Many early childhood professionals think that you need specialized knowledge to help kids who hit, kick, throw things or just don’t listen….especially when the behavior is extreme.
But the idea that you need extensive challenging behavior training, a degree in mental health, or a special education certification to effectively work with children who exhibit challenging behavior…
…is one of the biggest and most dangerous myths out there in our field.
I get it. Increasingly we see in-depth challenging behavior trainings being offered, often over the course of multiple days. These trainings are often backed by tons of research and sometimes use fancy jargon and even inaccessible language.
Plus, you’ve probably been told repeatedly to learn specialized techniques to work with children with specific “special needs”, such as autism. You may even have a mental health professional, behavioral specialist, or special education teacher who you are supposed to consult with about behavior.
So, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that this means you need specialized knowledge to effectively work with children who exhibit challenging behavior.
But if that were true then every early childhood teacher who worked effectively with an autistic child…every teacher who successfully swoops in and prevents a stressful morning drop-off from escalating to aggression…and every teacher who brilliantly and creatively figures out how to prevent the child who chronically bites from doing so would be able to show us their challenging behavior or specialist certifications and credentials.
And we all know that’s simply not the case.
Does every teacher who successfully supports children who exhibit challenging behavior have specialized training? No.
In fact, if you’ve been in the field for more than a week you can probably name at least one teacher - if not several - who can work magic with the most challenging of children!
Here’s the deal: if YOU keep holding onto the belief that you need specialized knowledge and fancy credentials to effectively support children who exhibit challenging behavior then you will NEVER be able to help the children who need you most.
…and, you will miss the chance to change that child’s life.
So how do those teachers who work magic with kids who hit, kick, bite, throw things or just don’t listen do so without becoming certified behavioral specialists, special ed teachers, or mental health experts?
They decide to BE the teacher that works magic with those children.
They step into their power, open their hearts, focus on connecting with the child, and they get creative.
Sure, some of them have had some training and know some recommended things that you may not yet know. Plus, many of them are excellent observers and even better detectives.
But above all else, or at least first and foremost, they decide to BE the teacher who is not intimated or thwarted by even the most challenging of children. They are committed to helping every last one.
And, to be clear: I’m not saying you’re not (committed to help every last one).
But if you’re not stepping into your power to BE the one who can turn things around (which doesn’t mean stopping the behavior!!!! It means supporting that child) then you are not following through on that intention and you have not yet fully committed.
Instead, you’re buying into the dangerous and damaging myth of needing all the specialized knowledge and credentials.
So let me ask you…
Do you really want to keep waiting for someone with specialized knowledge to tell you what to do with you-know-who?
Or, do you want to BE the teacher who embraces challenging behavior as part of the job, relishes the opportunity to help the children who hit, kick, throw things or just don’t listen, and helps every last one?
Who are you going to BE as we embark into 2020?
…Sure, we can get you some more info, skills and strategies on challenging behavior (um, that’s what I’m in the business of doing!)…but no strategy, cute graphic about the brain, or new research finding is going to help you unless YOU DECIDE TO BE the teacher who effectively helps kids who exhibit challenging behavior, no matter the cause and no matter how it manifests.