Avoiding Classroom Behavior Escalation with Students Who Have EBD

November 4th, 2009 By: Diane Trim in Articles, Special Needs, Teaching Strategies

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I had an EBD (emotional/behavior disorder) student who challenged me a lot. When the subject matter got tough, Elliot tried to engage me in an argument or heated debate. I struggled not to rise to the bait.

When working with students who have emotional or behavioral disorders in the classroom, you have to be careful not to be the spark to the EBD student’s tinder. This isn’t something I’m great at, but I’ve learned a few things to de-escalate behavior and redirect.

• Lower your voice. When I’m agitated, my voice becomes shrill. I don’t hear it, but students and bats do. Lowering my voice gives me and my students the illusion that I’m calm.
• Recognize the source. The student might be uncomfortable with his competency in your class. Pre-arrange for the student to answer a question about the homework in front of the whole class. Double-check with the student before class to make sure that he understands the homework question and has the correct answer.
• Slow down. Sometimes students with EBD or other learning disabilities need less stimulation. Slow down your delivery, chunk up the material, and offer students enough think time after questions.
• Give yourself think time. This one’s really for me. Don’t say the first thing that pops into your head when a student makes a heated comment. The goal is to de-escalate the conflict, not one-up the student.
• Watch for the warning signs. Try to recognize what triggers a student’s outbursts. If you see a student becoming agitated, intervene with a quiet word or change the lesson’s pacing.
• Pre-arrange a signal. Sometimes the EBD student recognizes that her behavior is becoming unmanageable. You and the student can develop a pre-arranged hand signal that lets you know she’s taking the rest room pass for a cool-down.
• Engage students. This one’s pretty obvious, but when students are engaged in the lesson, they don’t disrupt as much. Work frequent engagement activities into your lesson so that your EBD students don’t disrupt out of boredom.
• Talk one-on-one. Try to talk to the EBD student alone and not in front of the entire class. If it’s practical to pull the student aside or into the hall without calling attention to it, do so. However, if you’re in a whole-class situation, give the class something to do, approach the student’s desk, squat down to her level, and have a conversation in a quiet voice.
• Acknowledge the student’s concern. You might not be able to address the EBD student’s problem right at the moment, but you can acknowledge her concern. Write it down and make a point of getting back to her during class. Make sure that she understands that her concerns and comfort level are important to you and that you intend to follow up on them.
• Give students a choice. Maybe a written assignment always causes Ian to create a classroom disruption because he struggles to concentrate enough to finish a sentence. Offer students choices in the way that they show they know the concepts.
• Build a relationship with your EBD students. These kids might not be fabulous at parallel structure or parallelograms, but they might be a terror on the dirt bike course. Find out what they love to do and show an interest.
• Don’t ask why. The EBD student probably doesn’t know why she did something or else can’t put it into words. It’s an exercise in frustration. Stick to the what and how questions instead. What are you supposed to be doing? What can I do to help you? How can you fix this?
• It’s not you. Really. A wise guidance counselor told me that it’s not my fault that my EBD students reached a boiling point. After a few years, I decided to believe him and I became a calmer teacher.
• Coach, don’t nag or lecture. Guilty, guilty, guilty. I try very hard to take the coaching-support view. I try to say, “That’s not quite right. Try again.” I try not to say, “Remember last time this happened? You went to the office, didn’t you? That’s where you’re headed again if you don’t stop…”

This isn’t a complete list of what works well to de-escalate an EBD student. It’s a start, though. Do you have something to add? Please write about what works for you and your students in the Comments section or e-mail Diane Trim.

Tags: behavior, emotional behavioral disorder, special education

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