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What to do when you Feel like Hitting by: Cara Goodwin Illustrated by: Katie Turner 

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What to do when you Feel like Hitting by: Cara Goodwin Illustrated by: Katie Turner 

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a children's picture book designed to help toddlers understand and manage their emotions, particularly feelings of anger or frustration. Part of the Big Feelings Books for Toddlers series, this book offers gentle guidance for young children to express their emotions in non-violent. The story follows a toddler who experiences the urge to hit when feeling upset. Instead of resorting to aggression, the book introduces alternative coping strategies, such as:

Using "gentle hands" to squeeze a stuffed animal

Scribbling a picture to express frustration

Practicing deep breaths to calm

These techniques aim to help toddlers recognize their emotions and choose safe, kind actions to express them. The language is simple and positive, encouraging children to understand and communicate their feelings.

In summary, What to Do When You Feel Like Hitting is a valuable resource for helping toddlers navigate their emotions and develop healthy coping mechanisms. Its combination of relatable storytelling, practical advice, and engaging illustrations makes it an excellent tool for parents and caregivers.

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What are some common challenging behaviors seen in Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms?

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What are some common challenging behaviors seen in Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms?

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Answer: Common challenging behaviors in Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms include: aggression (hitting, biting), defiance (refusing to follow instructions), tantrums, and disruptive behavior (calling out, talking out of turn). Other challenges can involve non-compliance, self-injury, or withdrawal. These behaviors can be disruptive to other students and interfere with learning.

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How can we differentiate between a child's refusal to comply and an inability to effectively regulate emotions?

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How can we differentiate between a child's refusal to comply and an inability to effectively regulate emotions?

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Answer: A great starting point for any educator is to observe the challenging behaviors over time and take note of specific details: what is happening when the behavior occurs, if any demands or changes were imposed just prior to behavior, and if the child requires co-regulation and time to calm down or is able to return to baseline on his or her own. While not always the case, in general, a child who exhibits refusal with intention to test boundaries will likely be more consistent and deliberate in his or her behaviors. Conversely, a child who struggles with emotional regulation may seem more overwhelmed than stubborn, and may need more time or help to calm down. Both cases are opportunities for skill-building to develop appropriate behaviors and responses!

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TedX - J. Stuart Ablon - Rethinking Challenging Kids

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TedX - J. Stuart Ablon - Rethinking Challenging Kids

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In this TedX talk, J. Stuart Ablon discusses a concept of "kids do well if they can," and proposes that if students aren't doing well, it is our job as educators to figure out what their road block is and help them to work past it. He regards struggles with problem solving, behaviors and others as "learning disabilities" in their own rights, and they need to be exercised and practiced like any other academic skill.

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Rethinking Challenging Kids-Where There's a Skill There's a Way | J. Stuart Ablon | TEDxBeaconStreet

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Dealing with challenging behaviors -Reading Rockets

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Dealing with challenging behaviors -Reading Rockets

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This YouTube video titled "Dealing with Challenging Behaviors" features Shannon Penrod from Autism Live and is designed to assist educators, parents, and caregivers in understanding and managing difficult behaviors, particularly in children with autism. By understanding the underlying causes of challenging behaviors and implementing these strategies, caregivers can create a more supportive and effective environment for children.

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Contingency Maps for Behavior Problem-Solving (Freebie!) - Autism Classroom Resources

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Contingency Maps for Behavior Problem-Solving - Autism Classroom Resources

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Contingency Maps for Behavior Problem-Solving - Autism Classroom Resources

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Autism Classroom Resources provides free templates for contingency maps, or "consequence charts" which provide visual representation of what the likely outcome of an action will be. These can easily be modified from word to pictorial demonstration for the pre-K/kindergarten age group. Studies have indicated that students respond more positively to visual contingency charts than to verbal reminders of consequences for behavior.

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I have had this post on my mind for a while now but haven't had the time to really sit down and create a freebie and write about them, until now.

Contingency maps are a cognitive-behavioral method for helping an individual to understand the consequences of behavioral choices. They are particularly useful for teaching individuals to use functionally equivalent behaviors as alternatives to problem behavior. They also are sometimes referred to as consequence maps and they are essentially graphic organizers for behavior. Michelle Garcia Winner uses similar strategies for Social Thinking that she calls Social Mapping. Contingency maps are a visual support that has been around in many forms for a number of years. The examples below come from a strategy we used to call visual problem solvers about 15 years ago.

