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RECORD!

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Challenging Behavior, a View Through a Cultural Lens

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S.Chair, Professor, Child DevelopmentLos Angeles Pierce College

How does the culture of the school, teacher and child affect the outcomes and successes for young children? How can we address these needs in our training and understanding of

children’s behaviors?

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Objectives

■ Identify communicative intent of children’s behaviors■ Identify cultural influences on children, and behavior■ Identify cultural influences of teachers in the

classroom■ Discuss ways to reframe behaviors, using Polyvagal

theory■ Examine practical strategies to use in the classroom

environment

Certificates will be emailed to attendees

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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What is behavior?

1. Picture children in your life

2. Write three (3) behaviors some of these children exhibit,

that annoy you/interrupt your teaching or parenting/

NEED TO STOP!

3. Picture the child engaging in these behaviors

4. Circle the behavior you will focus on for this presentation

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

“The observable response to our internal & external experiences…behaviors are outward manifestations of a person’s internal bodily

responses, perceptions…,emotions, thoughts, & intentions” (Delahooke 2019, p. 15)

“When we see a behavior that is problematic or confusing, the first question we should ask isn’t ‘How do we get rid of it?’ but rather ‘What is this

telling us about the child?’” (Delahooke 2019, p. 11).

Delahooke, M. (2019). Beyond behaviors using brain science and compassion to understand and solve children’s behavioral challenges. Wisconsin: PESI Publishing and Media.

What is behavior?

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Typical behavioral approaches

○Focus on eliminating behaviors○Assume that behaviors are motivated & incentivized

● Reward charts/Sticker charts● Visual behavior tracking

These items are not developmentally appropriate nor do they get to the source of the problem…

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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What is happening?

■The research shows that about 10% to 25% of preschool children engage in challenging behaviors in the school setting. (Lancioni, Winton, Karazsia & Singh, 2013)

■“Expulsions of young children result from exhausted and underpaid teachers deciding how to expend limited attention in chaotic classrooms, as well as administrators operating on razor thin budgets” (Zinsser, 2018)

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Understanding culture and biases

■ The appearance of challenging behavior is subjective. Understanding the reasons is difficult.

■“Challenging” is often based on an adult’s perception of risk.

■Traits such as independent-mindedness and a willingness to assert one’s views can be viewed as disruptive, defiant, or aggressive

■Young children’s social-emotional development occurs over time in the context of family, community, and cultural expectations

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Check - inThink about the child & behavior you selected:

■ Why is this behavior challenging?■ What do you feel when the child engages in this behavior?

■ What are the emotions you feel?■ What are the physical reactions you feel?

What are your fears for this child? Why does this behavior need to be corrected?

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Implicit bias

■Personal perceptions or biases about children and their behaviors are based on

– gender– race– physical size

■This leads to the discrimination of boys, especially boys who are Black and physically larger (Stegelin, 2018; Institute for child success)

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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The Three B’s of implicit bias

■ Boy– Boy’s behaviors are more likely to be rated as aggressive

and dangerous■ Black

– Children who are Black are 36% more likely to be recommended for harsh punishment, or removal, than other children exhibiting the same behaviors

■ Big– Children who are larger than their peers are held to higher

developmental expectations

● 4th B - BrownPatricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Lack of training

■Research at Stanford University shows that underprepared early childhood teachers are more likely to use punitive and rejecting disciplinary techniques and expulsions.

– They lack the skills to teach problem-solving behaviors, and often misinterpret what children do and say

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Why are we falling short?1. We attempt to change behaviors before we look at

what’s causing them.

■ Assumption that a child has chosen how to behave leads to punishment/reward-type approaches (behavioral approaches)

■ Behaviors are often responses to stress and are often NOT intentional

■ Punishment/reward approaches are aimed to help children connect their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors when they may not have the developmental capacity to do so – yet.

■ 2016: 50k preschoolers suspended & 17k expelledPatricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Why are we falling short?

2. We use one size fits all approaches that fail to capture the individuality of the person and their behaviors.

“Each child has her own ‘settings,’ the sensory, emotional, cognitive, and learning ‘settings’ to

which she responds best…it’s important to discover which settings work best for each child,

developing an appreciation for his or her individual differences” (Delahooke, 2019, p. 12).

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Why are we falling short?3. We fail to consider what is and isn’t developmentally

appropriate in our approaches

❖ “CALM DOWN” & “USE YOUR WORDS” are only appropriate requests if the person has the developmental capacity to do so

❖ “Many of our approaches falsely assume that children can self-regulate their emotions and behaviors when in reality, they do not yet have that ability” (Delahooke, 2019, p. 14)

● One is actually safe, but perceives threat; or one is actually at risk but perceives safety

● The first step to helping children with behavior challenges is to build a relationship with them, fostering a feeling of safety.

