BehaviorPlan
BehaviorPlan
Emotionaldisabilities are abnormalities linked to one`s feelings. They affectan individual’s social life negatively. For instance, most childrenwith the disabilities tend to be slow learners, which can affecttheir esteem when they are in school. Emotional disabilities mayoccur in different forms and various factors trigger them. Thechildren with disabilities show characteristics, such as hostility,difficulties in grasping studies, unnecessary crying, and withdrawalamongst others. Emotional disabilities can, however, vary highlydepending on the nature of the disability or the level of damage thedisability has had on the child. It is very important for parents tobe highly observant of their children to notice any signs that wouldindicate a disability.
Somecommon emotional disabilities include anxiety disorder, which makesthe child display fear of everything going on around him/her. Thechild thus develops phobias, such as cluster phobia whereby they fearbeing in a small-enclosed place and can become highly restless.Bipolar disorder is also an emotional disorder that is characterizedby high mood variations and irritability. A child displaying abnormaltendencies of breaking the rules is also likely to have an emotionaldisorder. For instance, truancy or even stealing at a young age callsfor action on them immediately to understand their character. In somecases, children can tend to be very keen on details and keep doingone thing repetitively to prevent any mistake this condition maylead to one paying too much attention to things that are notnecessary.
Toidentify disorders at the early stages of child development, one mayuse some characteristics such as by looking at the child’s moodvariation. Reporting unusual defective behavior to a psychiatrist whoruns a couple of tests to check for the presence of such disabilitiesis vital. Teachers too need to observe any abnormal activity in thechild to facilitate correction of the problem early enough.
Forchildren with emotional disability, paying attention to them helpsthem cope with the condition. Parents must provide consent whendetermining whether the child should attend a special careinstitution. The evaluation process contributes to verifying theparticular condition that the child has it helps in determining thekind of care the child needs. Where the school initiates theevaluation, then the parents must receive a written request from theschool, which includes the reason for evaluating the child(Hirschland 2008). Evaluation in most cases occurs within a specifiedtime limit and the child’s assessment done on an individual basisto be able to gather as much information from that child as possible.The test must use the different criterion to determine the correctcondition the child is facing.
Dealingwith these children in a school set up is in most cases hectic, aseach child demands their fair share of attention. Teachers of suchkids have however gone through training that has enabled them gainexpertise necessary for handling them. For instance, a child withdefiant behavior should be enlightened of the rules and theregulations and that way they become aware of the repercussions oftheir behavior. The primary intention here is not to punish the childbut to regulate the child’s behavior. Carefully set the rules in arather friendly manner that does not put off the child. This way thechild can understand how to behave in a particular situation and therepercussions going against expected behavior.
Usinga reward system is another strategy that can best fit children withspecial needs. This method involves giving children a small presentfor an achievement they made education wise or proper conduct.Children feel appreciated by such small actions, and it motivatesthem to maintain positivity. It is important for a teacher to helpbuild teamwork amongst the classmates. When a child with an emotionaldisorder receives support from his classmates, then it is easy forthat child to adapt to the learning environment efficiently. Arequirement for the teachers is to maintain a record that used totell if a child is progressing or retrogressing (Golding 2013).
Teachersand caregivers in the special needs school require calmness whenhandling the children. The children sometimes display hostilitytowards education or the school set up. In such a case then theteacher needs to help the child understand why they study. Engagingthe child in the teaching process also helps tune the child intopaying attention in class. Every child’s needs vary and thusrequire understanding as they are. For instance calling out a childwith an emotional disability to tackle a question in class maytrigger anxiety in some children. For slow learners, they should begiven extra time to solve the tasks given.
TheUnited States government created the Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act (IDEA) that set out the legal factors relating tochildren with emotional disabilities. The act affects the parent, theteacher and the school providing education. The school should createenvironments that are friendly to these children given thesensitivity of the children. This environment should not beprovocative to their conditions. The classes need organization, andany harmful materials kept away from the child’s sight, it isimportant for children with anger issues since they may end upinjuring themselves or others in the class.
Itis important to take the child through the various triggers for theirconditions. For instance, a child with anxiety needs awareness of thedifferent challenges that make him anxious and then the child candeal with the situation. The children should also learn the emotiontypes and what effects they have on them. Understanding theiremotions helps the child, when triggered, to be calm or to avoid toomuch mood changes like is the case for children with bipolardisorder. These are some of the coping strategies available to thechild.
Organizingtheir work or personal space in class sometimes is a challenge.Teachers should also help the child acquire organizing skills. Theyteach this by taking them through the right procedure. Pressure to beneat should however not be instilled to prevent annoying the child.Such simple factors help in managing learners with emotionaldisabilities. Through the Act set out by Parliament (IDEA), it hasseen the enrollment of children into the education system after anenactment passed to get all children to school regardless of theircondition.
Managingthese kids is a responsibility of the society, which includesparents, teachers and other members of the community. This providessupport to the learners and helps them embrace life with positivity.Using the behavior plan, therefore, makes the child progress a daypositively at a time. The action plan thus forms a model or guidelineto their lives.
Reference
Golding,K. S. (2013). Observing children with attachment difficulties inschool: A tool for identifying and supporting emotional and socialdifficulties in children aged 5-11. Philadelphia: Jessica KingsleyPublishers.
Hirschland,D. (2008). Collaborative intervention in early childhood: Consultingwith parents and teachers of 3- to 7-year-olds. New York: OxfordUniversity Press.