How to Manage Violent & Aggressive Children in School

Aggressive students require careful handling to teach them how to react to stressors.

If you have an aggressive student in your classroom, you're probably desperate for ideas to help her during and after a violent outbreak. Whether you're working with a younger child who is hitting other students or an older child who poses a physical threat to his classmates, you must be aware of techniques for helping a child become less aggressive in the long term.

Instructions

1. Deal with any violent situation by intervening as soon as possible, avoiding direct confrontation, removing possible victims from the violent situation, and notifying the necessary authorities. The main goal during a violent confrontation is to prevent the student from harming others and keep the situation from escalating.

2. Let the violent student express his feelings in a safe way. Depending on the age and interests of the student, this may include journaling, free writing, drawing pictures, using dolls or other props, or simply orally expressing his emotions.

3. Role play conflict resolution with the student. Ask the student to come up with several alternatives she could have used instead of aggression or violence. Then discuss how one of those alternatives may have helped keep the situation under control.

4. Teach the student stress management techniques, such as counting to 10, using visualization, walking away from a situation, or taking out his emotions on an inanimate object.

5. Find services for the family and suggest that family members take advantage of them. These may include family counseling or government programs that teach conflict management. Often, improving a student's home situation can lead to a decrease in the student's violent or aggressive behavior.

Tips & Warnings

• Supervise the student as much as possible to avoid future problems with violence.

• Minimize competition as much as you can, as well as any other stressors you believe may be bothering the aggressive student.

• Do not directly confront the student during a violent outburst unless absolutely necessary.

References

• The Violent Student: A Counselor's Guide to Identification, Intervention, and Prevention
• Child and Youth Care Network: Practical Strategies for Working With Students Who Display Aggression and Violence