BESD – Behaviour, Emotional, Social Difficulties
Young people with BESD have varying degrees of challenge, capability and lack of trust – and in
some cases, they can be very aggressive. So how can we teach and help them?
1: Pick your battles
If you challenge every step put out of line, you will be on the young person’s case every minute of the
day. Ask yourself, what the one is the one thing I want this child to do this week? Set it as a target and
make this the only thing you pick them up for during that week.
2: The last word
Being a teacher, parent or carer, you may always want the last word – and this can also be true of
many young people with BESD. Competing for the last word can be a dangerous path to go down,
though, as the young person could get stressed and angry, resulting in a full blown argument. Adopt a
phrase that signifies that you are not going to go any further with the conversation. I use “end of” and
my students now know that this is the end of the discussion.
Yes, they may well huff and puff – and they might even swear at you – but walk away and don’t
engage any further.
3: Remove the audience
Young people with BESD may have huge gaps in their education due to being sent out during
lessons. When they are in the classroom and feel that they don’t understand what is being discussed,
they may create a scene with the intention of being removed, so they aren’t shown up in front of their
peers.
This can be difficult to overcome. The teacher needs to help the student understand that she is not
“stupid” but has missed something in a previous class, and that the teacher will help her to catch up.
It sometimes helps to use a distraction tactic during the first part of the lesson. Send the young person
on an errand or give her a task to work on in the room, explaining that you will work with her on the
first part of the lesson once they have completed the job.
4: The fidget
Young people with BESD are generally unable to stay still. While it can be irritating when you’ve got
someone in front of you who is constantly tapping or swinging on their chair, you need to ask yourself
if it is actually worth the argument that may occur if you try to tackle the issue. It may seem
counterintuitive, but fidgeting can actually help some young people to concentrate. Not only this, but if
you start to react every time a pupil is being restless, she will realise that this annoys you and will
increasingly do it to try to get your attention.
5: Positive strategies
One of the most difficult young people I have met in the past would constantly try to get my attention
throughout lessons. I tried several ways to deal with him – including the broken record tactic where I
repeatedly said “not this time” – but these were only short-term solutions. After reading up on different
options and trying out a few of them, I started using positive behaviour strategies. If the student
completed ten minutes of work, I would spend two minutes with him. If he did half an hour of work, he
could sit at the end of my desk and work. He desperately wanted my attention and by showing him
that I would only give him my attention if he did the right thing, he soon began to realise how he could
earn this privilege.
6: Changing the way
Some students with BESD can be extremely disengaged and have huge gaps in their education.
However, there is a way of turning this around and making them want to come to school and
participate.
The secret to this is to encourage staff to get to know each young person as an individual. Teachers
and other members of the team should be dedicated to finding that chink in the student’s armour
which would enable them to get through to and connect with her. Making sure that staff are trained in
the principles of nurture; introducing emotional literacy lessons can help this.
A strong pastoral system can also be hugely beneficial. It can help ensure that clear, consistent
messages are communicated at home as well as school. It can also help to create a more positive
environment where exclusion is not the normal way to deal with difficult behaviour.
By working together, teachers and parents can establish clear messages early on, show the young
person that they are on her side and treat her based on her needs, likes and dislikes.