Fourth Edition, September 2011

Behaviour Problems: Suggestions for Supporting 
Your Student in School 

Focusing: Be sure you have everyone’s attention before you start your lesson. 

Direct Instruction: Begin by telling the students exactly what will be happening.

Monitoring: Get up and go around the classroom to ensure that everyone has started, 
and is on the right page.

Modelling: Model the quiet respectful behaviour you want from your student.

Non-verbal Cuing: Try hand gestures, facial expressions, or other signals that can let a 
student know their behaviour is not acceptable, without involving the entire classroom.

Environmental Control: Think about how you can make your classroom a warm and in-
viting environment. Some students may need a quieter corner with fewer distractions.

Low-Profi le Intervention: Many major problems start out as minor problems that escal-
ate. Ensure that students are not rewarded for misbehaviour by becoming the centre 
of attention.

Assertive Discipline: Ensure you communicate the expecta-
tions and enforce them consistently.

Personalize Expectations: Use clear statements when con-
fronting students. “I expect you to…” or “I want you to…”

Positive behavioural expectation: Use rules 
that describe the behaviour you want, not 
the behaviour you are discouraging. In-
stead of “no fi ghting”, use “settle confl icts 
appropriately”.
Adapted from Discipline by Design
www.honorlevel.com

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C 7
Behaviour Problems
Making a Diff erence: An Educators’ Guide to Child and Youth Mental Health Problems
www.cymhin.ca
More information
Books
The Difficult Child
Stanley Turecki, Bantam; 2nd Rev. Ed. (2000) ISBN: 0553380362
Your Defiant Child: Eight Steps to Better Behavior
Russell Barkley, Guilford Press (1998) ISBN:1572303212
Responding to Problem Behavior in Schools: The Behavior Education Program
Deanne A. Crone, The Guilford Press; (2003) ISBN-13: 978-1572309401
Functional Assessment: Strategies to Prevent and Remediate Challenging Behavior in 
School Settings
Lynette K. Chandler, Prentice Hall; (2009) ISBN-13: 978-0138126926
School-Based Interventions for Students with Behavior Problems
William R. Jenson Springer; (2003) ISBN-13: 978-0306481147