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Crisis

challengingbehavior.gif I created this Children & Crisis section, while working as a Behavior Specialist in Saipan (from 2004-2007), to serve as an online resource center with tips and strategies about Classroom Management and School Crisis Response. It remains as a resource, but is no longer actively maintained due to changes in both my career and my blog focus.

Behavior and Classroom Management

• Dr. Kenneth Shore’s Classroom Problem Solvers
This is one of my favorite sites. Almost every behavior problem is tackled — from trouble on the playground, to being aggressive, to making noises in class, to handling bullying and ADHD. Primarily geared towards the elementary level, this site is a gold mine of tips and strategies.

• Susan Stokes’ Autism: Interventions & Strategies for Success
A great resource on Autism and Asperger’s - characteristics, learning styles and intervention strategies.

• Mary Fowler’s Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
A well-written and comprehensive article - from understanding and diagnosis to school and classroom interventions.

• NYU School of Medicine’s Treating ADHD in School Settings.pdf
Discusses the function of the school team and types of classroom interventions for ADHD. There are some useful diagrams at the end of the article to help students achieve the appropriate target behaviors.

• Jim Wright’s Intervention Central
Jim is a school psychologist who served as a trainer and program developer for a very successful problem-solving model in which teachers work with their peers to develop effective teaching and behavior management strategies for struggling students. Look for his “Intervention Ideas” on the website. Highly recommended.

• Dr. Randy Sprick’s The Teacher’s Encyclopedia of Behavior Management
Absolutely a “must have.” More than 800 pages of practical solutions to 100 common classroom problems. What I really like about this book is that it gives you 3 to 5 different plans for each problem behavior. If I can recommend just one book, this is the one.

• LRP Publications’ What Do I Do When…The Answer Book on Discipline
The book is organized in a question-answer format addressing behavior and discipline issues from a legal perspective, based on the IDEA regulations. Topics include suspension, change of placement, functional behavior assessment, behavior intervention plan, manifestation determination, etc. Another highly recommended book.

• Jeff Sprague’s Best Behavior: Building Positive Behavior Support in Schools
Best Behavior is an evidence-based, discipline program that addresses schoolwide, classroom, and individual student interventions as well as family collaboration. What I really like about Best Behavior is how simple and easy-to-implement it is. Everything you need to train school staff and implement the program is in the book. Highly recommended!

• FBA-What, Why, How.pdf
A quick summary of the Functional Behavior Assessment process. The FBA looks at behavior in terms of what the behavior accomplishes for the individual child, rather than the effects of the behavior on others.

• Daily & Weekly Tracking Form.pdf
A daily and weekly behavior tracking form (with “Yes” & “No”). I developed this out of sheer frustration after not being able to find a suitable form online. You can track behaviors daily or weekly.

• Daily Behavior Rating Card.pdf
This form took me the longest to research and create. It’s a daily report card on a student’s behaviors. What’s cool is that it allows you to graphically track the behaviors over the course of four weeks. This is a great form to bring with you into those IEP meetings or to show parents how their kids are doing in your class. It’s also a way to help you track important data about your student.

• Behavior Tracking Daily Log & Graph.pdf and Behavior Tracking Weekly Log & Graph.pdf
This is probably the best tool to track and graph behaviors. The Daily Tracking Log lets you track behaviors daily, while the Weekly Tracking Log lets you track the behaviors for a one-week period. After you’ve tracked the behaviors, the next important step that most people often forget is to graph it. For this, you’ll need to use the Behavior Graph (on page 2 of each PDF). These forms are a combination of two ideas. The Behavior Tracking Log sheet was designed by a terrific teacher named Mary Jane Limes at William S. Reyes Elementary (Saipan) and the Behavior Graph was designed by my colleague Mary McGee, a school psychologist in Saipan. I simply turned their ideas/designs and scribbles into an electronic format. Thank you Mary Jane and Mary!

• If-Then Behaviors & Consequences.pdf
A simple matrix showing what happens “if” (or when) a student does something, (“then”) what would happen next and if that doesn’t work, then what action steps to follow through with.

