When a Student Tells You ‘No’: Refusal & Emotional Regulation in the Classroom

Course Abstract:
Student refusal is a common challenge that teachers and staff face in both Special Education and General Education classrooms. While the majority of students willingly cooperate with most activities, instructions, and transitions, nearly every classroom will have at least one student who struggles with this to some degree. If student refusal is frequent and often leads to escalation it can significantly disrupt the classroom dynamic. The most frequently recommended interventions such as Escape Extinction, First/Then, Behavior Charts, Token Boards, etc. often make the problem worse for our students with the most complex refusal profiles. In this CEU event, Bethany will share a simple and effective way to de-escalate students who exhibit chronic refusal and increase the likelihood of their long-term success in the classroom.

Learning Objectives:
– Attendees will be able to identify why a student who has learned to cooperate with others has more success in school than one who has learned to simply comply.

– Attendees will be able to describe the reinforcement contingencies in place for teachers that contribute to behavioral escalations in the presence of student-refusal and how to change them.

– Attendees will be able to describe how to become an SD for a response class of behaviors that lead to problem solving and emotional regulation.

– Attendees will be able to list and describe the three steps for responding to an uncooperative student.

– Attendees will be able to describe how to lead with curiosity and demonstrate reflective listening when students are escalated.

Presenter Bio:
Bethany has worked in schools, both public and private, since 2016 and is dedicated to helping teachers and students create learning environments where they can thrive. Understanding the complex contingencies that students and their teachers navigate in classrooms is a crucial part of reaching this goal. Bethany enjoys examining these contingencies though a behavior analytic lens, taking them apart and putting them back together in new ways to improve student-teacher relationships, increase academic success, and reduce classroom stress.