It's Always a Journey: Behavior Management Plan C

I struggled with the same four clients yesterday that challenged me last week. The problem? Giggling, running around the room, and doing things expressly asked not to do is SO much more reinforcing than anything I have to offer that nothing gets accomplished except for lots of chaos and mayhem.

Now, I've been through situations and classes like this before, but none of us were prepared for this type of response from these students. It is all because we have a new student in the class. This student was originally in a classroom where no one would respond when he got squirrely. Now he is in a class where EVERYONE responds when he gets goofy. They all join in! It goes from engagement to out-of-control in an instant. There are very few indicators that the kingpin of this particular response has any signs of approaching overstimulation - it just happens! BAM!

So, yesterday's session included having assigned seats, but students could see each other, so I was not really able to keep them isolated. The next step? We're going to try small groups set up away from each other and with backs to each other. Decrease the sight line. Another part of the plan will be to remove the instigator from the session immediately so I can get the interest of the others back as soon as possible.

The thing about my students is that it takes time to figure them out and figure out the best system of doing music for them. Each one of them. There is never a situation where one form of behavior management "fits all." Ever. I am always having to tweak things here and there to keep music therapy sessions going. Many of those tweaks happen within the session itself, but some require significantly more planning outside the session.

Right now, it seems that these students are struggling more in music therapy than in any other place, but my vision of what they do in other places is a bit skewed. The art therapist doesn't seem to have any difficulty with those kids, but she can arrange her room a bit differently with desks away from others. I don't have that luxury as much, but I will make it happen.

The thing about behavior management is that you keep going and going, planning and planning, until you figure out a way to make things work. This group has been there before and will get there again, but it will take lots of work on my part to do this. 

So, plan C is developed. Plan D should be in the works pretty soon as I am sure that C will not be the last one that I need in my bag of tricks.