Working in the world of special education and behavior, one of the easiest and most influential ways kids tend to get their needs met is through aggression. Many times, a student's behavior will build up to the idea of aggression since it is a really hard behavior to ignore and one that can more likely be reinforced in a way we don't necessarily know we are reinforcing it. One key and critical part to reducing aggression, is understanding the function of the behavior. If you are new to the special education world, this research-based approach to modifying behavior looks to seek out the 'why' or the function behind the behavior and provide a replacement behavior that gets the child's needs met in a more appropriate way. So, if you are reading this blog post and thinking about a particular child and this child has yet to undergo a functional behavioral assessment to determine the function of the aggression, before continuing on with reading this blog, meet with the child's team and get that process started! No intervention will be helpful if we don't understand the why behind the aggression and what purpose or intent that serves the student.
Any maladaptive behavior can be reduced or extinguished only if there is an acceptable, alternative that serves the same function as the problem behavior. Just as we adults break 'bad habits' with better alternatives, we need something that can sustain and provide us the same functionality or else it really is not a better alternative behavior. For example: if I am concerned about my social media intake and want to reduce it, I can't just stop engaging in social media and expect to be successful. This social media outlet serves me a purpose in some way. After analyzing my behaviors, I determined that when I engage in social media for an hour a day after work, I am attempting to escape my work environment and the thoughts that become of it. One way I can still meet this function is to engage in a 30 minute workout after work before engaging in social media. I have ultimately replaced half of my social media time with a healthier alternative that meets my same function. When we are thinking about behavior in this sense, we become more concerned about how this behavior impacts the life of the individual, as opposed to what actually that behavior looks like.
When we observe challenging, aggressive behavior, we need to start asking ourselves, 'what consequence is occurring that would likely reinforce or not reinforce this behavior and what function is it serving this individual?' Often times when we witness aggression or are ourselves involved in aggressive incidents, we have a hard time focusing our attention away from the actual aggressive incident because it can be traumatizing for ourselves and others involved. This is understandably so and why a team of individuals in diverse roles can help you to successfully determine the function to the incidents.
Now, let's talk about the four functions of behavior. I like to remember them through the acronym SEAT: sensory, escape, attention and tangible. Below, I'm going to lay out each function of behavior and appropriate, alternatives to the function to replace/reduce aggression.
Sensory
For me, sensory seeking behaviors are one of the easiest behaviors to find an alternative replacement for in regards to aggression. Here are some ideas to replace aggression with sensory supported behaviors:
-Increased sensory supports: obviously, this is a given. Let's analyze this child's day and determine where we can increase sensory supports in and out of the classroom. A combination of both can be the most beneficial.
-Heavy lifting: This is a great alternative that serves the intended purpose. Weights, jumping exercises, the monkey bars, stacking chairs, moving boxes with reams of paper. I always like to get creative with this one. I keep a backpack in my room with books in it, whenever I see a child beginning to struggle I may put something in the backpack to have them deliver it. Or they have a job that involves heavy lifting in the front office at a certain time of the day.
-Sensory board: Create a board of sensory choices that the child can choose from. Often times, I like to direct their choices with a teacher-chosen choice before they get access to one of their choice (see the picture below).
-Get creative: Let the child chose a fun, sensory-supported game. Jump rope, hopscotch, create an obstacle course, get them to engaged in some high intense interval workouts and/ or engage in messy sensory play (shaving cream, rice bins, water play, etc.).
Above, this student had a sensory board where they did a teacher choice activity and then they picked 2 of their own choices for calming! To the left, students utilize these 'brain bins' in my classroom as breaks that provide tactile and sensory supported input in an engaging way
Brain bins can be purchased from my amazon storefront page:
Escape
This is such a common function for students wanting to escape something immediately by engaging in aggression. Aggression creates a shock factor, and ultimately can be reinforced by removal from an environment or stimuli that has been presented and is undesirable. Here are some common replacement behaviors that reinforce the idea of escape in a more appropriate way:
-Increased breaks: Let's build-in predictable breaks that are not earned or taken away. Something the child is always given access to.
-Timer: Utilize a timer to provide a visual for time on a task and then allowable time to escape the task, demand or environment. Ultimately as time goes on, we can decrease the escape time as the behavior improves.
-Break card: Teach, model and provide a break card for students to give to an adult to allow access away from the stressful stimuli. This keeps them from engaging in negative behavior to remove themselves from the environment and does so in a non-verbal way.
-Visual schedule: Create a visual schedule for students to know when tasks are beginning or when breaks are coming up.
-Accommodate: Make sure to provide appropriate accommodations to the task or environment to ensure their success. How can we make this demand more inviting and approachable for this child?
-Behavioral momentum: Students who are engaging in aggression can benefit from a high proportion of positives to reinforce positive behaviors and build momentum on those positive behaviors. Think: reinforce low demands that engage in positive behaviors and increase the demands as more positive behaviors are shown.
-If & Then: Create a system where if a child engages in something positively, then they can escape the environment or demand for an allotted time.
