Understanding Behaviour and Responding Safely: MOE Staff Workshop 19/8/23

Understanding Behaviour and Responding Safely: MOE Staff Workshop 19/8/23

Full presentation 

Understanding behaviour: we can only see the tip of the ice berg...what might be hidden?

 History, perceptions, physiological things (e.g. sleep, food intolerances etc), psychological, personality (including propensity to worry), preceptions, cultural background and migration experiences, neurodiverse profiles..

Flat affect - A person with flat affect has no – or nearly no – emotional expression.

It is important to know about children's background and connect with those who need it as/how/when they need it.

Survival loop & threat processing 

Some students are in a state of high alert, monitoring their environment for potential threats. These children are more likely to interpret neutral faces or situations as threats....this can cause a flight, fright or freeze reaction.

It is important to have a shield around shame

When people distract from feelings of shame/badness by lying, minimising, blaming others or rage. This often occurs when someone is taking too much responsibility or has underlying issues with security.

Button pushers 

Know your button pushers and pre-plan how you will manage them positively.

Blocked care (also known as compassion fatigue) is when a parent, following repeated rejected attempts to support their child, becomes emotionally unavailable.

Healthy Mind Platter (a key part of self-care)

Sourced from Michaela Young's website

Communication Strategies

Non-Verbal Communication Strategies

• Maintain appropriate personal space
• Stay outside of student's reach 
• Same eye level / appropriate eye level 
• Avoid face to face (confrontational), try side on
• Avoid big or sudden gestures
• Haptics: communication through touch - as appropriate for the situation

Verbal Communication

• Calm - Responsive - Supportive - Be aware of your TONE and CADENCE
• Simple, short sentences and repeat them often (allow for processing)
• Humour is fine but avoid sarcasm
• COMPASSION, respect 
• Take the students seriously and address the issues, do so quietly with just the child (privacy)
• Practice rationale detachment

PACE Model: Playfulness - Acceptance - Curiosity - Empathy 

• Warm, personalised classroom greetings
• Use facial gestures and tone of voice to show interest
• Make games out of potentially stressful tasks 
• Find moment to be silly, make mistakes, unexpected humour that shows your human side
• Calm, rhythmic tones are useful for reducing stress levels (for all) - paraverbal

Acceptance in action

• "You might have been worried /stressed / scared when...."
• " You might have been letting me know that you were really scared when you ran out of the classroom..." then give the child room to talk or think
• " I can imagine that it might be..."
• " I see...." "I hear...." "I sense that..."

Empathy in action

• "That must be hard.../tough / challenging..." etc
• " I think I can see how you feel..."
• " I know sometimes that might make me feel..."
  

Curiosity in action

• "What is it like for you to / when ....?"
• " I wonder if ...." e.g. you might be feeling, if something happened, what is different about today...
• " Can you help me understand..." 
• "Let's try to figure it out..."
• "I wonder what happen..."

Tension Reduction 

Defense reactions include release, refusal, questioning, intimidation

Limit setting is one way to respond to this

• Interrupt & redirect - explicit e.g. you are shouting, pls turn it down; you are not giving them space, please give them room
• Interrupt & redirect - distraction e.g. can you come and help me....go and do a job etc...
• When/then pattern
• Fail safe choice e.g. would you like to talk to me now or later in private
• Once stress hormones have reduced/stress has diffused, then giving the child an opportunity for success e.g. doing a job, organising something, puzzles or colouring etc

Notice Behaviours

• Out of sorts (may withdraw, silent, angry, reluctant/noncompliant, be angry etc)
• Escalating (e.g. poke someone, gittery/can't sit still/ eractic movement
• Out of control (e.g. property destruction, may hurt self or others, rip up work etc)