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Casey Behavior Strategies

Estrategias conductuales

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8 views4 pages

Casey Behavior Strategies

Estrategias conductuales

Uploaded by

ana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Behavior Strategies:

What Are Your Tools?

This handout will discuss three types of tools:


• Praise and reinforcement
• Problem-solving
• Limit setting

For each, a brief discussion is provided of ways in which a child or teen’s experience with
trauma should inform your use of the tool.

Praise and reinforcement

Why? To build children and teens’ awareness of their successes and positive capacities
To shift the adult frame from negative (focused on bad behavior) to positive (focused on
strengths and successes)

When? Any time a child or teen is engaging in a behavior you want to increase
(including ending a negative behavior)

How? Provide verbally (with words), nonverbally (showing pride and appreciation)
and/or concretely (using reinforcement charts or tangible rewards)
Be specific. Label the behavior: o “I’m so proud of you for trying to use your tools and
calm down.”
o “You just did such a good job listening when I asked you to clean up.”

Trauma considerations. Be aware that praise can trigger traumatized children and teens.
If kids reject your praise or ignore it, try not to take it personally, and don’t engage in a
power struggle. It’s OK for a child or teen to disagree with or not respond to your
statements.
With children who seem triggered by praise, it may be helpful to focus on the positive
behavior rather than the whole child and to be selective (don’t praise everything). Say things
like: “You worked so hard on that drawing” rather than “What a good artist you are.”
Keep noticing positive things. Even for a child or teen who seems distressed or
unresponsive, over time the positives will matter.

ARC REFLECTIONS: SESSION 7 HANDOUTS THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION


Problem-solving

Why? To help children and teens build awareness of having and making choices, and
the ability to get in front of challenges, instead of just reacting to them.
To help children and teens feel more in control of and powerful over their lives.

When? In calm states, in anticipation of or following distress, challenges or other


problem situations.
When the child or teen is asking you for help.
Regularly, through building skill by practicing and addressing the many small challenges
that arise daily.

How? Communicate your willingness to support the child or teen and your belief in a
solution (Let’s figure this out.).
Help the child or teen identify what the problem is (What is it that you’re trying to solve?).
Identify goals or outcomes (What do we want to have happen?).
Identify choices (What kinds of things might we be able to do?).
Identify consequences (what might happen if we do that?).
Make a plan and troubleshoot it. Be sure to pay attention to the adult support role.

Trauma considerations. Is it possible to use problem-solving strategies in any situation?


The ability to engage in problem solving depends on: Agency: the child or teen’s belief in
his or her ability to make choices or be successful.
State: which part of the brain is online.
Stage: developmental capacity. Children or teens’ ability to use problem solving as they
develop.

Another factor to consider: The adult’s calm approach, appropriate timing and ongoing
support is crucial to using problem-solving approaches with children and teens. Very few
can problem solve on their own in a challenging situation.

ARC REFLECTIONS: SESSION 7 HANDOUTS THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION


Limit-setting
Why? To establish an understanding of boundaries, expectations and understanding of
what happens in a safe world
To help children contain and shift negative behaviors and identify positive alternatives
To help children and teens learn about inappropriate behaviors

When? When behaviors cross established boundaries for safety, harm to others or harm
to self
Thoughtfully—and not for every behavior

How? In a calm adult state, whenever possible


Thoughtfully: Work to identify appropriate limits in advance of behaviors occurring
Make limits age-appropriate
If naming consequences, do so when child or teen is reasonably calm, after regulation
tools have been used
Less is more. Be concise and clear in naming consequences. Link them to the behavior,
not the child or teen.
Move on. Allow space for the child or teen’s distressed affect (it’s OK for a child or teen
to be angry about a consequence), but also create space for repair. Try to let go of your
own anger and use your tools.

Trauma Considerations
Any limit can be a potential trigger for a traumatized child or teen. When setting a limit:
• Be thoughtful about the child or teen’s particular history when choosing and naming
consequences. For instance, time-out may escalate distress for a child or teen with a
neglect history. Yelling is likely to trigger a child or teen who has experienced violence.
• Bring attunement into your choice of limits. Remember to validate and name the child or
teen’s affect, even when you give a consequence for behavior (“I understand how angry you
were, but we use our words, not our hands when we are mad”).
• Separate the behavior from the child or teen.

ARC REFLECTIONS: SESSION 7 HANDOUTS THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION


Approaches to Behavior
Pick one behavior a child or teen in your home is displaying that you find
challenging or that you want to increase. Use this worksheet to try to
identify a child or teen’s patterns and needs and develop a plan.

1. What behavior do you want to address?


Behavior: ____________________________________________
Do you want this behavior to… Increase Decrease

2. Identify patterns. What do you think leads to this behavior? What are some of the
triggers (situational, environmental, internal)?
What do you think the child or teen is trying to do? What is the function or need that the
behavior is addressing?

3. Go-to strategies to address this behavior:


How else might you be able to meet the needs identified in question 2? Be specific:
when, how, who?

What regulation/de-escalation/crisis management strategies can you support in the


moment if the child is dysregulated?

4. Additional behavior response strategies. Which of these do you think might work?
• Praise and reinforcement. Use to increase a behavior or a desired alternative behavior.
• Problem-solving. Use when child or teen is in regulated state, to support control/choice
and identify alternatives.
• Appropriate limits. Use to contain and address negative or dangerous behaviors.

5. After the behavior occurs, how might you and the child or teen continue to learn
from it? Consider timing, method and approach to revisiting behaviors, with a goal of
shifting the behavior the next time. What can you plan to do? Be specific:
With my child or teen, I can (When? How?):

By myself or with my caregiving partner, I can (When? How?):

ARC REFLECTIONS: SESSION 7 HANDOUTS THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION

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