Emotional Dysregulation in the school often times will be displayed by the student having attendance problems, low-achieving high school students and sefl esteem issues.
When attendance issues arise the staff needs to understand that the families are often times in survival mode. Therefore, school is sometimes the last thing on their mine. Therefore, instead of talking with the parents in a harsh and down grading attitude try to have some empathy and understanding for the family. Try arranging a form of carpooling for the child to get to school.
Low achievement again reverts to the survival of the everyday activities of this family. If there isn't enough food on the table. The last thing on the family or students mind is school work. I believe that the school needs to set up a time for the student to work on the school work and get the work compelted or if they don't understand the materials get a afterschool tutor. Provide food for the student allowing him/her to have comfort that they may not get until the next days school lunch. It is important that the basic needs of the student be met before any learning can begin.
Self esteem and self worth is often times a problem when the child is living in poverty. The staff needs to try and work with the family and child offering any help that the school can possibly offer. Allowing the child to have access to the councelor, build a circle or friends and again build that child up and find out what they are needing. Again it refers back to the basic needs of the child.
Tammi, I agree that schools often speak harshly to parents in those situations without much regard for the reality of the situation. This really just makes the family distrustful of us, which is totally the opposite of what we need to do. I also completely agree that when we know kids aren't going to get their homework, either because there is nobody at home to help, there are 7 other kids to take care of, or some other reason, then we shouldn't keep sending it day after day and expecting different results. I don't think it is usually a sign that a parent doesn't care, but something much deeper. If we can help students get work done at school, then our relationship with the family could improve and the student will have a better self-image because he won't be in trouble every day.
I like the idea of a snack and time to work after school. Often parents are still working when school lets out and this would provide supervision as well as constructive time with a positive role model. I wish Big Brothers and Big Sisters could offer some more after school time.
On many of the home visits I do I often think "no wonder the child isn't learning, the family is just trying to survive". I like your ideas on helping them with "survival" so they can become "learners".
I agree that "school" is not really a basic need for those families who are in survival mode. We make it even less valuable for them if we treat them badly for the situation they are in, rather than work with them to resolve problems. I like your ideas for helping parents and students.
Your comment about providing basic needs before learning can occur makes a lot of sense. Just because the need isn't as visible doesn't mean that it doesn't need attention as well.
Wow, ok I'm not going to be as scientific as some other posts (very nice information btw) but just say that emotional dysregulation is just a big way of saying mood swings. For the past 2 school years, I had a student who had this so here's what I saw for examples. Anger outbursts or behavior outbursts by tearing up paper, breaking pencils, banging head on desk, pushing desk over, throwing book, saying F you and calling me the B word, showing more behaviors when given a compliment, should I go on???
This kiddo who did this is still in our school so I will try to be careful not to give away anything confidential. X came from a home with a parent who claims to be ex-military but I have my doubts. The step-parent also had another child of the same age and same grade as X. Both parents work low paying jobs. X had biological parent murdered recently.
So, how did I deal with all the awful things happening in my classroom? I won't lie, it was very hard some days to not sink to X's level and just give up. But that was one thing over and over again I told to X, I knew X was a good person and I wasn't going to give up. Somewhere inside was the good X and sooner or later even against X's will, I would see it. There were many days that i would have to clear my classroom of students for X to get it out of his system and some days I was out of options and to the office X would go. We had to create a "flow chart" of behaviors and if X hit the go to office part of the chart that is what happened. There were some days that all the teachers let some things slide because it just wasn't X's fault and quietly someone would give X a pencil or paper just to avoid a meltdown. Other days, I would stay after school, play quiet music and give a snack of crackers and a pop when X was finishing work that could have been done in class, but wasn't.
X is going to have a very sad life if things don't get changed either in the home or inside X. X sees no reason to live somedays and to me, that makes me want to cry. When the good X showed itself, what a wonderful sense of humor and wit was seen. But the minute someone said anything, BAM it was gone/covered up/denied.
Hidden in my long tirade are really examples of what we did to help X and if I ever have a kiddo again like that, the same things will occur, sorry if they aren't super clear and spelled out.
Jaime*I like what you said about not coddling students b/c of their economic status, but with some kids, at least in my world, certain kiddos are held at a different standard that others, not because of their parent's money levels, but just situations in their lives. I expect all kids to come to school with pencil and paper, but if they just don't, I will give them supplies, like you and anyone else does, I'm sure.
**Rachel I like your examples/solutions. Things like this need to be taught to all new teachers because like you said, a person never knows when a kiddo might "unpack" their baggage.
I admire you for dealing with the F word and B word so well. I guess that's why I'm with preschoolers who typically don't use those words (at least not yet in my career). I don't know if I would be able to handle it very well-it bothers me when I hear that from adults, it bothers me even more when I hear it from young children.
Oh Dana, you are lucky. Back in the early teaching days, I taught kindergarten. I had a five year old young lady, built like a brick, and knew and used every word in the book. Their family picked up dead cows and that's what she grew up with. In that town, poverty was more of a way of life than not. Somehow, they all grew up and managed to finish high school and some went on to college. Maybe that's because it is such a small town.
Emotional dysregulation is the way a student behaves due to their poverty situation. In the classroom this may be shown by: 1. Having a student act out in class (throwing things, blurting, not behaving properly in social situations)
2. The student may have poor attendance or a large amount of tardies.
3.Poor academic progress/performance on grades.
For number one tell the student thank you for their enthusiasim/participation but remind them to raise their hands or show proper behavior in the situation. Make them perform the expected behavior before moving on. Depending on the grade and/or student one possible action for number two would be to set up some sort of either reward system or aknowledgement when the student is at school on time so they want to come back. For number three try to provide time the student can meet for small group or 1 on 1 time so they don't feel the work is beyond them and they can get the help they need.
**Linda I like how you shared your experiences about your student. It seems after reading your blog that you did everything you could to help the student and didn't give.
**Rachel I think you are correct that we need to model the behavior we want our students to display and to be flexible with how we teach students.
When I looked up emotional dysregulation on the internet, it was also referred to as "Borderline Personality Disorder" which was defined as "a very specific and serious mental illness which is characterized by persistent instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior".
1. Sometimes students might come to school and dramatic ups and downs in their behavior, along with acting out when they are mad. I think I would look for triggers or certain times in the day when they are more likely to be unstable. Then I could be ready and might be able to diffuse the situation better.
2. Students like this might have a hard time getting along with others and making friends. I would teach social skills, maybe by using social stories, and allow the student to practice with me.
