Special Education K-5 ELA and Supplemental Guide

Behavioral Instructional Priorities TIER 1 Implementation Guide

Link to Tier 1 - Instructional Guide document

DE-ESCALATION STRATEGIES: HELP, PROMPT, WAIT The number one goal of de-escalation is safety. Safety for the student, other students, and staff. The next goal is to avoid reinforcing inappropriate or unsafe behavior. This enables less staff resources to be diverted to crisis behavior and more towards learning and academics.

HELP Strategy

Implementation Guidelines: ● Identify environmental triggers ● Identify student signals of stress, agitation, or aggression ● Intervene earlier

Goal

Promote communication of needs and intervene early.

Ask any open ended question or provide choices. ● How can I help you? ● What do you need?

● How are you feeling today? ● Tell me you need a break. ● Would you like to take a break in the calm corner or go get a drink of water? ● Would you like me to help you with this problem or would you like to ask your table partner for help? If responsive: Praise communication of needs and provide what they communicated, or an approximation to the request. If student becomes more agitated: Switch to the PROMPT or WAIT strategy as appropriate. PROMPT Strategy Ask student to do something they can do right then or an incompatible behavior to the inappropriate behavior. ● Take a deep breath ● Count to 10 ● Walk with me to the end of the hall ● Clap your hands ● Pick up your pencil If responsive: Praise any cooperation or approximation of cooperation. Continue to prompt until working independently or switch to HELP strategy if appropriate. If student becomes more agitated: Switch to the WAIT strategy. WAIT Strategy Build behavior momentum and reinforce cooperation.

What to say?

than later with either HELP or PROMPT strategy ● Reinforce any type of communication ● Pick your battles (you can work on ● Reinforce any appropriate behavior ● Switch to WAIT if neither HELP or PROMPT are working or if the student is becoming more agitated ● Once in ‘WAIT’ look for any step down in saying things a certain way at a later time)

Next Steps

Goal

What to Say

Next Steps

escalation and try HELP or PROMPT again

Safety and avoiding reinforcement of inappropriate or dangerous behaviors.

Goal

More information can be found in the Safety Care Manual

What to say?

NOTHING. Remember the cue, Why Am I Talking (WAIT) . Avoid eye contact, keep face neutral. Only intervene for safety.

If student starts to de-escalate: Switch to HELP or PROMPT strategy. Remember they do not need to be all the way calm, just a step down. If student remains escalated: Continue to wait. De-escalation does not have a time limit.

Fidelity Checklist: ❏

Next Steps

Was each goal meet for each strategy?

Were next steps followed?

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