Different types of behaviour need different management strategies.
This post is about telling the difference between DISPRUPTIVE behaviour and CONCERNING behaviour.
Children who show disruptive behaviour might distract their class mates, run around a lot, not listening, scream, talk back. This is NORMAL child behaviour. Positive behaviour management that we talked about in Part 1 and 3 works really well with these kids.
Concerning behaviour might include: hitting other children, hitting adults, throwing huge tantrums, hitting their head on a wall, not talking at all, hating loud noises, not being toilet trained when they are 4 or 5 years old. When a child shows you this behaviour, it is important to look into this behaviour. You should talk to your supervisor about what you have noticed and keep notes about the behaviour to see if it is getting any better or worse.
It is important to understand the reason behind a child's behaviour, especially if they are showing concerning behaviour. It is also important to shift your own thinking about the child to "he won't" do something to "he can't do that just yet".
You should always ask yourself "what is this behaviour trying to say?" You can be a "Stress Detective"!
These are some things that might impact a child's behaviour:
their home environment
their culture
a learning difficulty
disability
mental health issues
trauma or stress in their life
Kate, you might remember some examples of the different things that might affect children's behaviour from your volunteering.
Culture - R used to show disruptive behaviour especially at mat time. R was raised by his grandparents in another country while his own parents worked in Australia. When he came to live with his parents, there were no boundaries set for his behaviour at home and he was given little attention by his parents. He also didn't know how to play with others because he had never played before. This was part of the reason he misbehaved at kinder. Angela spoke with his parents about giving him some attention by playing with him more and Angela also made an effort to spend some one on one time with R. His behaviour improved.
Home Environment - R's parents went through a very angry divorce and fight a lot. R is very intelligent but he was traumatised by his home situation. He dribbled a lot and refused to go outside to play. The teachers worked on R's confidence and encouraged him to make some friends. R is now much more confident and plays outside all the time.
Disability - O would cry whenever she heard loud music. O could have autism but her teachers do not know that. Until they are able to understand a bit more about whether O has a disability or learning difficulty, they have provided O with some noise reducing headphones to wear during music class.
TASK 1: Think of some behaviours that you have seen in children where instead of saying "stop" you could say "how can I help?" Try to use the strategy of saying "how can I help?" next time you see a child upset or being angry or frustrated at work.
TASK 2: In your note book write down these behaviours and next to them say whether you think they are DISRUPTIVE or CONCERNING
Nathan is running around in circles during yoga
Nathan hits a child on the head with a big block every day
Nathan doesn't like wearing shoes
Nathan cries every time someone says no
Nathan never looks you in the eye when you talk to him
Nathan rips up his paintings all the time and throws them in the bin
Discuss your answers with your coach or with a colleague at work.
Comments