Kids Will Do Well if They Kids Will Do Well if They Can!Can!

Kids Will Do Well if They Kids Will Do Well if They Can!Can!

Cognitive Pathways to Problem Behavior

Cognitive Pathways to Problem Behavior

Greene and AblonGreene and Ablon

Risk FactorsRisk Factors(potentially damaging conditions that put (potentially damaging conditions that put

children at-risk)children at-risk)

VersusVersus

Protective FactorsProtective Factors(supportive conditions which (supportive conditions which

promote resiliency in children)promote resiliency in children)

Risk FactorsRisk Factors

• • Parental criminalityParental criminality

• • Parental Parental mental illness, substance mental illness, substance abuse and/or social isolationabuse and/or social isolation

• • Marital discordMarital discord

• • Inadequate parental supervisionInadequate parental supervision

• • Inept parental disciplineInept parental discipline

• • Parental lack of involvement or Parental lack of involvement or rejectionrejection

More Risk FactorsMore Risk Factors• • Academic difficultyAcademic difficulty• • Poor bonding with schoolPoor bonding with school• • Rejection by peersRejection by peers• • Inadequate development of Inadequate development of

social skillssocial skills• • Association with deviant peersAssociation with deviant peers• • Combination of poverty and Combination of poverty and

social disorganizationsocial disorganization

Protective FactorsProtective Factors• Feelings of competency and control (e.g., Feelings of competency and control (e.g.,

mastering academic and problem-solving mastering academic and problem-solving skills)skills)

• • Ability to cope with stress and adversity Ability to cope with stress and adversity (i.e., resiliency)(i.e., resiliency)

• • Caring positive role model Caring positive role model in youth’s lifein youth’s life

• • Pro-social behaviorPro-social behavior

• • Feeling safe and secureFeeling safe and secure

• • Effective parentingEffective parenting

• • Healthy lifestyle practicesHealthy lifestyle practices

Crisis Management to Crisis Prevention

Crisis Management to Crisis Prevention

Our disciplinary philosophy drives our disciplinary responses…

Our disciplinary philosophy drives our disciplinary responses…

“Kids will do well if they wanna!”

• a matter of choice• puts primary

responsibility on child• adults’ role – “make him

wanna”• “go to” intervention –

rewards and punishments

“Kids will do well if they wanna!”

• a matter of choice• puts primary

responsibility on child• adults’ role – “make him

wanna”• “go to” intervention –

rewards and punishments

“Kids will do well if they can!”

• an obstacle or obstacles to doing well

• puts larger responsibility on adult to assist and support

• “go to” intervention must remove/limit the obstacles

What is our basic assumption about the cause and purpose of child’s behavior if

we subscribe to the “if they wanna” philosophy?

What is our basic assumption about the cause and purpose of child’s behavior if

we subscribe to the “if they wanna” philosophy?

“ The child has learned to be explosive, aggressive and/or non-compliant as a means of seeking attention and coercing adults to do what he/she wants. As a consequence, the student is not motivated to behave appropriately because he/she gets his/her needs met by behaving inappropriately.”

“ The child has learned to be explosive, aggressive and/or non-compliant as a means of seeking attention and coercing adults to do what he/she wants. As a consequence, the student is not motivated to behave appropriately because he/she gets his/her needs met by behaving inappropriately.”

Logical Analytic Thinking Sequence

Logical Analytic Thinking Sequence

Basis: lack of motivation

Remedial response: attempt to motivate

Intervention model: rewards and/or punishments program

(consistently and contingently)

Typical R and P InterventionTypical R and P Intervention

Identify and define target behavior(s)

Design and implement rewarding and/or punishing strategies

Select and use an appropriate currency system

R and P programs do two things very well:

R and P programs do two things very well:

1. They teach kids what not to do, (e.g., don’t hit, don’t swear, don’t blurt out, don’t melt-down, etc.), but they don’t teach kids what they don’t know.

2. In many instances they do motivate kids to increase or reduce existing behaviors, but they cannot increase a behavior the child does not have in his/her repertoire.

Frustration versus motivation?• …frustration when environmental demands

exceed child’s capacity to respond• …frustration emotional response

problem behavior (There’s nobody home!)

How do we motivate a child whose environment routinely demands more than he/she is able to provide?

TEACH … TEACH … TEACH … TEACH

There’s nobody home…..!There’s nobody home…..!

