 Today in schools we have a very inclusive environment, inclusive setting, and so including children in a way that they're successful is very important to teachers as well as kind of fits the philosophy that are embedded in schools today. While universal strategies used at Anfit's Gerald help to provide a foundation for positive behavior school-wide, some students who exhibit chronic and pervasive behavior fall within tier one of the pyramid of intervention and require intensive individualized supports. Supporting these children requires a careful development plan. At Anfit's Gerald school an emotional behavior specialist works alongside teachers to develop a comprehensive strategy to address complex behavioral challenges. The cool thing about behavior and what keeps me in this role is that behavior can always be learned, behavior can always be unlearned, and behavior can always be modified or changed. To help students with behavioral challenges, staff at Anfit's Gerald school work to develop an understanding of the origin of the behavior. To accomplish this the emotional behavior specialist or learning coach visits the classroom and as a learning team gather as much information as possible. The first thing that happens is I'll get called in for an observation for any social emotional or behavioral concern and usually we'll start with what the teacher knows. So does the teacher have any information about what is contributing to this child as a person? So do they have any information about their speech and language skills? Do they have any information about any of their motor planning abilities? Is there a previous diagnosis on file? Kind of help me understand if this child is a whole. The student's family is also included in this process. The factors that are considered include are their learning difficulties. How is the student's sleep pattern? How is the student's nutrition? Has the child had any significant changes in the home or family life? And is the student connected to any other resources which could include a school-based multidisciplinary team, RCSD, Community Mental Health or other specialized services? So to begin to analyze the behavior once you have the background information describe the behavior that you're going to be looking at and then you would look for what happens before the behavior and what happens after the behavior. If your plan is to have a plan of action to help them to adapt to classroom life better and that plan starts with observing. You have to observe the child's care what's going on and what's causing their negative behavior. Are they trying to escape something or avoid something or get attention? All behaviors have a function and the function of any behavior depends on the individual child. Typically challenging behavior either serves the student by helping them obtain something or helping them to avoid something. And don't take it personally it's not about you it's about the child so take your own emotions out why is the kid doing this? Observe find out the background and then come up with your strategy.