Children with Down syndrome are at an increased risk for engaging in challenging behaviour that may present problems within community, leisure, and educational settings, and, in many instances, precludes them from accessing these environments. Factors contributing to the occurrence of challenging behaviours include characteristics associated with the Down syndrome behavioural phenotype, increased incidence of illness and sleep disorders, and the way in which individuals in their environment respond to their behaviours. In this paper we describe the use of behaviourally based intervention strategies to address some of the specific challenges often seen in young children with Down syndrome. Through a series of case studies, the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions addressing challenging behaviour is demonstrated.
Children with Down syndrome are at an increased risk for engaging in challenging behaviour that may be part of a behavioural phenotype characteristic of Down syndrome. The methodology of applied behaviour analysis has been demonstrated effective with a wide range of challenging behaviours, across various disabilities. Applications to children with Down syndrome and the examination of behaviourally based strategies to specifically address the unique characteristics of children with Down syndrome are limited. However, there are several studies in which a subset of the participants did have Down syndrome. A handful of these studies are reviewed within the context of functional behaviour assessment and Positive Behavioural Supports. Drawing from these studies and the behavioural literature, as well as the authors' clinical experience and research, suggestions regarding early intervention for challenging behaviour with children with Down syndrome are provided.
Children with Down syndrome are at an increased risk for engaging in challenging behaviour that may present problems within community, leisure, and educational settings, and, in many instances, precludes them from accessing these environments. Factors contributing to the occurrence of challenging behaviours include characteristics associated with the Down syndrome behavioural phenotype, increased incidence of illness and sleep disorders, and the way in which individuals in their environment respond to their behaviours. In this paper we describe the use of behaviourally based intervention strategies to address some of the specific challenges often seen in young children with Down syndrome. Through a series of case studies, the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions addressing challenging behaviour is demonstrated.
Avoid attention-seeking behaviour by fostering connection with your child. Here are 3 simple ways to do this.
A new blog for a new year! I decided to start with a piece on reframing traditional views of behaviour in school. As we strive to meet the increasingly complex needs of children and young people in the classroom, the resulting stress can diminish our compassion and lead to ever-quicker use of sanctions and exclusions. Here are just SIX typical statements and how they might be reframed in the context of trauma, loss and associated difficulties with attachment.It’s just attention-seeking"When a
All humans crave feeling seen, heard, and appreciated. I wonder what would happen if attention seeking behaviour was seen as connection seeking instead?
*This product has recently been updated with a complete redesign, featuring newly added card designs and more vibrant clipart* Take a look at the preview to see the all new designs. This set of break cards is designed to be used as a visual aid for young children to assist with requesting breaks. Communication barriers are commonly associated with increased challenging behaviours. This resource aims to reduce barriers to effective communication with the implementation of a visual support. Break cards are a wonderful tool to support the development of enhanced communication skills and subsequently assist in a reduction of meltdowns & challenging behaviours. These cards may be useful for children with Autism, to assist with explicit teaching of enhanced communication skills, as well as children with language and communication difficulties. Break cards may also be a useful tool in managing emotional regulation difficulties for children with ADHD and children with high levels of anxiety, or even those who are easily overwhelmed. Note: if you have already purchased the older version of this resource and would still like access to this design (and are unable to download this any longer through tpt), please email me on [email protected]. After some counselling inspiration? Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest
To stand before children is a rare privilege. In every minute we spend together, they will learn something. Whatever it is we put before them, they will learn from it.
Inside out 2 anxiety intervention Designed to help children challenge their thoughts, see thoughts as thoughts not facts and to positively reframe them. This intervention helps them see the impact of thoughts on emotions, physical sensations and behaviour. Digital download only - PDF file and A4 size
Afraid to say no to your toddler? Learn how to overcome people-pleasing tendencies, set healthy boundaries, and build confidence in your parenting decisions.
Help a child challenge negative thinking by teaching them to identify negative thoughts, challenge them, reframe them, and replace them.
Children with autism disorder are very sensitive, and it's common for them to behave in certain challenging ways. However, not every autistic child is the same. If one factor is triggering an autistic child's behaviour, it might not affect the other child. Once a trigger has affected an autistic's behaviour, it is difficult
These days, it’s not uncommon to hear about kids who have difficulty with paying attention. Here are our top sensory strategies to help!
Working with kids and young adults who are oppositional can be challenging. Being oppositional might mean refusing to do work, breaking rules, and engaging in other challenging behaviors. The truth is, many kids can be oppositional from time to time, so many of these strategies work with all learner
Parenting 4-year-olds can be challenging. In this article parents will be able able to understand the reasons for some 4-year-old behaviour and tips and strategies for overcoming those behavioural issues.
