Restorative Relationships with
Students who Display
Challenging Behavior
presented by:
and
Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support
Center
• From the NYS PBIS TAC & the RSE-TASC
• Details…
1. registration
2. handouts
3. restrooms, breaks, lunch
4. evaluations
PBIS Training Expectations
EXPECTATION
BEHAVIOR
BE
RESPONSIBLE
 Make yourself comfortable
 Take care of your needs
 Return quickly and quietly
 Tell us your questions
BE
RESPECTFUL
 Turn cell phones off or to “vibrate”
 Listen to others attentively
 Contribute to the team
 Follow up on assigned tasks
BE
ENGAGED
 Share your passion
 Take notes
 Plan with your team
 Have FUN!!!!
3
Resources - Flash drive
Training Objectives
• Establishing and maintaining restorative relationships
with all students;
• Developing a road map for teachers that provides a
sound theory of the problem behavior and the
proposed solution and guides planning for and
responding to students’ challenging behaviors;
• Utilizing moments of conflict to teach coping skills;
and
• Holding students accountable without damaging
teacher/student relationships or students’ dignity.
Layering Supports for a Cumulative Effect
A Systems Perspective
Additional Individualized Supports
for a Few Students
Additional Targeted Supports
for Some Students
Universal Behavioral Supports
for All Students
A Brief Self-Assessment
 Have you worked directly
with students who exhibited
extremely troubled and
troubling behavior in the
school?
 Has such a student’s
resistance to your
intervention attempts ever
made you feel helpless and
hopeless?
 Have you ever felt judged by
others because you were
unable to effect the desired
change in a students
troubling behavior?
 Has the student’s persistent
troubling behavior ever
created stress and/or conflict
between you and your
colleagues?
 Have you ever found yourself
saying to yourself “it’s not my
fault --- if only so and so
would do thus and such”?
 Have you ever convinced
yourself that a certain
student’s needs exceed what
your program can offer and
that their needs would best
be met elsewhere ….. in some
other program ………..
preferably far away?
• Challenging behaviors are not a sole product of
•
•
•
•
•
•
Biology
Families
Social Factors
School Factors
Cultural Factors
Socio-economic Factors
But…
A complex interaction between all these factors.
To understand how the contributing factors in
the child’s life interact, you need to establish and
maintain a relationship with the child.
CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS ARE
OVERT EXPRESSIONS
OF COVERT THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

Student’s best attempt to cope
with the environmental
demands and their own
thoughts and feelings

A learned response

A strategy to escape from
uncomfortable cognitive
dissonance (conflict)

A tool to bring a self-fulfilling
prophecy to fruition
Observable Behavior
Thoughts
Feelings
Emotions
Perceptions
Triggers
Outside life events
Reciprocal Determinism (Triadic Reciprocality)
Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory
• Emotional Regulation
• Perceptual Selectivity/
Cognitive Bias
• Executive Function
• Reflective Function
• Self-efficacy Beliefs
• Biological Events
Private
Variables
Overt
Behavior
• Observable Actions
• Physical Conditions
• Behavior of Others
• Social and Cultural Norms
Environment
Observable Signs of Potential Trauma that
Manifest as Challenging Behavior
Hyper-vigilance / Alertness
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wary and guarded facial affect
Issues around “fairness”
Distrustful and suspicious
Argumentative
Uncomfortable in crowds or large
groups
May refuse to join a large group
situation
May refuse to walk in line
In large group situations, hits pushes,
touches or grabs others
Self-‐Protection and Control
May feel helpless due to past
victimization
Learned helplessness and control of
adults through dependence
Refuses or only partially follows
directions
Justifies harmful behaviors
Displays passive-‐aggressive behavior
Need to save face/appear strong or
smart
Plays adults off of one another
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hyper-‐arousal
Abandonment Issues
•
•
•
•
Clingy or dependent
May be unusually friendly with
strangers
Accuses adult of insufficient care/support
Tendency to try and control adults in
life, or cause them to reject him/her
•
Easily agitated and angered (fight
or flight response) by:
• Perceived slights or unfairness
threatening
• Perceptions of others affect and
nonverbal body language
• Performance and compliance
demands
HOW DOES CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR
AFFECT A CHILD?

