Download De-Escalation Techniques

De-escalation Techniques
Presented by
Stuart Denro
Originally compiled by Stuart Denro
& Nina Britneff
Social, Emotional and Behaviour Support Service Advisory Teachers.
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Objectives
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To increase our confidence when working with pupils
with identified BESD needs within a mainstream setting
To raise awareness of the role we play in de-escalating
and escalating confrontations
To provide a range of skills and strategies that will be
effective in dealing with potentially challenging
situations
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
All behaviour is communication
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It tells us about underlying needs and has a purpose
Behaviour is linked to emotions and perceptions
Behaviour is learned
Behaviour can change
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
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“Pupils often misbehave because they know how teachers will
react. Teachers reactions sustain and strengthen
undesirable behaviour, therefore they must learn not to
follow their first impulse as this could feed the mistaken
goal”
Carolyn Broomfield (Plymouth University)
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Early warning phase
The child’s behaviour indicates that
something is wrong.
Signs and triggers might be……
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
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Person is agitated and fidgets
Facial colour deepens, then goes
pale
Faster breathing
Perspiring
Dilated pupils
Speaking louder and faster, rapid
or abrupt speech
Change in voice pitch
Change in eye contact
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
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Tense muscles
Face becomes contorted, tight
lipped
Hunched Shoulders
Easily distractible
Not ‘focussed’
Arms across the chest – feeling
defensive or awkward
Falls silent.
Pupil may want to walk away
May invade personal space
Escalators
How to make things worse!!
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
How we can escalate situations
•Ignoring the early warning signs
•Use of put-down statements
•Little or no quality time spent with child
•Ignoring our EHWB
•Information – how is it shared?
•Being resentful of interruptions to your ‘free time’
•Use of unrealistic sanctions
•Being inconsistent in your approach and responses
to the child
•Missing opportunities to praise
•Being inflexible
•By having expectations for behaviour and maturity
that are ‘too high’ and unrealistic for the child’s
age, development and experiences
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Planting the suggestion of
misbehaviour
Oh, so you’re
Nina!
Don’t fight!
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Don’t run!
Don’t you throw
that..!
Giving commands in question
form
Are you going to go
to the hall now?
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
By not modelling respectful
relationships
Did you hear what Ben did
this morning...
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Making immediate demands for
emotionally difficult actions
You’ve just hit Sarah.
Now say you’re sorry
For what reason did you
run off?
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Having more than one person
giving instructions
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
3 Crisis phase
Typical Assault Cycle
Possible additional assaults.
2 Escalation Phase
4 Recovery phase
1 Trigger
phase
6 Baseline behaviour
TIME
5 Post Crisis phase
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Use your skills to make the
situation better!
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Low Level Strategies
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Tactical ignoring
‘The Look’
Humour
Other non-verbal signals
Physical proximity
Redirect to task
Rule reminder
Repeat the instructions and expect compliance
Use language of choice
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Medium Level Strategies
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Casual questions to re-focus
Take the blame
Repeat the request
Distract /Diffuse
Humour
Keep calm, slow down and lower
your voice
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
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Be aware of your body
language
Reframe
Focus on the primary behaviour
Constructive use of corrective
language
Speak or listen?
Saving face
Dealing with Refusal
•Be clear in your own mind that you have been fair, firm and
consistent
•Be calm and don’t harass the pupil
•Think ahead
•Explain your reason for asking
•Offer to share the task if appropriate
•Allow ‘take-up’ time
•Use the ‘when-then’ approach
•Explain the school’s ‘philosophy’ on helping, caring and sharing
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Still No Response
•Repeat the request in the same way as before
•Remind the pupil of the consequences, assertively
•Consider using tactical ignoring
•Remain focused on the primary issue.
•Don’t get involved in ‘deflecting’ strategies!
•If you say you will follow up with a pupil, make sure you do.
•Be aware of, and use if necessary, the schools sanction
procedures.
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
High level strategies
(must be planned for)
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Remember calm (lower
voice etc.)
Have a clear plan
Use your ‘scripts’
Diversionary activity
Compliance or deferred
consequence
Remove the child
Remove the class/group
Send for additional adult
help
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
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Change face/save face
Don’t invade personal space
Fights – encourage the
least aggressive to move
away
Record the incident
Cooling off (Time?)
Follow up –rebuild your
relationship
Protocols for following up
(Repair and rebuild relationships)
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Environment
Allow time for the meeting
Thank the child for staying back
Acknowledge their feelings
Focus on specific behaviour –
Describe how the behaviour makes you feel
(‘I’ statements)
Relate behaviour to mutual rights/agreed rules
Continued
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
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Invite feedback
Ask child to consider what they might do instead of this
behaviour
Ask them what support, from you or other adults they would
welcome to help them succeed
Emphasise personal responsibility
State expectation and confidence in the child
Agree another meeting date, if required
Part amicably
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Strategies for supporting complex and
challenging children.
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Work on preferred tasks
High level of affirmation and
praise
Structured reward system
Emphasis on reducing stress level
Work gradually introduced with
support and encouragement
Home/school contact
‘Small steps’ targets (IEP/IBP)
Need for ‘ways out’ before a
situation escalates
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
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Short achievable times in
classroom
Easily achievable targets –
reviewed weekly
Child included in discussions
about expectations
Support though praise
Unconditional positive regard
Limited choice
Change face/save face
Dealing with Children’s Anger
•Don’t take it personally
•Avoid ‘power struggles’
•Leave them a way out
•Acknowledge their feelings
•Use their past experiences to find a solution
•‘Anger Mountain’
•Focus on the present and not past behaviour
•Be aware of your own behaviour
•Be brief, don’t lecture
•Follow up – repair and rebuild
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
Conflicts are more likely to deescalate if we…
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Have a good relationship with the child
Label the behaviour not the child
Avoid threatening gestures-body language
Remain calm and controlled
Can create ‘a better for both solution’
The child and audience separated
Give the child room to move
Take the blame
Are prepared
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008
And Finally A few thoughts..
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The only thing we can control is our own behaviour and
our responses to the behaviour of others
What we do can determine whether a situation
escalates or de-escalates
We all work within a team and it is okay to ask for help
We need to be teaching and modelling the skills
children need to learn
© Social, Emotional and Behavioural Support Service, Children and Young People’s Directorate
Somerset County Council. 2008