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HD426-Evidence
HD 426- Working with Children Who Challenge Teachers Skills

Book Reflection Paper #1
Cherilyn Helguera
June 9, 2016
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Reading course material is a challenge for me since my mind takes numerous tries
to retain information. Initially skimming through this book, Challenging Behavior in
Young Children; Understanding, Preventing, and Responding Effectively, I felt
overwhelmed at the content. My first thought was how much factual and uninteresting
information this might be, but I was incorrect in my initial evaluation. This book is a
clear informational reading regarding behaviors in children that will broaden ones
perspective and eliminate biases. Being a professional educator, I do have biases
regarding children with challenging behaviors. It is easy to view the families and label
the childs behavior.
As I read through the book, I began to realize that some of my students are in this
book. I am currently working with a child who displays violent behaviors. He turns his
fingers and any object he is holding into a gun. He makes shooting sounds and says,
youre dead! He shows true enjoyment when doing this which leads to the other boys
following his lead. He is very physical and active. After a few minutes interacting with
another child, he will hit, push, scratch, pinch, or slap. One day a parent was signing their
child in and another student walked over to greet her, as my student with challenging
behaviors walked over to the greeting student, he took his hand and slapped him in the
face. There was no aggressive behavior from the greeting student to trigger this conduct.
The parent was not the mother of either of these two boys, but she was overwhelmingly
concerned at the behavior because it happened right in front of her.
Reading chapter two, risk factors, one area focuses on exposure to violence.
Children exposed to violence find it hard to regulate their emotions and often behave
aggressively (Kaiser & Rasminsky, 2012). This statement impacted me by opening my
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mind to think past my biases of, If his mother would have been more attentive this
would not have happened to this child. His mother does indulge too much information
nor do I have any idea about his father. She seems to shy away from that topic, so I do not
push. I am curious as to if there was trauma or violence within this childs environment
that has led him to this behavior. He is influenced greatly with violent shows and video
games. Mom insists that he does not watch these or play video games a lot. Yet, he tells
me of all the video games he plays on his tablet and scary movies he watched. It shows
that media influence can greatly impact children in a negative way.
I had another student in my class and she demonstrated an extreme aggressive
behavior. We had to bring in a licensed psychologist to observe her and assist us. Within
the year her mother told me of her first pregnancy being joyful with no stresses. When
she became pregnant with her second child, the father left her and she was very angry and
stressed. The mother was left with all the responsibilities, being a single mother, and
pregnant. She asked me, If I was angry and emotional during and after my pregnancy, do
you think that is why my daughter behaves this way? I was unsure if this could be a
possibility. Humans need to acquire a great deal of information that is unique to their
own environment-how to relate to the individuals around them and navigate in their
physical surroundings (p.56). Even though we think of a baby as fragile and needy, they
are quite receptive and absorbing to their environment at a rapid pace. The brain is
constantly restructuring and refining itself to reflect new experiences (p.56).
It seems that these negative experiences can impact the brain of an infant. I do not
disregard if there can be a similar impact in the womb, but I do know that the
environment the infant is in will impact their ability to regulate their emotions and could
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develop challenging behaviors. Once I began to work with her behaviors it was easier
to see her not her challenges. I had days where I wanted to give up. I told my supervisor
one frustrating day, If I have to do this one more year, Im quitting! I am so grateful at
the assistance they provided. She is now in Kindergarten and doing better. She still has
some difficulties at home, but she and her mom are involved in therapy. Her mom is
trying to incorporate tools that are being provided to assist with her daughters behaviors.
As to my boy with aggressive behaviors, he is still displaying these violent
behaviors, but has shown signs of improvement. It is difficult to push aside biases and try
to focus on the childs needs. I can see how this book helps to minimize the typical
feelings a teacher can have and focuses in on the needs of the child. Negative feelings
produce the highest barrier between you and a child with challenging behaviors (p. 67). I
have seen how my emotions can influence or add to the childs behaviors. Finding an
understanding and acceptance towards a child with challenging behaviors is the first step
to build trust with that child. It takes time to find out about the family's dynamics and
culture.
You are the mature member of this duo, the one with the ability to size up the
situation and adjust your teaching style to enable all the children in the classroom to
function and feel comfortable (p. 66). I see how a professional educator can bring in their
own issues of their life and carry stress of the classroom, this can impact the relationship
between the child and the teacher. I reflect daily on how I need to leave my personal life
at the door and focus on the classroom. I am responsible to positively impact the children
gifted to my classroom.
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I will use the functional assessment observation form when assessing a child with
challenging behaviors. By doing this I can track various negative behaviors in increments
to review and discuss with my team. This will allow me to reflect on what behaviors are
being displayed and at what times of the day. I can also see if there is a pattern or a
trigger that happens when the behavior is displayed. I will use this resource to aid with
the children in my classroom.
I do recommend this book to anyone who is a professional educator or even a
parent with concerns. I will keep this book to assist me and to also help me reflect when I
feel myself struggling to understand a childs behavior. I will also use the book as a
resource for information during my parent meetings. With topics that need to be
addressed, it is always helpful to have a reliable resource to give to parents to understand
challenging behaviors. I have witnessed many family cultures that believe in corporal
punishment with misbehaviors. This book is a great tool for educators in understanding
children with challenging behaviors, to not label them but to observe and document. This
will assist staff and professionals in preparing a plan to assist with each child. I will keep
this book in my library.
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6
References
Kaiser, B. & Rasminsky, J.S. (2012). Challenging behavior in young children:

understanding, preventing, and responding effectively. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey.

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HD 426- Working with Children Who Challenge Teachers Skills

Kaiser, B. & Rasminsky, J.S. (2012). Challenging behavior in young children:

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