Positive Attitude!

I went to a CDS Networking Meeting today, and learned some things about challenging behaviors and children with developmental disabilities.  There are three parts to addressing and solving behavior issues amongst students with CD, LD, or EBD.

Part one:  Attitude Attitude Attitude
Contrary to what you may have initially thought, this section refers to the teacher's attitude, and not the student's "problem" attitude.  When dealing with challenging behaviors hour after hour, day after day, we have to remember that our attitudes as educators is a contributor to the actions and reactions our students may display.  Here are some strategies that may be helpful in achieving this goal:

-Focus on the future, rather than the past
-Focus on solution, rather than the problem
-Use humor to boost morale
-Address issue then create a diversion for yourself
-Take a time out
-Exercise
-Eat foods that are good for you
-Get enough sleep at night
-Remember to be thankful :)

Avoid saying "no."  When possible, turn each no into a positive comment or reaction.  Let the student know that you hear them, but redirect to help them accomplish the task before them.

Example:  Student runs through the halls.  Instead of saying "NO, we do not run in school!" say, "I love to see you using your legs like that, but it is not appropriate or safe when we are in school.  Please show me how you can walk."  Sounds easy...but is it?  This is something that I will be trying in my own classroom, and I will let you know how it goes!

Part two:  Support Teams
Support teams are people who work with the student with challenging behaviors.  The members of the support team can include, but is not limited to, special education teacher, aids, general education teacher, therapists, and parents.  The job of the team is to observe the antecedent and reaction and to learn how to better support the student.  At times, the team may develop support plans which remove stimulus that could be causing or harmful to the acting out student.  Once a team is developed, meetings are generally held to discuss observations and found successes.  It is important to, again, keep morale among the support team positive and child-centered.

Part three:  Considerations
There are many considerations we need to keep in mind when addressing challenging behaviors.  One of them is how the child's disability affects his/her behavior.  Take the time to research (even if it's not indepth) the child's disability and what teaching strategies are proven to work.  You may then want to share this information with team members.  Another consideration is a child's environment (school, daycare, home, etc.), and how this may effect their success when in the classroom.  Questions you may want to ask yourself when a child is acting out include:

-What has the child eaten today?
-Is the child tired?
-Has the child been exposed to inappropriate behavior?
-Does the child have structure/discipline in other environments?

These topics need to be addressed before considering behavior modification because if the behavior stems from it, EASY FIX!  If not, the team needs to be informed and jump on the behavior modification band wagon.  In order to make behaivor mod. work, support team members need to be open minded, creative, and positive Positive, POSITIVE.  Also, always remember that behavior modification needs to be realistic and reward positive behaviors.

Remember that there are no quick fixes when dealing with challenging behaviors, and change is slow.

I feel as though I learned a lot at this meeting, and the wheels are already turning as to how I can incorporate these strategies into my every day teaching.  The information I rehashed here is from Paul White of the Waisman Center located out of Madison.