Beyond Behavior

According to research, as many as 68% of students have experienced at least some form of trauma (Cavanaugh, 2016). Yet, most educators report feeling inadequate about understanding trauma-informed practice, including understanding how trauma can impact student behavior in the classroom. This article provides a primer about trauma that can allow educators to unpack the definition, understanding, identification, and the impact traumatic experiences can have on students in today’s schools.

Overwhelming events such as neglect, abuse, and violence impact students in a number of ways. Typically, students who have experienced trauma demonstrate significant deficits in skills that promote emotional and behavioral regulation. When these deficits are displayed in the classroom, learning can be significantly disrupted for the survivor and also for his or her peers. Research shows that using evidence-based practices (EBPs) for managing challenging classroom behavior is the most efficient approach to improving outcomes for students. Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a well-researched, multi-tiered framework for behavioral support that has been used in many districts throughout the United States for over 30 years. Many EBPs for classroom behavior management fit well within the framework of PBIS, allowing educators to systematically implement the strategies and use the data they collect for decision-making. This article outlines specific EBPs that fit within the PBIS multi-tiered model and highlights how these examples of sound classroom and behavior management are a cornerstone of a trauma-informed classroom.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) can exhibit severely challenging behaviors that lead to events of crisis in an inclusive classroom. This article provides practitioners with an overview of the cycle of dysregulation experienced by some students with EBD. The article includes descriptions of stages in the dysregulation cycle, observable behaviors of students “in” the various stages, and step-by-step directions for teachers and other education professionals aiming to guide students successfully through each cycle stage and prevent further crisis.

This article discusses the use of behavior-specific praise (BSP), an effective technique for promoting prosocial behavior and managing classrooms. It addresses the criticism that BSP may reduce students’ intrinsic motivation and offers directions on how to use BSP to provide students, especially those with challenging behaviors, with useful feedback that encourages them to engage productively in school activities.

Paying attention during academic instruction plays a significant role in learning. Students with off-task behaviors are less likely to obtain desired learning outcomes. Technology-based self-monitoring is one of the strategies designed to address this issue. This article introduces technology-based self-monitoring (TBSM) for elementary educators of students with and without emotional and behavioral disorders. Specifically, we describe the development of self-monitoring technologies, present suggestions for designing effective TBSM interventions, and discuss I-Connect as an example to illustrate how TBSM interventions work.