Working with behavioral challenges. - post

At some point in your career, you are sure to encounter children who display behavioral challenges. The most important way to address these behaviors is to work with families to mutually support each other and the child. Consider the following letter template to send home to families. This is a good way to begin the conversation and show that you are dedicated to supporting their child and helping everyone find success.

Dear ____________,

In order for us to help _________ find consistent success in the classroom, we will begin

tracking certain behaviors. We would like to work with you to identify specific behaviors that we all feel are adversely affecting _______ either academically, socially, or both. Please look over the enclosed document and highlight some behaviors you feel will be the most important to track. You will notice that we have highlighted a few that we have observed in the classroom. It is our hope that by using this tracking system we are able to quickly record and share with you the challenges _______ faces throughout the day. This will also serve as a great resource for any special service providers that work with _______. In addition, we hope that in tracking these behaviors we can anticipate them, identify situations or times of the day when the behaviors typically appear, and develop strategies to de-escalate. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Include a list of potential target behaviors and highlight those you have seen in the classroom. Consider the following list.

Target Behaviors

• Yelling/ Screaming
• Throwing Objects
• Punching/ Slapping
• Head Banging
• Throwing self to floor
• Running Away
• Refusing to follow directions
• Taking other children’s food
• Social isolation
• Tantrum
• Touching others belongings
• Touching other children