Cloud Thought 24~ Children Will Do Well If They Can....How To Help Those That Struggle.
Have you come across this amazing book?
It is called The Explosive Child~ A New Approach For Understanding And Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Ross Greene:
I stared to read it and visited the website that offers resources to support people attempting to follow the approach.
There is a section for educators:
It offers a walk through tour along with explanatory video clips. The website also offers paper work to help to record the lagging skills and unsolved problems of children with challenging behaviour:
The Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems (ALSUP) paperwork comes with a guide:
Basically, Ross Greene believes that if a child can do well they will. If they don't do well it is because they have lagging skills and unsolved problems. Once the skills are taught the child is able to solve their difficulties. It goes against the reward and punishment behaviour management model that many people use.
He suggests that most pupils can cope with traditional behaviour management systems but some cannot. The more these strategies are used, the worse things get. He recommends that parents/educators identify the lagging skills and unsolved problems and prioritise them. Once they have chosen an area they can use:
Plan A- You solve the problems unilaterally which is unlikely to work. You impose your will on the child. Challenging behaviour is caused by this approach with challenging children. They lack the skills needed to handle this approach.
Plan C- You leave this problem while dealing with other priorities. This is not the same as giving in. Return to these problems after bigger problems have been solved.
Plan B-Solve the problems collaboratively. This helps to guide the child through the process of navigating problems and regulating emotions. Once they have the skills they can solve their problems on their own. Plan B will take time to implement and needs to be revisited. It is the most effective way of helping the child to develop the skills they need.
This video walks you through the 3 steps of Plan B:
Step 1: Empathy
Information gathering~ Ask the child so you understand their concern around the unsolved problem.
e.g. I have noticed that.... it has been really hard for you to sit next to Fred lately .....What's up? (Presented in a neutral way.)
The child may or may not respond. If they don't respond, wait. Look for non verbal cues to indicate if the silence is them thinking or forgetting what you have asked or refusing. If they answer you can start to 'drill' for more information. Their first response is unlikely to be the whole picture.
Step 2: Define The Problem~ The adult puts their concern on the table. The concerns usually affect safety, learning or getting along with others.
Step 3: Invitation~ Brainstorming solutions. Do this together to address the concerns of both parties.
I think this approach would be extremely helpful in schools when working with the pupils that challenge. It is also very helpful for parents and carers. There is a tour for parents too: https://www.livesinthebalance.org/walking-tour-parents
Have a look on the website and read the book. It offers real hope for positive change for children with challenging behaviour with or without diagnosis.
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