Hey Reader,

When a teacher asks, “How do we stop Michael from (insert non-neurotypical behavior here)?” it can be tempting to jump straight to a fidget, movement break, or sensory diet.

But before you do, I want you to think critically about the behavior and whether or not it is actually creating a participation barrier.

A recent question inside The Back to School Conference Community brought this into focus. A practitioner described a student who showed repetitive behaviors during demanding classroom tasks. Specifically, they wondered: Should the goal be to eliminate the behavior, or help the student participate more successfully?

How many times have you asked yourself that same question since becoming a school-based OTP?

A behavior's appearance alone doesn't tell us its purpose. Sensory needs, task demands, communication, and the classroom environment may (and likely do) all play a role.

Before recommending a strategy to the classroom teacher, I’d want to answer these three questions through an observation and chat with the student and classroom staff:

1. What do you notice before, during, and after the behavior?

Yes, I know this sounds like “ABC” data used by BCBAs, but we are using it with an OT lens.

A behaviorist looks at the antecedent, behavior, and consequence to determine how they can change the child's behavior.

But that’s often only one piece of the PEO model - the person.

As an OT, you apply the PEO model to understand how the environemnt and occupation impact the child's behavior, too.

You look at the activity demands, the noise, the instructions, the transitions, the level of support, and more. And you try to understand if the pattern changes when the task is more familiar, or directions are clearer.

This is why I love the PEO model. It begs you to look beyond the what you might see at first glance.

2. What is the actual participation concern?

You probably receive referrals for sensory-related behaviors twice a month, and they all say the same thing: “The student can’t sit still.”

To that I ask, “So what?” - Okay, not really. That would be unprofessional.

But I will follow up to better understand how that relates to the student's participation in education.

I want to know what the student wants or needs to do - begin work, stay involved in a discussion, join classmates, etc. Then I want to know how that is actually impacted by the behavior.

A student not sitting still does not automatically mean the IEP team should focus on making the child “sit still.”

As we know, there’s more than one way to participate in school.

3. What could the team change together?

IEP teams often jump to a “change the child” mentality.

However, the simplest solution is often to alter the environment to fit the child - not vice versa.

As the OT on the team, this is your moment to shine and show there are more than one way to increase student participation.

Consider accommodations to the environment and the child's occupational demands. Ask the team to visualize what might happen if the child is compelled to “sit still” all day. Would that actually improve participation? Then offer an alternative - like a standing desk or alternative ways to respond to questions.

It’s kind of ironic that we aim for students to be in the “Least Restrictive Environment,” but as a team, we often look at the environment last when it comes to supporting students.

Go figure…

So, this week, try replacing “How do we stop it?” IEP conversations with “What would help this student participate?”

Sometimes, the IEP team needs a reminder that participation is the goal.

CONTINUING EDUCATION 🎓

How School-Based OT Practitioners Can Create a Holistic Plan to Address Student Behavioral Concerns

Use the person, environment, and occupation lens to look beyond a “sensory or behavior” label and plan supports with school staff.

​Read the article →​

LAST WORD 👋​
​Remember, there is more than one way to support a student.

Just like you can’t force a student to write neater, you can’t will a student to sit still.

Supporting a child takes multiple angles.

The student may need additional supports, but let’s not forget the environment and task demands.

Next week, we'll turn these observations into an intervention plan teachers can realistically use, with a practical connection to Episode 211 of the OT Schoolhouse podcast.​

Until then, what's one classroom behavior that made you reconsider your first impression? Hit reply. I'd love to hear.

👋 Jayson

Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L
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​Say hi 👋 on Instagram, LinkedIn,
and inside the School-Based OT Collaborative​