3. Students might have a negative self image that keeps them from succeeding. If their first thought is "I can't do this" then they will surely struggle. I would replace those words with "This is hard, but I can get it". I would sincerely praise and encourage them on their accomplishments and find ways to let their positive behaviors shine.
I think it's a great idea to use social stories and practice social situations with others. Students with this problem need examples of how positive interactions look because they may not have experienced them themselves.
Rae Lynn, I agree with replacing the words "I can't do this" with "I need help learning how to", "I haven't learned how to do this yet"....or something else positive. Teaching and role modeling to students how to work out problems; both academically and in the real world are important life skills.
I thought your response was good and to the point. Your three points are what some issues that students may deal with when having problems with Emotional dysregulation. It is hard for these students to fit in and have self worth. Therefore, it is up to the school to create the enviornment that is safe and takes care of his/her basic needs first.
I like your idea of using social stories to directly teach the skills we can't assume children will bring to school with them, as well as modeling and giving opportunities to use them throughout the day.
I believe emotional dysregulation means that you are unable/don't know how to regulate your emotions during different situations. Children that live in poverty probably aren't taught ways of handling/displaying their emotions correctly. How it can look: 1. A child will not follow directions or may act like they don't know what to do-I believe giving that child extra time and instruction to learn what is expected is a necessity. 2. Absenteeism-showing concern by calling the parent, stopping by their house to check on them when they are absent for several days can let the parent/child know you care and want them in school 3. Children may feel unloved-this BREAKS my heart!! Showing compassion towards that child by giving them extra attention-a smile in the hall, pat on the back, acknowledging them by name when you see them are all ways to help that child build a relationship with someone that truly cares about them.
I agree that students, especially poor students need extra time whenever it can be given. Often poor kids are distracted by elements unique to life in poverty and miss instruction. Allowing a second look will definately help them get the concept we need them to learn.
Alan, I agree that poverty really creates the circumstances for students to be less successful in school, both emotionally and academically. I think your action steps sound great - being encouraging and respectful might not be the norm for how theses kids are often treated.
Emotional dysregulation seems to be a decreased ability to regulate emotional responses. One example from my classroom is a student crying when they could not reach a reading goal. Often times special education students will have reading difficulties, in addition to problems reading or completing assignments at home. When we set expectations it is difficult to consider all the variables, but assigning homework tied to rewards is like putting extra baggage on a wobbly cart. Eventually, the cart will falter and an emotional breakdown will occur. When I became aware that I had a student who was unable to read at home daily, I changed my expectations to only include in school reading. Another example is an emotional outburst when faced with a challenging assignment. Often low SES students have days filled with challenges just to survive. When we add new challenges, sometimes it just seems to much for children who are possibly already tired and hungry. My solution was to remember the days I have when I am hungry, tired and still have a million things that have to be done before I can rest. Then empathy tells me to break assignments into managable chunks and give the kid a snack. The third example of dysregulation is a student who blurts out often in class. The goal appears to be attention, be it positive or negative. When your dad pays you to stay away from the house after school, any attention from adults must feel good. The solution is to ignore the blurts as much as possible and reward any form of restraint they exhibit. It's like pushing an elephant up a hill, but persistance will get you there.
It's interesting to me how these are all behaviors I experienced today at work and have in other schools I've worked at too. I am really glad to get the viewpoint of this book to help me understand and maybe be better able to respond to students.
I like how you adapt your expectations for those children who aren't able to meet certain goals because they have no support at home. It's not like you don't have goals for them, you have just adjusted them for that child to experience some success, rather than punish them because of their parents. I have worked with you for over a decade, and I admire the extra time you take to nurture kids emotionally and socially.
I also looked up emotional dysregulation and found the description of borderline personality disorder. Just like AD/HD and oppositional behavior disorder, this particular disorder can create very disruptive behavior for the student who suffers with it. One of the things that they discussed when describing this disorder included the student denying responsibility and blaming others for things that they have done. This can create very dramatic social isolation from students and teachers which can cause school to be very stressful. This is also one of the hardest situations to work with in students. It seems that it would be necessary to have the students in the classroom trained to create a culture of positive confrontation, using “I” messages and other non-threatening forms of confrontation.
Another symptom of this disorder was the inability to understand that people and objects will come back once they are gone. A child who doesn't understand this will find it very difficult to trust others because they may not believe that they will have the same support from adults from one day to the next. Even in small ways, this can be a trigger for disruptive behavior. If the student is playing with something and has it taken away, they may not understand that the adult will return it at the end of the day. Once gone, that object is gone forever. With this trait, a student will benefit from consistency and reassurance. The teacher could make use of a calendar to help the student understand when things are going to happen, including when school is out for holidays and even weekends. A student may not understand that they will see the teacher again on Monday, but if it is written on the calendar, and is reinforced every week, it may help to counteract their anxiety.
Another characteristic is chaos manufacturing. A student with this trait will spend a great deal of time ensuring that the environment is unsettled and possibly dangerous. Spending time creating this environment takes their concentration away from school and also distracts others. A teacher would benefit most by having a very structured environment with clear expectations and procedures. This doesn’t just stop a student from creating chaos, but benefits most students in the classroom in general. If expectations are very clear, the teacher will be able to identify the student’s behavior before it can become uncontrollably disruptive.
This disorder has many, many qualities that are very socially and environmentally disruptive. For students who come from a situation of poverty, these traits may be a very helpful survival tool, but in school, they are a major roadblock to learning
Alice, I agree that many of the traits we see exhibited by children from a poverty situation are survival tools in their home situtation. But, these same traits make it hard to learn do well academically. For instance, I think that one of the survival skills is "not knowing or remembering". Depending on the home situation many things happen where children are better off not remembering. By this I mean it is safer for them not to remember or understand. Once they come to school though, we expect them to "know" information and to remember.
I currently have a student who could be characterized as having "emotional disregulation". Sometimes this student gets really upset by things that have happened at home (no extreme outburst this year, but they occured last year); sometimes this student just stares off into space, seemingly checking out of the present; sometimes this student is extremely tired. This student has also been frequently tardy and quite often hungry (feeling faint and dizzy).
Like many previous posters, I try to break his assingments into "chunks" and make sure snacks are available. This student knows that my room is a safe place they can come to, to take a break and talk if needed. My fellow teachers and I try to be empathetic, while at the same time letting this student know that there certain assignments that need to be done. We try to be consistent and provide structure. At times this student seems to be "flat" with no emotion; but I have seen more smiles lately. I also try to help this student keep their goal of life after high school in mind as an incentive to do schoolwork. I'm trying to give them a vision of the future.
