5 Practical Strategies for De-escalating Student Behavior

Good People Doing the Wrong Thing

I know how tough it can be in facilities and schools when it comes to dealing with problematic behavior, especially when they begin intensifying.?Unfortunately, staff regularly use strategies like verbally telling individuals to “calm down” as a means of de-escalating.?If this worked, there would be no need for strategies as it’s what everybody does. The fact is that this approach typically has exactly the opposite effect!???It’s not that these staff weren’t well intended. But it’s not about intention. It’s about impact. The reason these staff likely use this strategy is because they do not have a toolbox for dealing with escalated behavior.?

It’s not unusual for teachers' or staff's morale to be negatively impacted as the result of a constant barrage of student or client behaviors.?These behaviors might occur when these individuals become angry, afraid, or frustrated.?anger, mad, yelling, threatening, or cursing. ?Like everybody, they want an environment characterized by happiness, learning, and prosocial behavior.?To address these issues, general de-escalation strategies are the common approach put forth by crisis management organizations for both calming people down and attempting to move them back to their typical levels of functioning.?While de-escalation strategies are necessary, they should also become less necessary as crisis management practitioners continue to learn more about each individual and reduce instances of escalation through prevention strategies. Unfortunately, most other crisis management systems start at de-escalation but do not teach comprehensive prevention strategies as instructed in Professional Crisis Management and EveryDay Behavior Tools.?But even with a primary focus on de-escalation, their strategies are questionable because they lack precision in both recognizing and responding to nuanced increases in escalating behavior.?

Cycle of Crisis

It's easy to recognize people who are visibly angry, mad, yelling, threatening, or perhaps cursing. ?However, other signs of escalation or what we identify as pre-crisis behavior, as illustrated in our cycle of crisis graphic, may look very harmless but can get much worse very quickly.???

Before we jump into the strategies, it’s important to understand that there is a continuum, also known as pre-crisis levels, of overt behaviors, or the things you can see, and covert behaviors, or the things you can’t see, that an individual might be experiencing as they move towards a crisis.?These covert behaviors include thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses like heart rate and body temperature. These are private events that only the individual can observe when they begin escalating.?But while crisis management practitioners can’t observe all things, they can observe changes from the individual's normal stable functioning.?

For example, if a student begins escalating, the educator might note that they are off task. And while they can’t observe their unreasonable thoughts, if the teacher asks the student to return to their task and the student calmly and appropriately responds, “why do I have to do schoolwork, it’s stupid,” this might be an indicator that they are in Pre-crisis level 1if this is a change from their typical behavior.?If their physiology begins to heighten, as evidenced by perhaps tightened facial expressions or rigid posture, this might indicate they are moving to pre-crisis level 2.???If their behavior continues to increase in intensity, but they are not engaging in crisis behaviors like continuous aggression or self-injurious behavior, this may be an indicator that they are in pre-crisis level 3. These individuals are the least likely to follow instructions or to be redirected as they are almost out of control and might go into a crisis in seconds. Now let’s take a look at the 5 simple and effective strategies for de-escalation.?

5 Simple Strategies

Strategy #1:

Change the task or activity. Changing tasks is one of the many practical PCM de-escalation strategies that can quickly return an individual from off-task to on-task. While there are a variety of ways that tasks can be changed, it’s important to understand the reason why the individual is off task in the first place.?Perhaps it’s a motivation issue linked to boredom with the activity.?Or maybe what’s being asked of the individual at the moment is simply too hard, or perhaps they are too tired. Changing the task or activity is a good strategy to use during pre-crisis level one as indicated in the cycle of crisis.?But be careful not to change t to a highly preferred activity as this might actually increase the future occurrence of off-task and otherwise escalated behavior as the individual learn if I want those things I really enjoy, I’ll need to engage in these types of behaviors in order to get it.

Strategy #2:

Use Proximity can be used as both a prevention and de-escalation strategy.?While proximity can be combined with other de-escalation strategies, sometimes proximity alone is sufficient for the desired behavior change. ?This can be powerful for an individual who seems volatile or has a history of escalating quickly.?To use proximity, approach the individual casually and in a non-threatening way, avoiding direct eye contact or staring at the individual.?Using proximity only means getting closer to the student but in no way interacting with or prompting them.?This approach helps eliminate any attention for off-task behavior and avoids conflict.?

