Dealing Successfully with Students Who Have Mental-Health Challenges

From the Marshall Memo #435

In this Harvard Education Letter article, Jessica Minahan (Newton (MA) Public Schools) and Nancy Rappaport (Harvard Medical School) report that about 10% of American students have a psychiatric disorder or psychological stressor linked to poverty, domestic violence, abuse, or neglect. Many are disruptive, irritable, argumentative, clingy, and sexually inappropriate, and a significant number are failing academically. 

Minahan and Rappaport believe that schools can change these grim outcomes – especially in the elementary grades. Here are their recommendations:

• Understanding behavior – “Even though students’ behavior can look bizarre and disruptive,” they say, “their actions are purposeful and are their attempts to solve a problem.” For example, a student pushing a classmate away from a computer may be an awkward attempt to make a friend. Teachers need to be “behavior detectives”, identifying why students behave as they do, what school factors might be contributing, and what strategies will lead to more appropriate behavior. Teachers can learn to observe a pattern of behavior, form a hypothesis, and intervene effectively before calling in a specialist or writing an IEP. 

• Punishments – “Over time, we have discovered that one of the most powerful ways to help teachers is to show them how changing their own actions can help guide students toward behavior change,” say the authors. Being lectured, called out in class, or sent to the office gives negative attention to troubled students. Teachers can break the cycle by building in one-on-one time, perhaps spending a few minutes with the student reading from a favorite book. 

• Replacement behaviors and skills – “When students act inappropriately,” say Minahan and Rappaport, “it is the job of the teachers to teach them a suitable replacement behavior as a first step toward building the necessary skills to behave appropriately.” For example, a student who rudely refuses to read aloud might be taught to hold up a card that says, I pass. Replacement behaviors must address the underlying cause of the behavior and be manageable.

• Burnout prevention – Teachers need support from school leaders and other staff; regular meetings to discuss strategies and coordinate interventions are an important part of this. 

“Be a Behavior Detective: Improving Prospects for Challenging Students” by Jessica Minahan and Nancy Rappaport in Harvard Education Letter, May/June 2012 (Vol. 28, #3, p. 8, 6-7), http://www.edletter.org; the authors’ new book is The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students (Harvard Education Press, 2012)