RED October

by Colleen Smith, MA, BCBA – Director of Behavioral Health

If you have worked in schools for some time, especially if you are a school-based behavior interventionist, you may have picked up on patterns in student and staff behavior that occur in waves or “seasons”. September is filled with anticipation as the new school year starts. Teachers are fresh and well rested. Students are eased by the return to routine and structure and the behavior team is busy building rapport with both staff and students. Things are happy and all is well for a quick thirty days.

Then comes October, or as I jokingly refer to it RED OCTOBER.  It has been my observation This month comes in HOT. The honeymoon is over. Teachers begin teaching the curriculum and assigning homework, he novelty of reinforcers wears off and pairing rolls into demand placing. To add to it, there are few if any days off.  October is the first of the “seasons” where there is an obvious spike in behaviors. This is true of special education  and general education students equally. During October students begin testing limits and engaging in challenging behaviors. There is some treatment drift from staff who had gotten comfortable with the ease of September which means behaviors are not being responded to consistently or effectively.

As staff are in red alert and are trying regain their bearings, BAM! Spooky Season! Halloween may be considered the tax season for behavior professionals. There is so much excitement, anxiety and sugar surrounding Fall Festivals and Halloween events. This year Diwali will fall in this season too which includes lots of family fun and sweet treats.

So now you have new reason to fear October 31. But don’t fret there are ways you can squelch the fire of Red October.  First and always, do more pairing. Building rapport with students does not stop no matter the season. It is your best tool. Along with pairing, update your preference assessments. Find what motivational items compete with the challenging behaviors you see and incorporate them into your behavior plans and classroom management plans.  Review and practice rules and then reward adherence to the expectations. Run fidelity checks on plans to be sure they are being run and run correctly. Use behavior skills training to be sure all staff have the tools they need to use behavior interventions. Arrange your environment for success with scheduling and staffing that make sense.  Have additional staff to circulate the building and lend a hand as needed.  Be sure all staff are getting adequate break time in the day to hydrate, mediate and communicate.  Schedule regular team meetings and keep communication open. Set your learners up  for success but alternating easier, mastered skills with new curriculum and activities. Remember to sprinkle reinforcement and breaks throughout your lessons.

Once you cool down this hot month with these tricks you can treat yourself to a Snickers because soon it will be Sweet November. Following October I have found November is often a short month with a different vibe sort of the month you hoped October would be. November turns into the fun of December and by the time you get to winter break you will be on roll and feeling great.  That’s when we’ll talk about my dread of January…. Stay tuned.