Strategy #3?

When introducing a new or more difficult task, the probability of off-task behavior increases.?This probability can be decreased simply by asking an individual to do a few simple tasks before asking them to do something more difficult or unpreferred.?For example, if a student was off task and agitated because they had to do Math, the teacher might ask the student to first pull out a piece of paper and then ask that they put their name on it before introducing the assignment.?

Strategy #4

Offering choices, also a good prevention strategy, strengthens self-determination and independence and reduces the likelihood of behavior escalating.?For those who feel like they have no choice at all, having the smallest choice might make things better.?While not recommended as a routine procedure for de-escalating due to the risk of potentially reinforcing pre-crisis behavior, providing limited choices may prevent the individual from continuing to escalate.?For example, if a child is upset that they had to go to get up at 6:45 am to make it to school on time, the parent might state, “Jose, if you skip watching your cartoon show this morning, you can stay in best an extra half hour and make it school on time. You choose.”?In this example, Jose was given a choice to get up early and watch his cartoon show or stay in better longer.?But the expectation was that he would be going to school.?

Strategy #5:

Modeling refers to the demonstration of desired behavior.?Mirroring refers to the natural tendency for people to copy or “mimic” the behavior of others, especially those that they like and respect.?A very effective use of this strategy can be when an individual begins speaking loudly, and in an agitated voice, the staff attempting to de-escalate might simply begin speaking in a quieter and calmer voice.?Based on the tendency of people to “mimic,” there are greater chances that the individual will mirror the staff’s calmer, more controlled, and quieter manner.

Find out More!

PCM has dozens of strategies for practitioners to choose from so they can respond in precisely the right way to safely de-escalate an individual to effectively avoid crises. ??To find out more about how you can bring the Safest, Most Effective and Humane Crisis Management Solution in the world to your school or facility, check out PCMA.com or contact Drew Carter by email [email protected]. ??????

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About the Author

Specializing in human performance, coaching, and organizational leadership, Dr. Paul "Paulie" Gavoni is a behavior scientist and educator who has worked across education and human services for almost three decades. In this capacity, he has served the needs of children and adults through various positions, including COO, Vice President, Director of School Improvement, Leadership Director, Professor, Assistant Principal, School Turnaround Manager, Clinical Coordinator, Therapist, District Behavior Analyst, and Director of Progam Development and Public Relations at?PCMA. Dr. Gavoni is passionate about applying Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), or the science of human behavior, to make a positive difference in establishing safe, productive, and engaging environments that bring out the best in faculty and staff so they can bring out the best in the learners they serve. He is an active board member of the?Opioid Awareness Foundation?and?World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance.

Known for his authenticity and practical approaches, Dr. Gavoni is the host of the Top 1.5% globally ranked?Crisis in Education Podcast?and a sought-out speaker at various Educational and Behavior Analytic Conferences Internationally. He a the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling co-author of The Scientific Laws of Life & Leadership: Behavioral Karma; Quick Wins! Accelerating School Transformation through Science, Engagement, and Leadership; Deliberate Coaching: A Toolbox for Accelerating Teacher Performance; and MMA Science: A Training, Coaching, and Belt Ranking Guide. Dr. Gavoni is proud to introduce OBM and Applied Behavior Analysis to worldwide audiences through his numerous publications and his work with PCMA to create productive, safe, and positive cultures.

Beyond his work in education and human services, Dr. Gavoni is also a former Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion and a highly respected striking coach in combat sports. Coach “Paulie Gloves,” as he is known in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) community, has trained world champions and UFC vets using technologies rooted in the behavioral sciences. Coach Paulie has been featured in the books?Beast: Blood, Struggle, and Dreams a the Heart of Mixed Martial Arts, A Fighter’s Way, and the featured article Ring to Cage:?How four former boxers help mold MMA’s finest. He is also an author who has written extensively for various online magazines such as Scifighting, Last Word on Sports, and Bloody Elbow, where his?Fight Science series?continues to bring behavioral science to MMA. Finally, Paulie was also a featured fighter in FX’s highest-rated show at the time, The Toughman, and as an MMA coach in the Lifetime reality series?Leave it to Geege.