This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
Behavior is communication. When children's needs are not being met, behaviors come up. Looking for the underlying root of the behavior and addressing it is the most effective way of addressing behavior challenges.
Common root causes of behavior
- Expectations are not being clearly taught
- Maladaptive behaviors are more effective than healthy behaviors (e.g.: hitting a peer gets them access to the toy more quickly than asking nicely)
- Developmentally inappropriate expectations (e.g.: circle time lasting 30 minutes in preschool)
- Trauma
- Internal factors (hungry, tired)
- Emotion regulation difficulties
- Inconsistent or unpredictable environment
- Untreated neurodevelopmental or mental health challenges
- Skill deficit
- Sensory environment is not meeting their needs (e.g.: not enough movement/sensory input, or too much loud noise/vivid colors/clutter/bright lights etc...)
- Feeling unsafe
Here is an article that discusses some ideas for setting up a classroom environment where all students feel safe and can succeed:
https://www.edutopia.org/article/fostering-feeling-security-young-studentsEdutopia also has an option where you can sign up for monthly emails summarizing the latest research.
Original Message:
Sent: 02-03-2023 13:43
From: Alex Yang
Subject: Teachers dealing with challenging behaviors from students
Hello, does anyone have an article or resource they can share about supporting early educators dealing with challenging behaviors from their students? Thank you.
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AlexYang
FullertonCA
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