It is extremely hard when a student has emotional disregulation. It is extremely hard for the student to make friends, except love, trust anyone and most of all the student can have emotional break downs throught out the day. I too have had a student with these types of issues and you really have to find away into this students heart. It may not be you, sometimes it is a para and that is ok. Whom ever that child can build a bond with is who they should work with. Wow! good luck
Thanks for sharing. It is always encouraging to me to hear how people are going the extra distance to show they care. It appears you are putting some good ideas into practice. I'm glad to hear you are seeing more smiles.
Emotional dysregulation manifests itself as an inability to regulate a response in a socially acceptable way. This dysregulation can appear in early childhood and all the way through adulthood. The following 3 experiences have happened in my years working with preschool children: 1. When asked to do something a child would hit their hand against their head and call themselves stupid. As a teacher, look for little ways that the child is doing something well and give specific praise like "The way you wrapped the blanket around the baby doll will keep it nice and warm. Good helping." Through multiple experiences of specific praise and encouragement, the child will start to see themselves as being able to do things well. 2. As stated in a previous response, some children are so used to unpredictable routines and who will be there to pick them up. This unpredictablility can cause extreme fear. In young children, it can be seen in children having difficulty separating from their caregivers and crying continually. Predictable routines and schedules help create security. Also visual schedules can aid some students. In addition, when a child ask/cries for a certain person, the teacher can reassure the child that after this and this activity then someone will pick the student up and take them home. 3. Some children have poor attendance because parents lack the money for gas to get their children to school. As teachers and caring staff we can be aware of community programs that can help parents when needs like this arise. We also need to create a safe environment in which parents/caregivers feel comfortable talking to us.
I agree with you on instability and unpredictabiity - - some childrens behaviors manifest in those two areas - who will pick them up from school to if they're caregiver will be in a "mood" to whatif they get to eat dinner.
Emotional dysregulation is a mental health term that is described as an emotional response that's poorly modulated adn doesn't fall within acceptable range of responses. This can look like a mood swing, angry out bursts to being withdrawn and unresponsive. Of course this would then leade to behavior problems at school and home as well as difficult forming relationships and effective social interactions. Emotional dysregulation is often associatedd with early experiences of psuchological trauma, brain injury or chronic abuse/neglect. 1. Frequent outbursts - - young children are responding to the instability in their life. They also often learn these behaviors from those in their life that also have difficulty regulating emotions. I think by giving that child an outlet to communicate his thoughts/feelings by either verbal, written communication or through the use of music. sports etc. Adults must first build a relationship with the child as a foundation to build trust and openness. I also feel like a consistent schedule at school would be reassuring as well as looking for triggers as to when and why the behavior is happening. 2. Eating paper as well as other objects: this child was in an unstable home and food was often withheld so he kept close track of the time to ensure he didn't miss snacks, lunch or bubblegum math. The student needed constant reassurance as well as visual support to ensure there would be an "after lunch". 3. Some students may also have a difficult time forming meaningful relationships with adults and peers. These skills should be taught both in and out of the classroom to generalize skills. They are generally not given a good model of a functional, loving relationship at home so it has to be taught, demonstrated and practiced at school.
Jen - I totally agree with establishing a relationship. Those relationships are what many kids are missing at home. Positive relationships can make way for those social skills that need to be built as well as academics.
To better understand emotional dysregulation, you need to know what emotional regulations is. Emotional regulation is a set of skills that well adjusted people have to deal with or respond to certain situations and stimuli. Emotional dysregulation is essentially the absence of those skills and or inappropriate response to situations and stimuli. This person may display signs of depression or seem to over-react in certain situations. They may also have difficulty forming healthy relationships with others.
In school this can show in several ways; Attendance may be poor- The parent may have issues with transportation or it may be that the parent is dealing with emotional issues that go along with poverty and their child's attendance at school is at the bottom of their list of priorities. It is a good idea to have open communication with parents. Do not talk down to parents and work with them to find strategies for improving attendance. As a rule parents don't try to limit their child's chances at success, they may be unaware of how the poor attendance is affecting the child.
Low self esteem and isolation from peers is another manifestation of E/D. The child may not know how to make or be a friend. The lack of friends can feed the poor self esteem until self worth is diminished to a great degree. The teacher can set up games/ activities, or assignments that will draw the child into group activities and encourage cooperation. The child may need pointers on how to be a good friend. Be aware of the peers you set up to interact with that student (some combinations could prove unproductive.)
Low achievement and slow rate of learning can also be a factor in E/D. A Many times the low self-esteem feeds the students belief that no one likes them including the teachers. No one likes to do their best for someone that dislikes them. Another reason is that basic needs may not be being met. In any of the hierarchy theories, if you cannot get past the basic needs level, higher learning cannot occur. Many student do not know if they will have an evening meal or a place to sleep that night. When things that basic occupy their minds, they cannot attend to school tasks. In Florida I had a student who was living in a car with his mother and six brothers. This was unknown to us for the first few weeks. He was moody and withdrawn and did not even attempt to learn anything we worked on. When we found out about the living conditions, we sent food home with him at night, made sure he had a good breakfast at school and snacks and lunch. The improvement was slow, but by the 4th week after we started this he was putting some effort into his school work and participating in classroom activities.
Dana~~ I agree, many of these students need us to invest in them, time-wise and in actions. They need to believe that we care enough to give of ourselves, and in turn, they will start to care more about school and what is expected of them by the caring adults in that environment.
momlawless~~~ I really like the last sentence you wrote, "It's like pushing an elephant up a hill, but persistence will get you there." I have seen many teachers try one or two things and then give saying that child is beyond help. We have to keep in mind that we are fighting Against that child's entire lifetime of experiences. It is just like the belief that says that it takes 7 positive comments to undo one negative. You cannot expect to change years of experiences in one afternoon, week or even month.
The definition of Emotional Dysregulation that I found and like best is "an emotional response that is poorly modulated, and does not fall with the conventionally accepted range of emotive responses.
One example I see in my classroom is a student who cries every single time I make him correct something, do an assignment correctly, or give him an assignment he has to work a little bit to do. He and I have had numerous discussions on why correcting mistakes helps us learn, we all make mistakes, etc., but he still cries anytime he is faced with a challenge. I have to give this student a little extra 1:1 attention, encourage him a lot, and praise him when he completes something correctly.