• Positive Behavior Contract.pdf and Positive Behavior Contract Sample.pdf
I adapted these forms from “Practical Ideas That Really Work for Students with Disruptive, Defiant, or Difficult Behaviors (Grade 5-12)” to help teachers and school staff encourage students in a positive manner - through the use of “catch them when they’re good” and reinforcing them after they have made small successes. For instance, in the sample form, the student would get reinforced (reward/prize) for accomplishing the four tasks during any 1-hour period. Thus, if the student was able to do all four tasks between 10:30-11:30am, he would get to have lunch with the teacher (reinforcer). Notice that these rewards/prizes are minimal in cost or don’t cost anything. We want to help students eventually develop an internal/intrinsic reward and not have to depend on material “rewards or prizes” as incentives for them to be “good.”

• Behavior Contract.pdf
I designed this behavior contract for use with elementary students or children (this can be used at home by parents). There are some nice, eye-catching graphics to help reinforce the message of the contract and encourage children to choose appropriate behaviors over inappropriate ones.

• Functional Behavior Assessment Checklist.pdf
A Functional Behavior Assessment form in checklist format. Designed to be a quick and easy “checklist” for teachers, staff, or any adult familiar with the student’s behaviors. This checklist complies with the necessary criteria in formulating a hypothesis as to the function or purpose of the behavior.

• Behavior Intervention Plan.pdf
Although at first glance it seems simple, this Behavior Intervention Plan form and its format took me almost two years to develop. I wanted something comprehensive, yet simple enough for any teacher or teacher aide to be able to sit down and use it.

• Manifestation Determination.pdf
A Manifestation Determination form. This is the process of evaluating the relationship between a student’s disability and the misconduct or misbehavior. Is the misconduct related to the disability?

• Whole-School Model of Behavioral Reform.pdf
Changing behaviors isn’t just about classrooms, it takes an entire school to buy-in.

• PBS-Schoolwide Expectations.pdf
A blank form to help you develop school rules and behavior expectations. Decide on 3 to 4 “umbrella” rules (e.g., be safe, be responsible, be respectful) and then define your expectations for each setting.

• Classroom Management Plan.pdf
Outline of a classroom management plan for elementary school level.

• Well-Managed Classroom - Harry Wong.pdf
Classroom management advice from Harry Wong’s “The First Days of School.”

• Love & Logic-Classroom Statements.pdf
Enforceable statements to use in the classroom and at school.

• Observation Checklist for Classroom Management.pdf
Lists all of the teacher competencies that effective classroom managers should have. Adapted from Teacher Education and Special Education (TESE), Vol. 15(2), Spring 1992.

• Discipline Plan.pdf
Set limits, consistently stick to the rules, and follow through with consequences when rules are broken.

• Supernanny’s Top 10 Rules.pdf
Jo Frost, ABC’s Supernanny, says most children are out of control because they are getting mixed messages from their parents. “Children need boundaries and ground rules,” says Jo. “When children don’t have structure, they make up their own rules and negative behavior is what they use to get your attention.” Change your behavior and change your child!

• Behavior Management in the Classroom.pdf
This packet brings back fond memories because it was used to deliver the first comprehensive classroom and behavior management workshop for teachers in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Fall of 2004. There were so many people attending our training that we literally had to chase them away and lock the door! The response was phenomenal. This 14 page packet took weeks (maybe even months) to prepare. Credit is given and cited where possible. This packet offers teachers and school staff a “crash course” in managing anxious, difficult, defiant, aggressive and/or violent situations in the classroom. Topics include: suicide, defiant & aggressive behaviors, power struggles & confrontation, effective discipline, classroom management strategies, and finally a classroom/behavior management checklist. Research-based. Best-practices models.

• Working with Defiant Kids.pdf
Jim Wright’s article outlining communication skills that teachers can use to defuse and/or prevent confrontations with students.

• Managing Defiant Kids.pdf
Students who are defiant or non-compliant can be among the most challenging to teach. There isn’t a magic formula for managing the behaviors of defiant students. However, in this article, Jim Wright shares some research-based techniques that can help teachers to reduce defiance and increase compliance.

• Dodging the Power-Struggle Trap.pdf
Jim Wright’s article outlining tips that teachers can use to avoid the power-struggle trap while maintaining classroom discipline.

• Effective Teacher Commands.pdf
Teachers sometimes dilute their power by trying to be too polite, being vague, or trying to justify or explain themselves. Teachers can reduce problems with student compliance and make their commands more forceful by following these research-based strategies. Article by Jim Wright.

• Five Steps to Teaching Students How to Behave.pdf
The steps include getting the students’ attention before starting an activity, describing exactly what is expected of the students during the activity, giving feedback when the students are and are not meeting your expectations, and at the end of the activity, letting the students know how well they have met your expectations.

