Let me share with you this writing that I submitted (Feb. 25, 2016) to our UP SPED teacher in one of the many assignments (3-5 times per week) she gave us, not to mention the weekly discussions we had to participate in as part of our CCSN course requirement.
What behavior management technique works
for a child with behavior problems?
There are several factors that may cause
children to misbehave. Misbehaviors could be a result of the child’s emotional
status, socio-economic standing, or could be from a medical condition or
disability. The disability, however, may not always provide a reasonable excuse
for improper behaviors. Whatever the behavior, it should be contained and
managed for the best welfare of the child. Behavior management entails setting
concrete boundaries to control the behavior, reduce the anxiety, prevent
disruptions, provide a feeling of emotional security for the child, especially
for behaviors that have a tendency to escalate into physical aggression —
hurting others and self-injury. We (teachers, parents, caregivers) need to
establish very clear and precise rules concerning what we expect and desire the
child should do and how this child should act/behave when a stressful situation
occurs. Remember though that rules have to be founded on what is doable and
appropriate for the child, particularly those with disability or special needs.
First step towards effective behavior
management would be to identify the reason for the misbehavior. And from there,
we could try and fit a solution. It is also important that we first ask
ourselves: Which came first? — the behavior or some frustrating or aversive
circumstance that could have caused it? We have to understand why challenging
behaviour happens and what purposes they serve. It could be to seek attention; could be from communication
difficulties (inability to convey messages, needs or wants because of the
child’s deficit in understanding or inability to use language); or could be
from environmental factors that
cause sensory issues to the child.
In the course material, Behavior Management of Children with Special
Education Needs in the Regular Classroom, effective techniques used are
buddy system, socialization opportunities, teaching appropriate social
responses and behaviors, re-directing the child’s focus, establishing routines,
clear and simple class rules, good class schedule, well-prepared lessons,
learning contracts, motivating classrooms, and pull-outs for students with
excessively disruptive and violent behaviors.
In this assignment, I would like to
specifically tackle on CLASS RULES.
A clear and simple class rule could be:
Good behaviour gets a reward (the use of positive reinforcement), and bad
behaviour gets a consequence (the use of consequence).
The Use of
Reinforcements:
Reinforcement is an incentive which
follows a behavior and is reliant upon such behavior. It increases or decreases
the likelihood of repetition of a behavior.
First, catch the child being good. How
is that possible? He is always misbehaving!
Observe the child carefully and maybe we will be surprised to
find out that he is actually behaving most of the time but we just
failed to notice because we expected negatively on him. Ignore inappropriate
behaviour and pay attention to good behaviour. Praise or reward him for the
behaviour.
Positive
Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement can encourage the
possibility of an agreeable or disagreeable behavior. For instance, if a
student finds that whining could get attention, the attention provides positive
reinforcement that raises the chance that the student will prolong the whining
behavior.
Reinforcement
could be positive or negative reinforcement.
Reinforce positive behavior through the use of social reinforcers
or expressions
of appreciation and praise. Remarks such as "Good job," "I can
tell you are working really hard," "You're nice", written
approval "Super", and approval expressions such as nodding one’s
head, smiling, clapping, and a pat on the child’s back are all really helpful
reinforcers.
Activity reinforcers are also very
useful and constructive for students. Giving students the chance to take part
in chosen activities, for example games or computer time, is especially
influential, particularly if the reinforcement permits selecting a classmate to
participate with in the activity. This is a social reinforcement from the
partner.
Tangible reinforcers are effective
too. These include food, toys, balloons, stickers, and awards. However, food
and toys must be used sensibly. If a student has problems with weight, parents
may disallow the use of food as reinforcement. Toys, on the other hand, might
make classmates jealous. Rewards and awards may be in the form of certificates,
an exhibition of work, and written commendations on the student’s progress to
be sent home to parents.
Token
reinforcement
entails awarding points or tokens for appropriate behavior. In itself, this
reinforcer may have only a slight worth, however this could be swapped for
something valuable or important to the student.
Negative
Reinforcement
Negative
reinforcement is frequently confused with punishment. Punishment is the use of
aversive stimuli to decrease the probability of a behavior recurrence. Negative
reinforcement is the taking away of aversive stimuli to increase the chance of
a behavior recurrence. Negative reinforcement can be really powerful,
particularly in creating an environment that feels secure to a student. This is
often more expectedly experienced than tangible reinforcement. As with any
reinforcement type, it is essential to partner negative reinforcement with
social reinforcement.
Here
is an example of negative reinforcement: The teacher tells the students that
she will remove five story problems if the class time is maximized to do their
math work properly. Eliminating the story problems from the math homework
negatively strengthens appropriate behavior by taking away the unwanted stimuli
of a lengthy homework assignment.
The
Use of Consequences:
We must set expectations and explain
what the consequences will be when these expectations are not met. A consequence
needs to not better than what the misbehaving child is currently experiencing so
he will be motivated to want to modify the behavior.
Example: A consequence may be presented
to a child as a choice. A teacher might say: “I have asked you twice to work
quietly. If you continue to talk, you will have to work at another table.” This
is a way of holding the child responsible for his behavior. Consequences should
be consistent, promptly applied, reasonable and related to the behaviour
concerned.
However, before negative consequences
are implemented, appropriate and rich incentives should first be developed to
reinforce desired behavior. It is essential to give much encouragement, praise
and nurturance as children can be easily discouraged. When negative
consequences are administered, they should be given in a fashion that does not
embarrass or put them down. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that
the rewards used with these students lose their reinforcing power quickly and
must be changed or rotated frequently.
Whatever reinforcement, reward,
punishment or consequence is used with children, it should always be paired
with a social reinforcement, such as praise and encouragement.
Reinforcers
in the form of stickers have proved effective as incentive
and behaviour modification tool for my son, Miggy. Below are pictures of him
with his stickers which has actually developed into an obsession.
(Miggy, now 14 yrs. old,
diagnosed with autism at age 2yrs/9mos in 2005)
