The document outlines strategies for managing challenging behaviors in young children through guidance and positive discipline, emphasizing the importance of empathy and clear communication. It highlights resources such as the A-B-C analysis method for understanding behaviors and offers practical strategies for educators to promote positive behavior in early childhood settings. The content is geared towards ECEC professionals, providing frameworks and activities for applying these strategies effectively.

1. Required Resources
1. Read from your text, Challenging Behavior in Young
Children:
· Chapter 9: Guidance
· Chapter 9 provides specific strategies for helping young
children with challenging behavior.
· Chapter 10: Functional Assessment and Positive Behavior
Support
· Chapter 10 provides information on the functions that
behaviors serve and developing a positive behavior support
plan.
2. The IRIS Center. (n.d.). A-B-C Analysis. Retrieved from
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/mcontent/behavior-abc-video/
1. This activity will allow students to observe a child having
tantrums and list the target behavior, antecedents,
consequences, and hypothesis regarding the function of
behavior. This activity will assist you in completing the second
discussion question.
1. Accessibility Statement
1. Privacy Statement does not exist.
1. The IRIS Center. (n.d.). Functional Behavioral Assessment:
Identifying the Reasons for Problem Behavior and Developing a
Behavior Plan. Retrieved from
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/fba/chalcycle.htm
1. This module outlines the steps of the Functional Behavioral
Assessment process and will assist you in completing the
second discussion question.
1. Accessibility Statement
1. Privacy Statement does not exist.
Recommended Resource

2. 1. The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements. (n.d.). Methods
of Functional Behavioral Assessment. Retrieved on from
http://flpbs.fmhi.usf.edu/pdfs/pbs_FBA_Practice.pdf
· This info brief provides a brief overview of different methods
to use when conducting functional assessments.
ECE201: INTRODUCTION TO EARLY CHILDHOOD
BEHAVIOR
WEEK THREE INSTRUCTOR GUIDANCE
Children require guidance and sympathy far more than
instruction.
-Anne Sullivan
Welcome to Week THREE of ECE201!!
As we learned last week, all children display challenging
behaviors. This is a normal part of development. When children
have a difficult time controlling their emotions adults need to
provide positive and clear guidance. Seems simple right?
Well, as anyone who has worked with children knows, it can be
more difficult then it seems. Fortunately, there are research-
based approaches and guidance strategies that adults can use to
help children manage their behavior.
As the quote above suggests, using guidance strategies that are
based on respect and empathy for children is a key part of your
role as an ECEC professional. Far more than they need
instruction and lectures, punishment and consequences, children
need sympathy and guidance in their quest to manage
themselves and to take their place gracefully and joyfully as
fully functioning members of their families, their peers, and
their communities.
Overview of the Learning Week
This week we focus our learning on approaches and strategies to

3. guiding young children’s behavior that are both respectful and
effective. As an ECEC professional your knowledge about how
children learn and grow will provide a foundation for using
these strategies in ways that are developmentally appropriate
for each age and stage.
By the end of the third week of our journey together you will
have:
· Analyzed guidance strategies for supporting children with
challenging behavior.
· Explained how the A-B-C worksheet analyzes student
behavior.
· Explained how data collection can support and address
behavioral issues.
· Identified common target behaviors in young children and
proposed possible functions
Instructor Expertise
Guidance StrategiesIn your first discussion you will be asked to
choose guidance strategies that you feel most aligned with in
terms of your own goals and values. According to Kaiser &
Rasminsky (2012), behavior problems can be addressed in three
ways: guidance, discipline, and behavior management.
Guidance is connected to a child’s decision-making process and
allows children to make their own choices within their
environment. Discipline is connected to consequences; children
learn that their choices have consequences. When discipline
takes place the ECEC teacher/provider will show more control
than when he or she is providing guidance. It is during behavior
management that the ECEC teacher/provider will display the
most control. When a child is displaying negative behaviors it is
also the ECEC teacher/provider who will enforce consequences
and rules.
There are many different strategies that can be used to assist
with children’s behavior. As an ECEC teacher/provider, you

