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

Assessment

Take some time now to answer the following questions. Please note that the IRIS Center does not collect your Assessment responses. If this is a course assignment, you should turn them in to your professor using whatever method he or she requires. If you have trouble answering any of the questions, go back and review the Perspectives & Resources pages in this module.

1. A new teacher says that she doesn’t have time to address low-level or minor challenging behaviors (e.g., being off-task). Her strategy is to ignore these and focus instead only on more serious challenging behaviors. Craft a response to her that explains:
   1. A potential consequence of ignoring minor challenging behaviors.
   2. Two negative impacts of even minor challenging behaviors on the student and the class.
2. Students who consistently exhibit challenging behaviors typically progress through a seven-phase process known as the acting-out cycle.
   1. List two reasons why it is important for educators to intervene early in the acting-out cycle.
   2. Explain what might prevent an educator from intervening early in the acting-out cycle.
3. Mr. Reeves is struggling to address Carter’s challenging behavior in Biology class. During teacher-led tasks or structured, independent tasks, Carter frequently participates and serves as a model student for his classmates. However, Mr. Reeves has noticed that Carter engages in acting-out behavior during less structured tasks. For example, Mr. Reeves often asks students to work with a partner to perform experiments and test out different hypotheses. During these tasks, students engage in self-guided and self-paced learning to complete the experiments. When Mr. Reeves assigns these types of activities, Carter becomes anxious. He withdraws from the activity and stares out the window. Despite prompting from Mr. Reeves, Carter refuses to speak with his partner or engage in the activity. Although Mr. Reeves attempts to redirect his behavior, Carter begins yelling and knocking materials off desks. Help Mr. Reeves get Carter’s challenging behavior under control. Use a table like the one below to record your answers to the following items.
   1. For each of the first four phases of the acting-out cycle, identify a strategy Mr. Reeves can implement to help prevent Carter’s behavior from escalating during science class. Explain your reasoning for selecting each strategy.
   2. Identify a strategy Mr. Reeves can use during the Peak Phase of Carter’s acting-out cycle to address his behavior and maintain safety. Explain your selection.
   3. Identify a strategy Mr. Reeves can use during the final two phases of the acting-out cycle to help reintegrate Carter into the classroom. Justify your response.

4. Once a student enters the Peak Phase and the educator can no longer interrupt the acting-out cycle, what should the educator’s focus shift to? Explain.
5. After a student exits the Peak Phase, it is critical that the educator support her through the De-escalation and Recovery Phases.
   1. What is the educator trying to accomplish in the De-escalation Phase?
   2. Why are educators often reluctant to engage in debriefing during the Recovery Phase? Why is it important to debrief despite this reluctance?