Preschool Behavior Support Strategies Darcy Burns Dawn Appleby-Quackenbush Preschool Behavior Specialist Regional Special Education-Technical Assistance Center (RSE-TASC) Objectives ● Understand the importance of dealing with challenging behaviors in the Preschool Setting ● Understanding elements of a High Quality Preschool Program ● Gain a broad understanding of strategies that teach social skills What is Challenging Behavior? Challenging Behaviors... ● Interferes with children’s learning, development and successful play. ● Is harmful to the child, other children or adults. ● Puts a child at high risk for later social problem or school failures. From: Challenging Behaviors in Young Children By Barbara Kaiser and Judy Sklar Raminsky Sobering Facts… • • Campbell (1995) estimated that approximately 10-15% of all typically developing preschool children have chronic mild to moderate levels of behavior problems. Children who are poor are much more likely to develop behavior problems with prevalence rates that approach 30% (Qi & Kaiser, 2003). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Volume 36, Issue 1, Children who are identified as hard to manage at ages 3 and 4 have a high probability (50:50) of continuing to have difficulties into adolescence. (Campbell & Ewing, 1990; Campbell, 1997; Egeland et al., 1990). ● Challenging behavior in preschool is one of the strongest predictors of more serious problem behaviors later in life (Preschool Policy Brief 12/2007, Issue 16 www.nieer.org) Young Children with Challenging Behavior: ● Are rejected by peers ● Receive less positive feedback ● Do worse in school ● Are less likely to be successful in Kindergarten. Preschool children are three times more likely to be “expelled” than children in grades K-12 (Gilliam, 2005) Our responses... ● Can shape and reinforce the challenging behaviors, increasing the behaviors For a child to unlearn an old behavior and replace with a new behavior, the new behavior must be repeated on average 28 times (Harry Wong). What is High-Quality Preschool? Curriculum ● Comprehensive domains of learning based on NYS Pre-k Foundations for the Common Core. ● Clearly defined goals and objectives ● Well-designed learning activities ● Intentional teaching ● Culturally and linguistically responsive ● Individualizes instruction ● Ongoing assessment Learning Environment ● Well organized, equipped and maintained ● Adequate supplies, materials and equipment that supports learning ● Welcoming and accessible Health and Safety ● Promote nutrition and health of children Staff Qualifications ● ● ● ● Qualified knowledgeable and professionally committed Create enriching learning opportunities Receive ongoing professional development Reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity Leadership and Management ● Establishes policies, procedure and systems to ensure program functions properly Relationships Children ● Program promotes positive relationships and ● Encourages individual worth and belonging Family ● Program establishes and maintains collaborative relationships ● Teachers and family members exchange information ● Families are invited to fully participate in child’s education Community ● Establish relationship and use the resources of the community “If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we…. ...teach? … punish?” “Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the other?” (Herner, 1998) What to teach? ● ● ● ● ● Self awareness Self regulation Relationships with others Accountability Adaptability (New York State Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/common_core_standards/pdfdocs/nyslsprek.pdf) Teaching Social Skills ● Model expected behavior AND describe it ● Teach social skills, emotions and coping ● Use naturally occurring opportunities to teach social skills ● Structure activities so social skills are practiced Tools to use... ● Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learners (CSEFEL) ○ I Can Be a SUPER Friend ○ What Do We Do in Circle ○ Tucker Turtle Takes Time to Tuck and Think ○ Solutions Kit ○ Many more • Head Start Center for Inclusion,University of Washington http://depts.washington.edu/hscenter/teacher-tools#build Other Resources • http://depts.washington.edu/hscenter/teachertools#build • h —ttp://www.playingwithwords365.com/2012/03/12sites-where-i-get-free-therapy-materials/ • — http://considerateclassroom.blogspot.com • — http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu Darcy Burns Preschool Behavior Specialist Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida BOCES dburns@boces.com (315)779-7116 Dawn Appleby-Quackenbush Preschool Behavior Specialist Capital District/North Country dawn.appleby-quacken@neric.org (518)464-3993