UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOR

Guidance & Discipline

Based on:

Presented by: Brandi Pedigo & Maggie Williams

Welcome…

On the note card provided please write a description of a child with challenging behavior who you have a relationship with.

HEALTHY SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Healthy Social Emotional Development

“The developmentally and culturally appropriate ability to experience, express and manage emotions; and establish positive

and rewarding relationships with others.”CA Infant Toddler Learning Development Foundations

Through their behavior a baby experiences, expresses, and manages their emotions.

THE SIX POSSIBLE CAUSES OF

CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOR

The First Possible Cause:THE DEVELOPEMENTAL STAGE

◦ Development progresses in a

predictable pattern.

◦ Characteristic behaviors mark a

child’s passage.

◦ Mastery is not the exclusive aim of

the child’s behavior.

◦ Repetition and reworking propel

development.

Scenario…

An infant in the program keeps throwing their spoon over the edge of the high chair. The teacher gets frustrated by this behavior and

after a few times takes the spoon away.

A possible solution to this behavior is that the teacher may realize that the child is in

the developmental stage of object permanence and needs to practice. She may give

the child a spoon that is tied to the high chair and then teach her to retrieve it herself.

The First Possible Cause: THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE

Why Is This Happening?

Possible Cause

◦ Maturation- The behavior is

due to the child’s

developmental stage.

◦ The behavior is the child’s

practicing, a necessary aspect

of mastery and of human

development.

What Should I Do?

Action

◦ Relax- All children do it. It will

end/evolve.

◦ Tolerate- It is developmentally

significant/useful.

◦ Channel- Allow the child a safe

tolerable way to practice.

◦ Stop- Stop behavior when it is

disruptive or dangerous, but

remember it will return.

How Can I Tell?

Clues

◦ I have read about it in books.

◦ I have seen children at the same

stage behave this way.

◦ I remember doing it myself

when I was a child.

Always reflect on:

◦ Sense of child’s expectations.

◦ Sense of relationship with child.

◦ Child’s sense of self.

The Second Possible Cause:INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

◦ Every child enters the world

uniquely themselves.

◦ A child has an individual way of

approaching and responding to the

world.

◦ A child’s individual differences affect

WHAT he experiences and HOW he

is experienced.

◦ “Goodness of Fit” between a child

and caregiver affects behavior.

Temperament Activity…

◦ Please complete the self assessment.

◦ Take your data and graph it.

◦ Share and compare the graphed data with your elbow partner.

◦ Upon comparison discuss the following questions:

◦ What similarities do you notice?

◦ What differences do you notice?

◦ How would those similarities and differences affect your relationship?

◦ If one of you were a child in care and one the care provider, do you believe it would a good fit?

The Second Possible Cause: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Why Is This Happening?

Possible Cause

◦ Not all children of a certain age act in exactly the same way.

◦ Temperamental and constitutional qualities account for differences in behavior.

◦ All children experience the world according to their unique physiology.

What Should I Do?

Action

◦ Observe and identify child’s unique style.

◦ Adapt expectations and interactions.

◦ Offer options that allow for and appreciate children’s unique expressions and responses to the world.

◦ Continue exploration of attributions and possible explanations for behavior.

How Can I Tell?

Clues

◦ Not due solely to developmental

stage.

◦ Information about child’s unique

qualities from birth.

◦ Have read about it/research on –

temperament, regulatory, and

sensory capacities.

The Third Possible Cause:THE ENVIRONMENT

Childcare

◦ A programs physical space,

organization, activities, routines,

and relationships contribute to a

child’s behavior.

◦ Determining the exact influence

of environmental factors is done

through a process of

elimination.

Home

◦ Happenings in the home

contribute to a child’s behavior

◦ Environmental occurrences:

Grandparents visiting, shifts in

sleeping arrangements, parents

gain or lose a job, siblings born,

illness, or death. These

experiences can transform a

child’s feelings expectations and

responses.

Outcomes

◦ The impact in small ripples or

waves will be expressed in

children’s behavior

◦ When relationships are strong

between a provider and parents

an atmosphere of exchange

exists, happenings in the home

are usually shared.

◦ Lack of disclosure may be

purposeful or unintentional by

parent.

How can space affect peaceful rest?

How does seating affect mealtime?

How does lighting affect behavior?

How does space affect children’s play?

The Third Possible Cause: THE ENVIRONMENT

Why Is This Happening?

Possible Cause

◦ The child is responding to a specific environment.

