#interventionstrategies

[jamesscottbrownfoundation]

Cinderella Syndrome: Understanding and Overcoming Targeted Child Abuse

Diving into the Cinderella Syndrome, this comprehensive work aims to break the cycle of abuse through education, awareness, and targeted intervention, offering hope and pathways to recovery for affected individuals.

[multispecialityhealthblogs]

Discover effective substance abuse intervention methods for maintaining control over addiction. Explore ways to raise awareness and promote healthier choices.

[multispecialityhealthblogs]

Explore the significance of substance abuse awareness and intervention in primary care settings.

Discover effective substance abuse intervention methods for maintaining control over addiction. Explore ways to raise awareness and promote healthier choices.

[understandingbehaviour]

Intervention & challenging behaviour

How do you get a noisy class to settle? The answer lies in getting to the children before they have entered.  Be at the door to welcome them and have a simple, settling activity ready. If the lesson is active and interesting then there is every chance they will settle. The key to reducing noise in a class and maintaining a level of decorum is in being pro-active and establishing routines.

 If you are expecting a highly challenging class to sit in silence for long periods then you might become disillusioned very quickly. By the same token, if you do not impose a certain level of crowd control your ability to keep them in check will be severely compromised. The balance required must be a pragmatic one.

 Ø  Does the class need to be in silence for this activity?

Ø  What level of noise is acceptable for the given activity?

 Disruptions spoil the flow of a lesson. It is hard to focus on class work if somebody is being challenging.  The aim is to deal with disruption without it affecting the flow of a lesson. When an incident occurs the teacher is faced with a choice.  How they react is likely to determine what will happen next. The focus is as much on the teacher as it is on the child.

 The teacher could ignore the disruption but this might undermine their authority or the teacher could challenge the child but an argument might ensue and make the disruption worse.

 The solution lies in;

Ø  The timing of the teacher’s intervention

Ø  The context in which they intervene

Ø  The degree of self-control exhibited by the teacher

 “You can deliver the message in a large package, loud and in front of everyone or in a small package, quietly and unobtrusive one to one, the message is the same.”

 Deciding on the best course of action if a child transgresses is usually a decision that is taken quickly, there is an urgency to get on with the lesson as well as an underlying feeling that that the child has to be dealt with straight away. Experience brings with it the skills to know;

·         When to react

·         How to react,

·         And to what degree

 Giving the child a choice is another method of retaining control whist allowing the child to think that have not lost control. By offering a choice the child has options.

 It is important that the level of intervention matches the transgression. It would be unfair to suspend a child for chewing in class and it would be unwise to ignore a child who is physically assaulting another child.  Like changing gears in a car, the idea is to move through intervention strategies until the teacher reaches the appropriate one to match what is before them.

 How a teacher speaks to a child is as important as the timing and context. If the teacher reacts in a calm and self-controlled manner they are more likely to effect a positive outcome. If the teacher reacts aggressively the situation may become more inflamed. A child will mirror the emotion displayed by the teacher. It can also occur the other way! Rather than confront the teacher can elect to;

Ø Diffuse

Ø Deflect

Ø Confuse

Even in the face of a determined attempt to provoke it is important that the teacher maintains their composure. Some children are adept at knowing which buttons to press to get a reaction from a teacher. It is important to bear in mind that any personal attack or affront by a child towards the teacher is designed to get a reaction, by not ‘taking the bait’ the teacher disarms the child and forces them to rethink their strategy.

 If a child is proving difficult it is important that the teacher maintains control of the situation using assertiveness rather than aggression. Assertiveness is a method of conveying authority without causing rancour. The assertive teacher commands respect in the way that they conduct themselves.

 There are occasions when no matter how the teacher tries to control the situation the child is unable or unwilling to comply. In the event of this happening the teacher should have a well rehearsed exit strategy designed to remove the child without causing too much disruption. Schools should have their own agreed procedures for sending children out of a lesson for disciplinary reasons.

 A child may get angry and seek to get out of the room. If this occurs the teacher should step aside and let them leave. Blocking a child’s path is likely to lead to a serious situation, possibly a physical assault on the teacher.  When faced with a child that is intent on leaving, a teacher may feel that their authority has been compromised but this is more a case of timing and context. Once the child has left and cooled down they can then be summoned and the situation dealt with at a later time, preferably the same day.

 If a child refuses to leave the room then again the school should have a set procedure to deal with this event. In the UK there are laws that ‘enable staff to use such force as is reasonable....’.

 Whilst a teacher may be protected in law, laying hands on a child, especially an irate child, means that the teacher runs the serious risk of being physically assaulted and so it should be used only as a last resort. It would be helpful for a number of key staff in a school to be properly trained in physical intervention techniques to reduce the risk to staff and children if force is required. Grabbing hold of a child without knowing how to do so without causing harm may result in legal action against the teacher.

 It is rare that a teacher will find themselves in a challenging situation that they have not played a part in creating. If a teacher is poorly organised, if the work is repeatedly unstimulating, if the teacher is terse, aggressive and/or overtly sarcastic or patronising then disaffection and conflict are going to ensue. If a teacher is respectful of the children they are more than likely to reciprocate.

 This article has been adapted from ‘Understanding Challenging Behaviour in the inclusive classroom’ (Routledge). . I am also the author of ‘Children in Need: Education, Wellbeing & the pursuit of GDP’