Reframing perceptions of problematic behavior (s) -

Changing expectations - Identifying challenging behavior (s) may be caused by a gap between what the student is currently doing and what is expected of him/her:

1. On a simple level, the student may not be aware of what is expected of him/her, because it hasn't been taught, emphasized, &/or consistently reinforced. Interventions would then teach and consistently reinforce these expectations, such as classroom rules and procedures.

2. The authority's (e.g., teacher, administrator, parent, etc. ) behavioral and academic expectations may not be realistic for this particular student at this particular time.  Consequently, interventions may have to:

a. Lay out realistic behavioral expectations, which can be gradually increased over a realistic time frame with appropriate supports.

b. Compare identified student's challenging behavior to other students not identified, through formal observations in the same setting.

c. Assess whether the identified student has the academic knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in subject where challenging behavior is most prevalent.

3. Reframing the behavior - The authority's expectations, which are being violated, may change as they know the motivation of the student's challenging behavior. Knowing the function or cause of the challenging behavior enables the authority figure perceive the student differently. students to think of it differently. For example, when a student constantly hits others, it's a problem. However, if the teacher viewed this behavior as the student's intense desire to reach out to others socially, instead of acting out aggression, subsequent interventions would differ.