Addressing Challenging Behavior in Young Children: The Leader's Role

by Barbara Kaiser, Judy Sklar Rasminsky

Overview

Why do children behave the way they do? And why do teachers respond to children’s behavior the way they do? And what can you do to support all of them?

There is no single script or one right answer. But with the realistic and practical strategies in this book, directors and administrators of early childhood programs and principles of schools can develop the skills to build a team that works together to support all children and staff. Topics include

• Defining your role as a leader and creating a positive social climate
• Recognizing the messages children are communicating with their behavior
• Examining the effects of your own and teachers’ biases and expectations on behavior
• Guiding teachers to develop strategies for preventing and responding effectively to challenging behavior, focusing on building relationships
• Collaborating with families
• Understanding the effects of trauma on behavior and implementing trauma-informed practices

Your support and guidance can make all the difference in the ability of teachers, children, families, and the program itself to flourish.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938113895
Publisher:	National Association for the Education of Young Children
Publication date:	04/07/2021
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Barbara Kaiser, MA, is the coauthor of Challenging Behavior in Young Children (now in its 4th edition) and Meeting the Challenge. She has taught at Acadia University in Nova Scotia and at Concordia University and College Marie-Victorin in Montreal, Canada, and presented workshops, keynote speeches, and webinars on challenging behavior in the US, Canada, and throughout the world. Barbara acted as chief consultant for the Mr. Rogers’ Family Communications project, Challenging Behaviors: Where Do We Begin? and for Facing the Challenge, an instructional DVD produced by the Devereux Center for Resilient Children. She also developed an intervention to address youth violence; created webinars and guides on bullying for the Nova Scotia Department of Education; and founded and directed two early childhood centers and an after-school program in Montreal. She has an MA from McGill University. Recently she has given webinars on leadership and on supporting children, families, and staff returning to school and child care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Judy Sklar Rasminsky, MA, is a freelance writer who specializes ineducation and health. With coauthor Barbara Kaiser, she has written Challenging Behavior in Young Children and Challenging Behavior in Elementary and Middle School, which both earned Texty awards from the Text and Academic Authors Association; and Meeting the Challenge, a bestseller selected as a comprehensive membership benefit by NAEYC. In addition, the team has authored a guide for Canadian parents, The Daycare Handbook, and a fact book for educators on HIV/AIDS. Judy’s work has appeared in publications such as the Reader’s Digest and the Los Angeles Times, been anthologized in textbooks, and honored by the National Institutes of Health. For many years an editor and researcher for book publishers in New York, London, and Montreal, she holds a BA from Stanford University and an MA from Columbia University.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

What's in This Book? 2

How We Came to Write a Book for Leaders 3

Dedication 3

Chapter 1 Defining Yourself as a Leader 4

Understanding Your Journey 5

Learning to Lead 5

How Do You Define Your Role? 5

What Is Your Vision? 6

What Leadership Style Works Best When Challenging Behavior Occurs? 7

Getting to Know You 8

Enhance the Climate 9

Think About It 9

For Further Learning 9

Chapter 2 What Is Challenging Behavior? 10

Why Children Behave Inappropriately 11

Risk Factors for Challenging Behavior 13

For Further Learning 19

Chapter 3 How a Child with Challenging Behavior Impacts Your Leadership Skills 20

