Behavior Management

BY TRACEY CRAWFORD

Employees at park and recreation agencies have added a new skill to their inventory: "behavior management." It's a means of controlling behavior so that the participant conforms to the rules of conduct applied by a park district in a recreation setting. Behavior management techniques provide the tools for recreation staff to assist participants in achieving program objectives by increasing positive behavior and decreasing negative behavior.

A successful behavior management effort includes four key steps: analyzing all steps and possible experiences of your programs; preparing your staff; identifying the targeted behaviors; and creating a behavior plan. The ultimate goal is to help individuals of all abilities actively, successfully, and safely participate in your recreation programs.

STEP 1: Analyze the Activity

First, analyze all the steps and experiences of your program before it begins. Identify aspects of your program from start to finish. Take a look at environmental influences that may affect an individual's behavior such as the weather, the facility or space, program structure and transitions.

Program analysis starts from the moment the participants arrive at the program. The moment their parents or caregivers say "good-bye" and send them into your pre-school classrooms. The moment the bus pulls up in front of your recreation facility and the participants unload, enter your building, and eventually find their way to your after-school program located upstairs.

Program analysis also includes the actual activity in your program. For example, let's look at the game of kickball. Assume there are 18 participants in an after-school program. Your staff has divided the kids into two teams of nine.

How many participants play kickball? How many people actively play kickball? The answer is two: the pitcher and the kicker.

So, what are the rest of the players doing while 7-year-old Johnny takes at least three attempts to kick the ball (excluding the possible foul balls) before he gets one in play and runs to first base?

Can you make an activity like kickball more participatory? Yes!

How? Following are several quick and simple ways to provide structure in a program.

• Plan age-appropriate activities that involve everyone for the entire time period. For example, have the outfield team switch positions every other kicker, or turn the players waiting to kick into score keepers, or have the waiting players become cheerleaders.

• Do not assume all individuals have the same skills or ability to listen and actively participate through the entire activity. The Americans with Disabilities Act has provided individuals the opportunity to participate in recreation programs in your agencies. Be proactive and plan for all ability levels to participate in your programs.

• Keep in mind that large spaces may be overwhelming to many young participants. Gymnasiums echo and have fluorescent lighting, which tends to send most participants into sensory overload!

• Check all equipment to see if it is in working order, and have supplies ready ahead of time.

• Provide structure and a schedule for the programs that are longer than two hours and involve several different activities during that time frame. Use a poster board to list the schedule for the day. Display the poster in a visible spot for everyone to see. Review the schedule at the beginning of your program and refer to it throughout. Add pictures to accommodate any participants who are unable to read.

Do not hesitate to change your schedule by crossing out activities and adding new ones. The purpose of the schedule is to give everyone a sense of comfort in knowing what is happening next. It gives individuals who may have difficulties transitioning from one activity to another advanced time to prepare for the expectations or transitions for the day. It is not meant to be a minute-by-minute breakdown of your program.

• Avoid downtimes and delays whenever possible. Research and anecdotal evidence show that when kids wait, problems arise.

• Unacceptable behaviors will often occur when participants have not been given the chance to let out excess energy before they are expected to sit for a period

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of time. A solution might be to give them some activity choices during that time. Limit the choices to two.

Program analysis also includes breaking down your program activities into time intervals. Take a few minutes to do this on paper. Then, look at your program and answer the following questions:

• Do you have a good balance of active and more physical activities, as well as the passive activities requiring more fine motor movements such as arts and crafts?

• Have you thought about how you plan to transition the group from one activity to another?

• What are your transition signals? Are they consistent? Is there too much free time?

STEP 2: Prepare Staff

Talk to your staff about precipitating factors, or the outside forces that affect the participants in programs and causes them to act out. It is important to understand that these are factors that are beyond the control of your staff. They can be things like divorce, lack of sleep, missed medication, or an argument with a friend or relative that occurred prior to the program. We must deal with behaviors in our programs which may be caused by outside forces.

Get to know all of your staff and how they relate to each other and the participants in your programs. Personal attitudes of employees can effect the behaviors of the participants in your programs. How is your staff dealing with the program and the participants as a team?

STEP 3: Identify Targeted Behaviors

A participant's inability to respond or react appropriately to situations and feelings may lead to difficult behaviors. A "targeted" behavior is the behavior that cannot be tolerated in the program.

This behavior identification process is actually an assessment. It is best performed by a therapeutic recreation specialist or someone trained in behavior and disability. It is also important to identify behavior which may be a result of the disability itself. For example, shouting at someone as a result of Tourette Syndrome is not necessarily a behavior that can be changed. Or, pushing or hitting someone may be an act of frustration because of an inability to communicate for someone with a condition like autism.

When trying to pinpoint targeted behaviors, look for reoccurring behaviors. These behaviors are harmful to the participant, others, or property.

It is especially important to identify behavior which causes physical harm to others. Some examples of prime targeted behaviors include striking others, throwing objects at others, kicking or biting others. Examples of secondary targeted behaviors include cursing or spitting at others, and disruptive behavior. Targeted behaviors can not be easily ignored or redirected and will require a behavior plan to decrease the inappropriate behaviors and increase the more appropriate ways to communicate a need.

It makes more sense to use your limited resources on behaviors that pose a risk of harm to others. Don't spend time on shouting when that participant is also striking others. Deal with behaviors that can hurt someone first.

STEP 4: The Plan

Next, create a plan to manage the targeted behaviors. Creating a behavior plan is a simple process that works best with a team approach. It is important to keep the lines of communication open between the staff, the participant and the caregiver/parent. Always inform the caregiver about incidents that occur during the programs.

When and if the behavior escalates to a targeted behavior, ask the parent or caregiver to come to a team meeting. Ask if there are any other individuals that they would recommend coming to the team meeting. Explain that a team meeting is merely a way to brainstorm practical solutions to manage the behaviors being displayed by the participant. The program leader, the recreation supervisor, and any other staff who work with the participant in the program should attend the meeting.

A word about confidentiality here. The staff who work with the participant are the only ones who need to know about this behavior plan. SRA directors, park district directors, commissioners, and other employees who do not work with the participant have no right to knowledge

about the participant or the plan. Keeping this information on a "need-to-know" basis is essential to effective use of the plan and to trust-building with the family and participant.

The first step in creating a behavior plan is to identify and document the behaviors. Sit down and write out the incident. Next, with your team discuss and answer the following questions: What is the targeted behavior? When is the targeted behavior exhibited? Is it before, during or following an activity? Did the behavior occur during a transition time or right when the individual arrived? Why is the behavior occurring? What was the participant trying to communicate? What is the purpose, needs or wants of the participant?

Plans can be very effective when supported by thorough training of employees. Plans can also diminish negative or targeted behaviors. Many plans require consistent staff to implement, which may mean a one-to-one assignment. However, many plans are simple enough to implement that existing employees can handle this duty.

Plans should call for evaluation, too. When targeted behavior stops and starts again, reexamine the plan. See if circumstances have changed or if the activity is different. When a plan fails to stop targeted behaviors, act in the best interest of your participants. But, be prepared to readmit a participant once he or she can prove that behavior can be controlled.

Conclusion

Generally, participants "act out" for three reasons. First, they have a lack of understanding of the activity and require a detailed explanation of the activity and what is expected of them. Second, they do not have the skills to do the activity and need some program adaptations. Third, they have a lack of interest in the activity and may need to move to another activity or have some quiet time.

A behavior plan is an important tool, and it must be effective and comprehensive. For training and more information, contact your SRA.

TRACEY CRAWFORD
is the superintendent of recreation for the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association (NSSRA).

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