In this second instalment of this three-part series, our focus turns to behaviour as communication and our ability to interpret what a child is telling us through their behaviour. Throughout this instalment I will be using my preferred term of ‘reactive behaviour’ instead of ‘challenging behaviour’.

Behaviour as communication

All behaviour is a form of communication. For example, a newborn will cry to indicate that they are hungry or uncomfortable, and both children and adults may yawn to indicate that they are bored or tired. For children who are non-verbal, they rely on their body language and behaviour to communicate. Sometimes, how they communicate their needs, wants and interests may not always be expressed in the most appropriate way. It is important to always remember that however a child behaves, they are trying to tell you something.

Communication difficulties

As children develop their language skills, they improve verbally communicating their needs, wants and interests, and begin to rely less on non-verbal behaviour to express themselves. However, younger children and children with SEND may not have developed these verbal skills and therefore have difficulty communicating verbally. Without verbal communication, it can be extremely frustrating not being able to express yourself in a way that is easily understandable. This frustration can lead to meltdowns and dysregulation, which subsequently can present as reactive behaviour.

Understanding and interpreting children’s behaviour

When children use behaviour as a form of communication, it can be difficult to understand and interpret what they are trying to tell us. Some young children and children with SEND may not understand their own feelings or reactions and their behaviour may not match their emotional response. This can add to the challenge of understanding and interpreting it. For example, a child may laugh as they do something inappropriate, not because they think it is funny or lack empathy but because they are feeling self-conscious and do not know how to express that emotion. Therefore, it is important to decode children’s emotional expression through their body language and behaviour to work out what they are really telling us.

Children also learn very quickly that reactive behaviour can be a very effective method at gaining the attention of others. A child may want to get the attention of another child but may not have the verbal or social skills to do this. For example, they may throw a toy at them to gain their attention. Additionally, by doing something reactive, they will often gain the attention from a practitioner. Therefore, a child who is seeking attention will try and gain it in a way that is easy and proven to be consistent for them. They know that through reactive behaviour it will more than likely always result in some form of attention from a practitioner.

As practitioners, we often forget to respond to the expected behaviour and only respond to the reactive behaviour. For example, in a classroom how many times do you give attention to the children that are getting on with their work/playing well with their friends, compared to a child who is being disruptive? It is important to praise/highlight the expected behaviour and label it out loud, such as “well done for walking inside the classroom”. The more children are praised for the expected behaviour, the more likely they are to follow the expectations set.

The ‘STAR approach’

In a busy classroom environment, it can sometimes be difficult to play the role of a detective to find the cause of a child’s reactive behaviour. Furthermore, at first glance it can be difficult to identify the cause as it could be very subtle. A few years ago, I was supporting a child with SEND who loved the outside area. However, one day they suddenly became very distressed and did not want to go outside. As soon as anyone went to open the door to the outside area, they would cry and run to the other side of the classroom. At first, I could not understand the child’s reaction to this as it was something they have previously enjoyed. As I could not think of the cause, I remembered a strategy that I had used before called the ‘STAR approach’. This reflective approach is a way of recording, observing, and tracking a child’s behaviour to identify any potential patterns and/or triggers in behaviour.

‘STAR’ is an acronym to support your description of the behaviour incident/event:

• Situation- Where did the incident/event take place? i.e. in the classroom, outside, a group activity, coming in or leaving the classroom.

• Trigger- What happened immediately before the incident/event? i.e. did another child take something from them, were they tired or hungry or were they placed in a new/different situation.

• Action- What did the child do and how did you react to the situation?

• Response- How did the child respond to your action, how was the situation de-escalated and was your action effective?

As with all observations, it is important to be factual and describe exactly what happened. It is also important to complete the record straight after the incident. Once the ‘STAR’ record has been completed, the next step is to analyse it and look for potential patterns and triggers for the behaviour. It also provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon your own practice in terms of analysing your response to the incident. Did you respond in the most appropriate way? Is there something you would do differently next time? It may only take one ‘STAR’ record to highlight the cause of a child’s behaviour, or it may take several records to uncover the cause.

I completed several ‘STAR’ records for the child I was working with, as there was no obvious trigger that I could identify. However, one day there was a ‘light bulb’ moment. As I pieced all the records together, I realised that the child was responding to a new wind chime that had been placed in the outdoor area. The child did not understand what it was and did not like the look or sound of it. As soon as the child saw me take the wind chime down and move it out of sight, they ran straight outside to play. The ‘STAR approach’ was a very useful tool to help me establish the cause of the child’s reactive behaviour and one that I have continued to use regularly within my practice.

Next week

In the final instalment of this series, I will focus on effective strategies and suggest practical tips on how to manage and support children’s behaviour within the classroom.