Reach for the Reach for the StarsStars

Challenging behaviors

• Interfere with children’s learning, development and/or play

• Are harmful to the child or others around them

• Put the child at risk for future social and school challenges

• Confidence• Ability to develop positive and healthy

relationships with peers and adults• Concentration and persistence on

challenging tasks• Ability to effectively communicate

emotions• Ability to listen to instructions and be

attentive• Ability to solve social problems

Skills children need to succeed

• Challenging behavior usually has a message (I am bored, I am sad, you hurt my feelings, I need some attention)

• Children often use challenging behavior when they don’t have the social or communication skills they need to engage in more appropriate interactions

• Behavior that persists over time is usually working for the child

• We need to focus on teaching children what to do in place of the challenging behavior

What we know…

Promoting children’s success

• Create an environment where EVERY child feels good about coming to school

• Design an environment that promotes child engagement

• Focus on teaching children what to do!– Teach expectations and routines– Teach skills that children can use in place

of challenging behaviors

Major Messages

• The 1st and most important thing we can do is build positive relationships

• Focus on prevention and teaching appropriate skills

• Promoting social emotional development is not easy. There are no quick fixes to challenging behavior

• It requires a comprehensive approach that includes building relationships, evaluating our own classrooms and behaviors and TEACHING

• Helps children feel accepted in the group• Assists children and learning to

communicate get along with others• Encourages feelings of empathy and

mutual respect among children and adults

• Provides a supportive environment in which children can learn practice appropriate and acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a group

Building relationships

Ideas for making deposits

• Greet each child by name as they arrive• Post children’s work around the room• Have a “star” of the week• Allow children to bring in items from

home and share during circle time• Call it the child’s parent in front of them

to say what a great day they are having• Call a child after a difficult day and say,

“I’m sorry we had a tough day today. I know tomorrow will be better”

Ideas for making deposits

• Give hugs, high-fives and thumbs up for accomplishing tasks• When they are absent, tell them how

much you missed them• Write on a T-shirt all the special things

about a given child and let them wear it• Find out a child’s favorite book and

read it to the whole class• Play with children, following their lead• Have children create an “All About Me”

book and share them at circle time

Traffic patterns:• Minimize large open spaces• Minimize obstacles and other

hazards• Consider the needs of children with

physical and sensory disabilities

Classroom arrangement and design

Learning Centers: Physical Design• Clear boundaries• Visibility• Visual prompts when centers are not an

option• Adequate number of centers• Size and location of centers• Number of children in centers• Organization of materials• Preparation of centers

Classroom arrangement and design

Learning Centers:• Create meaningful and engaging

learning centers that: – Are relevant to children’s needs,

interests and lives– Are highly engaging and interesting– Provide a variety of materials in each

center– Are changed and rotated on a regular

basis

Classroom arrangement and design

Schedules and routines

Develop a schedule that promotes child engagement and success. To do this:

• Balance activities– Active and quiet– Small group and large group– Teacher directed and child directed

• Teach children the schedule• Establish a routine and follow it consistently

– When changes are necessary, prepare children ahead of time

Plan for transitions• Minimize the number of transitions that children have

during the day.• Minimize the length of time children spend waiting

with nothing to do.• Prepare children for transitions by providing a

warning.• Structure the transitions so that children have

something to do while they wait.• Teach children the expectations related to transitions.• Individualize supports and cues.

Transitions

• Make sure you have the children’s attention before you give the direction

• Minimize the number directions given• Individualize the way directions are

given• Give clear directions

Giving directions

Giving directions

• Give directions that are positive• Give children the opportunity to

respond to a direction• When appropriate, give the child

choices and options for following directions

• Follow through with positive acknowledgment of children’s behavior

• Few and simple• Involve the children in developing• Post visually• Teach them systematically• They generally address:– Noise level– Movement inside– Interactions with property– Interactions with adults– Interactions with peers

General guidelines for rules

• Give children attention when they’re engaging inappropriate behaviors

• Monitor our behavior to ensure that we’re spending more time using positive, productive language and less time giving directions or correcting inappropriate behavior

Ongoing monitoring and positive attention

Positive Feedback and Encouragement

1. Contingent on appropriate behavior2. Descriptive3. Conveyed with enthusiasm4. Contingent on effort

Using positive feedback and encouragement

• Use both verbal and nonverbal forms • Individualized use based on child’s

needs and preferences• Encourage other adults and peers to

use positive feedback and encouragement

Stages of Learning

• Acquisition – new skill or concept• Fluency – the ability to immediately

use the skill or concept without a prompt

• Maintenance – continuing to use the skill or concept over time

• Generalization – applying the skill or concept to new situations, people, activities, ideas, and settings

Play Organizers

• Describe skill– Get a friend’s attention– Give a friend a toy– Offer suggestions of what to do with

toys/materials• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Sharing

• Describe skill– Child has materials– Offers or responds to request from peer

for materials• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Being Helpful – Team Player

• Describe skill– Children might assist each other– Tell or show a friend how to do

something– Assist a friend in distress

• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Taking Turns

• Describe skill– “You take a turn, I take a turn”– Might ask for a turn with a toy– Might initiate turn taking games

• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Giving Compliments

• Describe skill– Verbal – say things like: “Good job _____!

or I like the way you _____!”– Physical – Do things like: Hug, pat on the

shoulder, high five• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Knowing How & When to Apologize

• Describe skill– Children might say, “I’m sorry I hit you

when you took my ball.”– “I didn’t mean to push you.”

• Demonstrate skill• Practice• Promote

Setting the Stage for Friendship

• Inclusive setting• Cooperative use toys• Embed opportunities• Social interaction goals and

objectives• Atmosphere of friendship

Strategies for Developing Friendship Skills

• Modeling • Preparing peer partners• Buddy system• Reinforcement

Activities to Support Friendship Skill Development

• Friendship Can• Planting Seeds of Friendship• Friendship Tree/Compliment Tree• Books about Friendships• Friendship Quilt• Friendship Journal• Music/Songs