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Managing Escalating Behavior

Individual Tier II

Purpose

PURPOSE

Enhance

understanding & ways

of escalating behavior

sequences• Understanding the Escalation Cycle• Best practice Considerations• Your action planning how to share

with staff back home

OUTCOMES

◆ Identification of how to intervene early in an escalation.

◆ Identification of environmental factors that can be manipulated.

◆ Identification of replacement behaviors that can be taught (& serve same function as problem).

ASSUMPTIONS

• Behavior is learned (function)

• Behavior is lawful (function)

• Behavior is escalated through successive interactions (practice)

• Behavior can be changed through an instructional approach

Reasons Students Commonly Misbehave

• Unsure of expectations

• Unsure how to exhibit expected behavior

• Unaware he/she is engaged in the misbehavior

• Misbehavior is providing student with desired outcome:❖ Gain something❖ Escape something

Teacher conversation with Jason

Teacher Jason

Jason, please turn in your assignment.

What assignment?

I finished it.

I don’t have it with me now.

You never believe me.

F_____ you!

Pulls away, glares, & raises fist as if to strike.

The assignment you didn’t finish during class.Great, please turn it in now.You have a choice: turn it in or do it again.

I guess you’ve made the choice to do it again.That’s disrespect…go to the office.Moves closer…& puts hand on J. shoulder.

Make me.

The MODEL◆ What we know

is that people follow a predictable pattern.

◆ We know from this pattern how to minimize safety risks for students and staff

◆ We know how to support the person going through the cycle best by knowing when and how to respond

Colvin’ s Seven Phase Model of Acting- out Behavior

1. Calm2. Triggers

3. Agitation

4. Acceleration

5. Peak

6. De-escalation

7. Recovery

TIME

INT

EN

SIT

Y

The MODEL

High

Low

The MODEL

High

Low CALM✱✱✱✱

Calm – Student is Cooperative

◆ Accepts corrective feedback

◆ Follows directives◆ Sets personal goals◆ Ignores distractions◆ Accepts praise

This is where positive and valuing

relationships are built and where you teach

skills needed to function successfully in challenging situations.

Calming Strategies◆ Breathing

◆ Breath in to count of 5, hold for count of 5, exhale for count of 5

◆ Smell the soup

◆ Yoga Breathing◆ Put tongue behind your

two front teeth◆ Close your mouth an

breathe in through your nose to the count of four slowly

◆ Breathe out for the count of four

◆ Repeat 10 times

◆Deep Belly Breathing

◆Five point scale

◆Counting

◆Visualization

◆Calming tools

Calming Tools

The MODEL

High

LowTRIGGER

✱✱

Trigger – Series of Unresolved Conflicts

◆Repeated failures◆Frequent

corrections◆ Interpersonal

conflicts◆Low rates of

positive reinforcement

Recognize – Refocus - Reassure

◆This is where signs of early stress need to be recognized. This is the best time to refocus the person’s attention away

from the stress and encourage use of self -

regulation skills.

The MODEL

High

Low

AGITATION✱

Agitation – Unfocused Behavior

◆ Off-task◆ Frequent start/stop on tasks◆ Out of seat◆ Talking with others◆ Social withdrawal

Agitation – Reduce Anxiety

◆ Consider function of problem behavior

◆ Make structural/ environmental modifications

◆ Provide reasonable options & choices

◆ Involve in successful engagements

◆ Move Student Away

Now is the time to have the student leave the

anxiety producing event if possible and help

student use self-regulation skills.

The MODEL

High

Low

ACCELERATION

Acceleration – Displays Focused Behavior

◆Deliberate◆High intensity◆Threatening◆Personal

◆ Minimize Talking-Model Calm

This is not a time to ask the person to

make choices. Model calming

strategies.

The Paradoxical Response

◆ When students engage in confrontation they expect what they usually get: anger, ultimatums and more confrontation

◆ The paradoxical response: The calmer you get the more difficult it will be for the student to escalate the situation

◆ Be aware of your body and your nonverbals

Acceleration Intervention is focused on safety

Remember:

• Escalations & self-control are inversely related

• Escalation is likely to run its course

The MODEL

High

Low

PEAK

PeakStudent is out of control &

displays most severe problem behavior

◆ Physical aggression◆ Property destruction◆ Self-injury◆ Escape/social withdrawal◆ Hyperventilation

PeakIntervention is focused on

safety

◆ Focus is on crisis intervention

This is not a time to talk, direct, or problem solve. The main concern is safety. Follow the school or student crisis plan.

The MODEL

High

Low

DECELERATION

De-escalation Student displays confusion but with

decreases in severe behavior

◆ Social withdrawal◆ Denial◆ Blaming others◆ Minimization of

problem

Focus is on calming

At this point the person should be

encouraged to use self-regulation skills rather than make any decisions. Do not try to process

here.

De-escalation Intervention is focused on removing

excess attention

◆ Avoid nagging◆ Avoid blaming◆ Don’t force apology◆ Consider function◆ Emphasize starting anew

Approaches to Calming by Function

Obtain Attention Avoidance Obtain materials/activities

• Sit with student • Allow venting and be an active listener • Go through calming strategies with the student • Have student take your hands, look you in the eye, breath in, count to 5, and breath out • You actively approach student at regular intervals to check in • Walk and talk • Sensory with attention

• Little to no talking, no touching, more visual than verbal • Provide a visual of calming strategies • Have a calming bag that has independent calming tasks • Provide student the power to let you know when he or she is ready • Sensory without attention

• Have student part of developing the plan • Provide choices in calming

-Where to sit-What to do

The MODEL

High

Low RECOVERY✱

Recovery Engages in Non-engagement Activities

◆Attempts to correct problem◆Unwillingness to participate in

group activities◆Social withdrawal & sleep

Recovery

◆ Follow through with consequences with empathy

◆ Positively reinforce any appropriate behavior

◆ Intervention is focused on re-establishing routine activities

Recovery - Debrief

◆ Purpose of debrief is to facilitate transition back to program…not a further negative consequence

◆ Debrief follows consequences for problem behavior

◆ Goal is to increase more appropriate behavior

RecoveryProcessing & Problem Solving

Why do we process?

Teaches students to • Accurately identify the problem• Allows students to practice problem solving skills• Provides an opportunity to practice and re-teach

self-regulation skills• Allows us to make a plan and get students back

into class where they belong

The MODEL

High

LowCalm

Peak

De-escalation

Recovery

Acceleration

Agitation

Trigger

KEY STRATEGIES

◆ Intervene early

◆ Identify environmental factors that can be manipulated

◆Identify adult behaviors that can be more helpful

◆ Identify replacement behaviors that can be taught (& serve same function as problem).

Escalating BehaviorAction Planning

◆ Discuss features & steps of “Escalating Behavior” model

◆ Discuss extent to which escalating behavior is or could be issue in your school

◆ Identify how you will teach staff back home about addressing escalating behavior