CTC Behavior Planning Guide
CTC Newsletter
Connected Communicators know that all behaviors communicate a need or a feeling. Some students seem to communicate through unexpected behaviors a lot. If you are struggling to support an "over communicator," it may be helpful to take a step back and make a plan. We promise- taking a few minutes to be intentional with your response will make all the difference. Let's get started!
First, you are going to want to identify the function, or purpose, of the behavior. The functions of behavior boil down to four possibilities: Escape, Attain Connection, Tangible Gain, or Sensory/Stimulation. We use the acronym EATS to help us remember.
Escape: Trying to get away from or out of something.
Attain Connection: We have reframed attention seeking to attain connection. The student is looking to attain connection with either their peers and/or adults.
Tangible Gain: Trying to gain something concrete or tangible, like a toy or a better grade.
Sensory or Stimulation: Looking for a pleasant sensation to replace something unpleasant they may be feeling in their body or experiencing emotionally. This often looks like tapping a pencil or rocking in a chair.
So given everything you have observed about the student’s behavior, what purpose do you think it serves? Answering this question will help us brainstorm how we can meet that need in a more school appropriate way. Once this is figured out, we want to dig a little deeper into the actual behavior utilizing the A.B.C.s
The A.B.C.s is an acronym for Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence. The antecedent refers to whatever was happening right before the behavior that may have triggered the student to act as they did. The Behavior part of this formula is describing the intensity and duration of the behavior to give us a few more clues. Finally, what happened as a result of the behavior? The Consequence component is not necessarily what the adults decide to do in response, but rather whatever the student experienced as a result of the behavior. For example, if a student tells a joke and the class laughs along with them, then that is a consequence.
Now that we have analyzed the behavior, we can think about making a plan. The first step is prevention. What can we change in the environment or in our own response to the student to keep the behavior from happening? Then, we have to remember that if a student could do well, they would! So there must be a missing skill that we can teach them. What tools can we teach the student so that they can respond more positively in the future? Finally, we want to reinforce whenever the student is using the new skills they have learned.
Sitting down to jot down a plan is not going to solve the problem overnight- but it will help! We know that when we are intentional about identifying what the student is trying to communicate and filling in the lagging skills, we will see a huge improvement in the frequency of unexpected behaviors. This will also go a long way to improve the Connected Relationship for Learning you are building with your student. We have summarized these steps in a resource guide available for free on the resources page of our website, found here. We are confident that putting the time into a plan will save you heartache and time down the road!
Connecting Through Conversation: A Playbook for Talking with Students is a timely and practical handbook for communicating with students of any age. Keeping connections and relationships at the center of the work, Erika and Tiffany provide immediate, applicable strategies to navigate even the most difficult conversations. This is a must read for all educators!
Melanie Marrone, Ed.D
Executive Director, Molalla River Academy
