Behavior assessment is an increasingly significant aspect of school life as the acknowledgment grows that behavior is a form of interaction. Whatsoever a child’s behavior is is sending a communication. If the child is calm and compliant we like the message they are sending and tend not to bother too much about that child’s wellbeing unless their behavior suddenly changes in which case it acts as a big signal to pay attention NOW. If a child’s behavior is challenging or troubling in some ways we pay much more attention right from the start. However a difficulty for many education and support practitioners is that they are not quite sure how to decode the behavior and translate the signals – it is a bit like know there is a thing called morse code, and knowing someone is conveying a series of dots and dashes in an effort to tell you something – but not knowing what the sequence means. This is where some sort of more formal assessment of behavior can be useful as it gives a structured way of tracking and opinion about the behavior you are seeing. These assessments can be anything from a uncomplicated log of observations about behavior over time. For example, 1. 10. 08 Ryan Mackenzie P4 10am shouting in class11. 03 fighting in playground12. 08 crying after being accused of lying2. 30pm kicking back of Jonny’s chairThrough to more detailed logs of behavior in different situationsRyan MackenzieClassroomPlaygroundSchool bus These logs form assessments while they help to highlight problem areas, times or places. Keeping this kind of record rapidly establishes where and when things work and where and when they don’t. This picture can be very beneficial as practitioners start to ‘decode’ the behavioral meaning. They begin to be able to see that the inarticulate but powerful signal always comes through after lunch, or before playtime. . . . That helps practitioners devise a plan to help the child begin to recognise and cope their stress hot buttons and find other ways to deal with the situation. Occasionally, of course, the message is deeper than that and their behavior is very difficult and troubling, rather than ‘troublesome’. In these cases their behavior – such as hair pulling, rocking, inappropriate rages, inability to contain their tears over somewhat small incidents. . . – can point to mental distress. In these cases assessments are more typically carried out by trained professionals and appropriate clinical referrals made. However these severe cases are very much the marginal and for most children help and assist at an early stage from people who know that behavior is a message without words can make all the difference to not getting worse and needing professional involvement. Using the strengths based approach is a very positive way forward for the majority of children who are just startingt to wobble. Using assessment tools that pick up on behavioral messages and give clues as to the positive meaning of these behaviors, rather than interpreting them as always being difficult, can give a child and a practitioner a new way of understanding themselves and their responses. In addition, recognising and playing to behavioral strengths rather than pinpointing ‘needs’ and only targeting them, can give a much needed breathing space to allow some maturation to take place. In many cases this maturation can sort out the ‘need’ without any other intervention being needed.
Ann Henshall is a psychologist and expert of the Psychology of Behaviour and Positive Attitude Change in children and staff groups. She works with a team of expert professionals in mental health and wellbeing and spends many hours each week helping clients baseline, track, assess, evaluate and monitor their support for learning programmes. Find out more on www. thesoftstuff. net and join the community of likeminded people using strengths based approaches.
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