Preventing Challenging Behaviors in Preschool

Abstract

Warren is characterized as a sweet 4-year-old boy who has recently joined Mrs. Daniels’ preschool classroom. He will be attending Mrs. Daniels’ class 4 days a week for approximately 7 hr a day. In the first few days, Warren has displayed a variety of challenging behaviors, including biting, pinching, tantrums during transitions, and difficulties with expressing his needs and wants. Mrs. Daniels has worked with children in her classroom who have exhibited minor challenging behaviors, but she is concerned about her ability to effectively address Warren’s behaviors. Given the intensity and frequency of these behaviors, Mrs. Daniels knows she will have to act quickly to implement strategies and techniques that are evidence based. However, she wonders what specific strategies will be most effective for Warren and most reasonable for her classroom structure.

Parents, educators, and administrators are becoming increasingly aware of the number of children who are beginning formal schooling without the prerequisite skills, particularly behavioral skills and competencies, needed for school and life success. The long-term effects for children who display challenging behaviors include higher rates of peer rejection and negative interactions with adults (Dunlap et al., 2006), and a greater risk for school failure and/or delinquency (Webster-Stratton & Taylor, 2001). Therefore, it is imperative to place an emphasis on interventions that are initiated at the first signs of behavioral concern for the best possible outcome (Harris & Handleman, 2000; Itzchak & Zachor, 2011).

Early childhood settings, including preschools and child care centers, are often the first to encounter children like Warren who display challenging behaviors. By the time children have entered preschool, they have had a number of experiences that could impact them both positively and negatively. These experiences can include exposure to behaviors that have been modeled for them, whether intentionally or unintentionally, by adults and other caregivers in their lives. The early emergence of behavior difficulties at the preschool level can create challenges for early educators, for example, additional time and staff dedicated to handling the behaviors, and fewer opportunities for interaction with other children. Specific interventions are needed by early childhood educators to manage challenging behaviors in preschoolers (Hemmeter, Fox, Jack, & Broyles, 2007). A plan or set of behavioral strategies provided to preschool teachers would help them determine the best course of action to take when such behaviors begin to arise (Sugai & Horner, 2009).

“Effective classroom management is a critical aspect for all teachers.”

The purpose of this article is to provide practical strategies and techniques that early childhood educators, like Mrs. Daniels, can implement in their classrooms to effectively manage challenging behaviors. The specific strategies addressed will fall under the following categories: (a) classroom management, (b) reinforcement, and (c) communication. Suggestions will also be made for how parents can be included in the use of these strategies to promote a wraparound approach in which problematic behaviors are targeted in the same manner at home and at school. Mrs. Daniels and Warren will be used throughout this article as a means to illustrate the use of the suggested strategies and techniques.

Classroom Management

Effective classroom management is a critical aspect for all teachers, but is especially important at the preschool level because children at this age will likely be adapting to a formal classroom setting. For the first time, children will be faced with unfamiliar expectations, rules, routines, and structure, in addition to possessing underdeveloped social skills or an inability to effectively communicate. As a result, children will engage in a variety of behaviors as they attempt to adjust to their new environment. Early childhood educators can increase the likelihood of success for young children, while becoming proactive in preventing potential behavior problems, through an effective classroom management plan.

Teaching Behavioral Expectations

Mrs. Daniels will want to make sure she has clear, measurable, and observable rules visibly posted in her classroom that specifically address not only the behavioral expectations but also the behavioral issues that may be occurring. Research has demonstrated that classroom rules are effective in children’s use of desired behaviors and skills while helping to alleviate challenging behaviors (Benedict, Horner, & Squires, 2007). Keeping in mind the developmental abilities of young children, these rules should be stated positively (i.e., telling children what to do and what not to do) and concisely in an easy to remember format, and may be paired with pictures to help facilitate children’s understanding. Effective classroom rules could include the following: “keep hands and feet to self,” “quiet voices,” and “walking feet.” Given that Warren is biting adults and peers, Mrs. Daniels may also want to add the word “mouth” to the rule about keeping hands and feet to self. The rules should be reviewed on a daily basis and include a verbal explanation, demonstration of the behaviors associated with the rules, and an opportunity for the children to ask questions (Jolivette & Steed, 2010). In addition, including pictures of children engaging in the expected behaviors is a great way for Mrs. Daniels to make the rules more meaningful to the children.