I had a student last year that was a foster student, had been in numerous group homes and foster homes and became very angry and violent (throwing things, yelling, cussing, etc.) with very little provocation. I had very little administrative support with him, and he was pretty much with me all day (he had been in an institution right before coming to me and couldn't handle being in a regular classroom for long periods of time). I had to employ those good ole Mandt skills of deescalating his anger before it got out of hand, and keep my emotions in check as best I could when he was yelling at me and cussing at me. I also worked on social skills when he was calm and receptive. It seems like I had to do the thinking for him and tell him what he needed to do to get him to calm down. It took a while, but he did learn to trust me, and actually opened up about a lot of things that happened in the past. Sadly, he was sent to another foster home after he finally settled down in my room and started making progress.
One thing I really try to foster in my classroom is "teamwork". The book mentioned that all kids want to belong somewhere. I have a poster on my wall that explains very simply how to work together (Be polite, help each other, share, praise each other, etc.). At the beginning of the year or anytime I get a new student, we talk about the poster and give examples to each other of what it means to them. I love it when they help each other and praise each other without any encouragement from me. They also have to work together to fill a marble jar. They earn marbles by displaying good behaviors, working together and earning good grades on assignments and tests, reaching a goal, etc. It's kind of like peer pressure to behave. I do teach Boy's Town Social Skills to those students who need them, also. I don't just expect them to know how to behave.
I think developing a positive relationship with students, teaching social skills, and maintaining consistency in expectations and classroom discipline are the best things I can do for those students with emotional dysregulation.
It is so frustrating when others give up on a child just when he is starting to make progress. Children need time to reap the benefits of consistency and learn those skills that have not been expected, modeled, and taught. I'd like to think J. will remember what he has learned and go in better prepared to his next situation.
Too often I think we just assume that children will be "ready" when they start school. PBIS is a good example of how too often we assume children know social skills and how to behave but what they really need is to be explicitly taught those skills.
Emotional Dysregulation in this context reminds me of the brain research completed with young children indicating the developing brain tends to establish a well worn path of least resistance. If a child is often in "fight or flight" mode, that becomes the "easiest" path when challenged, emotionally, academically, .... The brain in that mode doesn't reason or access the executive functions well - like focusing and sustaining attention, controlling impulses, transitioning, organizing. We need to avoid triggering that reaction, recognize it for what it is and wait until a child has calmed before proceeding, and directly teach ways to calm and center.
Lois. I have often thought about students when they are challenged that they shut down "flight" or act out "fight" but I have never thought of it in this way before. Can you send me a link to this research you speak of?
Emotional dysregulation is often experienced by all of us at one time or another. However, children of poverty exhibit this type of emotionally out control behavior quite frequently. With the stresses at home and poor models, these students don't or aren't capable of recognizing when their emotions are out of control. This is what emotional dysregulation means to me. Building a relation with this students is imperative to having an easier, smoother year. I believe that because of my cancer journey, my attitude and way of relating and has change for the better. I'm not as stressed out to have every t crossed and I dotted. I've relaxed and hence the kids have relaxed. When working with one of the more emotionally charged, I have to keep my voice calm even when he suddenly explodes. When he does that, I back off and gently talk to him. Then later I come back and talk about the situation. I also found that when asking questions over what we just read and he speaks to me in a tone that is becoming hostile, I have been able to tell him to not talk to me in that tone of voice. And he'll accept it. Another thing is that I don't push and push for him to stay busy every second of the class period. These kids need to not only feel safe but also that they have some control in their life. Relationship with the student can defend off poor attendance, work that won't get done at home, and poor self esteem. Through the building of relationships, I can also provide a snack, soft music and the kid(s) don't mind staying in my room after school.
I completely agree with you in building relationships with students. It really does make the year go by smoother. It shows the students that you care about them outside of the class and help tremendously during difficult times.
Your comment about relaxing about certain things has helped students to relax also makes a lot of sense. That's great advice for a teacher with students who struggle with emotional dysregulation.
Emotional Dysregulation in a nutshell is not having the skill set to effectivley deal with certain stimuli.
Im my classroom I see this alot. Working with kids that have Beavior issues the response is quite typical. For example a a student is falling behind and not turing in his homework, the stilmuli would be me asking why it is not getting cxompleted. His first response would be to ignore me. As I probed deeper into the issue, the next response is anger and finally shut down. A solution to this using Jim Fays Lova and Logic approach. Once the issue is evident to all parties, allow the student time to process and let the student come up with his own solution, of course through guided process, but none the less the student's solution.
Another example is just the complete shut down. The solution for this one is a little more time consuming and you have to know the student and be well prepared for this response. I am, a firm believer that you must learn your kids and what makes them tick. If you support your students out of the classroom at extra curriculars or kjust know what they are interested in you can develop a rapport with that studentm where the student knows you care about them in and out of the classroom. So, when the 'shut down' occurs you can put the issue aside for a while and use the history and background knowledge to connect with the student and 'bring them back.'
A third example is, If I, hypothetically, have a student that will turn 18 in February and is only a Sophamore, It is safe to say that te social skills are not developed as they need to be. You might see this student in the hallway gravitating to the 'cool kids' but the only ones that will accept him is the younger kids that they know they can take advantage of him because he might have a car and might be able to drive them around. You might say this student is being used, but he does not know it, or is 'OK' with it because he is being, in his mind, accepted into a specific crowd. A solution to this might be to work on social skills by role playing a variety of situations that circle back to some one being taken advantage of for a car, money, food, etc.
Emotional dysregulation is a maladaptive pattern of regulating emotions that may involve a failure in regulation or interference in adaptive functioning, according to a paper written by L.M. Hilt, et. al at the University of Wisconsin. 3 examples of this being displayed in the classroom are sudden outbursts of anger at a small event, getting overly emotional or crying without much of a trigger, and brooding over an event without letting it go. One way to deal with an angry outburst is to have the student go to the hallway or restroom to calm down. When they are calm, the teacher and that student should have a quiet conversation about more appropriate response. One way to deal with an outburst of tears would also be to allow the student to calm down in the hallway or bathroom. Let the collect himself and return to class, afterward, the student and teacher should talk about what caused the disturbance and ways to avoid it in the future. For a student who broods over an event and won't let it go, that would be more difficult. It would be a very long range plan with discussions, and if available, sessions with the counselor about good life choices.
Emotional Dysregulation in the school often times will be displayed by the student having attendance problems, low-achieving high school students and sefl esteem issues.
ReplyDeleteWhen attendance issues arise the staff needs to understand that the families are often times in survival mode. Therefore, school is sometimes the last thing on their mine. Therefore, instead of talking with the parents in a harsh and down grading attitude try to have some empathy and understanding for the family. Try arranging a form of carpooling for the child to get to school.