Contributes to difficulties in the following domains:
 Academic
 Behavioral
 Social

Impacts short-and long-term outcomes:
 Post-secondary Education
 Employment
 Incarceration
 Relationships
 Mental Health Concerns
Path to Negative Long-Term Outcomes
for At-Risk Children & Youth
Outcome Trajectory for Students with Troubling Behavior
T
R
O
U
B
L
I
N
G
 Intensive intervention
O
U
T
C
O
M
E
S
needed to alter trajectory
TIME
Quick Reflection
• Think of one student
who presented you with
especially challenging
behavior and with
whom you struggled
and were less than
successful in the end
• What would you have
needed to be more
successful?
• What strengths do you
have that you brought to
bear on the situation?
Some Working Assumptions…
• Challenging behavior does not occur in a vacuum, it manifests
itself in the context of interpersonal relationships.
• Relationship deterioration may even be considered an outcome
students with challenging behavior actively seek.
• Deterioration of interpersonal relationships leads to increasing
social marginalization and disenfranchisement over time.
• Needed repair and reclaiming work occurs in the context of
sustained positive relationships.
• Sustaining positive relationships with students with challenging
behavior requires the adult to skillfully do a grossly
disproportionate amount of the work, without which the
relationship will fail and the behavior will persist.
 It’s
relationships, not
programs that change children
. . . Young people thrive when
adults care about them on a
one-to-one level, and when
they have a sense of belonging
to a caring community.
• Bill Millike
• Founder of Community in Schools
Teacher/Student Relationships
•
Teacher/Student relationships
characterized by “closeness”
predict improved outcomes in
academic performance, school
adjustment, social skills and
competence and school
engagement.
•
Positive and substantive
teacher/child relationships are an
especially powerful protective
factor and predictor of improved
outcomes for students who display
behavior problems and for
students of color.
•
Essentially, the reverse of the
previous two observations is true
for teacher/student relationships
characterized by “conflict”
Contributors to Student
Achievement Outcomes
Peart & Campbell (1999)
Ways to Build Teacher-Student Relationships
•
Greet them at the door every morning with a handshake, eye contact, a smile, and a "Good
morning, (first name).”
•
Communicate positive and high expectations
•
Interview/survey students about interests/home life
•
Give assignments that focus on sharing experiences
•
Provide opportunities for journal writing and respond with personal notes
•
Include opportunities for social emotional learning
•
Hold student centered classroom discussions
•
Call on students equitably
•
Provide opportunities for the student to “teach”
•
Display student work
•
Use appropriate humor (i.e. limit sarcasm)
•
Be consistent with expectations
•
Utilize positive body language
Ways to Build Teacher-Student Relationships
•
Call parents to share celebrations in front of the student
•
Celebrate their achievements privately
•
Use appropriate touch (i.e. high five, fist pump)
•
Actively listen to students and empathize
•
Give positive feedback/compliments (4:1 ratio)
•
Attend extracurricular activities featuring your students
•
Attend events in your student’s community
•
Share your life with your students (in appropriate ways)
•
Regularly say aloud to the students: "I'm glad you're here," "I'm so happy you're part of our
class," "It's great to see you today," "I care about you," "I want to help you succeed.“
•
Have lunch with a few kids every once in awhile
•
Deliver consequences with empathy
Professional Expertise
Think Pair Share
• Pick a partner
• Share 5 unique ways
that you have used to
develop relationships
with your students
• Be ready to share out to
the entire group at least
1-2 different ways to
connect with students
Peace Circles
Purpose of Peace Circles
•
To build community within
the student population
•
To help students learn
about the school culture
and traditions and develop
a sense of belonging at
their school
•
To create an opportunity
for all peace circle
participants to get to know
each other.
Set – up
• Students and adults sit in a circle
• An object is selected as the talking piece
• The topic for discussion is shared
• The person with the talking piece is the
only speaker
• Everyone is given a chance to speak at least
once and has the ability to pass
• The talking piece is passed again and
individuals can make connections to what
previous speakers have said
Let’s Form a Peace Circle
• Form a circle with a group of 5-6 other adults
• Pick an object to be the talking piece
• Go around the circle once and talk about a time
that you were able to make a connection to a
student who was having a difficult time
• Go around the circle a second time and make a
connection to something someone else in the circle
shared
COMING UP..
THE CONFLICT CYCLE
THE BEHAVIOR ESCALATION
MODEL
HOW TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS
WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR
The Student’s Conflict
Cycle
“Stress arouses feelings.
Feelings trigger
behavior. Behavior
incites others. Others
increase stress. And
around it goes!” ~ Wood &
Long, 1991
Event
The Conflict Cycle
Stress
Environmental
Reaction
Emotional &
Cognitive
Reaction
Incident
Overt Behavior
Stress
Environmental
Reaction
Emotional &
Cognitive
Reaction
Crisis
Overt Behavior
Stress
How a minor interpersonal
incident escalates into a crisis
Environmental
Reaction
Emotional &
Cognitive
Reaction
Overt Behavior
The Conflict Cycle
 Watch the following clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTeYncx1xmI

