Allen Chapter 18

Allen and Cowdery, The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education, Ninth Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All
Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Managing Challenging Behaviors
Chapter 18

Chapter Objectives (1 of 2)
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
18-1 describe developmentally appropriate behavior problems; explain the
factors that determine whether a behavior problem requires special
attention.
18-2 describe the teaching pyramid, a tiered model for supporting social
competence and preventing challenging behavior in young children.
18-3 identify the steps to completing a Functional Behavior Plan.

Chapter Objectives (2 of 2)
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
18-4 choose an appropriate data collection method to monitor a child’s
behavior.
18-5 list behavior problems common to early childhood settings and
strategies for preventing and reducing these behaviors.

When Is a Behavior a Problem?
• Most children exhibit mood swings.
• Most children have had at least one tantrum.
• Children have off days.
• Normal deviations become fixed patterns when they get the adult attention.

Temperament
• Goodness of fit
• Caregivers and children need to fit each other
• Active children need caregivers who respect and appreciate the child’s
need to move
• Quiet children need a caregiver who understands their need for more one-
on-one time

How Much Is Too Much?
• Occasional outbursts are not a concern.
• Behaviors that increase in intensity need a second look.
• How much is too much of a behavior?
• Observation will be the key.

A Tiered Framework for Intervention
Tier 4 is planning intensive
individualized intervention
Tier 3 is social-emotional teaching
strategies
Tier 2 is classroom preventative
interventions
Tier 1 is building positive
relationships

Designing Interventions
Positive behavior support
• Identify the behavior
• Identify the settings in which it occurs
• Design interventions with which all team members are comfortable

A Functional Approach to Managing Problem
Behaviors
For effective prevention, teachers and caregivers must
• Examine their own behavior
• Identify factors that might be contributing to the child’s behavior
• Use a functional behavior assessment
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
• An approach to managing problem behaviors
• Key element is to determine why child is engaging in problem behavior

Steps of the FBA Process
1. Identify the problem situation
2. Assess the child and the environment
3. Specify an objective for the intervention
4. Assess the function of the behavior
5. Identify a replacement behavior
6. Plan the intervention. Ensure that meaningful curriculum activities, frequent
reinforcement, choice, and a predictable schedule are in place
7. Implement the plan and ensure that it is carried out as planned
8. Monitor the child’s progress and continue to monitor implementation

Types of Data Collection
Frequency—number of times a behavior occurs
Duration—how long each episode occurs
Interval—breaking the day up into intervals and recording when the behavior
occurs

Data Collection Methods
Frequency methods
• Drop item in jar and count how many items at the end of designated period, use tally
marks, or a frequency data sheet
Duration methods
• Record on a stopwatch, record on a duration data sheet
Interval methods
• Use a timer programmed to beep at a predetermined interval

Knowledge Check Activity 1
Why would “duration” be an effective method of data collection for a tantrum?
a. It measures the number of times during the day or specific time the behavior occurs.
b. This measure is used for behaviors that have a distinct beginning and end but last for at
least a minute.
c. It measures the number of intervals the behavior occurs across.
d. It is an effective frequency count.

Knowledge Check Activity 1 Answer
Why would “duration” be an effective method of data collection for a tantrum?
Answer: b. This measure is used for behaviors that have a distinct beginning and end but last
for at least a minute.

Behavior Problems and Solutions (1 of 7)
Aggression
• Aggression – can be difficult to define due to differences in opinions and experiences.
• Managing aggressiveness—watching for the triggers, eliminating them, teaching
appropriate replacement behaviors and self-regulation.

Disruptive and Destructive Behaviors
• Need for attention–challenging behavior gains attention
• Mastering routines–not understanding or mastering classroom routines
Managing Disruptive and Destructive Behaviors
• Redirection–gentle reminders of expected behavior
• Time-out–break the pattern of responses

Role-play Activity
1. Select a partner
2. One of you plays the role of teacher, the other, a noncompliant child.
3. Demonstrate several ways the teacher might work with the child to obtain
compliance before the child balks at a request.
4. Reverse roles and play out several ways of helping a child share a wagon.

Noncompliance prevention strategies
• Advance warnings
• Reduce overload
• Make requests and give directions clearly
and briefly
• Provide choices
• Beware of choices that are not choices
• Focus the child’s attention
• Allow time to comply
• Practice consistency and firmness
• Make sound judgments

Temper Tantrums
• Tantrums are a child’s attempt at control over adults.
• Children learn that they need to tantrum longer to break down the adults.
Management of tantrums
• Consistency
• Safety
• Identification of underlying causes

Separation Problems
• Children experience separation problems as a developmental milestone.
• Consistency in routine and caregivers is important.
• It will pass, but children need to know that they can trust what is in their environment.
Overdependence
• Children are clingy to a teacher or parent.
• Too little attention, child feels rejected
• Too much attention, child’s behaviors increase

Withdrawal
• Withdrawn children do not draw the teacher’s attention.
• They can retreat even further from social situations.
Inability to share
• Provide multiples of materials
• Interest centers should be attractive
• Encourage a game-like atmosphere

Questions to Ask
• Does the child engage in activities?
• Do the materials interest the child?
• Does the child spend time watching other children?
• Is the child likely to leave an activity if certain children approach?
• Does the child play close to some children?

The family’s involvement
• Central role in addressing challenging behavior
• Culture influences differences in agreement about what is considered a challenge or
problem behavior

Knowledge Check Activity 2
What would be the short-term and the long-term benefit of using time-outs?
a. Gives teacher a break; gives the child strategies to work on
b. Provides temporary relief; creates quiet in the environment
c. Breaks the pattern of disruptiveness; creates quiet in the environment
d. Breaks the pattern of disruptiveness; helps child learn to respond to more desirable
guidance procedures such as redirection

Knowledge Check Activity 2 Answer
What would be the short-term and the long-term benefit of using time-outs?
Answer: d. Breaks the pattern of disruptiveness; helps child learn to respond to more
desirable guidance procedures such as redirection

Summary (1 of 2)
Now that the lesson has ended, you should have learned how to:
• Describe developmentally appropriate behavior problems; explain the factors that
determine whether a behavior problem requires special attention.
• Describe the teaching pyramid, a tiered model for supporting social competence and
preventing challenging behavior in young children.
• Identify the steps to completing a functional behavior plan.

Summary (2 of 2)
Now that the lesson has ended, you should have learned how to:
• Choose an appropriate data collection method to monitor a child’s behavior.
• List behavior problems common to early childhood settings and strategies for preventing
and reducing these behaviors.

Allen Chapter 18

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