Delahooke, M. (2019). Beyond behaviors using brain science and compassion to understand and solve children’s behavioral challenges. Wisconsin: PESI Publishing and Media.

FAULTY NEUROCEPTION

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❖ Blue Pathway (Freeze/ shutting down)➢ Decreased heart rate & breathing, sluggish body➢ State of energy conservation or withdrawal for

survival➢ Focus on basic survival

❖ Red Pathway (fight or flight)➢ Heart racing, sweating, and activation➢ Mobilizing to counteract threat➢ Focus on basic survival

❖ Green Pathway (social engagement)➢ Able to communicate, play, & learn➢ Feel safe, connected, calm, & social➢ Healthy social-emotional development

PHYSIOLOGICAL STATES OF AROUSAL

Delahooke, M. (2019). Beyond behaviors using brain science and compassion to understand and solve children’s behavioral challenges. Wisconsin: PESI Publishing and Media. 17

● Bottom-up (or body-up) strategies can be employed in interacting with children who are not functioning developmentally in top-down processing, or for any person who is in the red or blue pathway

● Some bottom-up strategies include:

○ Individual sensory preferences to

soothe stress response

○ Mindfulness, to connect the pathway from

body to mind, or bottom-up to top-down processes.

○ Human connection

WORKING FROM THE BOTTOM UPDelahooke, M. (2019). Beyond behaviors using brain science and compassion to understand and solve children’s behavioral challenges. Wisconsin: PESI Publishing and Media. 18

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Reframe the behavior

What is the communicative intent?Remember the Iceberg

■ Sensory

■ Escape■ Tangible

■ ■ Relationship-Seeking

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

Reframe

Based on work by Dr. Ross Greene

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Reason -is it sensory?

1. Visual

2. Auditory

3. Olfactory (smell)

4. Gustatory (taste)

5. Tactile (touch)Mahler, K. J. (2017). Interoception: The eighth sensory system. Kansas: AAPC Publishing.

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Senses - more!!

6. Vestibular (where you are in space - balance)

7. Proprioceptive (sensation from muscles and joints)

Mahler, K. J. (2017). Interoception: The eighth sensory system. Kansas: AAPC Publishing.

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

Interoception - the 8th sense

8. Interoception (what internal organs are feeling)

● “Feel” internal organs and skin● Key to interpreting emotions● Link between sensing body signals and identifying emotions is

crucial● Understanding of motional state is crucial to successful emotional

regulation

Mahler, K. J. (2017). Interoception: The eighth sensory system. Kansas: AAPC Publishing.

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

27Response to behaviors

“We know that young children thrive in the context of stable, supportive relationships with adults who love, teach, and

care for them. Expulsions and suspensions in early childhood education both threaten the development of these

positive relationships and are a result of the lack of positive relationships between educators, families and children.”

NAEYC Joint Statement on Preschool Expulsion and suspension

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Relational Safety“Healthy development depends on the quality and reliability of a young child’s

relationships with the important people in his or her life, both within and outside of the family. Even the development of a child’s brain architecture depends on

the establishment of these relationships” (Center on the Developing Child, p. 1)

●Once a child’s relational safety needs are met, many behaviors will decrease or fade away

●This is because the underlying causes of the behaviors have been addressed through the safety of relationship

●Defense strategies are turned off when a child feels truly safe with an adult

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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What can we do?

■ Relationships■ Reflection

– Is this my bias?– Is there another way?

■ Reframe the behavior (Communicative intent)– Attention-seeking becomes relationship seeking

■ Reason >Relate>Regulate (Dr. Bruce Perry)

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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Survey Link

Please let us know what you think, so we can provide you with the most helpful information.Thank you for attending this session

event survey link https://forms.gle/tBemdqUR9er9TrBh7

Patricia Doelitzsch, M.A., M.S., Los Angeles Pierce College

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SHIFTING PRIORITIES…“Too often, we prioritize compliance, teaching, or

extinguishing behaviors without addressing the child’s emotional state. We need to recognize instead that in

addressing many behavioral challenges, the starting point should be the child’s sense of safety, not the behavior

itself”(p. 105)

Your certificate of participation will be sent to you. Please

email DoelitPA@PierceCollege.edu with the name

you would like on the certificate.

Teach for LA - Networking & Transfer FairStudent Panel & CSU Reps will be available to answer

questions. Raffle Prizes!!!Friday November 20, 2020, 11am-12:30pm