What is the stressful incident or trigger for this incident?

What is the student’s feeling?

What is the student’s observable behavior?

What is the adult’s reaction?

What happens as a result of this conflict playing out?
Effect on student?
 Effect on teacher?
 Effect on other students that are present?

The Conflict Cycle
1. A stressful incident occurs (i.e., frustration, failure) which ACTIVATES a troubled student’s
irrational beliefs (i.e., "Nothing good ever happens to me!" "Adults are unfair.").
2. These negative thoughts determine and trigger his feelings.
3. His feelings and not his rational forces DRIVE his inappropriate behavior.
4. His inappropriate behaviors (yelling, threatening, sarcasm, refusing to speak) INCITE
adults.
5. Adults not only pick up the student’s feelings, but also they frequently MIRROR his
behaviors (yell back, threaten, etc.)
6. This negative adult REACTION increases the student’s stress escalating the conflict into a
self-defeating power struggle.
7. Although the student may lose the battle (i.e., he is punished), he wins the war! His SELF-
FULFILLING PROPHECY (i.e. irrational belief) is REINFORCED and therefore, he has no
motivation to change or alter his beliefs or his inappropriate behaviors.
Possible Outcomes of Teacher/Student Conflict
 Most troubled students want to
tell their story but lack the
necessary skills and trust
Staff-Student
Relationship
IMPROVED
Staff-Student
Relationship
UNCHANGE
D
Staff-Student
Relationship
DAMAGED
 Many have a self-fulfilling
prophecy that positive
relationships with adults are not
possible
 Rather than wait passively for that
to occur, they turn passive into
active and introduce toxicity into
the relationship via their behavior
 Untrained adults accept these
expert invitations to conflict
because they lack the necessary
insight and skill to prevent this
pattern from occurring
Breaking the Conflict Cycle
•
Knowledge of the Conflict Cycle enables us to….
– Raise our own conscious awareness of how a student in stress can create that
stress in us and incite us to respond in a way that brings the student’s selffulfilling prophecy to fruition, damages the teacher/student relationship and
contributes to the continuation of the students troubling trajectory
– Raises our awareness that the feelings the student is creating in us are the
very same feelings with which they are, themselves, struggling
– Allows us to avoid unproductive power struggles in which we may appear to
win based on our adult authority, but which really only serve to perpetuate
the problem
Next we can examine how behavior escalates and how we
can intervene before the conflict develops into a crisis…..
The Basic Behavioral Escalation Model
High
Behavior Intensity
Peak
Low
Acceleration
De-escalation
Agitation
Calm
Trigger
Recovery
Time
CALM
Looks like….
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cooperative and engageable
Accepts feedback
Follows directions
Sets personal goals
Ignores distractions
Accepts praise
Strategies….
• Conduct FBA and create a BIP
• Identify & manipulate triggers
& maintainers
• Teach competing alternative
• Engage in frequent successful
interactions
• Teach social skills
• Problem solving & relaxation
• Reinforce positively
• Set high expectations
TRIGGER
Looks like….
• Responding to series of
UNRESOLVED CONFLICTS
or CHALLENGES
• DESCRIBED as
• Anxious
• Hyper
• Distracted
• Figidity
Strategies….
• PREVENT & REDIRECT
• Remember function
• Modify context
• Remove from context
• Increase opportunities to
succeed
• Reinforce social skills
AGITATION
Looks like….
• INCREASED UNFOCUSED
BEHAVIOR
• Off task
• Frequent start-stop
• In-out seat
• Increased or decreased talking
& interactions
• Social &/or academic
withdrawal
Strategies….
• REDUCE ANXIETY (offer a break)
• Consider function
• Make structural/environmental
changes
• Provide reasonable options &
choices
• Involve in successful engagement
• Practice social skill
ACCELERATION
Looks like….
• Switch to intensive
FOCUSED BEHAVIOR
• Non-compliance
• Provocation
• Harassment
• Threatening
• Personal
Strategies….
• Intervene w/ FOCUS ON
SAFETY
• Remove all triggers &
maintainers
• Follow PLANNED crisis
prevention & bottom
line procedures
• Disengage from student
• Monitor continuously
PEAK
Looks like….
• OUT OF CONTROL
• MOST severe behavior
• Physical aggression
• Property destruction
• Self-injury
• Escape/social withdrawal
• Hyperventalation
• Running away
Strategies….
• Focus on SAFETY
• Shift from crisis prevention to
INTERVENTION
• Follow planned procedures
DECELERATION
Looks like….
• DECREASES in SEVERE BEHAVIOR
• Easily RE-ESCALATED
• CONFUSION
• Blaming others
• Denial
• Social & physical withdrawal
• Justification/minimization of
situation
Strategies….
• MINIMIZE DEMANDS & ATTENTION
• STRATEGIES
• Don’t nag
• Avoid blaming
• Don’t force apology
• Consider function & replacement
behavior
• Emphasize start anew
• Affirm student
RECOVERY
Looks like….
• Attempts to RE-ENGAGE, but
NON-INTERACTIVE
• Attempts corrections
• Watch group activities
• Work alone
• Social withdrawal
• Sleep
Strategies….
• RESTATE & FOLLOWTHROUGH w/ consequences
• Positively reinforce any
displays of appropriate
behavior
• Re-establish routines &
activities
• Debrief
Intervention
 Now let’s try to identify the stages of the acting out behavior
in the following scenario:







