How to be a trauma informed behavior Jedi

PETER STOLL, PHD

A shift in practice.

u Why the move toward school climate transformation?

u System change requires behavior change Motivation WHY?

u Reinforcing contingencies – what do you want to see?

u Be inspired! Knowing Your Why

If We Think…

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE

u Student is misbehaving

u We think s/he is naughty, a “bad kid”.

u We think s/he is pushing our buttons and engaging in misconduct on purpose.

u We think the student is “Manipulative”.

PRODUCTIVE

u Student has skill deficits or learning difference

u We think that the student is getting needs met the only way they know how.

u We think that the student needs more teaching and reinforcement of appropriate behaviors (to help develop new habits).

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Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES)

Where does Humboldt County stand?

Humboldt, Mendocino and Butte counties are the only three counties in California with more than 70 percent of their population reporting one or more adverse childhood experiences. Seventy-six percent of Humboldt and Mendocino residents, combined in the study, reported one or more ACEs.

http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20141221/adverse-childhood-experiences-in-humboldt-mendocino-highest-in-state

What Happens When We Experience Traumatic Stress?

u Traumatic stress is the set of changes in the body and the brain that are set into motion when there are overwhelming threats to physical or psychological well-being.

u FIGHT, FLIGHT or FREEZEu Under threat, the limbic system

engages and the frontal lobes disengage. When safety returns, the limbic chemical reaction stops and the frontal lobes re-engage.

(Van der Kolk, B., 2005) Northern Illinois University Center for Child Welfare & Education - 2013

ADOLESCENT BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

Adolescent changes begin around 10-13 years oldØ Physical appearance (puberty)Ø Emotions (feelings and identity)Ø Thinking (impulse control, planning, and complicated decision-

making)Ø Increased desire for risk-takingØ Parts of brain that control IMPULSE CONTROL & EMOTION are not yet

developed

**This part of brain doesn’t finish developing until a person is in his/her 20’s

The Adolescent Brain

Anxiety Curve

Trauma and Development

Children exposed to trauma invest energy into survival instead of developmental mastery.

**They tend to reside in their Limbic (Emotional Brain) and development may not occur in parts of their Cortex (Learning & Thinking Brain)

(Cairns, K. & Stanway, S., 2004.)

Chronic Stress Outcomes

u Linked to 50% or more of all absencesu Impairs attention and concentrationu Reduces cognition, creativity and memoryu Diminishes social skills and social judgmentu Reduces motivation and effortu Increases likelihood of depressionu Reduces growth of new brain cells

Eric Jensen, Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What BeingPoor Does to Kids’ Brains and What Schools Can DoAbout It, 2009.

Empathy - Brene Brown

4:1

Positive

Interactions

Negative

Interactions4 : 1

Scott, 2002

Resiliency

• Systems shown to be major factor in resilience.

• �Specific features of mentally healthy school environments:– Supporting secure attachments to adults– Providing the child with age-appropriate

competencies– Exposing child to contexts that enhance

wellness– Empowering the child– Preparing the child to cope effectively with

stress�

Teaching Alternate Behavior

u “If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.”u “If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.”u “If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.”u “If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.”u “If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we

…teach? …punish?”

“Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?”

(Herner, 1998)

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6 Safe and Effective Behavior Management Techniques

1. Be Mindful of your own reaction

2. Maintain Rational Detachment

3. Be Attentive

4. Use Positive Self-Talk

5. Recognize your limits

6. Debrief

Adapted from CPI

Be Mindful of Your Own Reaction

u A vital component of managing difficult behavior is knowing that your behavior affects the behavior of others.

u What you say or do in response to an individual’s behavior affects whether the behavior escalates or stops.

u When you’re aware of this factor, and when you’re equipped and empowered with other effective and respectful behavior management strategies, you’re better able to de-escalate difficult behavior and help individuals regain control and make positive choices.

Maintain Rational Detachment

u When you’re rationally detached, you maintain control by not taking negative comments or actions personally.

u Without this key ability, team members may react instinctively or defensively, which will only escalate a situation.

u Equipped with this skill, you’re better able to defuse challenging behavior and encourage positive behavior.

Be Attentive

u When people feel ignored, marginalized, or not cared for, they often act out. An effective way to counter a person’s anxiety is to validate her feelings.

u Pay attention to what she says. Give her plenty of personal space. Show her through your facial expressions and body language that you’re listening, and you can take away her reasons for being upset—and give her a reason to regain control.

Use Positive Self-Talk

u Remind yourself that when you’re the target of an outburst or a negative situation, you’re rarely the cause of the behavior.

u And just as thinking, "I can't deal with this" might cause you to react one way, telling yourself, "I know what to do" will cause a more productive response.

Recognize your Limits

u Being a professional doesn't mean that you can handle everything. Knowing that you have support and backup is crucial to staying in control of your own behavior and responding appropriately.

u Accept your limits and keep in mind that sometimes the best decision is to let someone else take over.