Low achievement again reverts to the survival of the everyday activities of this family. If there isn't enough food on the table. The last thing on the family or students mind is school work. I believe that the school needs to set up a time for the student to work on the school work and get the work compelted or if they don't understand the materials get a afterschool tutor. Provide food for the student allowing him/her to have comfort that they may not get until the next days school lunch. It is important that the basic needs of the student be met before any learning can begin.
Self esteem and self worth is often times a problem when the child is living in poverty. The staff needs to try and work with the family and child offering any help that the school can possibly offer. Allowing the child to have access to the councelor, build a circle or friends and again build that child up and find out what they are needing. Again it refers back to the basic needs of the child.
Tammi, I agree that schools often speak harshly to parents in those situations without much regard for the reality of the situation. This really just makes the family distrustful of us, which is totally the opposite of what we need to do. I also completely agree that when we know kids aren't going to get their homework, either because there is nobody at home to help, there are 7 other kids to take care of, or some other reason, then we shouldn't keep sending it day after day and expecting different results. I don't think it is usually a sign that a parent doesn't care, but something much deeper. If we can help students get work done at school, then our relationship with the family could improve and the student will have a better self-image because he won't be in trouble every day.
DeleteI think the circle of friends is a great idea for many different situations. Giving the child a sense of belonging is so powerful.
DeleteI like the idea of a snack and time to work after school. Often parents are still working when school lets out and this would provide supervision as well as constructive time with a positive role model. I wish Big Brothers and Big Sisters could offer some more after school time.
DeleteOn many of the home visits I do I often think "no wonder the child isn't learning, the family is just trying to survive". I like your ideas on helping them with "survival" so they can become "learners".
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DeleteI agree that "school" is not really a basic need for those families who are in survival mode. We make it even less valuable for them if we treat them badly for the situation they are in, rather than work with them to resolve problems. I like your ideas for helping parents and students.
DeleteYour comment about providing basic needs before learning can occur makes a lot of sense. Just because the need isn't as visible doesn't mean that it doesn't need attention as well.
DeleteWow, ok I'm not going to be as scientific as some other posts (very nice information btw) but just say that emotional dysregulation is just a big way of saying mood swings. For the past 2 school years, I had a student who had this so here's what I saw for examples. Anger outbursts or behavior outbursts by tearing up paper, breaking pencils, banging head on desk, pushing desk over, throwing book, saying F you and calling me the B word, showing more behaviors when given a compliment, should I go on???
ReplyDeleteThis kiddo who did this is still in our school so I will try to be careful not to give away anything confidential. X came from a home with a parent who claims to be ex-military but I have my doubts. The step-parent also had another child of the same age and same grade as X. Both parents work low paying jobs. X had biological parent murdered recently.
So, how did I deal with all the awful things happening in my classroom? I won't lie, it was very hard some days to not sink to X's level and just give up. But that was one thing over and over again I told to X, I knew X was a good person and I wasn't going to give up. Somewhere inside was the good X and sooner or later even against X's will, I would see it. There were many days that i would have to clear my classroom of students for X to get it out of his system and some days I was out of options and to the office X would go. We had to create a "flow chart" of behaviors and if X hit the go to office part of the chart that is what happened. There were some days that all the teachers let some things slide because it just wasn't X's fault and quietly someone would give X a pencil or paper just to avoid a meltdown. Other days, I would stay after school, play quiet music and give a snack of crackers and a pop when X was finishing work that could have been done in class, but wasn't.
X is going to have a very sad life if things don't get changed either in the home or inside X. X sees no reason to live somedays and to me, that makes me want to cry. When the good X showed itself, what a wonderful sense of humor and wit was seen. But the minute someone said anything, BAM it was gone/covered up/denied.
Hidden in my long tirade are really examples of what we did to help X and if I ever have a kiddo again like that, the same things will occur, sorry if they aren't super clear and spelled out.
Jaime*I like what you said about not coddling students b/c of their economic status, but with some kids, at least in my world, certain kiddos are held at a different standard that others, not because of their parent's money levels, but just situations in their lives. I expect all kids to come to school with pencil and paper, but if they just don't, I will give them supplies, like you and anyone else does, I'm sure.
**Rachel I like your examples/solutions. Things like this need to be taught to all new teachers because like you said, a person never knows when a kiddo might "unpack" their baggage.
I admire you for dealing with the F word and B word so well. I guess that's why I'm with preschoolers who typically don't use those words (at least not yet in my career). I don't know if I would be able to handle it very well-it bothers me when I hear that from adults, it bothers me even more when I hear it from young children.
DeleteOh Dana, you are lucky. Back in the early teaching days, I taught kindergarten. I had a five year old young lady, built like a brick, and knew and used every word in the book. Their family picked up dead cows and that's what she grew up with. In that town, poverty was more of a way of life than not. Somehow, they all grew up and managed to finish high school and some went on to college. Maybe that's because it is such a small town.
DeleteEmotional dysregulation is the way a student behaves due to their poverty situation. In the classroom this may be shown by:
ReplyDelete1. Having a student act out in class (throwing things, blurting, not behaving properly in social situations)
2. The student may have poor attendance or a large amount of tardies.
3.Poor academic progress/performance on grades.
For number one tell the student thank you for their enthusiasim/participation but remind them to raise their hands or show proper behavior in the situation. Make them perform the expected behavior before moving on. Depending on the grade and/or student one possible action for number two would be to set up some sort of either reward system or aknowledgement when the student is at school on time so they want to come back. For number three try to provide time the student can meet for small group or 1 on 1 time so they don't feel the work is beyond them and they can get the help they need.
**Linda I like how you shared your experiences about your student. It seems after reading your blog that you did everything you could to help the student and didn't give.
**Rachel I think you are correct that we need to model the behavior we want our students to display and to be flexible with how we teach students.
Cara I like how you state that the child needs to feel they are able to succeed. Giving them the encouragement and help they need.
DeleteWhen I looked up emotional dysregulation on the internet, it was also referred to as "Borderline Personality Disorder" which was defined as "a very specific and serious mental illness which is characterized by persistent instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior".
ReplyDelete1. Sometimes students might come to school and dramatic ups and downs in their behavior, along with acting out when they are mad. I think I would look for triggers or certain times in the day when they are more likely to be unstable. Then I could be ready and might be able to diffuse the situation better.
2. Students like this might have a hard time getting along with others and making friends. I would teach social skills, maybe by using social stories, and allow the student to practice with me.