Transitions

Within an early childhood classroom, transitions are the times throughout the day when children are traveling in between activities. Typical transitions may include arriving at school, moving from morning meeting to outdoor play time, cleaning up from free play activities, meals, and finally preparing to go home. The way in which transitions are scheduled and implemented can have a big impact on children’s behaviors during these transitions. Inappropriate behaviors may be displayed or exacerbated by transitions that occur too often or are too long, when children are uninvolved or unoccupied, or if instructions are unclear (Hemmeter, Ostrosky, Artman, & Kinder, 2008). Mrs. Daniels can look closely at her current schedule and ask herself the following questions: What is happening during the transitions? Can any transitions be eliminated? And are children actively engaged while waiting for the next activity? The answers to these questions can assist Mrs. Daniels in designing a classroom schedule that minimizes the impact transitions can have on children and their subsequent behavior, while maximizing the time the children spend engaged in developmentally appropriate activities.

Often children are unclear about what they are supposed to be doing during a transition. Mrs. Daniels can explain and model expectations for transition periods or even assign a more capable peer to model for her. Visual or verbal cues can also be included to signal transition times for the children. A schedule of pictures made from clip art or even photographs of the children themselves, which outlines the daily activities, can be helpful in understanding and anticipating upcoming transitions. Verbal prompts such as a simple 5-min warning prior to a transition or even pairing a transition with a familiar song are great strategies for Mrs. Daniels to use. Although these types of “classwide” strategies can be effective for most children, some, like Warren, may continue to struggle. In this case, Mrs. Daniels will want to design an individual support plan for Warren that fits nicely within the already occurring routines of the classroom. Table 1 provides generalized transition tips as well as specific strategies for Warren during each transition period.

Table 1

Generalized and Individualized Transition Tips

Transition Period	General Tip	Demonstrated Behavior (Warren)	Individualized Transition Tip
Arrival	Children move a picture of their face from home to school on an arrival chart	Warren does not want to leave mother/cries and clings to her leg	Create a routine for Warren and mom for them to say goodbye, and Warren enter the classroom. Picture of Warren’s mom or a favorite toy could accompany him
	Feelings pictures (e.g., happy, sad, mad, etc) are available for children to select based on their emotional state that day		Have a preferred activity or buddy waiting for Warren on entry into classroom
Large group	Children fly like an airplane or are signaled by a familiar song to come to the circle carpet	Warren does not want to move to large group—is slow putting away materials	Provide a verbal cue to Warren one on one, telling him 5 more min before moving
			Provide a contingency in the form of if/then. For example, “If you clean up playdough now, then you can have that as a first choice at center time”
Centers	Children select a center from a picture display of available options	Warren does not know what is happening—refuses to clean up	Show Warren the picture schedule
	Children are given a 5 min clean-up warning and again signaled by a familiar song (different than large group)		Model putting away materials
			Refer him to a peer who is demonstrating the appropriate behavior
Snack	Picture display depicting available options for snack that day	Warren wanders around room	Warren is offered first choice of seat for snack
	Children are able to read a book when they are finished eating
Dismissal	Children move their picture from school to home on the arrival chart	Warren cries	Read a familiar story or have Warren hold a favorite toy to soothe him
	Goodbye song is sung with each child mentioned by name