Finding Ways to Welcome a Child with Challenging Behavior 21

Being in the Classroom 22

When Differences Arise 23

Building a Team 24

Developing a Common Approach to Challenging Behavior 26

For Further Learning 29

Chapter 4 Developing a Behavior Guidance Policy 30

Start with Your Vision and Mission 31

Focus on Prevention 32

Intervention Strategies 33

The Role of Families 34

Supporting Staff 35

Mental Health Consultation 35

Collecting Data 35

Exclusion 36

For Further Learning 36

Chapter 5 Enabling Your Staff to Act 37

Helping Staff to Understand Themselves 37

The Amygdala Hijack 37

Dealing with Stress 38

Culture and Teachers' Expectations 40

Implicit Bias 44

Using Data 49

For Further Learning 49

Chapter 6 The Power of Prevention 50

The Influence of Social Climate 51

Physical Space 56

Making Things Run Smoothly 59

Teaching Strategies 60

For Further Learning 65

Chapter 7 Why Change Is So Difficult and How to Navigate It 66

Recognizing the Need for Change 66

Why Do Educators Resist Change? 68

Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate 68

What Can You Do About Resistance? 69

Implementing Change 71

Take Care of Yourself 72

For Further Learning 72

Chapter 8 The Role of Professional Development 73

Begin with Your Staff 73

A Learning Climate 74

Create a Professional Development Policy 75

Leaders Should Take Part, Too 75

Looking for Professional Development Options 76

How Can Staff Share Their Learning with Their Colleagues? 79

For Further Learning 81

Chapter 9 Facing the Reality of Challenging Behavior 82

How Does Your Staff Feel About Having a Child with Challenging Behavior in the Program? 83

Getting Your Staff on Board 83

Should the Child Remain in the Program? 85

What About Moving the Child or the Teacher to Another Classroom? 86

Supporting Teachers When There's a Child with Challenging Behavior 87

How Can Staff Meetings Help? 89

When Is It Time to Call in Reinforcements? 90

For Further Learning 92

Chapter 10 Working with the Family 93

Open Communication Is Important 94

Meeting with the Family 95

The Role of Implicit Bias and Culture in Teacher-Family Interactions 96

How Should You Handle Disagreements with the Family? 97

What About Suggesting Families Seek Outside Help? 97

How Do You Work with the Families of the Other Children? 98

Is There a Better Alternative to Your Program? 99

For Further Learning 99

Chapter 11 Helping Teachers Respond Effectively to Challenging Behavior 100

Why Punishment isn't Effective 101

Helping Your Staff Find Effective Alternatives 103

The Importance of Responding to Early Signs of Challenging Behavior 104

Several Effective Strategies 105

When a Child Loses Control 109

For Further Learning 112

Chapter 12 Functional Assessment and Positive Behavior Support 113

How Does Functional Assessment Work? 114

Observing Children with Your Teachers 115

Creating a Behavior Support Plan 116

Using Functional Assessment and a Positive Behavior Support Plan: Ryan 119

For Further Learning 123

Chapter 13 Trauma and Behavior 124

What Is Trauma? 124

What Can Trauma Do to the Brain? 125

What Can Administrators and Teachers Do? 127

Create a Safe, Predictable Environment 131

Help Teachers to Develop Their Resilience 134

Choosing Trauma-Sensitive Care 137

For Further Learning 137

Appendices 138

Appendix 1 Sample Guidance Policy 138

Appendix 2 Behavior Incident Report 140

Appendix 3 Blank A-B-C Observation Chart 141

Appendix 4 Ryan's A-B-C Observation Chart 142

Appendix 5 Ryan's Behavior Support Planning Chart 143

References 144

Index 152

About the Authors 156

Acknowledgments 156

Editorial Reviews

Reading this wonderful book, I feel as if I’m sitting in the room with Barbara as she talks with our staff about the issues they are facing. As early childhood leaders and directors, we need to model the acceptance and understanding that children aren’t trying to challenge us—they are trying to communicate their critical needs to us. We have to learn their “language” by being astute observers, acknowledging our own biases, and assisting children to form much-needed relationships with caring adults. Accepting and including a child who challenges us will benefit that child, that family, the teaching staff, and the entire community.

Children’s Village, Philadelphia - Mary Graham

While many books and resources discuss how to manage children’s challenging behavior, be an effective program leader, or address issues of equity, this is the first book to weave these three important topics together. Leaders will find vital information and tools to ensure that the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of all children in a program are being addressed so they can be successful.

Vanderbilt University - Mary Louise Hemmeter

Children measure their worth by how adults treat them. When a child finds that his voice or actions offend a teacher, he often clamps down or amps up in response. Kaiser and Rasminsky offer leaders compassionate, culturally informed strategies teachers can delight in using so they do not continually feel exhausted by children’s exuberant or defensive self-expression.

Holly Elissa Bruno on emotional intelligence

Children measure their worth by how adults treat them. When a child finds that his voice or actions offend a teacher, he often clamps down or amps up in response. Kaiser and Rasminsky offer leaders compassionate, culturally informed strategies teachers can delight in using so they do not continually feel exhausted by children’s exuberant or defensive self-expression.

Author on emotional intelligence, trauma, and recovery - Holly Elissa Bruno