3. Students might have a negative self image that keeps them from succeeding. If their first thought is "I can't do this" then they will surely struggle. I would replace those words with "This is hard, but I can get it". I would sincerely praise and encourage them on their accomplishments and find ways to let their positive behaviors shine.
I think it's a great idea to use social stories and practice social situations with others. Students with this problem need examples of how positive interactions look because they may not have experienced them themselves.
DeleteRae Lynn, I agree with replacing the words "I can't do this" with "I need help learning how to", "I haven't learned how to do this yet"....or something else positive. Teaching and role modeling to students how to work out problems; both academically and in the real world are important life skills.
DeleteI thought your response was good and to the point. Your three points are what some issues that students may deal with when having problems with Emotional dysregulation. It is hard for these students to fit in and have self worth. Therefore, it is up to the school to create the enviornment that is safe and takes care of his/her basic needs first.
DeleteI like your idea of using social stories to directly teach the skills we can't assume children will bring to school with them, as well as modeling and giving opportunities to use them throughout the day.
DeleteI believe emotional dysregulation means that you are unable/don't know how to regulate your emotions during different situations.
ReplyDeleteChildren that live in poverty probably aren't taught ways of handling/displaying their emotions correctly.
How it can look:
1. A child will not follow directions or may act like they don't know what to do-I believe giving that child extra time and instruction to learn what is expected is a necessity.
2. Absenteeism-showing concern by calling the parent, stopping by their house to check on them when they are absent for several days can let the parent/child know you care and want them in school
3. Children may feel unloved-this BREAKS my heart!! Showing compassion towards that child by giving them extra attention-a smile in the hall, pat on the back, acknowledging them by name when you see them are all ways to help that child build a relationship with someone that truly cares about them.
I agree that students, especially poor students need extra time whenever it can be given. Often poor kids are distracted by elements unique to life in poverty and miss instruction. Allowing a second look will definately help them get the concept we need them to learn.
DeleteAlan,
ReplyDeleteI agree that poverty really creates the circumstances for students to be less successful in school, both emotionally and academically. I think your action steps sound great - being encouraging and respectful might not be the norm for how theses kids are often treated.
Emotional dysregulation seems to be a decreased ability to regulate emotional responses. One example from my classroom is a student crying when they could not reach a reading goal. Often times special education students will have reading difficulties, in addition to problems reading or completing assignments at home. When we set expectations it is difficult to consider all the variables, but assigning homework tied to rewards is like putting extra baggage on a wobbly cart. Eventually, the cart will falter and an emotional breakdown will occur. When I became aware that I had a student who was unable to read at home daily, I changed my expectations to only include in school reading.
ReplyDeleteAnother example is an emotional outburst when faced with a challenging assignment. Often low SES students have days filled with challenges just to survive. When we add new challenges, sometimes it just seems to much for children who are possibly already tired and hungry. My solution was to remember the days I have when I am hungry, tired and still have a million things that have to be done before I can rest. Then empathy tells me to break assignments into managable chunks and give the kid a snack.
The third example of dysregulation is a student who blurts out often in class. The goal appears to be attention, be it positive or negative. When your dad pays you to stay away from the house after school, any attention from adults must feel good. The solution is to ignore the blurts as much as possible and reward any form of restraint they exhibit. It's like pushing an elephant up a hill, but persistance will get you there.
It's interesting to me how these are all behaviors I experienced today at work and have in other schools I've worked at too. I am really glad to get the viewpoint of this book to help me understand and maybe be better able to respond to students.
DeleteI like how you adapt your expectations for those children who aren't able to meet certain goals because they have no support at home. It's not like you don't have goals for them, you have just adjusted them for that child to experience some success, rather than punish them because of their parents. I have worked with you for over a decade, and I admire the extra time you take to nurture kids emotionally and socially.
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ReplyDeleteI also looked up emotional dysregulation and found the description of borderline personality disorder. Just like AD/HD and oppositional behavior disorder, this particular disorder can create very disruptive behavior for the student who suffers with it.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that they discussed when describing this disorder included the student denying responsibility and blaming others for things that they have done. This can create very dramatic social isolation from students and teachers which can cause school to be very stressful. This is also one of the hardest situations to work with in students. It seems that it would be necessary to have the students in the classroom trained to create a culture of positive confrontation, using “I” messages and other non-threatening forms of confrontation.
Another symptom of this disorder was the inability to understand that people and objects will come back once they are gone. A child who doesn't understand this will find it very difficult to trust others because they may not believe that they will have the same support from adults from one day to the next. Even in small ways, this can be a trigger for disruptive behavior. If the student is playing with something and has it taken away, they may not understand that the adult will return it at the end of the day. Once gone, that object is gone forever. With this trait, a student will benefit from consistency and reassurance. The teacher could make use of a calendar to help the student understand when things are going to happen, including when school is out for holidays and even weekends. A student may not understand that they will see the teacher again on Monday, but if it is written on the calendar, and is reinforced every week, it may help to counteract their anxiety.
Another characteristic is chaos manufacturing. A student with this trait will spend a great deal of time ensuring that the environment is unsettled and possibly dangerous. Spending time creating this environment takes their concentration away from school and also distracts others. A teacher would benefit most by having a very structured environment with clear expectations and procedures. This doesn’t just stop a student from creating chaos, but benefits most students in the classroom in general. If expectations are very clear, the teacher will be able to identify the student’s behavior before it can become uncontrollably disruptive.
This disorder has many, many qualities that are very socially and environmentally disruptive. For students who come from a situation of poverty, these traits may be a very helpful survival tool, but in school, they are a major roadblock to learning
Alice, I agree that many of the traits we see exhibited by children from a poverty situation are survival tools in their home situtation. But, these same traits make it hard to learn do well academically. For instance, I think that one of the survival skills is "not knowing or remembering". Depending on the home situation many things happen where children are better off not remembering. By this I mean it is safer for them not to remember or understand. Once they come to school though, we expect them to "know" information and to remember.
DeleteI currently have a student who could be characterized as having "emotional disregulation". Sometimes this student gets really upset by things that have happened at home (no extreme outburst this year, but they occured last year); sometimes this student just stares off into space, seemingly checking out of the present; sometimes this student is extremely tired. This student has also been frequently tardy and quite often hungry (feeling faint and dizzy).
ReplyDeleteLike many previous posters, I try to break his assingments into "chunks" and make sure snacks are available. This student knows that my room is a safe place they can come to, to take a break and talk if needed. My fellow teachers and I try to be empathetic, while at the same time letting this student know that there certain assignments that need to be done. We try to be consistent and provide structure. At times this student seems to be "flat" with no emotion; but I have seen more smiles lately. I also try to help this student keep their goal of life after high school in mind as an incentive to do schoolwork. I'm trying to give them a vision of the future.
