Introduction
For this assignment, I have watched several videos observing children in a special education setting. In the majority of them, the children were well-behaved and engaged in their lessons and activities. Some, however, exhibited challenging behavior stemming from their inability to communicate or restrain themselves. Although sometimes their motivation was difficult to understand, generally it was obvious what they were trying to achieve, but it was difficult for them to communicate with others.
Personal Reflection
Observing these children, even in video form, left me with conflicted feelings. The initial reaction to seeing them trying to do everyday things with which most children have no issue, was confusion. When they made several unsuccessful attempts to accomplish the same task, it could be difficult to understand what was so challenging for them. This confusion could turn into frustration if a child was acting stubborn and seemed unable to achieve what he or she was trying to do.
There was also an element of pity and an intense desire to help. However, often I could not be certain what approach to take, especially given the limited time frame of the observation videos I found. Because of this, I felt cautious and indecisive in approaching such children for fear of doing something wrong and leaving a negative impact. Ultimately, however, when the children succeeded at what they were trying to do, with or without help from their teachers, or when they started playing with others and enjoying themselves, I felt joy. Seeing them happy and having fun makes me determined to find out how I can help them and make a difference.
P.’s Behavior
One video, in particular, focused on one girl, who will be identified as P. for this paper and the associated chart. Over the course of the video, she exhibited challenging behavior three times (Scott). In the first incident, after playing by herself for some time, she approached other children who were playing with building blocks. However, she could not find any blocks except for the ones with which other children were already playing. She tried to grab the blocks from other children’s hands, and she also attempted to add blocks from the counter to their constructions. At first, I thought she was being rude and disruptive, but then I realized she was trying to help and play with others.
In the second incident, P. was once again left alone to play. Afterwards, she approached another child and, probably trying to get his attention, crouched down in front of him and thrust her rear in his face (Scott). This incident was somewhat shocking to see because of how sudden and aggressive P.s gesture was. She was likely trying to get the other child’s attention and play with him.
After the teacher called P. to play with other children and jigsaw puzzles, she started engaging with other children. She seemed happier than before and shared her puzzle pieces with others unprompted (Scott). The challenging behavior incident in this situation occurred when she was trying to share her toys with another child. Although her actions were aggressive, shoving pieces and yelling, P. seemed to be trying to include other children at the table in her play.
A Positive Behavior Support Plan for P.
P. seems to have issues related to communicating and the executive function of inhibitory control. Her incidents of challenging behavior pursue the functional goal of interacting with others or seeking attention. In two of three cases, P. was left to play by herself for some time before trying to get other children’s attention or play with them. Because her attempts to force herself into other children’s play were aggressive and destructive.
A positive behavior support plan for P. should focus on reinforcing her positive behaviors and introducing her to acting socially. As a significant part of this plan, teachers should explain to P. that she should ask to play with others and not grab at others’ toys. Furthermore, P. should be taught that others may be unwilling to play with her or share their toys at the moment.
References
“3rd observation part 1.” YouTube. Web.