Supporting Children with Challenging Behavior at School: Universal and Selective Interventions

CSEFEL Vanderbilt University Consortium W.D. Tynan, Ph.D

Supporting Young Children with Challenging Behavior at School: Universal and Selective Interventions Objectives

• 1. Identify the most effective teachable moments for supporting young children with challenging behavior.

• Identify important social emotional skills • Describe effective, evidence-based teaching strategies to support social emotional development of young children and to manage challenging behaviors

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What are your behavior “hot buttons”?

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How does it make you feel?

Managing Personal Stress : Thought Control

Upsetting Thoughts “That child is a monster. This is getting ridiculous. He’ll never change.” “I’m sick of putting out fires!” “I wonder if Walmart is hiring?” Calming Thoughts “This child is testing to see where the limits are. My job is to stay calm and help him learn better ways to behave.” “I can handle this. I am in control. They have just learned some powerful ways to get control. I will teach them more appropriate ways to behave.” “I feel undervalued right now – I need to seek support from my peers and supervisor.”

Adapted from Webster-Stratton, 1999

Managing Personal Stress : Thought Control

Upsetting Thoughts Calming Thoughts “He ruins everything! This is going to be the worst year of my career” “Having him in my class is going to be a wonderful Professional Development experience.”

Building Positive Relationships with Children

Age 2 Non pervasive Child Behavior Problems at Home Parent Criticism & Discipline Difficulties

Ripple Effects (adapted from C. Webster-Stratton, 1997)

Age 3-6 Behavior Problems at Home Behavior Problems at School Parent Discouragement & Isolation from School Peer Rejection Ineffective Teaching Practices Age 7-8 Pervasive Antisocial Behavior & Academic Failure Negative Reputation at School Negative Reputation Of Child within Community of Parents Parent Isolation & Depression Child Depression Poor Home School Connections School Expulsion Deviant Peer Group

Program-wide Positive Behavior Support

Individualized Interventions Social Emotional Curriculum/Instruction Creating Supportive Environments Positive Relationships with children, families and colleagues

Fox, Dunlap, Hemmeter, Joseph, & Strain, 2003

Supportive Environments: The Big Picture

• • •

This is a place you can trust

– Safe – Predictable – Helpful

This is a caring place

– Relationships – Recognizing and responding to emotions

You belong here, We belong here

– Uniqueness, diversity, individuality – Community, caring working together – Developing an ethos of friendship

Designing Supportive Environments

• • • •

Classroom arrangement Schedule Transitions Activities and experiences

Classroom Arrangement

• • •

Classroom is designed with a variety of areas with easily viewed boundaries Avoid wide open spaces Materials are organized and in good working order – before children arrive

Schedule

• • •

Consistent and predictable schedule is available in a developmentally appropriate way Alternate active and vigorous activities with less active experiences Addresses social emotional skills

Transitions

•

Eliminate unnecessary transitions and wait time

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Teach the expectations during transition time

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Use pictures and other consistent and salient cues

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Provide choices

Interactions

•

Adult-adult interactions

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Model positive social skills

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Adult-child interactions

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Catch ‘em being good!

Identifying the Teachable Moments

Identifying Teachable Moments

Identifying Teachable Moments

Teach Me What to Do Instead

• • • • •

Following rules, routines and directions Identifying feelings in self and others Controlling anger and impulse Problem solving Friendship skills

Following rules, routines and directions

• • • •

Have a few simple rules for the classroom Involve the children in developing the rules Teach the rules systematically Reinforce the rules at high rates at the beginning and at lower rates throughout the year

Sample Rules

– Share materials – Use an inside voice – Listen to the teacher – Touch gently – Use walking feet

   

Show me five!

Emotional Literacy

• Emotional Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, and express emotions in a healthy way.

Children with a strong foundation in emotional literacy:

• tolerate frustration better, • get into fewer fights, • engage in less self-destructive behavior, • are healthier, • less lonely, • less impulsive, • more focused, and • they have greater academic achievement.