Essentially, they are set up so that the student can see the consequence of the alternative behavior and the consequence (typically the naturally occurring consequence) of the negative behavior. So in this example, If Matthew does his work, he earns a token. If he doesn't do his work, he doesn't earn a token. On the right, if Kathy goes to bed by herself, she gets to listen to music. If she doesn't go to bed by herself, she doesn't get to listen to music.

Evidence Base and Effectiveness

As a visual support strategy there is evidence for the use of a variety of visual cues to increase independence and reduce problem behavior, and contingency maps fit in that body of literature. Specifically there have been two peer-reviewed articles looking at contingency maps as a way to reduce problem behavior. Using a single-subject research design, Brown and Mirenda (2006) showed that the use of visual contingency maps were more effective than providing verbal contingencies to an individual for initiating and completing routine tasks [ click here to read the abstract]. Brown and Mirenda used the contingency map as part of a functional equivalence training program (also known as functional communication training). The contingency map showed the alternative behavior that was designed to replace the challenging behavior by serving the same function.

Tobin and Simpson (2012) have a great article in Teaching Exceptional Children describing data with another individual, using a single-subject design, that showed that a contingency map (they refer to it as a consequence map) was effective in reducing challenging behavior (decreased the frequency of disrobing) of a student. If you are a member of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) -and I highly recommend it if you are a special education professional-you have access to the article through their portal here. If not, the abstract is available there as well. This article also has a great description of how to implement contingency maps as well as examples.

Developing and Using Contingency Maps

Define the behavior:

Essentially to use a contingency, first you need to identify the specific behavior you want to change. You need to define it clearly and make sure that you and the student understand what it looks like. It also helps to take a baseline of the frequency of the behavior so you can determine if your contingency map works.

Determine the function:

Next, you need to determine the function that the behavior serves. That is the topic of another post to cover, however, I have written about in the past and there are some tools available at this post. The purpose of knowing the function of the behavior is to determine what appropriate behavior will serve the same function that you can use to replace it with. For instance, if your student hits to escape from work tasks, think about teaching him to ask for a break. Then this would be part of your graphic organizer.

Create the visual:

Third, you need to create the contingency map, and that's where I've got your back. Below is a link to a freebie set of contingency maps along with some universal "no" signs to use with them. In the future I may create a product that has more maps and visuals to go with them, but in the meantime you can use your picture symbols from your class, digital photos, or Google images to create the needed visuals. Essentially a contingency map makes the statement that when this happens (typically the identified trigger for problem behavior from your functional assessment), if the student engages in the appropriate alternative behavior (e.g., asking for a break), he or she will get a consequence he or she enjoys (i.e., a reinforcer). If he or she engages in the negative behavior then the positive consequence does not occur. Sometimes the good choices are colored green and the poor choices are colored red, as in the description below.

Contingency maps can be written or visual depending on the skills of your students. They are good visual cues to use for redirection since they show the consequence of behaviors.

In this example, the student's behavior has been determined to be functioning to escape work situations. So, if he raises his hand and asks for a break, he gets a break to sit on the bean bag. If he doesn't ask for a break and runs away, he does not get the bean bag.

In this example, when the computer is finished, Andrew (who I made up based on many students with ASD I see with this problem behavior) frequently cries. So, when his turn on the computer is finished, if he takes a deep breath and waits for his turn to come around again, he gets to use the computer again. If he cries, then he won't get the computer.

I have to give a shout out to Lisa Parnello for the graphics in these pictures (which are not part of the freebie). You should definitely check out her store for some great clip art as well as terrific special ed. products.

Teach:

After you have created the visual, it is not a magic bullet and it won't work without teaching. You have to present the visual contingency and provide at least a brief explanation about how it works. Sometimes a social story or social narrative can be helpful for this. I really like t his example of a contingency map with a social story. I would also practice the contingencies through a role play and make sure you have it available when it is needed to be used. I would present it with as little verbal interaction as possible, just to lessen either the attention from the verbal explanation as a possible reinforcer for the problem behavior or to keep from escalating the behavior with verbal demands for some students.