Another perspective on these kids … Another perspective on these kids …

• Unhappy and miserable vs. coercive manipulators

• Frustrated by environment vs. innately unmotivated

• Delayed in the development of skills related to flexibility, adaptability and frustration tolerance

• Disabled learner vs. mentally disturbed• Require teaching response vs. a motivational

plan

The Cognitive PathwaysThe Cognitive Pathways

• Limitations in executive functioning skills

• Language processing skill deficits• Delay in emotional regulation skills• Cognitive inflexibility• Social imperception• Limitation in academic learning

skills**

Some examples of cognitive skill deficits…

Some examples of cognitive skill deficits…

• Shifting mental set (executive function)

• Language processing (expressing feelings, describing what’s the matter, using language to problem-solve, etc.)

• Mood issues (thinking in the midst of high anxiety)

• “Black and white” thinking (NLD, Asperger’s)

With an ...”if they can!” philosophy we see…

With an ...”if they can!” philosophy we see…

…problem behavior as a failure to develop and a response to environmental demand rather than purposeful, goal-oriented behavior

…kids that need to be taught important skills rather than kids whose primary problem is not being motivated

…parenting as a response to challenging behavior rather than inept parenting causing problem behavior

Challenge to parent…

Being responsive to the hand you

have been dealt!

Challenge to teacher…

Being responsive to the hand you

have been dealt!

Being appropriately responsive starts with asking two important

questions

Being appropriately responsive starts with asking two important

questions

What’s up with this

kid?

Why?

Comprehensive AssessmentComprehensive Assessment

Five guidelines drive the response…Five guidelines drive the response…

• Focus on antecedents rather than consequences

• Emphasis on situational specificity (what, when, where, who)

• Emphasis on cognition (rather than behavior)• Focus on gradual training of cognitive skills

(shaping)• Emphasis on neuro-biochemical

underpinnings

Goals of the responseGoals of the response

• To reduce unproductive, socially un-useful behavior (non-compliance, meltdowns, aggressive acts, etc.)

• To pursue adult expectations

• To teach lacking thinking skills particularly in the areas of flexibility, adaptability and frustration tolerance

The ResponseThe Response

• What’s this kid’s deal?> comprehensive assessment to identify

pathways involved

> includes situational analysis

> “it takes two to tango” – adult-child incompatibilities – transactional model

• Decide which behaviors/issues are part of which Plan… A, B or C

• Successfully executive Plan B

Plans and Goals AchievedPlans and Goals Achieved

Plan A – imposition of adult will (“No”, “You must…” or “You can’t…”)

Plan C – issue dropped (at least, for now)

Plan B – working it out with collaborative problem-solving

Pursue Adult Pursue Adult ExpectationsExpectations

Reduce Un-Reduce Un-useful behavioruseful behavior

Teach skillsTeach skills

AA √√ XX XX

CC XX √√ XX

BB √√ √√ √√

Adult Role in Plan B – Child’s Surrogate Thinker

Adult Role in Plan B – Child’s Surrogate Thinker

Empathy is the access code to

the child’s thinking…to his

brain.

Empathy is the access code to

the child’s thinking…to his

brain.

Invitation is the doorway to

collaborative problem-solving.

“Let’s…”

Invitation is the doorway to

collaborative problem-solving.

“Let’s…”

Inside and Outside the Normal Plan B Inside and Outside the Normal Plan B

Emergency Plan B

Pro-active Plan B

Emergency Plan B

Pro-active Plan B

Adults need Plan B skillsAdults need Plan B skills

• Fact: Adults under stress tend to go directly to Plan A or Plan C

• Fact: 95% of non-compliant, defiant and antagonistic behavior is caused by an adult using Plan A

Skills of the surrogate:1. ability to stay calm2. ability to define the

problem3. anticipation of problems4. generation of solutions5. anticipating solution

outcomes6. perspective taking7. to see the “big picture”8. to delay gratification9. linguistic skills10. accurate interpretation

“”“”Kids do respect Kids do respect adults who have adults who have

reasonable reasonable expectations, listen to expectations, listen to their concerns, treat their concerns, treat

them with mutual them with mutual respect, and work respect, and work

toward finding mutually toward finding mutually satisfactory solutions.”satisfactory solutions.”

- - Greene and Ablon, 2006

“It Takes Two to Tango!”“It Takes Two to Tango!”

“…children’s emotional regulation, frustration tolerance and problem-solving skills do not develop independently of the manner by which important adults teach and model these skills.”

“…children’s emotional regulation, frustration tolerance and problem-solving skills do not develop independently of the manner by which important adults teach and model these skills.”

Another “Two to Tango” ThoughtAnother “Two to Tango” Thought

“…children’s capacities for complying with adult directives (do not) develop independently of the manner by which caregivers impose expectations for compliance and respond to deviations from these expectations.”

“…children’s capacities for complying with adult directives (do not) develop independently of the manner by which caregivers impose expectations for compliance and respond to deviations from these expectations.”