It is extremely hard when a student has emotional disregulation. It is extremely hard for the student to make friends, except love, trust anyone and most of all the student can have emotional break downs throught out the day. I too have had a student with these types of issues and you really have to find away into this students heart. It may not be you, sometimes it is a para and that is ok. Whom ever that child can build a bond with is who they should work with. Wow! good luck
DeleteThanks for sharing. It is always encouraging to me to hear how people are going the extra distance to show they care. It appears you are putting some good ideas into practice. I'm glad to hear you are seeing more smiles.
DeleteEmotional dysregulation manifests itself as an inability to regulate a response in a socially acceptable way. This dysregulation can appear in early childhood and all the way through adulthood. The following 3 experiences have happened in my years working with preschool children:
ReplyDelete1. When asked to do something a child would hit their hand against their head and call themselves stupid. As a teacher, look for little ways that the child is doing something well and give specific praise like "The way you wrapped the blanket around the baby doll will keep it nice and warm. Good helping." Through multiple experiences of specific praise and encouragement, the child will start to see themselves as being able to do things well.
2. As stated in a previous response, some children are so used to unpredictable routines and who will be there to pick them up. This unpredictablility can cause extreme fear. In young children, it can be seen in children having difficulty separating from their caregivers and crying continually. Predictable routines and schedules help create security. Also visual schedules can aid some students. In addition, when a child ask/cries for a certain person, the teacher can reassure the child that after this and this activity then someone will pick the student up and take them home.
3. Some children have poor attendance because parents lack the money for gas to get their children to school. As teachers and caring staff we can be aware of community programs that can help parents when needs like this arise. We also need to create a safe environment in which parents/caregivers feel comfortable talking to us.
I agree with you on instability and unpredictabiity - - some childrens behaviors manifest in those two areas - who will pick them up from school to if they're caregiver will be in a "mood" to whatif they get to eat dinner.
DeleteEmotional dysregulation is a mental health term that is described as an emotional response that's poorly modulated adn doesn't fall within acceptable range of responses. This can look like a mood swing, angry out bursts to being withdrawn and unresponsive. Of course this would then leade to behavior problems at school and home as well as difficult forming relationships and effective social interactions. Emotional dysregulation is often associatedd with early experiences of psuchological trauma, brain injury or chronic abuse/neglect.
ReplyDelete1. Frequent outbursts - - young children are responding to the instability in their life. They also often learn these behaviors from those in their life that also have difficulty regulating emotions. I think by giving that child an outlet to communicate his thoughts/feelings by either verbal, written communication or through the use of music. sports etc. Adults must first build a relationship with the child as a foundation to build trust and openness. I also feel like a consistent schedule at school would be reassuring as well as looking for triggers as to when and why the behavior is happening.
2. Eating paper as well as other objects: this child was in an unstable home and food was often withheld so he kept close track of the time to ensure he didn't miss snacks, lunch or bubblegum math. The student needed constant reassurance as well as visual support to ensure there would be an "after lunch".
3. Some students may also have a difficult time forming meaningful relationships with adults and peers. These skills should be taught both in and out of the classroom to generalize skills. They are generally not given a good model of a functional, loving relationship at home so it has to be taught, demonstrated and practiced at school.
Jen - I totally agree with establishing a relationship. Those relationships are what many kids are missing at home. Positive relationships can make way for those social skills that need to be built as well as academics.
DeleteTo better understand emotional dysregulation, you need to know what emotional regulations is. Emotional regulation is a set of skills that well adjusted people have to deal with or respond to certain situations and stimuli. Emotional dysregulation is essentially the absence of those skills and or inappropriate response to situations and stimuli. This person may display signs of depression or seem to over-react in certain situations. They may also have difficulty forming healthy relationships with others.
ReplyDeleteIn school this can show in several ways;
Attendance may be poor- The parent may have issues with transportation or it may be that the parent is dealing with emotional issues that go along with poverty and their child's attendance at school is at the bottom of their list of priorities. It is a good idea to have open communication with parents. Do not talk down to parents and work with them to find strategies for improving attendance. As a rule parents don't try to limit their child's chances at success, they may be unaware of how the poor attendance is affecting the child.
Low self esteem and isolation from peers is another manifestation of E/D. The child may not know how to make or be a friend. The lack of friends can feed the poor self esteem until self worth is diminished to a great degree. The teacher can set up games/ activities, or assignments that will draw the child into group activities and encourage cooperation. The child may need pointers on how to be a good friend. Be aware of the peers you set up to interact with that student (some combinations could prove unproductive.)
Low achievement and slow rate of learning can also be a factor in E/D. A
Many times the low self-esteem feeds the students belief that no one likes them including the teachers. No one likes to do their best for someone that dislikes them. Another reason is that basic needs may not be being met. In any of the hierarchy theories, if you cannot get past the basic needs level, higher learning cannot occur. Many student do not know if they will have an evening meal or a place to sleep that night. When things that basic occupy their minds, they cannot attend to school tasks. In Florida I had a student who was living in a car with his mother and six brothers. This was unknown to us for the first few weeks. He was moody and withdrawn and did not even attempt to learn anything we worked on. When we found out about the living conditions, we sent food home with him at night, made sure he had a good breakfast at school and snacks and lunch. The improvement was slow, but by the 4th week after we started this he was putting some effort into his school work and participating in classroom activities.
Dana~~ I agree, many of these students need us to invest in them, time-wise and in actions. They need to believe that we care enough to give of ourselves, and in turn, they will start to care more about school and what is expected of them by the caring adults in that environment.
ReplyDeletemomlawless~~~ I really like the last sentence you wrote, "It's like pushing an elephant up a hill, but persistence will get you there." I have seen many teachers try one or two things and then give saying that child is beyond help. We have to keep in mind that we are fighting Against that child's entire lifetime of experiences. It is just like the belief that says that it takes 7 positive comments to undo one negative. You cannot expect to change years of experiences in one afternoon, week or even month.
ReplyDeleteThe definition of Emotional Dysregulation that I found and like best is "an emotional response that is poorly modulated, and does not fall with the conventionally accepted range of emotive responses.
ReplyDeleteOne example I see in my classroom is a student who cries every single time I make him correct something, do an assignment correctly, or give him an assignment he has to work a little bit to do. He and I have had numerous discussions on why correcting mistakes helps us learn, we all make mistakes, etc., but he still cries anytime he is faced with a challenge. I have to give this student a little extra 1:1 attention, encourage him a lot, and praise him when he completes something correctly.