Reinforce:

Make sure to reinforce the alternative behavior with the promised contingency. It is important to make sure that the reinforcer is meaningful for the alternative behavior and reinforcing. Tools for finding reinforcers for students with ASD can be found in this post. It also helps for the consequence to be naturally occurring to help the behavior maintain in the absence of the map over time. So for instance, if I ask my friends questions, they will want to talk to me, but if I hit my friends, they will not want to talk to me.

Assess and Fade:

Take data on whether the frequency of the behavior is decreasing. If it is working, then over time you can fade the use of the visual map as the student becomes more independent and the negative behavior reduces in frequency.

FREEBIE!

So, to help you use contingency maps, I have created some templates for you to use. Click here for the free version through my TPT store. If you haven't joined TPT, you definitely should-it's free and there are so many resources. I've included 2 organizers/ maps and you can either add velcro to add pictures to them or write on them for students who don't need pictures. Remember that if students are not great at comprehending what they have read, they may still need pictures. You could also laminate the chart and use a dry erase marker to make a contingency map on the fly.
Update: I just made added the PowerPoint templates for the blank ones so they can be edited. The file is now a zip file so make sure you have the software to unzip it. TPT offers information on this if it is needed.
Have you used contingency maps in your classroom? If so, please share in the comments! I would love to hear how you are using them.

Until next time,

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Contingency Maps for Behavior Problem-Solving (Freebie!) - Autism Classroom Resources

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I have had this post on my mind for a while now but haven't had the time to really sit down and create a freebie and write about them, until now. Contingency maps are a cognitive-behavioral method for helping an individual to understand the consequences of behavioral choices.

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How can educators balance structure and flexibility when addressing challenging behaviors?

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How can educators balance structure and flexibility when addressing challenging behaviors?

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Young children have not yet fully developed self-regulation skills, and many behavior issues are likely to stem from sensory needs, frustration, or difficulty in expressing emotions. Consistent routines and responsive strategies will help with guiding the student in emotional regulation:

Structure: Clear expectations, set schedules.

Flexibility: Modifying approaches to accommodate individual needs as prevention of escalation.

Positive reinforcement: Praising and rewarding desired behaviors.

Collaboration: Teaming up with families and specialists if needed to ensure a comprehensive and authentic approach to behavior management.

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The Behavior Book: Pictures and discussion prompts for families about behavior situations - Written by John Graham and Illustrated by Tyeesha Bradley

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The Behavior Book: Pictures and discussion prompts for families about behavior situations - Written by John Graham and Illustrated by Tyeesha Bradley

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A children's book written to present situations to your children in a calm, neutral setting, and to facilitate discussion with your children about the situations and behaviors they may encounter in real life. Each situation offers an opportunity for children to consider what is happening in the moment and how the kids in the book may have felt. In the "Quality Family Moments" pages of the book, there are activities children can do to help them overcome big feelings that cause them to want to act out.

This book will be a great resource because oftentimes when children are "misbehaving," the undesired behavior is rooted in a deeper unmet need of the child, and very young children will likely not have all the words they would need to effectively express their needs and feelings. This book helps to encourage thoughtful discussion between children and adults to help children see beyond situations and to process their own confusing emotions as well.

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This story is to be used as a tool to teach children how to regulate emotions when big feelings come up, using the "turtle method" - to tuck away and take a few deep breaths. This book has an accompanying turtle cutout activity to reinforce the strategies learned in Tucker Turtle's story.

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National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

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Tucker the Turtle provides a scripted story to teach young children how to calm down when they have strong feelings by tucking into their shell and taking deep breaths. The story also includes visuals to help children learn how to use the strategy.?

Categories: Scripted Story

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Tucker Turtle Takes Time to Tuck and Think - National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

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Tucker the Turtle provides a scripted story to teach young children how to calm down when they have strong feelings by tucking into their shell and taking deep breaths. The story also includes visuals to help children learn how to use the strategy.?

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One possible result from challenging behaviors can be conflicts among the student's peers, and this lesson plan addresses strategies for rebuilding peer relationships. It incorporates a "S.O.R.T." method for addressing challenging situations and helps students to identify positives in a conflict. The skills addressed in this lesson plan teach resiliency and help young students to regulate emotions while solving problems in a healthy manner.

