Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Initial Thoughts
  • IRIS Center
  • Resources
    • IRIS Resource Locator
      Modules, case studies, activities, & more
    • Evidence-Based Practice Summaries
      Research annotations
    • High-Leverage Practices
      IRIS resources on HLPs
    • Films
      Portrayals of people with disabilities
    • Children's Books
      Portrayals of people with disabilities
    • Glossary
      Disability related terms
    • For PD Providers
      Sample PD activities, planning forms, & more
    • For Faculty
      Top tips, coursework planning, & more
    • Website Navigation Videos
      Getting around our Website & modules
    • New & Coming Soon
      Latest modules & resources
    • IRIS Archived Resources
      Modules, alignment tools, & more
  • PD Options
    • PD Certificates for Educators
      Our certificate, your PD hours
    • Log in to Your IRIS PD
    • For PD Providers
      Sample PD activities, planning forms, & more
    • IRIS+ School & District Platform
      A powerful tool for school leaders
  • Articles & Reports
    • Articles
      Articles about IRIS use & efficacy
    • Internal IRIS Reports
      Reports on IRIS use & accomplishments
    • External Evaluation Reports
      Evaluations of the IRIS Center
    • IRIS Stories
      Our resources, your stories
    • News & Events
      What, when, & where it's happening
  • Help
    • Help & Support
      Get the full benefit from our resources
    • Website Navigation Videos
      Getting around our Website & modules
  • Addressing Challenging Behaviors (Part 1, Elementary): Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle
Challenge
Initial Thoughts
Perspectives & Resources

What should educators understand about challenging behaviors?

  • 1: Challenging Behavior

How can educators recognize and intervene when student behavior is escalating?

  • 2: Acting-Out Cycle
  • 3: Calm
  • 4: Trigger
  • 5: Agitation
  • 6: Acceleration
  • 7: Peak
  • 8: De-escalation
  • 9: Recovery
  • 10: Putting It All Together

Resources

  • 11: References, Additional Resources, and Credits
Wrap Up
Assessment
Provide Feedback

Addressing Challenging Behaviors (Part 1, Elementary): Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle

Initial Thoughts

Jot down your Initial Thoughts about the Challenge:

student with head down on deskWhat should educators understand about challenging behaviors?

How can educators recognize and intervene when student behavior is escalating?

 

When you are ready, proceed to the Perspectives & Resources section.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Back Next
Join Our E-Newsletter Sign Up
  • Home
  • About IRIS
  • Sitemap
  • Web Accessibility
  • Glossary
  • Terms of Use
  • Careers at IRIS
  • Contact Us
Join Our E-Newsletter Sign Up

The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 [email protected]. The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E220001. The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Anna Macedonia.

Copyright 2025 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

* For refund and privacy policy information visit our Help & Support page.

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

  • Vanderbilt Peabody College
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok