The invisible reasons for Challenging behaviors

    Approaching the students' hearts and minds according to their needs, pace, and distinctive potentials primarily impacts their well-being (Frabutt, 2013). "A child is a child first" (AmericanCollegeofEducation, 2019); therefore, the teachers must understand that challenging behavior is only a means of communicating underlying needs. Moreover, there is no parallel intervention for identical disruptive behaviors. Accordingly, the one size fits all philosophy is inappropriate and not applicable due to the uniqueness of each individual's needs. Investigating the unknown reasons for a disciplinary issue is a critical step to determining what kind of support must be provided. The challenging behaviors are interwoven in symptoms and may confuse the caregiver in detecting the root of it.

            Teachers' data collection is essential to reveal the reasons causing problematic behavior. In a case of a traumatic student demonstrates isolation, anxiety, fear of doing something new, escaping from accomplishing a task, and showing an achievement gap. Incidents tell teachers a lot. One of the traumatic student's peers teased him; the traumatic student tried to stop him, but he was incapable of doing that. Consequently, the traumatic student fell apart, hid his head between his knees, and immediately hid in a corner. Through this stressful incident, teachers can understand that the student does not have self-confidence, dysregulation, and shows poor communication and social-emotional skills.

Investigating the situation by asking analytical questions to assist the teacher in having a comprehensive picture of why challenging behavior occurs, which are:

1.     Why a simple difficult situation leads to falling the student apart? What does the student lack?

2.     What experience has the child been through to demonstrate these patterns of behaviors?

3.     Why the student struggles with loneliness? Especially at recess?

4.     Why does the student refuse to be taught through peer-group activity?

5.     Why always ask questions like, "am I a handsome guy? Am I good enough?

The cluster of challenging behaviors informs the teacher that the student has a negative parental attachment. The way the student hid his head on his knees in a corner tells that the student suffered from violence at home due to negative parental association. The previous records documents that the child had been abused by his father. The student's self-concept is distorted by asking questions about his value from others' perspectives. Moreover, he has low self-esteem, and his psychological and mental conditions are adversely affected.   

Scrutinizing the reasons for challenging behaviors in a classroom is highly critical to implementing the most optimum intervention. Research has manifested that children at risk of challenging behaviors which did not receive an urgent early intervention, devastating adulthood outcomes such as unemployment, divorce, incapability to maintain relationships, criminal records, or alcohol addiction will experience (BROWNE, 2013). Therefore, identifying the target behavior, investigating the instructional and environmental factors, and what the student needs to convey through these patterns of disruptive behaviors are critical in saving the future of the individual and community.      

References

AmericanCollegeofEducation. (2019). Retrieved from https://ace.instructure.com/courses/1828475/modules/items/32245317

BROWNE, K. (2013). Challenging Behaviour in Secondary School Students: Classroom Strategies for Increasing Positive Behaviour.

Frabutt, J. M. (2013). Reaching the Youngest Hearts and Minds: Interviews with Diocesan Leaders Regarding Catholic Early Childhood Education.