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This freebie includes a free Friendzy lesson, “Sort it Out.” In this lesson, you will learn how to utilize the S.O.R.T. method to build stronger, healthier, and more resilient relationships. Additionally, you will receive a printable poster that makes it easy to reference this conflict resolution tool quickly when arguments arise in the classroom.

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1: What is your topic, and why did you choose it?

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1: What is your topic, and why did you choose it?

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A: Our topic is "Addressing Challenging Behaviors." We chose it because challenging behaviors is a recurring hurdle to overcome in classrooms, but the solution is often a perspective shift rather than punitive action. Children's brains are still actively developing (even the older children!), and emotional regulation and conceptualization of action/consequence is likely all a work-in-progress. Educators can utilize the resources on this padlet to learn how to leverage challenging behaviors as valuable teaching moments to foster healthy development of emotional response and regulation.

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This activity will help students practice the skills of taking turns, listening to others, and speaking clearly. Students will understand that resolving conflicts requires one to be open-minded and to listen to the other person’s side.What are some things you can do to avoid a conflict? (Answers should include using “I” statements, calming yourself by taking deep breaths, etc.)

1. Can good friends have conflicts and still be good friends?

2. How do you feel after you have successfully resolved a conflict?

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Students will practice the skills of taking turns, listening to others, and speaking clearly. Students will use active and attentive communication skills, building on others' ideas to explore, learn, enjoy, debate, and exchange information. Students will name healthy ways to express needs, wants, and feelings. Students will know how to apply conflict resolution skills.

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This activity worksheet can help students pick out what a good choice is. They can also have fun after ny coloring the page.

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How to Effectively Address Challenging Behaviors

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How to Effectively Address Challenging Behaviors

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This YouTube video is stating how to address challenging behaviors effectively. There is there's a direct link between challenging behaviors stress and

sensory needs and all these other things

that we want to label the kids with

there's a direct connection their brains.

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How to Effectively Address Challenging Behaviors

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2: Why is this topic important to teach?

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2: Why is this topic important to teach?

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Addressing challenging behaviors is important because it helps create a safe, supportive learning environment where all students can thrive. When we take time to teach behavior expectations just like academic skills, we give students clear tools for managing emotions, navigating conflict, and making better choices. It also opens the door for stronger relationships between students and teachers, built on trust and mutual respect. By responding to behavior with intention rather than punishment, we shift the focus toward growth and support instead of control.

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3: How would you teach this topic in your future classroom?

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3: How would you teach this topic in your future classroom?

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To teach this in a classroom of kindergarten students, I would utilize play-based and literature-based strategies. Picture books would be excellent conversation starters, offering an opportunity to open up some dialogue with the students. Asking them to reflect on how a character might feel or other ways the character could behave are questions that would inspire my students to think deeply about how words and actions affect those around us. In addition to books, role-play scenarios in which I or a student acts out challenging behaviors would permit the littles to learn about their feelings during conflict without needing to wait until an actual conflict arises.

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[ obtained from https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=71372 ]

This flow chart is a useful tool for teachers when mapping out a student's behavior and potential solutions, as well as possible outcomes and alternative pathways. As teachers, we already have so much on our plate and endless directives and plans to remember. A visual flow chart like this is something we can keep on hand, multiple copies or even laminated for re-use, to sit and take the time to map out a student's behaviors before taking action. Visualizing a road map will essentially be a road map to success, as all the pieces are laid out easily to see and can be kept for tracking purposes to monitor for improvement or needed additional interventions.

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4: What are three questions or concerns you have about teaching this topic?

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4: What are three questions or concerns you have about teaching this topic?

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1. Are my expectations developmentally appropriate for ALL students? - Two students may both be five years old in a class, but one student may have just turned 5 while the other student is nearing closer to 6. This can put both students at varying developmental stages, and what works for one student very well may not work for the other.

2. How will I practice staying calm when behaviors escalate? - Behaviors WILL escalate at some time or another. I need to be thinking ahead with different strategies I can use to ensure I don't let my emotions get the best of me while trying to teach my littles about their own big emotions.

3. How can I balance individual student needs with the group needs and dynamics? - Sometimes, a student may need more one-on-one coaching and assistance when it comes to learning their big feelings. How can I make this happen to the benefit of the student without bringing the whole class learning experience to a stop for that moment?