SEN
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
Small Changes to the Environment
to Help Manage Behaviour DR. PATRICIA DALY SENIOR LECTURER EMERITA, MARY IMMACULATE COLLEGE Behaviours that interfere with the learning of the child or peers is communication, particularly if the child in question has a diagnosis. Children with diagnoses that impact learning frequently use behaviour to communicate particular messages. Understanding these messages is the start of any plan to prevent the behaviours and to promote learning and engagement. What are these messages? Typically, there are four. Consider some scenarios first: 1. Jim has dyslexia. Whenever he is given a writing activity to complete, he persistently asks the teacher for help with each piece. Also, whenever the teacher is likely to ask children to read aloud, Jim becomes the class entertainer, cracking jokes with his peers and making funny faces. What is Jim telling the teacher by his behaviours? 2. Sorcha has Autism and has good oral language. When the children push their chairs in to form lines for exiting the classroom, she covers her ears with her hands and cries loudly. She also refuses to use the class mini white boards and markers. What messages is she giving through her behaviours? In these scenarios, you do not have enough information to be sure of your interpretation. However, you could see some of the four key messages below being communicated: It is likely Jim is avoiding writing tasks because of his difficulties with them. He is probably avoiding reading aloud for the same reason. Avoidance and escape are strong explanations for behaviours that interfere with learning. Sorcha has sensory differences and finds the noise of the chairs moving on the floor intolerable. She wants to escape this noise. She also may have a sensitivity to using smooth surfaces that may squeak when she writes on 10
them, or may find the scent of markers aversive. Understanding that behaviours serve functions for children does not imply that the children are using them deliberately to get the desired outcome. Their behaviour has been learned and simply works. What can teachers and schools do in these situations? I suggest that looking closely at some aspects of the teaching and learning environment may be very helpful in identifying small changes that schools can make that will improve these situations. ENVIRONMENT AND WHAT YOU CAN CHANGE There are seven aspects of the environment that can be changed. Some changes need administrative approval and support. These are listed below with two (bolded) described. The others are discussed in the book Daly, P. (2019). Small Changes Can Make Big Differences: Behaviour Management through the Lens of Special Educational Needs. Physical. This includes all seating and instructional arrangements for teaching and learning. It also incorporates the systems used in the class and school for transitions throughout the day. Many aspects of the physical environment can be changed, including where children sit, with whom they sit, whether they are close to walls or
windows, or the door. Perhaps Jimmy’s teacher can seat him with his best friend who can prompt and support him during oral reading lessons. Jimmy can also be prepared for his ‘read aloud’ by knowing which sentences he will get so he can practice them. Sensory. All children have sensory preferences and sensitivities. More than 80% of children with autism will have sensitivity differences – they will over- or under-respond to sounds, sights or other sensory inputs. Knowing individual sensitivities allows teachers to better manage these. For example, ear-defenders can be used to support Sorcha when the chairs are moved. Or the chair legs could have tennis balls added to reduce the sound. Many aspects of the environment affect children’s behaviours. Prior to resorting to more complex interventions, schools might consider making small changes to the various aspects of their teaching and learning environments. Making changes to prevent reactions that interfere with learning can be empowering for teachers and schools. Patricia was previously Head of the Department of Educational Psychology, Inclusive and Special Education there. If you would like to get in touch with her in relation to this article, you can email Patricia.Daly@ mic.ul.ie.