December 2020 - Challenging Behavior Resources

December 2020 - Challenging Behavior Resources

Helping children learn to manage their behavior, while still expressing their emotions and getting their needs met, is no small task. As adults, we don't always know all the answers, but we have access to resources that can help guide us along the way. December's Disability Resource Library newsletter offers some of the resources we have available as well as other helpful and informative links. Remember, you are not alone!

Please have a look at a few of the resources our Disability Resource Library provides and, as always, please feel free to reach out to Roger May, the Media Resource Specialist for the Center for Excellence in Disabilities, via email at roger.may@hsc.wvu.edu or by phone at 304-205-6434.

Young Exceptional Children: Practical Ideas for Addressing Challenging Behaviors By Susan Sandall and Michaelene Ostrosky

Most challenging behaviors can be addressed without removing young children from inclusive settings. This monograph shows how you can more effectively prevent, identify, and address challenging behaviors by taking a positive behavioral approach that utilizes developmentally appropriate management techniques, includes preventative measures and intervention strategies, and enlists families in designing and carrying out interventions.

You can borrow Young Exceptional Children now.

Challenging Behavior in Young Children by Barbara Kaiser and Judy Sklar Rasminksy

Highlighting the importance of relationships, the revised edition provides new background information and additional research-based strategies to enable pre-service and practicing teachers and child care staff to understand, prevent, and respond effectively to challenging behavior. The text stresses that every child has some kind of special need, especially children with challenging behavior, and prevention is the best intervention.

You can borrow Challenging Behavior in Young Children from our library now.

Helping Parents with Challenging Children (facilitator guide and parent workbook set) by V. Mark Durand and Meme Hieneman

Having a child with challenging behavior can be frustrating and affect the entire family. This workbook will help you take a more positive attitude toward your child and carry out effective steps to improve behavior. The program outlined in this workbook will be tailored to your child's and family's needs and goals. It will teach you how to identify what sets off your child's problem behavior, as well as what your child gets or avoids from misbehaving. You will learn strategies to prevent problems, manage consequences, and teach your child new skills. Finally, you will put the plan into effect and monitor the results. Each chapter provides the information and forms you need to assess your child's behavior, apply new strategies, and track your family's progress. As you support positive behavior step by step, you will be working towards improving the lives of your child and your family.

You can borrow Helping Parents with Challenging Children (facilitator guide and parent workbook set) now!

Optimistic Parenting: Hope and Help for You and Your Challenging Child by V. Mark Durand

Happier lives. Less stress. Family harmony. That's what all parents of children with challenging behavior want. Learn how to get there with this groundbreaking guide to confident, skillful, and positive parenting.

Engaging stories from the author's extensive experience illustrate how parents and other caregivers can develop more effective behavior management techniques. And practical tools and exercises, developed and tested during Durand's decades of work with thousands of parents, help families on their own journey to better parenting and happier lives.

You can borrow Optimistic Parenting from our library now.

Healthy Teens: Facing the Challenges of Young Lives by Alice R. McCarthy, Ph.D.

This is a one-stop, easy-to-read, no-nonsense guide related to teen development and the world of 11-18 year olds in contemporary America. For parents, caregivers, educators, and professionals, the book advises on important subjects such as teen physical and mental health issues, teen sexuality, substance abuse, sexual harassment, crime prevention, school violence and relationship violence. Additional chapters offer detailed information about the important role of family-school-community involvement in education and health education, college and vocational preparation including financial aid, and the role of resiliency in teen lives. Includes extensive book, organizational and Web site resource listings for each topic.

You can borrow Healthy Teens: Facing the Challenges of Young Lives from our library now.

Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney

Does any child like to go shopping? Not Llama Llama! But Mama can’t leave Llama at home, so off they go to Shop-O-Rama. Lots of aisles. Long lines. Mama is too busy to notice that Llama Llama is getting m-a-d! And before he knows it, he’s having a full-out tantrum! Mama quickly calms him down, but she also realizes that they need to make shopping more fun for both of them. Parents and children are sure to recognize themselves in this fun-to-read follow-up to the popular Llama Llama Red Pajama.

You can borrow Llama Llama Mad at Mama from our library now.

Classroom Navigation Tips - Positive Behavior Strategies

(Adapted from an article by Amanda Morin)

There’s a lot to think about when it comes to teaching. You plan and deliver lessons to cover the curriculum. You adjust your lesson plans to meet your students’ needs. On top of it all, you manage student behavior.

You’re not alone if you feel like managing behavior sometimes gets in the way of teaching. That’s where positive behavior strategies come in. These strategies are also known as "positive behavior supports," or PBS.

Handling challenging behavior can be frustrating. Use this list to reflect on where you are in your practice and where you might focus your next efforts:

• Create a classroom layout that supports students - provide flexible spaces to support different types of learning and organize materials in safe and accessible ways.
• Post and define positive behavior expectations - create classroom expectations with your students and limit expectations to three to five statements.
• Explicitly teach behavior expectations - plan, teach, and practice expected behaviors.
• Have systems to respond to behavior - acknowledge positive behavior when you see it.
• Partner with families - gather information about students from families and caregivers and engage the family when a student demonstrates challenging behavior.

You can read the full article, Positive Behavior Strategies: What You Need to Know, by Amanda Morin, and get other useful information here.

A Child's Champion

This month's Child's Champion is Anastasia Riley, the Positive Behavior Support Program Manager at WVU's Center for Excellence in Disabilities.

Anastasia has experience as a residential counselor for at risk youth, but her foundation lies in being "the mother of two amazing kids," she shared. "Additionally, I love facilitating fun child activities. I have also worked with children (and adults) who have developmental disabilities for almost 20 years," Anastasia added. "The PBS Program helps children who are at risk of out of home placement find and teach replacement behaviors to serve the same need as challenging behaviors. We strive to increase the child and families’ quality of life by setting up their environment to encourage and reinforce healthy behaviors," she told us.

"I love the impact positive psychology has on all of our lives. We have a very rewarding role in Positive Behavior Support to encourage children to reach their dreams, increase their strengths and help them reach their full potential. When we impact the lives of children it not only touches their lives, it also has a ripple effect on future generations," Anastasia said.

PBS is now focused on helping a target population of at risk youth to help them live happy healthy lives in their communities.

"All kids have the potential to do big things, impact their world in a positive way and follow their dreams with lots of love, encouragement and support," Anastasia concluded.

Please help us congratulate Anastasia Riley as our December's Child Champion!

Do you know someone you'd like to nominate to be featured as a Child's Champion in our monthly newsletter? Please let us know! Contact Roger May, the Media Resource Specialist for the Center for Excellence in Disabilities, via email at roger.may@hsc.wvu.edu or by phone at 304-205-6434.