Strategies for defiant behavior that support positive behavior, develop teacher-student relationships, and minimize escalating situations.
Building Social Skills | At School Age Group : 5+ Each card is made up of an easy-to-follow, colorful and visually engaging drawing along with a question to prompt discussion. The material is addressed to learners on the autism spectrum. This particular card pack forms part of a whole set of materials that seeks to support the development of 30 different skills and is aimed at various age groups.
Challenging preschool behavior is, well, challenging! What are the preschool teacher's responsibility and roles in it and are we unintentionally escalating the behavior?
Verbal de-escalation techniques, based on CPI training, to help you effectively manage challenging behavior and meltdowns in children.
Have you, or are you getting ready to add a new baby to your family? Are you worried about how your older child(ren) will respond to this transition? Introducing a new baby into your family is a time of excitement, but it can also bring up many challenging feelings.
Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet!
How to write a healing story for your child to help him cope with behavioural challenges, intense change, loss or struggle.
Teach children about respect, honesty, and gratitude at school and in the classroom with these social-emotional learning lessons and hands-on activities for kids.
Guess what? It's the weekend! Two glorious days of sleeping in and lazing about (I wish!). And boy, do I deserve them after the week I have had with my precious treasures. :) The first few weeks of Prep (or Kindergarten if you're not from 'round these parts!) are always tough as the kidlets get used to the routines and rules of school. Throw in a handful of boys with 'tricky' behaviour and you've got yourself a recipe for days that feel like they go on forever... during which you use your 'cranky voice' more than once. This week I found myself using a few behaviour management ideas that are truly 'magic' in a slightly desperate attempt to get things in my classroom back on track. Day-to-day I use the famous 'clip chart', known in my room as the 'peg chart', for kidlets to monitor their behaviours. I use the Monster Manners pack from Growing Kinders as a springboard for moving up (to the pink card - Super Kid!) or down the chart. Seriously, you need this pack! So cute and so effective (also helps that it's free)! I refer to my display daily and the kids get it. Within a day, one of my precious treasures said "You sit criss cross, and that's the bottom of the line!" (If you use this pack, you'll understand!) This year, the clip chart was working for about 90% of the kidlets... and those remaining 10% sure were giving me the run around. Bring in the magic tricks! Trick number 1 is a life lesson, as well as a magic cure for some tricky classroom behaviours. All you need are some dollar store bubbles, and you have some 'Self Control Bubbles'! Take your class outside and sit them in a circle. Explain that you are going to blow some bubbles in their direction, and the first time you do they can pop away as much as they want. Go ahead and let them go wild (within reason... I always tell my kidlets their bottoms must stay on the ground). Make sure everyone gets a heap of bubbles to pop. The second time, explain that you are going to blow more bubbles, but this time they MUST NOT pop a single one... even if it lands right on their nose! Explain that the feeling of really, really wanting to do something, but holding back, is called self control. Ask for a volunteer to go first and choose someone you know will resist the bubbles. Praise them for using self control. Then go around the circle and blow more bubbles at each kidlet (I make sure to get right 'up in their face' so they really, really have to control themselves!) - making sure to encourage all of them to think about how it feels to have self control. As the weeks go on refer back to this activity any time one of your kidlets is struggling with those behaviours that require them to practice more self control. They will be able to recall the feeling, trust me! You might like to repeat the bubble activity a few times during the year - my kidlets LOVE knowing that they are pros at something... and self control ain't a bad thing to be pro at! :) Grab this free pack from my TpT store that will help you use this activity in your classroom. It contains an explanation of how to complete the Self Control Bubbles activity, a label for your bubble bottle, and 3 simple recording sheets. And for my second trick... Quiet Spray! All you need for this is an empty spray bottle. I bought mine from Kmart for less than $2. Fill it with water. My spray bottle wasn't clear, but if it was I would have added a drop of food colouring or some glitter to make it look more 'magic'. I also would have taken time to make sure my label was size-appropriate for my bottle... but you live and learn! :) I added a few drops of rosewater to my Quiet Spray... mostly because I wanted lavender, couldn't find it at the grocery store, but wanted my Quiet Spray to smell calming. Here's how it works: Any time you want your kidlets to work quietly (I used mine today before group work), explain that you will use the Quiet Spray to help them work the best that they can. I ask my class to take a deep breath in through their noses and out through their mouths as I mist Quiet Spray over their heads. MAGIC! You could even use Quiet Spray at the beginning of each day along with some relaxation techniques, or for individual students who need some extra magic in their day. :) There you have it folks, some new magic tricks for you to try with your tricky kidlets. :) Please let me know if they work for you! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! :) Lauren
Discover the Untold Language of Challenging Behaviors in Autism – from Biting to Head banging, each action speaks volumes. Learn to decode it.