4. will decide what approach works best for you. Whatever
approach you feel most comfortable with, be sure it is age- and
culture-appropriate. Here are some common strategies:
· Assist children into understanding boundaries.Discuss with
children what is okay and what is not okay. Consistency is the
key and modeling the desired behavior is important. Avoid
negative language and enforce guidance with positive direction
such as “We help each other” or “We are kind to each other.”
For a toddler, especially, saying something like, “Were you
trying to be his/her friend and wanted his/her attention?” rather
than, “It was naughty to hit” can help a child learn to connect
words and phrases to feelings and actions.
· Use positive language. It is important to choose your words
carefully, especially when you are guiding children's behavior.
Use short and simple sentences. Keep the focus on what the
positive behavior is instead of the negative behavior. Here are a
couple of examples, “Use your quiet or inside voice.” And, “We
walk inside.” Avoid phrases such as “Stop screaming and
shouting!” and, “Don’t touch that!”
· Be a model for positive behavior. As educators, children are
observing you all the time. They observe you talk to other
children and adults. They observe how you respond to every
situation! Set a good example and model appropriate behaviors
that children can take on as their own (Gartrell, 2006).
· Provide opportunities for independence. Offering choices to
children provides them with the feeling that they have a say in
their routines. Something as simple as “Do you want the ball or
the bicycle?” can be powerful. Offering choices allows children
to feel that what they want matters and assists with developing
communication skills (Kostelnik, Whiren, Soderman, Stein &
Gregory, 2005).
· Talk to children and not “at” them. Children often don’t hear
you when you are talking (or shouting) “at” them. Unless it is
culturally inappropriate, you will be much more effective if you
get down on their eye level. Look them in the eyes (if it is
culturally appropriate) and talk to them in a positive tone. It is

5. okay to encourage or guide a child into displaying appropriate
behavior such as saying, “You hurt his feelings. He looks sad.
What do you think you can do to make him feel better?” You
are allowing the child to make that choice and very importantly,
allowing him/her to make restitution.
· Respect children and try to understand their behavior. It is
important to talk with children who are misbehaving to see why
they are acting out or if there is another issue bothering them.
Remember, everything may not always be as simple as it seems.
If their behavior could talk, what would it be saying?
· Find out what is culturally appropriate. It is important to
discover the ways people in the child’s family communicate and
what is considered appropriate behavior. For example, in some
cultures it is considered inappropriate for a child to look an
adult in the eye. In other cultures, it is considered inappropriate
for an adult to bend down to a child’s eye level.
· Encourage appropriate behavior. Whatever the culture,
educators & families should to encourage and acknowledge the
appropriate behavior when it is observed. This will help
children develop self-esteem and encourage them to continue
the positive behavior. Share with their families the positive
behaviors the child is displaying.
There are “packages” and courses that focus on positive
discipline. Two that are tried and true are Love and Logic and
Positive Discipline. Love and Logic is a “natural consequences”
approach. It empowers children and with the guidance of their
ECEC teacher/provider, teaches them that they are capable of
solving their own problems (Fay & Fay, 2000). Another
possibility is Positive Discipline. Its focus is on the innate
desire for children to connect with others to teach social and
life skills in a manner that is deeply respectful of both children
and adults (Nelson, Erwin & Duffy, 2007).
Finally for more information on how to avoid power struggles
and how to provide positive discipline in the life of your child,
check out these Eighteen Ways to Avoid a Power Struggle

6. (Nelson, 2014).
Watch the video below for further information on encouraging
good behavior in children. As you watch consider whether you
think these strategies are ones you could try.
Encouraging Good Behaviour in Children
URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-bLKdL1yGo
The ABC's of BehaviorFor your second discussion and your
written paper this week you will focus on a deeper
understanding of what is called applied behavior analysis. There
are many different behavioral approaches when working on
modifying or changing a child’s misdirected behavior but they
all stem from the same factors. Whether data is taken from a
developmental assessment, a functional needs assessment or
ABC chart, each approach serves to assist the child with
learning to modify the behavior by asking the questions needed
to understand why the behavior occurs and what happens as a
result.
In any approach a first step is to observe the child and collect
data to create a baseline. When observing a behavior that is
challenging to a family the specialist will gather information
that can assist with the family’s concerns. This information may
include a description of the behavior, when it occurs, what
happened prior to the behavior, and the family response. All
these components are factors of ABC analysis.
The ABC approach to behavior analysis can be very useful in
determining negative behaviors that need to be decreased in
young children. A is for antecedent, which is the condition(s)
before a behavior occurs, or what happened before; B is the
behavior; and C is the result of the behavior or consequence.
All these factors lead to a behavioral modification approach
called applied behavior analysis (ABA). Professionals often use

