somewhat distracted and inconsistent, student. Then they get to the challenging parts. With some teachers, Rodney can be hostile and disrespectful, especially when they set limits on his use of profane language. Rodney argues that profanity is commonplace among his friends and family, and that at school these words “just slip out,” but his teachers feel he derives some satisfaction from the reactions of his classmates. The many dozens of detentions and occasional suspension he has received over the years for using profanity have not had any effect.
His teachers also feel that when Rodney senses weakness or vulnerability in a classmate or teacher, he “goes in for the kill.” One of his classmates commonly erupts when Rodney whispers things, out of earshot of the teacher, that he knows will upset her. One teacher tells the story of a shy, timid kid who was formerly in Rodney’s science class. Rodney verbally tormented the student so relentlessly that he eventually transferred out of the class in order to escape him.
Rodney’s teachers report that trying to talk with him about these issues is an exercise in futility. Reports one teacher, “He won’t talk. He always changes the topic. And if you press him on something, he just gets up and leaves the room.”
When Rodney’s teachers completed an ALSUP, they endorsed virtually every item, including the following:
• Difficulty expressing needs, thoughts, or concerns in words
• Difficulty empathizing with others and appreciating another person’s perspective or point of view
• Difficulty maintaining focus for goal-directed problem-solving
As regards unsolved problems, they prioritized the following:
• Being corrected or reprimanded for using profanity
• Being corrected or reprimanded for his mistreatment of classmates
• Whenever you don’t watch him like a hawk
ILLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES
Before moving on, let’s consider in greater detail why common interventions are not terribly effective. Kids learn how we want them to behave because we tell them. In the case of challenging kids, it’s not that they don’t know how we want them to behave, it’s that they’re lacking the skills to execute what they know. You may want to catch yourself the next time you’re on the verge of asking a kid “How many times do I have to tell you …?” Instead, figure out why he’s having such difficulty consistently acting on what he knows—in other words, identify the skills he’s lacking—and pinpoint the specific situations (unsolved problems) in which those lacking skills are causing the most trouble.
But that’s not what usually happens. Instead, the kid gets those powerful, inescapable, natural consequences: praise, approval, being scolded, being disliked, not being invited to things, and so forth. Challenging kids experience lots of natural consequences, though they’re likely to experience the punishing variety far more often than their less challenging counterparts. Natural consequences are effective at reducing the challenging behavior of some kids, but not the kids this book is about. That’s because natural consequences don’t solve the problems or teach the lagging skills that are precipitating their challenging behavior.
So the challenging behavior persists, or worsens. In response, adults usually add even more consequences, those of the imposed, “logical,” “unnatural,” or “artificial” variety. These include punishments such as staying in from recess, time-out from reinforcement, detention, suspension, and expulsion; rewards such as special privileges; and record-keeping devices such as stickers, points, levels, and the like. A word of caution on referring to such consequences as “logical”: If a kid hasn’t responded to natural consequences, then simply adding imposed consequences may not be very logical at all! Imposed consequences don’t solve the problems or teach the lagging skills that are precipitating
His teachers also feel that when Rodney senses weakness or vulnerability in a classmate or teacher, he “goes in for the kill.” One of his classmates commonly erupts when Rodney whispers things, out of earshot of the teacher, that he knows will upset her. One teacher tells the story of a shy, timid kid who was formerly in Rodney’s science class. Rodney verbally tormented the student so relentlessly that he eventually transferred out of the class in order to escape him.
Rodney’s teachers report that trying to talk with him about these issues is an exercise in futility. Reports one teacher, “He won’t talk. He always changes the topic. And if you press him on something, he just gets up and leaves the room.”
When Rodney’s teachers completed an ALSUP, they endorsed virtually every item, including the following:
• Difficulty expressing needs, thoughts, or concerns in words
• Difficulty empathizing with others and appreciating another person’s perspective or point of view
• Difficulty maintaining focus for goal-directed problem-solving
As regards unsolved problems, they prioritized the following:
• Being corrected or reprimanded for using profanity
• Being corrected or reprimanded for his mistreatment of classmates
• Whenever you don’t watch him like a hawk
ILLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES
Before moving on, let’s consider in greater detail why common interventions are not terribly effective. Kids learn how we want them to behave because we tell them. In the case of challenging kids, it’s not that they don’t know how we want them to behave, it’s that they’re lacking the skills to execute what they know. You may want to catch yourself the next time you’re on the verge of asking a kid “How many times do I have to tell you …?” Instead, figure out why he’s having such difficulty consistently acting on what he knows—in other words, identify the skills he’s lacking—and pinpoint the specific situations (unsolved problems) in which those lacking skills are causing the most trouble.
But that’s not what usually happens. Instead, the kid gets those powerful, inescapable, natural consequences: praise, approval, being scolded, being disliked, not being invited to things, and so forth. Challenging kids experience lots of natural consequences, though they’re likely to experience the punishing variety far more often than their less challenging counterparts. Natural consequences are effective at reducing the challenging behavior of some kids, but not the kids this book is about. That’s because natural consequences don’t solve the problems or teach the lagging skills that are precipitating their challenging behavior.
So the challenging behavior persists, or worsens. In response, adults usually add even more consequences, those of the imposed, “logical,” “unnatural,” or “artificial” variety. These include punishments such as staying in from recess, time-out from reinforcement, detention, suspension, and expulsion; rewards such as special privileges; and record-keeping devices such as stickers, points, levels, and the like. A word of caution on referring to such consequences as “logical”: If a kid hasn’t responded to natural consequences, then simply adding imposed consequences may not be very logical at all! Imposed consequences don’t solve the problems or teach the lagging skills that are precipitating
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