Find out if your child is hitting because of a sensory reason, like too much noise! Knowing WHY your child is hitting will help you know HOW to prevent hitting.
As an educator or parent, getting into a power struggle can be an awful thing. We waste so much of our energy trying to get we we want that we sometimes forget what our goal was in the first place. Power struggles can be especially difficult with kids with ADHD, autism, oppositional-defiant disorder
Behaviors can be tough. But they don't have to be. Tips on how to deal with challenging behaviors in preschool from an experienced early childhood educator.
Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...
Parenting 4-year-olds can be challenging. In this article parents will be able able to understand the reasons for some 4-year-old behaviour and tips and strategies for overcoming those behavioural issues.
You can call it challenging behaviour but these events really demonstrate is a highly anxious,frustrated or traumatic reaction to stress, Autistic children are not any more prone to behavioural incidents than other children so we need to look deeper if our interactions or environment is leading to issues.
Discover the Untold Language of Challenging Behaviors in Autism – from Biting to Head banging, each action speaks volumes. Learn to decode it.
Social stories use a patient and reassuring tone to teach children about social situations in a way that can be easily understood. Social stories are particularly useful for children on the autistic spectrum for whom social cues can be challenging and who often suffer anxiety if they do not know what to expect from a situation however social stories can also be useful for any child who is struggling to understand a situation or concept or needs help to understand a social skill or social cue, expectations, perspectives, common responses or is troubled about an upcoming event. This social story is about licking, explaining to children that certain things are okay to lick but that we should not lick furniture or other people. For autistic children licking can be a self stimulatory, sensory behaviour but obviously if they begin licking other people or licking germ ridden objects this can become an issue. These books should be used over and over to reinforce the point so I would suggest either putting the pages into a display book or laminating and binding them. Clipart images courtesy of Kari Bolt. Licking Social Story
Have you ever had a class with so many difficult, disruptive students that you felt that you could barely even teach? What can you do to get past it? In this post, I am going to address this problem with my best advice, and some advice from others as well.
When I left the Vegas conference I was filled with excitement and a driving force behind how I can begin to find my new voice for this blog. Leaving the classroom for administration has changed my focus and I want to share with you some of the things I am doing with my staff. I want to give a BIG shout out to the very lovely Mrs. Spangler from Mrs. Spangler In the Middle- I was lucky enough to sit next to her at one of the TpT conference sessions and we talked about what I could offer the blogging world now that I am not a middle school teacher anymore. This post was one of those ideas :) THANKS Lisa! So imagine sitting in your classroom ..you prepared a ROCKIN' lesson. Everything is falling into place and you know you are in the ZONE. From the corner of your eye you see the beginnings of crazy town starting to surface in the back of the room. Little Suzie is about to loose it.... Maybe it starts with a sigh or a yell, then it begins to bubble over the yell is a scream ... maybe a cry. What do you do?!?! First know that you are not alone! I think every teacher can relate to that scenario and the panic that sets in when you know a student is about to burst and they are escalating rapidly. When I did this PD with my staff we started with a post it activity. In order to handle that child we first need to look inward. We need to figure out are our buttons ...and what pushes them! They needed to answer these three questions .... Each teacher was asked to write down all the behaviors that PUSH their buttons and post them. We are human and behaviors will irritate us! But what pushes my buttons isn't necessarily what pushes the teachers down the hall's buttons. The physical act of writing down what aggravated me is very powerful. Then they needed to write how it makes them feel. This step helps label the emotion...when you do this.... I feel .... As teachers we are not supposed to feel negative emotions....YA RIGHT! That little angel who comes every day and pinches or yells or rolls their eyes at you will elicit an emotion from you and its ok that those behaviors aggravate you. However while the behavior may enrage you we all know that those emotions are productive. They wont lead us to an end result that allows everyone in the room to continue in the learning process. So now I am more aware of what behaviors are my "buttons" ... and we identified how they make me feel ... The last step is identifying how these behaviors will impact the relationships I am building in my classroom. As we got to this phase the post-its it was clear... If I react with that emotion I will not be building any sort of quality relationship with my students. Not only that, if we live in those emotions and react from those emotions it will take a toll on our health and well being. So now that I am more aware of MYSELF... how do I deal with those behaviors?!?! Here are 5 ways to DEESCALTE ... I will be revisiting this topic and giving more ideas and tips for behavior interventions!! I would love to hear feedback on this topic and if more posts on behavior would be helpful so feel free to leave a comment if these strategies are beneficial!! :)