Pictured above: a break card and a visual schedule! Both of these used together or separately can help to provide students a more appropriate alternative to engaging in aggression to escape an undesirable demand or task. The break card is available in this product from my TPT store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Visual-Supports-5334868
Attention
Attention may be one of the hardest behaviors to unintentionally reinforce at no fault of our own other than engaging in human behavior. Think about it: a student engages in aggression, we may be shocked by the incident and create different facial expressions. Impose consequences that we feel may decrease the behavior. Talk to the student about their actions. All of those consequences that are a direct result of a behavior, they aren't wrong, but are ultimately giving the child attention and reinforcing the idea that regardless of what attention they are getting (positive or negative) they are still being reinforced. Often times, students who crave and need attention want any kind of attention. They don't discriminate between positive and negative. Here are ways to reduce aggression when the function is attention seeking:
-Co-regulation: Build in time with an adult or trusted peer for co-regulation. Attention seeking is connection seeking. Create a break or activity that involves a trusted adult and child engaging in positive, attention seeking behaviors.
-Reinforce through attention: Create an incentive plan that is reinforced with adult attention! Maybe if the child doesn't engage in aggression during the reading block, they are provided a 10 minute game reward with an adult. The more positive attention the child is receiving, the less likely they will need and seek out the negative attention.
-Body awareness: Ensure when a child engages in aggression, our body language isn't reinforcing the negative behavior. Keep a mutual tone, stable body and present hands for the student to see. Take a second to make yourself aware of how your body looks and what it may present to the student after an act of aggression. Body language is one of the easiest languages to gauge and read.
-Consistent consequences: Ensure that when consequences are administered or given for a behavior (remember, consequences are just what happens directly after a behavior) they are consistent and predictable. One reinforcing way we can provide students negative attention is through unpredictable consequences. Students may engage in aggression to see what the staff response will be. Will it change if they are aggressive with another staff member? I always recommend writing out a staff response plan that everyone can read and have access to. This way, all staff are on the same page about what consequences are to be given after a target behavior is observed.
-Access card: I always remind myself that attention-seeking behaviors are ultimately connection-seeking behaviors. Does this child have a preferred staff member or peer in the building that they could get access to? Many times, when we have things and faces to look forward to seeing, we are less likely to engage in maladaptive behaviors.
-Non-verbal attention: Not all attention has to be verbal! Think of creative ways to provide students attention that is minimal effort and can be done during class time. A wave, tap on their desk, a thumbs up, pat on the back (make sure this is ok with the child), place a positive reinforcement card in their area, draw a star on their desk with expo marker, an eye-brow raise, etc. There are so many ways we can give attention that doesn't disrupt the flow of the classroom.
Social experiences: Think of experiences in the school the child can engage in when exhibiting appropriate behavior. Helping the secretary, filing papers, assisting the custodians, helping in the cafeteria, etc. These can reinforce attention from a diverse set of staff members.
This student had a lot of attention seeking behaviors that staff had to be all on the same page and respond similar to identical to. We as a staff, developed a plan that we would review at the beginning of each day. The plan was on a key ring, hanging on a wall for all staff to access (no matter who walked into the classroom to help with the behavior). The plan was visually supported for staff that allowed for staff to act quicker in moments of crisis and de-escalation. This plan helped to decrease aggressive behaviors because it was predictable and regardless of who was responding we were all able to incorporate the same procedure in response to the behavior.
Tangibles
Ultimately, when students are reinforced by tangibles, we have to ensure the tangibles are reinforceable for their behaviors. If a child isn't motivated by earning erasers, let's not include erasers in their prize bin of rewards. This can involve diving deeper into the child's interests or reaching out to their caretakers or grown ups to see what may be reinforceable to them. Here are some examples:
-Token board: Create a token board that reinforces a safe body for a preferred reward! Reinforce consistently and on a predictable time scale for the student to earn a reward. I find this to be the most common way I reinforce those who want tangibles.
-Certificate: Create a 'safe body' certificate the child earns for the day or part of the day that they can show another person in the building or take home to their grown ups or care takers.
-Notes: Positive notes are a tangible reward that also can create positive attention. Maybe after so many positive notes they earned they can redeem for a reward.
-Experiences: I'm a firm believer that experiences are reinforceable as a tangible reward for many students. I have paired many students in my building up with other adults to offer them experiences of helping around the school as a reward for their positive choices.
-AM/PM rewards: If token boards are too hard for a child, I have often found AM and PM rewards are great and give students the chance to 'reset' their day if they do not earn their AM reward.
One thing to always remember is that any new intervention that is implemented, may cause a spike in behavior. I always remind myself and my team that 'behaviors always get worse, before they get better'. I think of it in a way as starting a new routine in my daily life. When I first begin to implement the routine or new behavior, I may resist the new change, struggle or need time until I am proficient at the new change in routine. We have to expect these same things out of our students. Any new intervention put in place, I ultimately plan a solid 4-6 weeks of data to see if the intervention has increased or decreased problematic or maladaptive behaviors. Setting up meetings for the future with the team shortly after implementing the new intervention or behavior plan can ensure staff are analyzing data and determining how effective our plan is to providing a function that is appropriate and works for that student. Data analysis is a key and necessary component to tackling aggressive and challenging behavior and analyzing the success or lack of it.
As you are thinking about your students, remember there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to any specific behaviors, particularly aggression. Also, these are not the only strategies to replace aggression. Every child is diverse. Often times it may take one intervention or a multitude of interventions to meet the functionality of the behavior. We also may find ourselves brain-storming new, creative strategies every few weeks to ensure we have successfully replaced the target behavior. Regardless of the situation, it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to decrease aggression.