• Setting Limits and Making Requests.pdf
Details the five steps to appropriate limit setting and the three steps for making requests. For Limit Setting, explain which behavior is inappropriate and why. Give choices and consequences of not complying. Give students time to comply. Finally, follow through with the consequences. For Making Requests, give the student clear choices with clear consequences. Let the student know exactly what you want him to do, e.g., where he needs to go, what his task is, and when he needs to do these things. Example: “John, I want you to return to your desk [location] now [time-frame] and begin your math assignment [requested behavior].”

• Effective Use of Timeout.pdf
C. Michael Nelson’s tip on how to effectively use timeout. Many teachers and parents use timeout. But do you really know how to use it properly? For example, did you know that you can have a student in “time out” right at his desk? See the contingent observation timeout section.

Bullying Prevention & Intervention Strategies

• Dr. Shore’s Bullying Myths.pdf
Dr. Kenneth Shore says that false beliefs about bullying “serve to downplay [its] seriousness” and prevents school and parents from taking the necessary steps to respond.

• Dr. Shore’s Bullying Prevention Program.pdf
“[S]tudies by Professor Dan Olweus, a Norwegian psychologist considered the world’s foremost authority on bullying, show that bullying incidents can be cut in half by implementing a school-wide anti-bullying program.”

• Dr. Shore’s Dealing with Bullying Incidents.pdf
Dr. Shore offers tips and strategies to use if and when bullying incidents occur.

• Dr. Shore’s Understanding the Bully.pdf
“Children are not born bullies. Bullies are made — which means they can be unmade. They often are taught from an early age that the way to get what they want is through force. They learn to respond to challenges through confrontation, and to express themselves with their fists rather than with words.”

• Bullying Prevention: What Schools and Parents Can Do.pdf
Bullying prevention information from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).

• Bullying: Facts for Teens.pdf
Bullying is often overlooked as viewed as a normal part of growing up. However, it’s important to recognize that it’s widespread and serious in your classrooms and in your schools.

• Bullying Survey.pdf
Bullying survey for your classroom or school. Adapted from the National Crime Prevention Council.

• Jim Wright’s Preventing Classroom Bullying.pdf
Guidelines to help school staff better understand and manage bullying incidents in school. This is a well-written (28 pages) and comprehensive look at bullying. Jim offers in-depth strategies for administrators, teachers, and students to handle bullying.

• A Primer on Bullying.pdf
“Bullying is recognized as one of the major problems facing U.S. schools today. It occurs along a continuum, with students assuming roles including bully, victim, and bully/victim. Current estimates suggest that nearly 30% of American students are involved in bullying in one of these capacities.”

• Stop Bullying Now - Bullying Documentation: Tips for School Administrators.pdf
Documenting bullying at school is an important part of a bullying prevention program.

• Stop Bullying Now - Scope & Impact of Bullying.pdf
Children who are bullied are more likely than their peers to be depressed, lonely, and anxious. They also tend to have low self-esteem, have more headaches, and think more about suicide.

• Stop Bullying Now - Children Who Bully.pdf
Bullying is behavior that is aggressive and intentional and involves a power differential.

• Stop Bullying Now - On-the-Spot Intervention.pdf
If not properly handled, we could end up unintentionally promoting, rather than reducing, bullying.

• Stop Bullying Now - Supporting Children Who Are Bullied.pdf
“Children and youth who are bullied need clear messages of support from adults.” Teachers, school staff, and parents can play vital roles in helping victims of bullying by creating a healthy, safe climate at school and in the community.

• Stop Bullying Now - Warning Signs that a Child is Being Bullied.pdf
“Many children, particularly boys and older children, do not tell their parents or adults [that they are] being bullied.”

• Stop Bullying Now - What Should I Do If I’m Bullied.pdf
Tips for children and teens on what to do when they’re being bullied.

• Stop Bullying Now - Working with the Bullies: Tips for Mental Health Professionals.pdf
“Mental health professionals have important roles in helping to change the behavior of youth who bully others.” They need to understand the roots of bullying, focus on effective strategies, as well as steer clear of any potential approaches that might worsen the bullying behavior.

• Stop Bullying Now - Working with Those Who Are Bullied: Tips for Mental Health Professionals.pdf
It is important for mental health professionals to know and understand what victims of bullies need and what strategies will or won’t work.