Finally, Mrs. Daniels can use transition times as teachable moments for social and emotional skills. Stopping and starting activities can be overwhelming for some children, resulting in inappropriate behaviors or outbursts. Mrs. Daniels can identify children’s feelings as they are happening and provide solutions that will move the child through the transition while at the same time validating their emotions. For example, if Warren gets upset and begins to cry or stomp his feet because he is unable to get his coat zipped, Mrs. Daniels can respond and say, “Warren I see that you are upset. How can we solve this problem?” She can then allow Warren a few extra moments to calm down and get his coat zipped, or she can offer either her or a peer’s assistance in completing the task. Warren is now ready to go outside with the rest of his classmates and has been able to find ways to effectively deal with a difficult situation.

Positive Reinforcement

The next consideration Mrs. Daniels may make after having identified and taught behavioral expectations is to reinforce and encourage children’s use of preferred behaviors within the classroom. A key component of intervening with a problem behavior is not only helping the child stop the problem behavior but also teaching the child what to do as a replacement behavior. Therefore, when children do exhibit appropriate behaviors in place of a problem behavior, they need to be reinforced for the appropriate response. Children like to be rewarded with a job well done and positive reinforcement, where the provision of a consequence (typically a preferred, positive reinforcer) is contingent on an appropriate behavior (Lewis, Hudson, Richter, & Johnson, 2004).

“Positive reinforcement will be most effective if delivered immediately on display of the appropriate behavior.”

Positive reinforcement can come in many forms, but we are going to focus on four specific types: verbal, gestural, social, and tangible (Jolivette & Steed, 2010). Let us use Warren to illustrate each type of reinforcer. While preparing for an upcoming activity, Mrs. Daniels notices that Warren stopped to clean up his materials when the classwide 5-min warning was given. She immediately provides Warren with verbal praise by saying, “I like how you stopped playing with the blocks and began to stack them on the shelf. Good for you!” Mrs. Daniels can also positively reinforce another child in close proximity to Warren, who is appropriately cleaning up materials. The key here is that Mrs. Daniels was very specific in her praise, thereby making it even more effective and powerful. Mrs. Daniels could positively reinforce Warren with a high five or a thumbs-up, both of which are appropriate for this age level. Furthermore, Mrs. Daniels and Warren could develop a gesture specific to just the two of them that could be shared in a more discreet manner. Social reinforcement could simply mean that Warren is allowed to continue playing with a preferred toy if he is displaying appropriate behaviors during play or he could earn the role of line leader, a preferred social role within the classroom. Finally, Warren could be positively reinforced with tangible items such as stickers or stamps. Tangibles should be small and over time, be traded for more natural consequences so that children do not become reliant on tangible items for appropriate behaviors.

In general, positive reinforcement will be most effective if delivered immediately on display of the appropriate behavior and in such a way that the child can connect the reinforcement to the specific desired response (Malott & Trojan, 2008). Positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviors is a great way to shape behavior; however, once the behavior is learned, the reinforcement should become more selective and authentic (Tu & Lash, 2008). Table 2 provides further examples of each type of positive reinforcement.

Table 2

Positive Reinforcement Types and Examples

Types	Example
Verbal	“I like how you stopped playing and started putting those blocks away as soon as the warning was given”
	“You told me that you needed help with the puzzle; good job using your words”
	“I noticed that you waited with your hands to yourself until your name was called before lining up. Super job!”
	“Excellent job sharing the paints with Emily”
Gestural	High fives
	Thumbs-up
	Pats on the back
	Smiling and nodding approval
Social	Extra time playing with a preferred toy or activity
	Teacher helper responsibilities
	Sitting next to a favorite peer during snack or group time
Tangible	Stickers
	Stamps
	Tokens