Calm
Trigger
Agitation
Acceleration
Peak
De-escalation
Recovery
Claudia
 Claudia walked into the school building with a scowl on her face. It was
quite obvious that she had not showered or changed her clothing from
the previous day. She entered the breakfast room and sat in the far left
corner, alone. As she got up to get her breakfast, she shouted at Diane.
“Leave me the f@#! alone!” As she walked back to her seat with her
breakfast, she suddenly stopped and threw her breakfast tray at Diane,
hitting her in the leg with her food. Diane jumped out of her chair, ran
over to Claudia, and struck her in the face with her fist. The fight
escalated and it took three staff members to separate them. A teacher
observed the fight and asked Claudia to come to her office. She
reluctantly came but yelled the whole way, “Who the f@#! does she
think she is? I’m going get that b@#*$! Why’d she smack me upside my
head? Wait till I get her outside! You’ll see which one of us starts
crying!” The teacher took Claudia to her office and asked her to have a
seat. Claudia complied and the teacher asked Claudia if she was hurt.
Claudia stated she was not. After sitting quietly for several minutes,
Claudia began to cry.
Stages
 Calm?
 Trigger?
 Agitation?
 Acceleration?
 Peak?
 De-escalation?
 We will talk about recovery separately.
Perceptions
 After identifying the stages:
 What are your perceptions of
Claudia?
 What are your perceptions
about the situation?
 How would you react to that
situation?
 Now.. lets look at some
background knowledge and
examine if your
perceptions change…
 Remember.. you only know
the TIP of the iceberg..
Background Information
• Claudia is a 15 year old
African American female who
lives with her biological
parents and two younger
siblings.
• At one time, the father left the
house because of accusations
of physical and verbal abuse.
• He has since moved back into
the home.
• Claudia has said on various
occasions that she hates her
father.
 Claudia also has a very serious
problem with personal hygiene.
 Unless she is reminded by the nurse,
she does not shower, change her
clothes, or brush her teeth on a
regular basis. As a result she is not
very popular with her peers.
 Claudia has a learning disability and
she is doing poorly in her studies.
 She is friendly toward other
youngsters but she constantly accuses
others of “picking on her.”
Intervening
 Let’s take a look at Claudia’s situation and think
about how we could have potentially prevented the
situation from escalating. We will examine/discuss
strategies at each phase of the acting out cycle.
 We will also talk about how we would manage the
situation if we were unable to stop the phases of the
acting out cycle.
Calm Phase Strategies
 Check in with student to see how they are feeling that day.
 Reinforce students who are complying with directions or
demonstrating appropriate behavior.
 Remind students of their goals for the day (i.e. remain in class,
follow directions, complete all work, get along with others).
 Offer support later or throughout the day in case the student does
not feel like talking at the moment.
 Use encouraging statements or appropriate signs of affection (pat
on the back, hug, high five).
Trigger Phase ~Your turn to intervene...
 “Claudia walked into the school building with a scowl on
her face. It was quite obvious that she had not showered or
changed her clothing from the previous day. She entered
the breakfast room and sat in the far left corner, alone.”
How could you potentially prevent this situation from
escalating?
 Be prepared to provide a justification for what strategy or
combination of strategies your team suggests.
Trigger Phase Strategies
 Identify potential triggers
 Remediate/Remove the trigger
to reduce anxiety, anger,
sadness etc.
 Pre-correction
 Anticipate the problem and
intervene before problem
behavior occurs
 Use proximity and calming body
language
 Active supervision of events
occurring
