Nursery World - In harmony (1)

Stick to some simple tactics to deal with children's emotional and behavioural difficulties, says Collette Drifte in the fourth part of our series on inclusion Emotional and behavioural difficulties is one of the four broad areas of special educational needs outlined in the 2001 SEN Code of Practice.

Stick to some simple tactics to deal with children's emotional and behavioural difficulties, says Collette Drifte in the fourth part of our series on inclusion

Emotional and behavioural difficulties is one of the four broad areas of special educational needs outlined in the 2001 SEN Code of Practice.

There are many possible reasons for a child's emotional or behavioural difficulties. They range from, for example, the birth of a new baby resulting in a temporary phase of temper tantrums caused by jealousy and confusion, to long-term and severe problems that are coupled with (or caused by) other difficulties, conditions or disabilities.

The basic principles of good practice for working with a child who displays emotional and behavioural difficulties include:

* Ask the child's parents or carers whether the child's behavioural difficulties occur at home as well as in the setting. The problem may be short-term and the parents may be able to explain the cause. But if the difficulties seem to be deeper-rooted and potentially longer-term, working with the parents is crucial for planning a positive way forward.

* Plan the child's Individual Education Plan (IEP) with the child's parents and, if you can, the child as well. Shared information will produce an IEP that's appropriate, achievable and effective.

* Find out whether anything specific triggers an outburst of inappropriate behaviour. If there is something, take action to avoid or prevent the child being placed in that position.

* Ask the child's parents for advice if the child has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). If you'd like more specialised advice from a medical professional, always ask the parents' permission before approaching outside agents. There are also many good books and websites available for advice, support and information - simply type 'Attention Deficit Disorder' into your search engine.

* Give the physically aggressive child plenty of learning activities with lots of games, activities and exciting things to do. Make sure they have few times when they are unoccupied and become bored. Avoid giving senseless tasks such as colouring in. Instead, find out what particularly interests the child and prepare something practical, meaningful and with something positive to show for it on completion.

* Never accept aggressive behaviour and always reward positive behaviour.

You can't continually chastise the child and you'll have to disregard some things, but it's very important to let them know that you won't tolerate aggression under any circumstances. The flip side of that coin is watching for any positive behaviour and immediately praising them for it, so that the child feels good about what they've done. You'll motivate them to continue trying, and show them exactly what it is you're expecting of them.

* Establish a few essential ground rules to be followed consistently by everyone. These should be simple, meaningful, positive and consistently followed by adults as well as children.

* Watch for and support the introverted and withdrawn child. In the hubbub of an early years setting it's very easy to miss the child who is 'good'

and 'quiet' - not the shy child who may be temporarily overwhelmed by the buzz of activity, but the child who is a loner and continues to be so when it's time they should have settled into the setting and developed more confidence.

* If the child finds groups hard to handle, work with them initially in a one-to-one situation using fun activities. You can gradually increase the size of the group as the child's confidence and positive behaviour grows.

* Have a fun activity ready when the child arrives at drop-off time, a hectic point in the most organised of settings. Having something exciting and meaningful for the child to do straight away may well ward off any difficult moments.

* Keep to the daily routine as much as possible. Children with behavioural difficulties need consistency and stability. Warn the child beforehand of changes to the day's routine by using something concrete to show them, such as an egg-timer or an alarm clock and saying, 'When the alarm rings on the clock, it'll be time to tidy up the painting equipment and go for our rehearsal for the Christmas play.'

* Display timetables or timelines in symbolic or pictorial form, as well as written. If the child's literacy skills are at a level that prevents them from reading your timetable, they need to be able to interpret it another way, and pictures or symbols are ideal for this.

* Observe the child at work and play to find out what motivates, stimulates, excites and challenges them. Use this information to plan the rewards and sanctions that form an integral part of their IEP.

* Allocate a key worker to the child - somebody who has formed a trusting relationship with the child. Encourage the child to go to that person whenever they feel in need of support, or want to talk.

* Always speak to the child in a positive way. This might sound obvious, but it's surprising how often we speak to children using negative language without realising it. Phrases like 'Don't run around indoors' or 'You mustn't say rude words like that' have a positive equivalent: 'Walk around the room, please' or 'Try to use polite words like "Go away" rather than those words'. Positive language helps children with behavioural difficulties who seem to hear 'don'ts' all the time.

* Keep your facial expression relaxed and warm. The child might have experienced nothing but the frowns and tight lips of adults continually cross with them. Try to overcome this by keeping a smile for the child, even if you have to pretend at times.

* Face the child when speaking and don't turn away until you've finished.

Some children have difficulties keeping in their head what you've said to them, once you lose eye contact. Their concentration may wander and they lose everything you're saying to them, even when it's exciting. Keep bringing your eyes back to them and maintain that contact.

* Arrange activities to avoid personality clashes. These could be between the child and other children, or between the child and an adult in the setting. Disharmony has no place in an inclusive setting, and you should do all you can to reduce it.

* Display pictures, labels and captions at a child-friendly height. A child's frustration at not being able to see pictures properly or take out equipment easily could result in some undesirable behaviour.

* Ensure chairs and tables are the right height for comfortable working. If the child feels uncomfortable they will soon begin to lose concentration, to fidget and eventually to get into trouble.

* Have a quiet area available. It is important that the child can go for pleasant 'time out' and relax.

* Persona dolls or puppets can help the child explore their feelings in a positive way. You can project the difficulties being experienced by the child on to the persona doll to help them identify with the character and begin to work through their difficulties. For example, 'Jack, this is Buster. He sometimes gets really angry when somebody else has got the toy he wants and so he hits them and snatches the toy. He'd like to be able to ask for the toy politely. So can you help him to think of a way to do this?'.