Identifying feelings in Self and others

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Increasing emotional vocabularies

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Learning how to recognize feelings in self and others

• •

Emotional regulation (i.e., “calm down”) Empathy training

Increasing Feeling Vocabularies

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Direct teaching

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Incidental teaching

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Use children’s literature

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Use songs and games

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Play “How would you feel if?”

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Checking in

•

Feeling dice and feeling wheels

Feeling Wheel

Identifying feelings in Self and others

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Learning to recognize how someone else is feeling

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Facial cues

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Body language

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Tone of voice

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Situational cues

Identifying feelings in Self and others

•

Increasing emotional vocabularies

•

Learning how to recognize feelings in self and others

• •

Emotional regulation (i.e., “calm down”) Empathy training

Relaxation thermometer

Adapted from Incredible Years Dinosaur School Take 3 deep breaths…1 ..2..3

Take a Deep Breath Smell the flowers Blow out the candle

Relaxation thermometer*

*Source: Incredible Years Photo by Carolyn Webster-Stratton

4. Generating of solutions 5. Making a decision 3. Clarifying of interpersonal goals 2. Interpreting of Affective Cues

•cause •intent

1. Reading of Affective Cues

•self •others

6. Acting on decision

Joseph & Strain, 2003

Controlling anger and handling disappointment

• • •

Recognizing that anger can interfere with thinking Recognizing anger in oneself and others Managing anger and controlling impulse (the turtle technique)

Feeling finger prints*

*Source: Elias and Tobias Photo by Carolyn Webster-Stratton

Turtle Steps

*Source: Incredible Years Photo by Carolyn Webster-Stratton

Turtle Shells

*Source: Incredible Years Photo by Carolyn Webster-Stratton

*Source: Incredible Years Photo by Carolyn Webster-Stratton

Red = Anger, STOP Yellow = Feeling Uncomfortable, Be cautious Green = Good, Go ahead

Handling disappointment • Teach

(“maybe next time”)

• Prepare

(“I can only choose one person to be my helper”)

• Prime

(“If I don’t choose you and you feel disappointed, what can you do?”)

• Reinforce

(“Wow, you really handled that well! Way to go!”)

Reinforce Social Emotional Skills in Informal and Formal Ways

•

Informal

Hugs, high fives, praise, winks, smiles, thumbs-up •

Formal

Certificates/ Notes home “Blast off” Friendship Loops Nobel Peace Prize Superfriend Cape

Friendship Loops

Strategies for Developing Friendship Skills

• • • • • • • •

Modeling principles Modeling with video /puppets Preparing peer partner Buddy system Priming Suggesting play ideas Direct modeling Reinforcement

Friendship skills

• • • • •

How to give suggestions (play organizers) Turn taking Understanding how and when to give an apology Sharing toys and other materials Being helpful

Friendship skills

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Learning alternative responses to being teased, bullied or yelled at

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Saying nice things

• •

www.csefel.uiuc.edu

www.challengingbehavior.org

ELO for Alex Arrival

Initiating with a peer Problem Solving

Alex is the greeter (17)

Identifying Emotions Sharing/ Taking turns

Share his cubby with a peer As greeter, help children “check in” One pen for check in Circle Collect names Free Choice “Buddy Play day” Snack Snack Helper Can’t find calendar number; one too few carpet squares Sing Happy and You Know it, Read On Monday when it rained Hand out materials Limit number of children at sensory table/have Alex choose an area last Feeling Face Bingo at Literacy Corner/Mirror play Marble maze at Table Toys Put one unsliced apple on table Make fruit/vegetable faces One pitcher of juice and small cups Outside Teeter totter, bat & glove, parachute Only put out one tricycle Statue tag In charge of water pitcher and cups

It isn’t “either”/ “or” Integrating Emotional and Early Literacy

•Social stories •Write about children’s emotions (dictation) •Have word cards available with emotion words and pictures •Read children’s books and discuss characters’ problems/solutions •Read children’s books about emotions