 Non-verbal behavior (pat on
the shoulder if appropriate,
head nods, pre-determined
signals)
 Collaborate with others
 Discuss with other professionals ways
to lessen the presence or effect of a
trigger
 Partner with the family to identify
different triggers that may stem from
the home environment and discuss
ways to intervene
 Model/prompt the youth to engage in the
appropriate behavior
 Reinforce the youth for making
appropriate decisions (no matter how
small)
 Ask the youth to take a break from the
situation
Agitation Phase ~ Your turn to intervene…
 Claudia verbalizes her agitation and directs it
towards Diane. Based on the context of the situation,
which strategy or combination of strategies would it
been appropriate for a teacher to try if she heard
Claudia tell Diane to “Leave her the f@#! alone.”
 Be prepared to provide a justification for what
strategy or combination of strategies would your
team has picked.
Agitation Phase Strategies
•
Proximity/Body Language
•
Changing the structure of the
environment
• Seating arrangement/Options
to do another task
• Peers
• Personnel working with the
student
•
•
Reframing/diffusing statements
• Assisting the child with
reframing irrational thoughts
with rational thoughts
Empathize/Acknowledge
• Validate the student’s feelings
and help them to determine
their actions
•
An I-message is a way to be assertive
when you are upset without being
mean.
•
I feel______________(say your feeling)
when you _____________(describe the
action) because________________(say
why the action connects to your feeling).
•
Provide (pre-determined) choices
• “You can choose to do one of the
following….”
•
Allow the student to take a break to
help themselves to calm down
•
Relaxation techniques, distraction,
independent activity/job, predetermined calming strategy
Acceleration Phase ~Your turn to intervene...
• Claudia’s situation begins
to escalate as she suddenly
stops and throws her
breakfast tray at Diane,
hitting her in the leg with her
food. Based on the context of
the situation, which strategy
or combination of strategies
would be appropriate to
utilize to attempt to prevent
the situation from escalating
further.
• Be prepared to provide
a justification for what
strategy or
combination of
strategies would your
team has picked.
Acceleration Phase Strategies
•
Approach the student in a nonthreatening manner..AVOID:
– Getting in the student’s face
– Discrediting the student
– Nagging/preaching to the
student
– Arguing
– Touching/grabbing the
student (unless it is
appropriate and will help the
student to calm down)
– Challenging/threatening the
student
– Making unnecessary demands
– Shouting/raising voice
– Cornering the student
•
Re-direct & maintain focus on task
behavior
1. Respond to students exhibiting
expected behavior
2. Delay responding to
inappropriate behavior
3. Provide prompts for expected
behavior (re-direct)
4. AVOID responding to off task
behavior
5. Immediately reinforce student’s
first on task response
6. Intermittently reinforce on task
behavior
Acceleration Phase Strategies
 Emphasize student choices &
responsibilities
1.
Identify the problem
2.
Indicate that student needs to
 Use non-confrontational limit setting
1. Delivery of “limits”
•
•
make a choice
3.
Present choice(s) – that you feel
•
•
are appropriate & predetermined
4.
Direct student to select option
5.
Reinforce making a choice
6.
Reinforce first student response
2.
Present expected behavior and
positive consequences that will
follow
Present negative consequences
that will follow with continued
display of inappropriate
behavior
Allow a few seconds to decide
Withdraw and attend to other
students or task
Follow-through based on
student’s decision
•
If you fail to follow through
you have reinforced
inappropriate behavior and
communicated that you DO
NOT mean what you say.
Acceleration Phase Strategies
 If the child is de-escalating and not continuing to accelerate, the adult
should administer consequences