Communication

Children who display challenging behaviors often do so because they are unable to communicate their needs and wants in a more appropriate manner or are trying to avoid a potentially nonpreferred activity or situation. Therefore, children need to be given the tools to function in the society in an appropriate way. For some children, this could mean explicitly teaching them what verbal phrases they can use to start a conversation with other peers or to ask for help. Other children may need to be taught what they can do or say when feeling frustrated. Children who are typically developing often know how to use their verbal skills to request something they need or want, whereas others may exhibit problem behaviors that serve the same function, but in a clearly inappropriate manner (Crick & Dodge, 1996; Dodge & Coie, 1987). Mrs. Daniels has determined, through the use of a functional behavior assessment, that Warren may be exhibiting the biting and pinching behaviors specifically because he is unable to come up with words to describe what he wants or how he is feeling. She also realizes that communication does not always have to be verbal; gestures, signs, or even pictures may be used in place of verbal communication. If, for example, Warren is getting frustrated during circle time, he can be encouraged to signal Mrs. Daniels to let her know he needs a break, in place of pinching a peer who is sitting in proximity to him. When engaged in a challenging task, such as putting together a puzzle or stringing beads, Warren could hold up a picture indicating “help” to signal the teacher that he needs assistance. The key is to select methods of communication that are easily recognizable and can be reinforced by teachers, peers, and even family members (Jolivette & Steed, 2010).

Finally, children at the preschool level spend a great deal of time observing other’s behaviors and language use, particularly important adults and more competent peers. When faced with a problem within the classroom setting, Mrs. Daniels could use a strategy called cognitive modeling, in which she verbalizes her own thinking patterns as she reasons through the problem (Horner, Bhattacharyya, & O’Connor, 2008). Children, including Warren, may begin to see this “thinking out loud” process as an alternative to a behavioral outburst. As an example, while trying to play a CD, Mrs. Daniels finds that the player is not working. She says out loud,

The CD player doesn’t seem to be working and this is very frustrating to me. Let me check to see what might be the problem. It is plugged in and turned on . . . oh, now I see. I have the player set to play a tape, not a CD. I will just move the button and that will fix my problem.

Family Involvement

Family involvement in a child’s education is critical at every grade, but seems to be particularly critical at the preschool level. Conversations, collaboration, and relationships between teachers and families are important to children’s overall development. Mrs. Daniels will want to make sure that, in general, she is taking into consideration the families’ individual culture, beliefs, values, and home language use when looking at behavioral concerns. Santos and Ostrosky (2002) suggest gathering information from a variety of sources to ensure they have a complete picture of a child’s skill development. Therefore, Mrs. Daniels will want to speak with parents, extended family, or any other important caregivers in a child’s life so that she is able to make the best possible decisions for the children in her class.

“Family involvement is a critical component to successfully managing behaviors.”

Specifically for Warren, Mrs. Daniels will want to share strategies found to be successful at school with Warren’s parents so that they too can implement the strategies at home. Many times, challenging behaviors appear at home before they appear at school, and many parents will be open to ideas for how they can work on these problematic behaviors. If a specific gesture to indicate help or even a “cool off” spot when frustration sets in is being consistently used at school and seems to be helping Warren reduce his challenging behavior, Mrs. Daniels can inform and even demonstrate use of the strategies as necessary for Warren’s parents. She may even consider using a journal as a vehicle for daily communication with his parents regarding Warren’s successes and areas for continued growth. The key is that parents feel included and can meaningfully contribute to their child’s continued growth and development.

Conclusion

Challenging behaviors in young children, especially at the preschool level, continue to be a growing concern. The earlier the children are provided with intervention strategies and techniques, the less likely these challenging behaviors will be a detriment to their success in school and beyond. Three strategies for addressing problematic behaviors—classroom management, specifically the teaching of behavioral expectations and consideration of transitions; reinforcement; and communication—were presented in this manuscript. These techniques can be incorporated into a classroom setting as a means to potentially prevent and respond to inappropriate behaviors. Family involvement is a critical component to successfully managing behaviors; therefore, information needs to be presented to parents such that they are informed of effective strategies while maintaining respect for their individual culture, beliefs, and language.

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