Strategies to Improve Social and Emotional Development in Young Children
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An essential part of successful interventions is individualizing the interventions to meet children's and families' unique strengths and needs. Challenging behaviors can often be prevented through a focus on promoting the social and emotional development of children.
On the Circle of Inclusion website link below, explore Chapter 5: Supporting Children in Inclusive Programs and Chapter 6: Supporting Children with Challenging Behaviors. Circle of Inclusion Project - University of Kansas
Discussion Questions
- Which aspects of these chapters are appropriate for infant-toddler classrooms?
- Which aspects are not relevant?
- Why is communication so important for children with disabilities?
- While reading about other children's cases on this site, what ideas did you develop for Michael?
- On the CSEFEL website link below, find Pablo under the Tools for Developing Behavior Support Plans section and read his Biography, Funcional Assessment,
Observation Cards, and Behavior Hypotheses.
Practical Strategies from CSEFEL (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning) - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Discussion Questions
- What do Pablo's challenging behaviors express that he is unable to communicate in an appropriate manner?
- What are the similarities between Pablo's challenging behaviors and Michael's challenging behaviors?
- What plan could you develop that would support Michael's use of new communication skills and decrease the likelihood that he will need to use challenging behavior?
- On the CSEFEL website link below, read the section on transitions.Helping Children Make Transitions from CSEFEL - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Discussion Questions
- Which aspects of the example for Ms. Karen's preschool classroom would be relevant to an infant-toddler classroom?
- Which aspects would not be relevant?
- How could you work with Susan and Martha to make transitions less stressful?
- What kind of specific support would help Michael to make smoother transitions?
- Learning about Preventative Strategies
Behavioral Checklist (Text)
Preventing Challenging Behavior (PDF)