1. Consequences should be expected

2. Consequences are a function of the student’s choices/decisions

3. Deliver the consequences consistently, and as “matter of fact” as
possible

4. Focus on the behavior warranting consequences, “because you hit you
will have to miss recess.”

5. Catch the student being appropriate following the consequences and
reinforce

6. Reinforce occurrences of appropriate choices in future situations
Peak Phase ~ Your
turn to intervene...
 Diane jumped out of her chair, ran over to Claudia, and struck her
in the face with her fist. The fight escalated and it took three staff
members to separate them. Based on the context of the situation,
which strategy or combination of strategies would be appropriate to
utilize to attempt to prevent the situation from escalating further.
 Be prepared to provide a justification for what strategy or
combination of strategies would your team has picked.
Peak Phase
•
Short-Term Interventions
– Isolation or removal of involved
student
– Allow time for student to “cool
down.”
– Removal of other students for
safety reasons
– Utilize calm, detached responses
to student
•
Speak respectfully
•
Use simple language
•
Acknowledge cooperation
•
Withdraw if problems escalate
•
Give student space
•
Do not communicate “urgency
to gain control”
 Contact appropriate support staff,
administration, and parents
 If previous interventions are not
successful and safety remains a
concern:
– Restraint
• Use of Restraint
• Training on Use of Restraint
• Notification/Documentation
Requirements
• Regulations of the
Commissioner of Education Parts 200 and 201 / Section
200.22
–Mobile Crisis
–Call Police/911
De-escalation Phase ~ Your turn to intervene...
 A teacher observed the fight and asked Claudia to come to
her office. She reluctantly came but yelled the whole way,
“Who the f@#! does she think she is? I’m going get that
b@#*$! Why’d she smack me upside my head? Wait till I
get her outside! You’ll see which one of us starts crying!”
The teacher took Claudia to her office and asked her to have
a seat. Claudia complied and the teacher asked Claudia if
she was hurt. Claudia stated she was not. After sitting
quietly for several minutes, Claudia began to cry. Based on
the context of the situation, which strategy or combination
of strategies would be appropriate to utilize to attempt to
prevent the situation from escalating further.
 Be prepared to provide a justification for what strategy or
combination of strategies would your team has picked.
De-escalation Phase Strategies
•
Isolate the student away from
distractions and other students
•
Allow Cool-Down time and
consider length of time
(depending on the intensity of the
peak stage)
•
•
Adults do not actively engage in
interactions (processing) at this
time in order to allow the student
to regain composure
Allows child to visit bathroom or
get a drink of water if appropriate
and necessary (i.e. after a
restraint)
•
Engage the student in a successful task
– Identify the level of cooperation of
the student
– Mastery of task
– Require response and engage
student
– Set a reasonable standard for
completion
• Following directions in regards
to regaining composure
• Restoring the area of the
incident back to normal (done
cooperatively with an adult)
Claudia continued….
 The teacher took Claudia to her office and asked her to have
a seat. Claudia complied and the teacher asked Claudia if she
was hurt. Claudia stated she was not. After sitting quietly for
several minutes, Claudia began to cry. The teacher gave
Claudia a few moments to compose herself. The teacher
asked her if she’s like breakfast. “Yeah! But they won’t give
me another one.” The teacher told her she would handle it.
When the teacher returned with the breakfast, Claudia
thanked her and began to eat. The teacher complimented her
about how she was able to remain quiet in the office when
she was so upset. The teacher also reinforced her for
following directions and eating her breakfast.
Recovery Phase
• After the child is calm and
visibly not agitated, processing
and problem solving can begin.
• If the child becomes agitated
during discussion, then the
discussion must be
discontinued. If the discussion
continues there is potential for
the acting out phase to begin
again.
• Intervention is focused on
transitioning the student back
to the academic setting and
problem solving utilizing the
debriefing process.
• A part of this process may
include the use of Life Space
