How to Solve Child Behavior Problems at Home & at School

Often when behavioral problems are observed at home, they can also manifest in the classroom. Sometimes, problems occurring at home are not present in the classroom and vice versa. It is imperative that parents work closely with the child's teachers to determine the problem, develop solutions and help the struggling child. Maximize the impact through close observation, carefully maintained notes and open communication with all adults involved in your child's life. It will become clear what triggers the bad behavior, making it solvable.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Make extensive notes about behaviors observed at home. Give examples of particular situations that illustrate concerns. Outline methods used, specifically those that seemed to work and those that backfired. Share any other professional advice that has been sought and results of any previous evaluations. If any previous conversations have occurred with your child's teacher, include notes from those meetings and conversations as well.

2. Call your child's teacher to share your concerns. Set up a face-to-face meeting with the teacher to discuss the situation.

3. Share your information with the teacher during the meeting. Ask her to share the same kinds of observations with you. Take note of any similarities and discrepancies you may find.

4. Work together to try to identify any possible causes or triggers for the negative behaviors. Prioritize the behaviors that need immediate attention. Create strategies for possible solutions. Decide if you would also like to enlist the help of a social worker or pediatrician.

5. Map out the plan and write it down. Set up specific procedures and communication routines. Designate roles in the process and be sure to communicate the plan to all involved. Be sure to set up a meeting after a week or two to discuss any progress and to make any changes.

6. Make an agreement with the teacher to commit to the same methods of addressing the negative behaviors at home and at school. Consistent negative results from actions will give the child a reason to think twice before behaving in the same away. This prevents the confusion of getting away with something in one area of her life and being discipline about it in another.

7. Continue to experiment and try different methods as a team until the behavior problems are solved. This will usually only take one or two tries, but be patience because each child is different.

Tips & Warnings

• Constant, open communication between the home and school is necessary in the partnership.
• Consistency and follow-through is essential in changing a child's behavior.
• Running to the administration without conversing with your child's teacher first will only strain the home-and-school relationship. Always try to work with the teacher, enlisting her superior's assistance only when necessary.

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[aterita]

on 8/6/2009 Encouraging post but not fairly mentioned about a particular disorder which effects not only in a child's academics but also extra-curricular. For effective parenting behavior problems in a children, parents need to adopts special tactics & skills for the behavior modification. Programs like Home Intervention System or The total transformation are very successful in modifying behavior problems in children. Like in home intervention system parents, teachers, school counselors, grandparents, and any other individuals who frequently interact with children will benefit from techniques and concepts presented in it. http://homeinterventionsystem.com

[bcforce]

on 2/21/2009 Your article emphasizes punishment of the child's negative behavior. An effective behavior plan will focus more on positive behaviors, and natural consequences of the negative. Punishment of the negative will bring short term change only. Read Jane Nelson and Jim Faye for much more info about this.