◦ The child is responding or adapting to a new characteristic or change in a familiar environment.

What Should I Do?

Action

◦ When possible, adapt environment.

◦ Identify what has changed and its impact on the child.

◦ Reduce impacts with predictable protection, security, and attention.

◦ Acknowledge child’s worry, uncertainty, and disequilibrium.

◦ Reassure with demonstrations of consistencies.

How Can I Tell?

Clues

◦ Behavior not due primarily to

developmental stage or individual

differences.

◦ Behavior happens only in the

specific setting.

◦ All children in the setting

demonstrating some form of the

behavior.

◦ Sudden change in behavior.

The Fourth Possible Cause: CULTURE

◦ From birth, babies are viewed and come

to view who they are through the filter

of their family’s culture.

◦ A child’s behavior may be puzzling to a

provider who looks through a distinct

lens and misperceptions can be

accompanied by judgement.

◦ When value is extracted from varying

cultural practices, children respond

according to the prescribed

expectations.

How does cultural awareness impact a child’s care?

The Fourth Possible Cause: CULTURE

Why Is This Happening?

Possible Cause

◦ The child’s behavior is an expression of cultural values.

What Should I Do?

Action

◦ Identify what cultural value is being expressed.

◦ Identify contribution to child being caught between competing cultural norms.

◦ Keep or remove child from the conflict between important relationships – child can’t afford to choose.

◦ Distinguish between venues/relationships – children compartmentalize.

How Can I Tell?

Clues

◦ Behavior not due primarily to

developmental stage or individual

differences.

◦ Child is internalizing cultural and

lifestyle values.

◦ Child appears stuck in a conflict,

competing to please important

adults who appraise the behavior

differently.

The Fifth Possible Cause:THE CHILD DOES NOT KNOW

BUT IS READY TO LEARN

◦ The behavior is an approach to a

situation or task he/she is exploring

or attempting to master.

◦ Supporting the child in achieving the

new skill will alleviate behavior.

Scenario…

A young boy who just turned three attends a Montessori Preschool. It is his first experience in child care and he is an only

child. He prefers to lay on the floor unengaged with materials. His interactions with peers were causing disruption and

frustration for him and the other children. He knocks children’s block towers over and hovers over them watching while they play.

The Fifth Possible Cause: THE CHILD DOES NOT KNOW,

BUT IS READY TO LEARNWhy Is This Happening?

Possible Cause

◦ The child doesn’t know, but is

ready to learn – the behavior is

an approach to a situation or

task s/he is exploring or

attempting to master. Without

adult instruction/support, the

child relies on her/his own

resources – what s/he knows

so far.

What Should I Do?

Action

◦ Provide protection for the child

to explore.

◦ Teach – demonstrate.

◦ Talk – explain over and over.

◦ Give reasons.

◦ Encourage small successes.

◦ Always offer help.

How Can I Tell?

Clues

◦ Behavior is not due exclusively to

development stage, individual

differences, environment, or

culture.

◦ The child is young.

◦ The child is in a new or

unfamiliar situation.

◦ The child is facing a new task or

problem.

The Sixth Possible Cause:UNMET EMOTIONAL NEEDS

◦ Reciprocity, mutuality, safety, and

predictability must be consistent

features of a child’s interpersonal

world if he is to develop trust,

security, and a sense of efficacy.

◦ The outward expression rarely

reveals the underlying need.

◦ A child can’t expect what has never

been received.

The Sixth Possible Cause: UNMET EMOTIONAL NEED

Why Is This Happening?

Possible Cause

◦ The child has missed

something developmentally

and/or emotionally important.

◦ The need has intensified rather

than diminished.

◦ The behavior is the child’s

attempt to meet need.

What Should I Do?

Action

◦ Do something.

◦ Actively respond deeds not just

words, giving not withholding,

and support not punishment.

◦ Sometimes have to stop the

behavior.

◦ Meet needs with quiet,

firmness, and patience.

◦ Get additional support (for

yourself and your child)

How Can I Tell?

Clues

◦ The behavior is developmentally

inappropriate (child not “acting his

age”)

◦ The behavior has a driven (has to)

quality.

◦ The behavior is everywhere and

always (not situational)

◦ The behavior keeps popping up.

◦ Usual methods of handling the

behavior do not seem to help this

child.

WEB OF RELATIONSHIPS

CHILD

Final Thoughts…

◦ Reflect on your note card with the

description of the child’s behavior.

◦ Can you place this child’s behavior

into one or more of the six possible

causes of behavior?