Crisis Interview or a similar
technique to the child to
process the event.
• Goal of recovery is to:
– Debrief/process what
occurred
• Non-judgmental
– Administer consequences
– Develop plan with student
– Allow staff involved to
debrief
Recovery Phase
Strategies
Questions/steps to use:
1.
What actions did you engage
in? (name the behavior)
2.
Why did you decide to act
that way? (capture student’s
need)
3.
What else could you have
done that would
1. Meet your need
2. Be acceptable
4.
Obtain agreement on what
the student will do next time
5.
Be ready to reinforce
occurrences of alternative
responses at first opportunity
The Art of Conversation..
The Timeline – Constructing
and Agreed Upon Reality
•
WHAT HAPPENED?
– Where? When? Target? Duration?
Frequency? Intensity? Contagion?
•
WHAT THOUGHTS WENT
THROUGH YOUR MIND?
– What were you saying to yourself?
•
HOW DID YOU FEEL?
– How strong were your feelings on a
scale of 1 – 10?
•
WHAT DID YOU DO?
– How did you show your feelings?
•
HOW DID OTHERS REACT?
– Did the end result of this situation
make things better or worse for you?
Attending Skills
•
Entering the Dialogue
– Be fully present with the student
– Attend to student’s verbal and non-‐verbal communication
– Manage your own frustration and
counter-‐aggression
•
Deepening the Dialogue
– Remain fully present
– Be aware of one’s own verbal and non-‐verbal messages to the student.
– Establish “resonance” with the student,
so that he senses at a subconscious so
that he senses you understand and
empathize
The Art of Conversation…
Decoding
Responding Skills
Entering the Dialogue
•
–
–
–
–
–
•
•
Keep the dialogue going
Reduce stress
Remain non-‐judgmental
Build trust
Verbal and nonverbal messages
MUST be congruent
Deepening the Dialogue
– Affirm
– Check for understanding
– Create a sense of mutual experience
and problem-solving
Entering the Dialogue
– Search for the meaning behind the
message
– Listen to what is not being said
– Help the student calm down, feel
supported
– Link emotions to words
•
Deepening the Dialogue
– Connect feelings and behavior
– Add more meaning, interpret,
summarize into cogent nuggets (“so
what you are telling me is ….”
– Lead student to insight (incident
versus issue)
Claudia’s Recovery
Based on your reading..
•
What were the emotions that
Claudia drained off?
•
What were the major events of the
timeline?
•
•
•
•
What is the central issue
triggering this event?
What major insights does Claudia
discover?
What is the new skill is Claudia
going to utilize?
How does the teacher help her to
transfer the training?
What were the outcomes?
•
Claudia recognized that she was
displacing the anger stemming
from the incident with her father
onto Diane.
•
Identified sources of support
within the school.
•
Set up circumstances to solve the
conflict with Diane.
•
Model alternative ways to deal
with stressful feelings.
•
Returned to class ready to
participate and think about ways
to proactively and appropriately
solve conflict should it arise.
Recovery Phase
Re-enter the child back into the classroom following processing:
 Welcome the child back into the environment
 Focus on normal routines
 Administer consequences

Do not negotiate on consequences
 Do not remind/bring up past inappropriate behavior continuously

Students need a “clean” slate to start over
 Reinforce appropriate behavior

Strongly acknowledge appropriate handling of difficult situations
 Communication student can succeed with effort and help

Offer support proactively when you see the child beginning to struggle
 Review and revise plan as needed

Acknowledge aspects that work and aspects that need to be adjusted/modified
Your Task…
• Within your school teams
think of a student who displays
challenging behavior
• Utilize the resources in the
packet and on the flash drive
to select three new ways the
staff will try to re-engage this
youth
• Utilize the knowledge and
strategies associated with the
conflict cycle, phases of acting
out, and life space crisis
interview to come up with a
crisis and de-escalation plan
for this student
• Role play a life space crisis
interview
Acknowledgements
• Characteristics of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders of
Children and Youth (Kauffman)
• Triadic Reciprocity (Bandura)
• Restorative Practices
• The Conflict Cycle ~ Nicholas Long
• Life Space Crisis Interview & Intervention
• Behavior Escalation Model (Colvin)
• Conflict in the Classroom: The Education of At-Risk and
Troubled Students (Long & Morse)