I had a student last year that was a foster student, had been in numerous group homes and foster homes and became very angry and violent (throwing things, yelling, cussing, etc.) with very little provocation. I had very little administrative support with him, and he was pretty much with me all day (he had been in an institution right before coming to me and couldn't handle being in a regular classroom for long periods of time). I had to employ those good ole Mandt skills of deescalating his anger before it got out of hand, and keep my emotions in check as best I could when he was yelling at me and cussing at me. I also worked on social skills when he was calm and receptive. It seems like I had to do the thinking for him and tell him what he needed to do to get him to calm down. It took a while, but he did learn to trust me, and actually opened up about a lot of things that happened in the past. Sadly, he was sent to another foster home after he finally settled down in my room and started making progress.
One thing I really try to foster in my classroom is "teamwork". The book mentioned that all kids want to belong somewhere. I have a poster on my wall that explains very simply how to work together (Be polite, help each other, share, praise each other, etc.). At the beginning of the year or anytime I get a new student, we talk about the poster and give examples to each other of what it means to them. I love it when they help each other and praise each other without any encouragement from me. They also have to work together to fill a marble jar. They earn marbles by displaying good behaviors, working together and earning good grades on assignments and tests, reaching a goal, etc. It's kind of like peer pressure to behave. I do teach Boy's Town Social Skills to those students who need them, also. I don't just expect them to know how to behave.
I think developing a positive relationship with students, teaching social skills, and maintaining consistency in expectations and classroom discipline are the best things I can do for those students with emotional dysregulation.
It is so frustrating when others give up on a child just when he is starting to make progress. Children need time to reap the benefits of consistency and learn those skills that have not been expected, modeled, and taught. I'd like to think J. will remember what he has learned and go in better prepared to his next situation.
DeleteToo often I think we just assume that children will be "ready" when they start school. PBIS is a good example of how too often we assume children know social skills and how to behave but what they really need is to be explicitly taught those skills.
ReplyDeleteEmotional Dysregulation in this context reminds me of the brain research completed with young children indicating the developing brain tends to establish a well worn path of least resistance. If a child is often in "fight or flight" mode, that becomes the "easiest" path when challenged, emotionally, academically, .... The brain in that mode doesn't reason or access the executive functions well - like focusing and sustaining attention, controlling impulses, transitioning, organizing. We need to avoid triggering that reaction, recognize it for what it is and wait until a child has calmed before proceeding, and directly teach ways to calm and center.
ReplyDeleteLois. I have often thought about students when they are challenged that they shut down "flight" or act out "fight" but I have never thought of it in this way before. Can you send me a link to this research you speak of?
DeleteEmotional dysregulation is often experienced by all of us at one time or another. However, children of poverty exhibit this type of emotionally out control behavior quite frequently. With the stresses at home and poor models, these students don't or aren't capable of recognizing when their emotions are out of control. This is what emotional dysregulation means to me. Building a relation with this students is imperative to having an easier, smoother year. I believe that because of my cancer journey, my attitude and way of relating and has change for the better. I'm not as stressed out to have every t crossed and I dotted. I've relaxed and hence the kids have relaxed. When working with one of the more emotionally charged, I have to keep my voice calm even when he suddenly explodes. When he does that, I back off and gently talk to him. Then later I come back and talk about the situation. I also found that when asking questions over what we just read and he speaks to me in a tone that is becoming hostile, I have been able to tell him to not talk to me in that tone of voice. And he'll accept it. Another thing is that I don't push and push for him to stay busy every second of the class period. These kids need to not only feel safe but also that they have some control in their life. Relationship with the student can defend off poor attendance, work that won't get done at home, and poor self esteem. Through the building of relationships, I can also provide a snack, soft music and the kid(s) don't mind staying in my room after school.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you in building relationships with students. It really does make the year go by smoother. It shows the students that you care about them outside of the class and help tremendously during difficult times.
DeleteYour comment about relaxing about certain things has helped students to relax also makes a lot of sense. That's great advice for a teacher with students who struggle with emotional dysregulation.
DeleteEmotional Dysregulation in a nutshell is not having the skill set to effectivley deal with certain stimuli.
ReplyDeleteIm my classroom I see this alot. Working with kids that have Beavior issues the response is quite typical. For example a a student is falling behind and not turing in his homework, the stilmuli would be me asking why it is not getting cxompleted. His first response would be to ignore me. As I probed deeper into the issue, the next response is anger and finally shut down. A solution to this using Jim Fays Lova and Logic approach. Once the issue is evident to all parties, allow the student time to process and let the student come up with his own solution, of course through guided process, but none the less the student's solution.
Another example is just the complete shut down. The solution for this one is a little more time consuming and you have to know the student and be well prepared for this response. I am, a firm believer that you must learn your kids and what makes them tick. If you support your students out of the classroom at extra curriculars or kjust know what they are interested in you can develop a rapport with that studentm where the student knows you care about them in and out of the classroom. So, when the 'shut down' occurs you can put the issue aside for a while and use the history and background knowledge to connect with the student and 'bring them back.'
A third example is, If I, hypothetically, have a student that will turn 18 in February and is only a Sophamore, It is safe to say that te social skills are not developed as they need to be. You might see this student in the hallway gravitating to the 'cool kids' but the only ones that will accept him is the younger kids that they know they can take advantage of him because he might have a car and might be able to drive them around. You might say this student is being used, but he does not know it, or is 'OK' with it because he is being, in his mind, accepted into a specific crowd.
A solution to this might be to work on social skills by role playing a variety of situations that circle back to some one being taken advantage of for a car, money, food, etc.
Emotional dysregulation is a maladaptive pattern of regulating emotions that may involve a failure in regulation or interference in adaptive functioning, according to a paper written by L.M. Hilt, et. al at the University of Wisconsin. 3 examples of this being displayed in the classroom are sudden outbursts of anger at a small event, getting overly emotional or crying without much of a trigger, and brooding over an event without letting it go.
ReplyDeleteOne way to deal with an angry outburst is to have the student go to the hallway or restroom to calm down. When they are calm, the teacher and that student should have a quiet conversation about more appropriate response. One way to deal with an outburst of tears would also be to allow the student to calm down in the hallway or bathroom. Let the collect himself and return to class, afterward, the student and teacher should talk about what caused the disturbance and ways to avoid it in the future. For a student who broods over an event and won't let it go, that would be more difficult. It would be a very long range plan with discussions, and if available, sessions with the counselor about good life choices.