A Positive Approach to Understanding and Addressing Challenging Behaviors
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 378 758 EC 303 656 AUTHOR Topper, Karen; And Others TITLE A Positive Approach to Understanding and Addressing Challenging Behaviors. Supporting Educators and Families To Include Students with Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties in Regular Education. INSTITUTION Vermont State Dept. of Education, Montpelier.; Vermont Univ., Burlington. CenteL for Developmental Disabilities. SPONS AGENCY Department of Education, Washington, DC. PUB DATE Jan 94 CONTRACT H086J80005; H086410005 NOTE 112p. PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Behavior Change; *Behavior Disorders; Behavior Problems; *Classroom Techniques; Elementary Secondary Education; *Emotional Disturbances; Inclusive Schools; Mainstreaming; Parent Teacher Cooperation; Problem Solving; Social Integration; Student Behavior; Student Evaluation; Teacher Student Relationship; Teamwork IDENTIFIERS *Behavior Management ABSTRACT This manual is intended to help educators and families address students' behavioral problems so that students with emotional and behavioral difficulties can be included in regular education. Chapter 1is an introduction and uses vignettes to identify supports that students, educators, and families say they need. Chapter 2 offers case studies on how to devise a support plan for students with challenging behavior. A team approach is emphasized. The third chapter focuses on establishing the collaborative team. It provides checklists for educators and families, identifies who should be on the team, and considers how such teams make decisions and solve problems. Chapter 4 considers the importance of getting to know the student and understanding the problem behavior's functions. The fifth chapter offers suggestions for identifying student supports, including ways to facilitate students supporting each other and the effects of various teaching styles. The selection and teaching of replacement behaviors are discussed in the sixth chapter. Chapter 7 looks at the importance of appropriately responding to challenging behaviors, noting the effects of emotion, school discipline policies, and the meed to neutralize a tense situation and refocus students. The final chapter focuses on specific ways to include students with challenging behavior in regular class activities, monitor progress, and plan transitions. Attached is a list of 84 recommended resources. (Contains 18 endnotes.) (DB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. **************************************************************k******** A PositiveApproachto UnderstandingandAddressing ChallengingBehaviors SupportingEducators andFamilies to Include Studentswith Emotional andBehavioralDifficulties in RegularEducation U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION Karen Topper CENTER (ERIC) 1:14is document hasbeen reproduced as received from the person or organizabon originating it Wes Williams Ti Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quatity o Porn!s of view or optmonS stated in this a0Cu Kelly Leo ment do not necessarily represent ogiciai OERI position or policy Ruth Hamilton Tim Fox January 1994 The University AffiliatedProgram of Vermont Center for DevelopmentalDisabilities 499C Waterman Building University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont05405 (802) 656-4031 The development of this manualwas supported by Vermont's Department of Education, Vermont's BestPractices for Educating Students with Emotional Disturbancewithin their Local Public "cheek and Communities (Grant No. H01164!COOS at the U.S. Department of Education) and Vermont'sStatewide Systems Support Protect of Education). However, the (Grant No. H086160005 of the U.S.Department opinions expressed herein donet necessarily reflect the position Departments of Education and of the U.S. or Vermont's no official endorsement by them shouldbe inferred. 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 111 Acknowledgments Many thanks to the families, educators, studentsand their classmates who have candidly described their experiences and sharedtheir wisdom about including students with emotional and behavioraldifficulties in regular classrooms. They have refined our ability to listen andcompromise. Thanks also to: Steve Broer, Lu Christie, Susan Culbert,Caroline Friedman and Linda lnasuka for their invaluable contributions tothe projects associ- ated with this manual (Statewide Systems Changeand the Utilization of Best Educational Practices for Students withEmotional and Behavioral Dis- turbance). Particular thanks go to Julie Welkowitzand Susan Yuan for their thoughtful review and comments on various drafts. Wealso would like to thank Wanda Joyce for her tolerance and hard work inpreparing this manual. And finally, we appreciate the support fromthe Vermont Depart- ment of Education which enabled us towrite about experiences creating supports for students and their families. 