forgoodness sake an applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children a community...
TRANSCRIPT
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
A Community Response
• 1991: Child Care Advisory Committee
• How to support quality?
• How to support inclusion?
• Survey: 10% of children were described as “challenging” by their ECE teachers.
• 1200 children lined up for assessment and treatment!! There has to be a better way!
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Of the 10% described as challenging…
• Very few will be able to access clinical intervention.
• And;
• Positive relationships are critical for all!
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
In the eye of the beholder…
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Behaviour changes as the circumstances change.
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Factors Affecting Behaviour
• Child’s development, interests and personality.
• Environment – physical
• Emotional environment
• A need is being met
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
The Emotional Environment
• Relationships with adults
• Relationships with peers
• Feelings of safety and security
• Stress level
Reflect and reframe.
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
The Physical Environment
• Toys and equipment
• Room arrangement
• Noise level
• Temperature, light
• Softness, textures
Environmental Assessment Tools: ECERS-R, ITERS-R,
FDCRS
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Environment - Structure
• Routines• Schedule• Consistency of caregivers• Support for caregivers – training,
mentoring, time to plan, time off• Wages and working conditions
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Understand the Child to Understand Behaviour
• Age
• Physical development
• Skills in all areas
• Health
• Temperament
• Emotional state
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Child’s Needs
• Attention
• Help with a developing skill
• Wants something i.e. toy or object
• Doesn’t want to do something
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Behaviour to meet needs.
• Observe and document• What happens before, during and after the
behaviour?• What patterns are repeated?• What is the end result for the child?• Is he/she meeting a need in either a
successful way or in a way that is frustrating to the child and adult?
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Typical Behaviour & Typical Strategies
• Re-direction• Set limits e.g. “when… then”• Allow for choice• Modelling• Tell the child what is expected• Acknowledge positive behaviour• Attention upfront.
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
What is Challenging Behaviour
• Behaviour which puts self or others at risk of injury.
• Is seriously disruptive: i.e. dealing with behaviour occupies much of teacher’s time.
• Continually inhibits positive interactions with peers and adults.
• “Challenging behaviour challenges us as adults to adapt the environment and / or the way we interact with the child.”
– Setting the Stage for Successful Behaviour
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Five step process
• Reflect on your relationship with the child.
• Gather information about the child.• Gather information about the
environment.• Observe the behaviour.• Develop a plan.• Reflect on progress and re-visit as
needed.
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Implementing the plan successfully.
• Inform and engage everyone involved.• Define the “new” skill or behaviour.• Set goals -
– “Reduce frequency of incidents”– “Reduce intensity of incidents”.– “ Increase in use of new skills”.
Document to monitor consistency and to measure change.
Focus on the positive!
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
The power of positive connections.
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
forgoodnesssake
An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Dr. Jean Clinton and Lois Saunders
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Some background
For Goodness Sake, An Applied Approach to Behavioural Intervention for Young Children, was developed in Hamilton as a resource for early childhood educators and caregivers who are dealing with challenging and aggressive behaviour among children in their care.
With the support of funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Hamilton Community Foundation, the resource was developed by the Hamilton Early Learning Partners for Best Practice (HELP-BP) and produced by MJM Productions and Electra Communications of Hamilton.
For Goodness SakeWeek One
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Why communities need For Goodness Sake
For Goodness Sake responds to the need for support in dealing with young children who display challenging and aggressive behaviour.
The Early Years Report (McCain, Mustard) indicates that early child development initiatives must include all children, including those living with special difficulties and challenges, yet in many cases, child care has been terminated due to behaviour.
Furthermore, disruptive, acting out or aggressive behaviours are the most common reason for referral to children’s health services (Offord, Boyle and Szatmari, 1987).
Interventions that focus on training parents and caregivers to modify their interactions with their children (Fick, 2001) have shown success in decreasing disruptive behaviours.
For Goodness SakeWeek Two
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
For Goodness Sake• Fills a service gap in the area of consultation
regarding challenging behaviour
• Addresses the need in a way that is efficient in terms of deployment of community resources
• Supports skill development among parents, caregivers and early childhood educators
• Addresses the societal concern that Fraser Mustard speaks to in the Early Years Report, i.e. the urgency of not meeting the needs of our young children and their caregivers, considered to be the real brain drain for Canadian culture (Early Years Report, 1999)
• Supports injury reduction through pro-social skill development. (i.e. injuries resulting from conflict and aggression between children and their peers in group settings)
For Goodness SakeWeek Three
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
For Goodness Sake For Goodness Sake is a resource for early childhood educators, community health nurses and teachers.
Through its interactive CD format, For Goodness Sake combines training along with a system to guide practitioners and parents in developing action plans to address challenging behaviour and support pro-sociality.
For Goodness SakeWeek Four
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Anticipated outcomes
• Lessened demand on community mental health consultation services
• Improvements in caregiver confidence
• Improved school readiness and pro-social skill development
For Goodness SakeWeek Five
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Evaluation by research team
• McMaster University Department of Psychology
• McMaster Children’s Hospital
• City of Hamilton Department of Public Health and Community Services, Program Policy and Planning Division.
For Goodness SakeWeek Six
The Research and Evaluation committee of Hamilton Early Learning Partners for Best Practice (HELP-BP) is chaired by Dr. Jean Clinton and includes researchers and epidemiologists from:
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
Currently under evaluation
• Fidelity to training• Change in teachers/caregivers
confidence • Change in parents’ confidence in the
ability of teachers/caregivers • Child outcomes will be evaluated in
conjunction with McMaster University’s Community – University Research Alliance (CURA) Project
For Goodness SakeWeek Seven
forgoodness
sake An applied approach to behavioural intervention for young children
To order For Goodness Sake:
The cost of For Goodness Sake is $200.00.
To order a copy for your program contact:
Lois Saunders, ECE,C
Affiliated Services for Children and Youth
E-mail: [email protected]
Web-site: www.ForGoodnessSake.ca
The benefits are priceless!