on student
behavior from the moment you walk into the room. To encourage
student participation and self-esteem, relax, make frequent eye
contact, smile, ask questions, and use positive language. By
focusing on the child and interacting in a meaningful way, you
will have a powerful influence!
References
Doss, L., & Reichle, J. (1991). Replacing
excess behavior with an initial communicative repertoire.
In J. Reichle, J. York, & J. Sigafoos (Eds), Implementing
augmentative and alternative communication strategies for
learners with severe disabilities. Baltimore: Paul H.
Brookes.
Neilsen, S., Olive, M., Donovan, A., &
McEvoy, M. (1998). Challenging behaviors in your classroom?
Don’t react – teach instead. Young Exceptional
Children, 2, 2-10.
Strain, P.S., & Hemmeter M. L. (1997) Keys
to being successful when confronted with challenging behaviors, Young
Exceptional Children, Nov. 2-8.
What Should You Ask the Teacher?
Questions
to Ask the Teacher When You Have Been Asked to Work With
a Student With Challenging Behaviors
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| |
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About the Student
• Is there a
behavior support plan for this student? If yes, ask for a
copy.
• What goals
should I focus on with this student?
• What are the
behaviors of concern?
• What past
strategies have been successful or unsuccessful?
• What activities
are difficult for him/her? What does he/she like/dislike?
When does he/she feel successful?
• Are there
medical factors that may be influencing the child’s
behavior, i.e., vision, hearing, medication side effects?
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About Your Role/Responsibilities
With the
Student
• What are my
specific responsibilities? (i.e., am I responsible for
taking data? If so, please explain how and when I am to
take it.)
• What do I have
permission to do? (i.e., if swinging calms the student,
do I have permission to go to the swing or do I check
with you first?)
• If needed,
should I use physical guidance? What guidelines should I
follow?
• What should my
proximity be to the student? Do I work with other
students or only this student?
With the
Teacher
• What kind of
cues can we use to communicate between us? (i.e., to let
you know I need support, to let you know I need
clarification, for you to let me know you have observed a
need for change.)
• How frequently
can we connect on how things are going? In what ways
should I provide you with updates?
With Others
• What is my role
with the parent?
• Am I on the
IEP? May I attend the IEP conference?
• Are there times
when other staff will be working with this child? If yes,
how do I communicate with them?
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| Contributed by
collaborating professionals in the Early Childhood
Special Education program from Anoka-Hennepin District
#11 and the University of Minnesota: Jan Carlson and
Shawn Collins, ECSE Paraprofessionals; Judy Klein-Pells,
Cheryl Rademacher, and Janine Westlund, ECSE Teachers;
Lee Rutherford, ECSE Psychologist; Judy K. Swanson,
University of Minnesota Project Coordinator. |
Courses
Related to Challenging Behavior at the U of M
- EPSY 5616 Applied Behavior Analysis and
Classroom Management
- EPSY 5681 Teaching Infants, Toddlers, and
Preschoolers with Disabilities: Methods and Materials
- ESPY 5300 Addressing Challenging Behavior
in Young Children
2001
Harris Visiting Scholar Program
The Irving B. Harris Training Center for Infant
and Toddler Development at the University of Minnesota is pleased
to announce that Dr. Joy Osofsky, Professor in the Departments of
Public Health, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics at Louisiana State
University, will be the Harris Visiting Scholar this spring. Dr.
Osofsky, an expert on the effects of violence on very young
children, will be the keynote speaker at the Harris Forum on May
31, 2001 from 12:30—3:00 p.m. The Harris Forum will be held
at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. There is no charge
for this event.
To register or for more information, call the
Harris Center at 612-624-4510 or go to www.harristrainingcenter.org.
CEED-Affiliated
Projects
Positive Approaches to
Problem Behavior for Young Children with Disabilities:
Multi-State Outreach Project
Early Childhood Research
Institute on Measuring Growth and Development
Minnesota Infant Mental
Health Project
Contact: Christopher
Watson, (612) 625-2898, watso012@tc.umn.edu ,
http://cehd.umn.edu/ceed/projects/
Head Start Project
Contact: Deborah
Ceglowski, (612) 624-2034,
deborah.a.ceglowski-1@tc.umn.edu
Training Leadership
Personnel Specializing in Augmentative/Alternative
Communication and Proactive Strategies to Address Challenging
Behavior Among Preschoolers and Youth with Severe
Disabilities
Contact: Joe Reichle,
(612) 625-6542,
reich001@umn.edu
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Spring 2001,
Volume 28, Issue 1