A model for understanding a kid with social, emotional and behavioural challenges

COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING IN

SCHOOLS

Introduction to CPS

BreakALSUPBreakPlan BBreakPractice

PLAN

A structural model of the dimensions of teacher stress Boyle et al., British Journal of Educational Psychology, (1995). Found that Workload and Student Misbehaviour accounted for

most of the variance in predicting teaching stress.There are many other research studies that have linked

challenging student behaviour to teaching stress Insurance Industry

4A: Accountant, Pharmacist, Librarians 3A: Clergy, Speech Therapists, Horticulturist 2A: Farmer, Electrician, Plumber A: Crane Operator, Roofer, Furniture Mover B: Pilot, Air Traffic Controller, Armed Forces

BEFORE WE BEGIN

Cognitive dissonance: the discomfort felt by a person holding two or more conflicting ideas. Theory in social psychology proposes that

motivational drive to reduce dissonance by altering existing cognitions, adding new ones to create a consistent belief system, or alternatively by reducing the importance of any one of the dissonant elements.

BEFORE WE BEGIN…

*Why are challenging students challenging?When are challenging students challenging?Where are challenging students most likely to be

challenging?What do challenging students do when they are being

challenging?What are we going to do differently to help challenging

students be less challenging?

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

* Why comes from the student and not our best guesses!

The FOUR keys to CPS (There is a test after this!) Kids do well if they can Doing well is always preferable to not doing well Challenging kids do not choose to be explosive or be challenging Every behaviour is communication

CPS PHILOSOPHY

*Students don’t choose to be challenging but respond to challenges by being challenging.

Because of passive, inconsistent, non-contingent behaviour management the kid has learned that his behaviour is an effective means of getting something (e.g. attention) or escaping or avoiding something (e.g. work)

TRADITIONAL ANSWER TO WHY CHALLENGING KIDS ARE CHALLENGING

They are challenging because they are lacking the skills not to be challenging. They are delayed in development of crucial skills Flexibility Adaptability Frustration tolerance Problem solving

Inadequate development of these crucial skills can contribute to a variety of behaviours – outbursts, explosions and aggression.

Challenging behaviour communicates that the kid does not have the skill to respond to the problem adaptively.

Simply said – They don’t have the skills at that time to do better

UNCONVENTIONAL ANSWER TO WHYCHALLENGING KIDS ARE CHALLENGING

Behind every challenging episode is a lagging skill and a demand for that skill which created an UNSOLVED PROBLEM Challenging behaviour is about delayed development or skill, NOT poor motivation

BELIEF

Lagging Skill(s)

Environmental

Expectation

UNSOLVED PROBLEM

CPS the ProcessSteps that can be followed in supporting challenging behaviour by focusing on specific unsolved problems

Process can be time intensive and is therefore used with challenging behaviour

CPS the PhilosophyThe philosophy that top down decisions, punishment and authoritarian styles do not change behaviour in the long term

Instead, we choose a collaborative process that builds independence and accountability

TWO SIDES TO CPS

CollaborationStudent focused respecting self determinismFigure out the lagging skills Identify Specific Unsolved Problem - Identify the situations in

which challenging episodes occur (Unsolved problems)Start Solving Problems

NOT WHY – Why comes from the student through the collaborative process

Who What Where When

KEYS TO CPS INTERVENTION

Use ALSUP to focus on lagging skillsUse lagging skills to zero in on

Specific Unsolved ProblemsPlace Specific Unsolved Problems

into priority order

Meet with student Build rapport “I noticed that…” (Specific Unsolved

Problem) and find out more information

Define the problem together (student and teacher concerns are equal)

Make invitation for solutions

BASIC STEPS TO CPS

Completed collaboratively before meeting with student

Each Specific Unsolved Problem is addressed separately

Executive Skills (attention, self-control)Language processing skills (understanding language and

communication skills)Emotional regulation skills (mood swings, explosive emotions)Flexibility/Adaptability (handling transitions and changes)Social Skills (turn taking, sharing, showing empathy, respect

of others)

CATEGORIES OF SKILLS

ALSUP = Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems

INTRODUCTION TO THE ALSUP

The ALSUP is meant to be used as a discussion guide for achieving agreement

The ALSUP helps caregivers focus on the “can” and not on the “can’t”

ALSUP: LAGGING SKILLS

“I have a list of lagging skills here. I am wondering if we could go through this together and choose some of the lagging skills you noticed affect Sandra’s functioning”

START ALSUP

He has ADHD (may tell the origin of the challenges, but not what we can do)

His mother’s crazyHe’s a middle childShe just wants attention (they don’t have the skill to seek

attention in a positive way)He just wants everything his own wayHe’s a foster childShe just wants controlHe’s manipulating us (that requires lots of skills forethought,

planning, impulse control, organization that are usually lagging skills of explosive kids)

She’s just making bad choices (needs the skills to make good choices)

*If you can’t do anything about it.. Don’t mention it

DEAD ENDS

The second section of the ALSUP is an area to list specific unsolved problems that come about because of challenging behaviours

Be as specific as possible about unsolved problems – with whom, over what, where and when are the challenging episodes occurring?

Focus on the specific problems, help make the general situation less ambiguous and LESS OVERWHELMING

The Unsolved Problems are the raw material for the Collaborative Problem Solving to Follow

THE ALSUP: UNSOLVED PROBLEMS

THE ALSUP: UNSOLVED PROBLEMS

Problems should be specific such as – Sandra is often the last student ready for classroom instruction after morning recess

We can then move specific unsolved problems into priority order according to how often then occur

LAGGING SKILLS +UNSOLVED PROBLEMS

Choose a partner to be the lead CPS teacher and the other a teacher with a student exhibiting challenging behaviour

CPS teacher can introduce the ALSUP with the other teacher playing along with a real challenging student Lagging Skills Specific Unsolved Problems Put them in Priority Order

How did it go? What worked well? What challenges did you have?

PRACTICE 1

Switch rolesCPS teacher can introduce the

ALSUP with the other teacher playing along with a real challenging student Lagging Skills Specific Unsolved Problems Put them in Priority Order

How did it go? What worked well? What challenges did you have?

PRACTICE 2