• CyberBullying: What Is It? and What Adults Can Do
“Cyberbullying” is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. Although a relatively new phenomenon, CyberBullying is just as serious as other forms of Bullying because:

  • Cyber bullying can occur any time of the day or night;
  • Cyber bullying messages and images can be distributed quickly to a very wide audience;
  • Children and youth can be anonymous when cyber bullying, which makes it difficult (and sometimes impossible) to trace them

School Safety & School Crisis Management

• Practical Information on Crisis Planning.pdf
Taking action now can save lives, prevent injury, and minimize property damage in the moments of a crisis. The importance of reviewing and revising school and district plans cannot be underscored enough, and Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities is designed to help you navigate this process. The Guide is intended to give schools, districts, and communities the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulate thinking about the crisis preparedness process, and provide examples of promising practices.

• Preventing Violent Tragedies in Our Schools.pdf
In response to a disturbing trend in school violence and at-risk behaviors, the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress published A Practical Guide for Crisis Response in Our Schools. This guide is being utilized as a “Crisis Response Plan” by school districts across the country. It is an organized and preconceived strategy for responding effectively in the wake of a school-based tragedy.

• Safe School Plan.pdf
A simple 4-page overview of safe vs. unsafe schools, the 3-tiered model (pyramid) of Positive Behavior Support, Major Components of a Safe School Plan, and the 4-prong approach to intervention (Schoolwide, Classroom, Individual, and Family Supports).

• Safe Schools Manual.pdf
The guidelines in this manual are intended as a set of suggestions for making children safer in their schools, communities, and families. There are two reasons for taking this approach. Schools vary greatly, and the communities and families from which they draw their student populations are diverse. Therefore, school safety programs must be implemented one school at a time. Also, problems in schools are almost always the result of problems, such as poverty, bullying, or alienation, already existing in communities and families. Thus, in order to make schools safer, we need to work closely with communities and families.

• Checklist of Warning Signs for Violent Behaviors.pdf
The purpose of this Infosheet is to assist parents and school personnel in identifying children and adolescents who are at greater risk for engaging in violent behavior. The following checklist of “early warning signs” will facilitate identification of students who may be in need of intervention. The greater the number of items that are checked, the greater the potential for violent acting-out behavior.

• Characteristics of Youths Who Have Caused School-Related Violent Deaths.pdf
The National School Safety Center offers this checklist derived from tracking school-associated violent deaths in the United States from July 1992 to the present. After studying common characteristics of youngsters who have caused such deaths, NSSC has identified these behaviors, which could indicate a youth’s potential for harming him/herself or others.

• Teacher Guidelines for Crisis Response.pdf

Research has revealed that schools are increasingly more prone to crisis situations that adversely affect large numbers of students and faculty. The rise in adolescent suicide, increased assaults on teachers, high levels of substance abuse among students and increased violence in the schools are some of the reasons cited. Research has also indicated that today’s school districts need to contend with reactions to new types of trauma/disasters. Thus, it is strongly recommended that school districts need to be prepared for a crisis situation that can potentially affect the functioning of their students, faculty and administrators.

• School Safety - Tips for Administrators.pdf
School principals and superintendents can provide leadership in reassuring students, staff, and parents that schools are generally very safe places for children and youth and reiterating what safety measures and student supports are already in place in their school.

• School Safety Survey.pdf
This survey seeks to identify beliefs and staff perceptions about school safety.

• School Safety Surveys [Students, Staff, Parents].pdf
To gain a clear picture of the school environment, you’ll need a variety of perspectives. That’s why it’s important to survey not only students but also parents and school staff, including administrators, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, and receptionists. You’ll need to use different surveys for different audiences. There are 3 surveys combined into one - student survey, staff/admin survey, and parents survey.

• School Incident Tracking Form.pdf
A great incident tracking form with requests for description, type, and location of incident. It also asks for interventions by teacher and by the office. There’s a place for parents to sign and date.

• School Rules & Behavioral Expectations-Elementary.pdf
A matrix of the 3 basic “umbrella rules” (be safe, be respectful, be responsible) for elementary level. Highly recommended!

• School Rules & Behavioral Expectations-Middle.pdf
A matrix of the 3 basic “umbrella rules” (be safe, be respectful, be responsible) for middle school. Highly recommended!

• School Rules & Behavioral Expectations-High School.pdf
A matrix of the 3 basic “umbrella rules” (be safe, be respectful, be responsible) for high school. Highly recommended!

Children & Crisis Links