7. ABA when working with children using the ABA approach
especially with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
Disorder (Alberto & Troutman, 2012).
The focus of applied behavior analysis is to modify observed
behaviors, this approach uses environmental factors to modify
or decrease the targeted behaviors. Behavioral responses can be
changed when you focus on the antecedent which is what
happened before the behavior occurred (Alberto & Troutman,
2012). Once all observations and data are collected they can use
this information to develop and implement a behavioral plan
that can be used by the ECEC providers/teachers, families, and
other involved adults.
For more information on the ABC approach to analyzing
behavior, watch the YouTube in the Critical Reflections section
below. It is a powerful method that can be very effective in the
right circumstances. It also requires specialized training.
Have a great week and let me know if you need or want further
information on these topics!
Critical Reflections / Application Opportunities
Watch the YouTube below on the ABCs of Behavior and as you
watch, reflect on the following questions:
· Can you relate to a personal experience in which you observed
all three components of the ABC’s of behavior?
· What types of assessments do you prefer when observing
children’s behavior?
· When the antecedent of a challenging behavior is discovered,
how would you address the issue?
· How will you address this issue with the child’s family?
The ABC's of Behavior

8. URL:http://youtu.be/GxcIM8klHuY
Weekly Learning Activities
✓
Week 5 Learning Activities
Due Date
Guidance Strategies
After reading Chapter 9 of the course text, choose one of the
following guidance strategies to elaborate on: developmental
discipline, ECEC teacher/provider effectiveness training,
collaborative problem solving, positive reinforcement, natural
and logical consequences, time-out, or time-away. Answer the
following:
What did you learn about your chosen strategy? What
information surprised you? How will you use this information in
the future? Make sure to cite the class text.
Respond to at least two of your peers.
Day 3
A-B-C Analysis of Target Behaviors
Complete the IRIS module Functional Behavioral Assessment:
Identifying the Reasons for Problem Behavior and Developing a
Behavior Plan and the A-B-C Analysis. Address the following
questions based on the video in the A-B-C Analysis:
What is the target behavior? What seems to be triggering the
challenging behavior? What are the consequences that seem to
maintain it? What function does this behavior serve for the

9. child? Provide an example of another situation in which you can
identify the antecedents, target behavior, consequences and
function of behavior.
Respond to at least two of your peers.
Day 3
Functional Behavioral Assessment Short Paper
After reviewing the reading for Week 3, address the following
in a two- to three-page paper:
· Describe how ECEC teacher/providers collect data in order to
determine the functions of a behavior.
· Analyze the importance of collecting and reviewing data
before implementing specific interventions to address
challenging behavior.
· Discuss three common behaviors a ECEC teacher/provider
may see in young children and target for modification or
replacement. Propose possible functions for each of these
common targeted behaviors
Your paper must be two to three pages in length (double-
spaced, notincluding title and reference pages) and utilize APA
formatting. It must cite at least two scholarly resources
(including the course text). Citations must be properly
formatted in APA style. Lastly, please notethat this information
will be used for your Final Project, due in Week 5.
Day 7
Additional Materials
Guiding Young Children: 21 Strategies
Earlychildhood NEWS is an online resource for ECEC
teacher/providers and families of children, from infants to age 8
years. It includes articles about child development,
developmentally appropriate practices, health and safety,
behavior and guidance, assessment and much more. This is an

10. online article that focuses on 21 strategies for guiding
children’s behavior.
ProECEC teacher/provider
This website contains discussions and ideas about how to
effectively implement techniques to guide positive behavior in
the classroom.
Zero to Three
A non-profit organization that focuses on children ages 0-3
years of age and focuses on how to nurture development. Zero
to Three offers tips and tools for challenging behaviors; they
offer a variety of resources for families and educators. Check it
out!
References
Alberto, P. A., & Troutman, A. C. (2012). Applied behavior
analysis for ECEC teacher/providers (9th ed.). Columbus, OH:
Merrill.
Fay, J. & Fay, C. (2000). Love and logic magic for early
childhood. Institute:Golden CO.
Gartrell, D. (2006). A guidance approach for the encouraging
classroom (4th ed.). Albany, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.
Kaiser, B. & Rasminksy, S. J. (2012). Challenging behavior in
young children (3rd ed.) Upper Saddle River: Pearson
Education, Inc
Kostelnik, M., Whiren, A., Soderman, A., Stein, L., & Gregory,
K. (2005). Guiding children’s social development (5th ed.).
Albany, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning

11. Nelson, J. (2014). Eighteen ways to avoid a power struggle.
Retrieved from
http://www.positivediscipline.com/articles/power.html
Nelson, J., Erwin, C., & Duffy, R. (2007). Positive discipline
for preschoolers. New York: Three Rivers Press.
Sources for Visualscartoon:
http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html
mother and daughter:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rubbermaid/9342784933/