Including Children and Youth with Disruptive Behaviors

During this training, participants will discuss the challenges of children and youth with disruptive behavior and learn strategies for effectively addressing these behaviors. 

This module was revised in 2016 to incorporate social-emotional learning and Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California and revised in 2019 to incorporate language to support mental health and wellness.

In this training participants will:

  • Examine their current methods of working with children and youth with disruptive behavior;

  • Identify behavior guidance strategies

Content Overview:

“What Do You Think?”

Participants respond to a series of questions intended to help them consider how adults guided their own behavior as children/youth. This will prepare them to understand how to use behavior guidance strategies with children with special needs

Our Experiences

Participants have a chance to share the most challenging behaviors they face, and some successful strategies for dealing with them, in order to move them towards learning some new strategies.

Two Top Behavior Supports

Activity gives participants and opportunity to focus on two top behavior supports – the schedule and managing transitions – in order to assess how well they use these supports to improve behavior.

Direct and Indirect Guidance

Participants review the differences between direct and indirect guidance and learn specific strategies to support positive behaviors in children and youth.

Scenes from A Hat

Participants look at specific scenarios and practice applying some of the strategies that they have learned in this training.

Training Length: 2 hours


eLearning Module

When working with children and youth, we encounter a wide range of behaviors.

When looking at behavior guidance strategies, it is important to pay special attention to ways we can keep disruptive behaviors from happening in the first place. These preventative measures help to create a safe and productive environment for everyone in the program.

By the end of this module, participants will:

  • Examine their current methods of working with children and youth with disruptive behavior.

  • Identify behavior guidance strategies.