inclusion and behavior management
TRANSCRIPT
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INCLUSION AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT
FRPA SUMMER CAMP DIRECTORS TRAINING
LYNN M. CLARKE, CTRS, CPRP
239-213-3037
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LEARNING OBJECTIVESParticipants will be able to identify the 3 different
personality types.
Participants will be able to list at least one technique for avoiding behaviors.
Participants will be given 2 different behavior reward systems.
Credit to…Years of experience
Kids Included Together
www.kitonline.org
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What’s that one thing…Write (or type) some of the behaviors that you have dealt with that you absolutely cannot stand.
Two of mine are: Spitting and Staff Shopping. Go ahead, take 2 minutes and write down at least 3 behaviors that you would just rather not have to deal with.
Hold on to that piece of paper or notes – we will come back to some of those behaviors
If you are going to manage it…you should be able to identify what it is
All behavior is:
COMMUNICATION…Say it with me, Communication is behavior. Try to think of one thing you do during the day that doesn’t communicate something:
Putting on my shoes – Communicates I am getting ready to walk somewhere
Taking a drink of water – Communicates that I am thirsty
Not talking to a person – Communicates frustration, disappointment or anger
Covering your free ear when you are on the phone – communicates that you are having a hard time hearing.
ALL BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION…SO…WHAT DO I DO WITH THAT
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FIND THE PURPOSE IN THE COMMUNICATION If all behavior is communication, then finding the purpose behind that
communication is key.
Children don’t misbehave for no reason.
“Stop Doing that” is not a technique that is helpful. Did you know…some children haven’t developed the language skill to understand contractions such as “don’t”. This means you have to tell them what you want them to do, not what you don’t want them to do.
For example: Say “Please stop standing on the chair.” not “Don’t stand on the chair”.
Also, find a replacement behavior for the one they are doing. Hey, instead of standing in the chair to reach the paint, please ask a counselor or CIT to help.
Challenging behavior is truly in the eye of the beholder.
Alright let’s get out those behaviors When you are thinking about a kid that has one of those behaviors you just
can’t stand…What feeling comes over you? How do you think of that camper? Do you tense up? Do you sigh? Do you think…I really hope the parent doesn’t sign him up?
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Reframe the behavior Why do we do this? To help with all the feels. Feelings can give us pre-conceived notions of a kid. Even
if we have them, we shouldn’t input those into our staff who are coming with a clean slate.
What do I mean Rephrase the behavior? It’s like this. Behavior you would like to eliminate is Bullying…what is a good trait that all bullies have?
Leader – That’s right ladies and gentleman. Bullies have a tendency of bringing people along with them. If they weren’t strong leaders they wouldn’t have a strong following (think about gang activity). These campers are your leaders, one way or the other. Now, use that. Use that they are a leader for good more than bad.
Remember, all behavior is communication. If you have a kid that is bullying another kid what is it communicating? Insecurities on their part, need to be liked, being bullied by someone else. Investigate. Figure it out. Talk to the kid and replace the behavior. Let them know what their strengths are. Maybe they are really strong, have them help carry water coolers. Maybe they need to be in charge (the leader) of an activity for the day. Can they pass out the hand sanitizer, put out the socially distanced dots for lunch line, or even be an extra set of hands for the counselors in the little group when helping the kindergartners cross the street.
Other behaviors and the rephrase Melt Down – They are expressive
Non-Compliant – They are assertive and Independent
Aggressive – They are competitive
Teasing – Quick wit, leader, social, funny
Stealing – They fill a need and can be a risk taker
Running Away – They are Active/Athletic and Free Spirit
Destroying Property – Future engineers, constructive, Outgoing
Staff Shopping – Persistent
Testing Limits – Intelligent/Curious
Spitting - Communicative
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Behavior can be influenced by…• Temperament
• Environment
• Activity appropriateness
• Health Conditions (particularly important this year)
• What is happening at home
Circle the one that fits you best in each category
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Your Temperament The characteristics you possess define your temperament.
Temperament is generally consistent over time.
Temperament is often described in 3 different subsets “feisty”, “flexible” and “cautious”
A little on each of these
How does your temperament play a role in the behavior of the kids you are working with?
Your environment…what does it invite
Where do you like to shop…or where don’t you like to shop? Why? Take 1 minutes and jot some things down. Think pre-pandemic here people…things have changed.
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My favorite place to “shop”
Create an environment your campers want to shop in…things to think about Remove the “don’t touch” items. It’s camp…they should be able to touch things.
Keep it organized (remember the shopping…anyone pick an unorganized store?)
Stop, Sit and listen for 2 minutes…Listen for those things that are making noise. Remember our kids on the Autism Spectrum have superhuman hearing, taste, touch and sight. Are the lights buzzing, does the ice machine make a loud dumping noise, do the doors slam, do you have a blower on your front door, are there other activities going on that make noise with music, chanting, shouting, bouncing. This all goes to the Sensory environment – Think Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Vestibular and Olfactory
Group size…Okay we don’t always have control of this but it makes a difference.
Finally, the staff. The staff is the biggest part of the environment. These kids need stability. Are you giving stable, active, engaged staff. This is huge to the successful behavior of the kids. Don’t let them fall into “Mancala” syndrome.
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Transitions Transitions need to be an activity in and of
themselves.
They have a beginning and a middle and an end.
Plan for transitions…give cues (not warnings)
Minimize major transitions when you can (if it is lightning you have to get them inside)
Think of fun transition games now…not later… Mission Impossible
Red Light Green Light
What time is it Mr. Fox?
Partner challenge
Importance of the schedule
How many times have you referred to a calendar today? (Where are the cautious folks…you love your calendars).
Imagine a week or even just a day without being able to know what comes next. We have cautious, flexible and feisty campers who all love to know what is coming up for different reasons. They want to know. This will help them cope and be better prepared for the next activity.
What we do is not national security. Make a concrete schedule that kids can look at. It can be written, pictures, complicated or super simple. Give them a tool.
Be inclusive…have kids that can’t read, use clip art to symbolize the different types of activities.
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When it comes to behavior…reflect before you react
We must train ourselves to reflect on what is really going on…what is the child communicating
A lot of this will depend on your temperament
Observations When trying to figure out why a behavior is happening you must be a good
investigator.
What is the behavior that is concerning?
Where does the behavior take place (generally is it on the bball court, classroom, pool)?
What time of the day does it take place?
With whom (is it always the same kid, staff or does it differ from instance to instance)?
What happened just before the behavior?
What was the staff response to the behavior?
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And the answer is… If you can figure out the answers to those questions you can replace the
behavior with a different one.
Two of the biggest behavior triggers in any child (and some adults)?
Hunger
Tired
Your tool box Create and informal or formal behavior plan (token economy
system is a good example)
Teach replacement behaviors
Examine your environment (physical, sensory and emotional)
Develop communication and coping skills
Provide structure (to much free time = issues)
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Don’t manage behaviors/support positive behaviors and prevent undesirable behaviors Careful planning
Good observation skills
Developmentally appropriate activities
Good ratios
Appropriate environment
Respectful, reflective adults (Looking at a cell phone when someone else is talking to you, not respectful)
Why Inclusion and Supporting positive Behavior More Energy
More fun/less discipline
Increase in child interactions
Decrease in stress between parents and staff
Lifelong positive memories
Making a positive difference
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QUESTIONS?