Debrief

u Be sure to debrief after any incident. Talking about it can help relieve the stress. It’s also important to consider what was done well and how to respond better the next time a situation occurs

Preventative Interactions

u Objectivesu Discuss methods to secure students’ attentionu Describe the use of direct speech (alpha

commands) when interacting with studentsu Present a Predictable Response Sequence to

students who are noncompliantu Describe how to prevent power struggles

Reflection

u How would you deal with the following situations?uWhen you need to give directions, and

students continue to engage in the activity, or run away on the playground, what do you do?

uOne of your students often gets into arguments with other students during games at recess.

uA child has become very upset and is bothering other students in line for class.

Using Alpha Commands to Reduce Noncompliance

u Noncompliance occurs when a student does not follow a directive in a reasonable amount of time.

u Most acting out behavior is secondary to avoiding tasks or requests

u Clear Positive Directives = Alpha Commands

u Teacher behavior must change for student behavior to change!

Alpha vs. Beta

u Alphau Minimal number of wordsu Clear, concrete, and specificu Reasonable amount of time to comply

u Betau Wordyu Vagueu Often convey feelings of frustration or angeru May contain many sets of directions

Predictable Response Sequence

Recognize the Return to Expected Behavior

uAs soon as the student follows directions, positively reinforce

uDo not hold a grudge!uAssign meaningful consequencesuProblem solve with the student to help

them avoid the inappropriate behavior the next time

Using Positive and Corrective Consequences

• Students learn to comply with expectations and routines through direct teaching and differential feedback

• Differential feedback is when positive and corrective consequences are used to make clear to the student boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behavior

Instructional Strategy for Teaching or Correcting Behavior

u Acknowledge the student’s use of the appropriate behavior when you see it occurring

u Actively look for students doing what is expected and reinforce them.

u Look for progress and attempts by at-risk and high-risk students

u Correct errors immediately

Positive Feedback

• A number of people resist the use of positive reinforcement. • People identify positive reinforcement with material objects

being provided to reinforce behavior.

• Verbal positive reinforcement is the easiest to implement and the most powerful tool for adults to use to support the development of academic and prosocial behavior.

REFLECTION: How do I deliver Verbal Positive Feedback?

Components of Positive Reinforcement

ImmediateFor best effect, deliver the reinforcement as close to the occurrence of the target behavior as you can.

Contingent on BehaviorConsequences must be directly linked to the specific target behavior. The student must associate the consequence with the target behavior for effective reinforcement to take place.

Components of Positive Reinforcement

ConsistentReinforcement should be as consistent with behavior and across staff as possible. Be careful not to reinforce a behavior one time and punish or inadvertently punish it the next time.

High RateHigh rates of positive reinforcement have been shown to be very effective in increasing the target behaviors

Sample of Positive Consequences

Nonverbal Privileges Rewards Incentives

• Smile• Wink• Pat on Shoulder• Nod• Note

• Seating choice• Sitting in

teacher�s chair• Being first in

line• Leaving class

early• Free time• Trip to office • Teacher helper• Reduced

assignment

• Stickers• Other tangibles• Edibles

• Grades• Token tickets • Field trips• Special events

Examples of Corrective Consequences

• Gentle verbal correction• Loss of points or privileges• Discussions• Completion of self-report behavior

form• Removal into the hall or other

time-out area• Removal to the office• Parent contact

• Isolation within the classroom• Loss of privilege• Minimize attention• Restorative Practices• Partner classroom• Reteach• Reprieve (take envelope to the

office)• Extra work• Planned ignoring

Fundamental Hypothesis

u The fundamental hypothesis of Restorative Practices is that human beings are happier, more cooperative and productive, and more likely to make positive changes in their behavior when those in positions of authority do things WITH them, rather than TO them or FOR them.

u IIRP - International Institute for Restorative Practices

Affective Statements:

u The starting point for all restorative processes: uActive non-judgmental listening

uAuthentic expression of feelings and impact

* Building strengthened relationships by genuinely presenting oneself as someone who cares and has feelings.

u Ex. typical response: “Phillip, stop talking!”

u Affective statement: “Phillip, I find it very frustrating to hear a student talking while I'm trying to give directions to the class.”

Restorative Discussion and Questions

A restorative approach helps those harmed by the actions of others, by asking the following:

Affective Restorative Questions:

u What happened, and what were you thinking at the time?

u What have you thought about since?

u Who has been affected by what you have done? In what way?

u What about this has been hardest for you?

u What do you think you need to do to make things as right as possible?

Wachtel & Costello (2009), The Restorative Practices Handbook.

Activity

Restorative Discussion and Questions:

And, in turn, the ones whom are affected are asked the following:

u What did you think when you realized what had happened?

u What impact has the incident had on you and others?

u What has been the hardest thing for you? u What do you think needs to happen to make things right?

Activity