11/ 111 Table of Contents 111 Chapter 1Introduction 1 Is the Process Only Intended for Students Who Present Intensive Behavior Challenges? 1 What Joseph Has to Say 2 What Supports Do Students Say They Need 6 What Diana Has to Say 8 What Supports Do Educators Say They Need? 13 What Alicia Has to Say 14 What Supports Do Families Say They Need? What Makes Support Plans Work? 18 II Chapter 2 Case Studieson How to Devise a Support IN Plan for Students with Challenging Behavior 21 Case Study #1: Malcolm's Story 21 Team's Approach 21 Lessons Learned 22 Case Study #2: Allison's Story 24 Team's Approach and Lessons Learned 25 Let's Talk About How to Devise a Student Support Plan for Students with Challenging Behavior 25 111 Chapter 3 Establisha Team 29 Introduction 29 Collaborative Checklist for Educators 29 Collaborative Checklist for Families 30 Collaborative Checklist for All Team Members 30 What Is a Collaborative Team? 30 Who Should Be on the Team? 31 Who Else Should Be on the Student Support Team? 33 How Do Collaborative Support Teams Make Decisions? 35 How Do Collaborative Support Teams Solve Problems? 35 1 HI How Do We Brainstorm? 35 How Do Collaborative Teams Deal with Controversial Issues? 36 111 Chapter 4 Getting to Know the Student 39 Identify Student Strengths and Needs 39 How Should the Challenging Behaviors BeDescribed? 42 How Can What Precedes the Behavior BeIdentified? 45 How Can What Follows the Behavior BeIdentified? 46 What Needs Do Challenging BehaviorsCommunicate? 46 How Can the Needs the ChallengingBehavior Communicates Be Identified? 48 111 Chapter 5 Identify Student Supports 57 Are There Any Guidelines forSelecting Support Strategies? 57 How Can We Facilitate StudentsSupporting Each Other? 63 Are There Specific Approaches forDeveloping Friendships and Support? 64 Can the Way in Which the Teacher Communicates with Students Provide Support? 66 Are There Teaching Styles Which Support Preventing Challenging Behavior? 69 How Does a Teacher Who Uses a Democratic Teaching Style Respond to Challenging Behavior? 70 I Chapter 6 Select and Teach Replacement Behavior 71 What are Replacement Behaviors? 71 What are Some Guidelines for Selecting Repiacement Behavior? 71 What are Some Strategies forTeaching Replacement Behavior? 72 Are There Other Skills Which Should BeAddressed? 73 Are Their Specific Approaches for Teaching Prosocial Skills? 76 What are Some Common Strategies Used to Teach Students to Regulate Their OwnBehavior? 76 Are There Prosocial Skill CurriculumsWhich Address Teaching Students to Manageand Evaluate Themselves? 78 ..1111 Chapter 7 Respondingto Challenging Behavior 81 Introduction 81 How Do Emotions and Anxiety Affect Responding to Challenging Behavior? 81 How Do School Discipline Policies Impacton Selecting Effective Responding Strategies? 82 Responding to Challenging Behavior 82 How Can a Situation Be Neutralized or Calmed? 84 How Can Students Be Refocused? 84 How Can Student Efforts to Turn a Situation Around Be Encouraged? 87 How Can You Respond When Students Are Out of Control? 87 Chapter 8 Including Students with Challenging Behavior in Regular Class Activities, Monitoring 1Progress, and Planning Transitions 91 Including Students in Regular Class Activities 91 How Do We Plan to Meet Students' Needs Within Regular Class Activities? 92 How Can Progress Be Monitored? 93 How Can Team Functioning Be Monitored? 94 How Can Transitions Be Planned? 94 Conclusions 95 II For More Information 97 Rational/Philosophy 97 Collaborative Teaming 98 Friendship and Peer Support Strategies 99 Meeting Support Needs 100 Planning for Inclusion 101 Functional Assessment 102 Teaching Prosocial Skills 102 Self-Esteem 103 Grading 103 IIIEndnotes 105 Chapter 1 iii11111111111simssaas Introduction We believe that all kids, regardless of whetheror not they present challeng- ing behavior, need to be supported to feel good about themselves,to feel good about school, and to feel that they belong in their families,schools and communities. We have found that simply providingopportunities for all students to be *present" at school is not sufficient forpromoting student belonging. For belonging to occur, students and their teachersmust be supported. Opportunities must be created for students to participatein meaningful ways and to make friendships. For every studentto belong, educators must strive to find a way to help all students to havepower and worth as individuals and as a group member. Despite the volumes published on addressing challenging behaviors, many families