1. Recognizing Underlying Causes of Behaviors to Prevent Aggression
Presenter: Elena Watson, Ed.D .
Co-Founder, ABC4IEP

2. Objectives
Identify the five fundamental causes of aggressive behaviors.
Use these causes to identify potential triggers and develop appropriate preventative measures.

3. Underlying Causes of Aggressive Behavior
Stress Factors
Developmental Incongruities
Communication Imbalance
Environmental Irritants
Basic Needs Not Being Met

4. Physical Needs/Survival
Basic Needs
Self-
Actualization
Self-Esteem
Love
Belonging
Safety & Security
Physical Needs/Survival
Adapted from Maslow (1954)
All behavior is designed to meet certain basic needs.

5. Stress Factors Assignment/Test Peer Conflict Economy Immigration
Cultural Differences
Bullying
Family Situation

6. Developmental Incongruities
Chronological age and developmental age are not necessarily matched.
Individuals may be functioning at a younger developmental level or an older developmental level.

7. Communication Balance
Withdrawal
Assertion
Assault
Passivity
Aggression
There is a healthy balance point between passive and aggressive communication.

8. All Behavior is a form of Communication
Assertion = I
Example: I want to help.
Don’t ask a question when you mean a statement.
Questions are just questions. Use assertion.
Example: I would like this place to look better. Let’s clean up together.
Model assertiveness throughout your teaching.

9. Environmental Irritants
Environmental contributors may include:
Physical conditions
Inadequate planning
Lack of structure
Scheduling problems

10. Environmental Irritants
Expectations and values are communicated by the appearance of the environment.
Take a mental stroll through your work environment and consider the factors that may contribute to assault, including structure, staffing, and rules.

11. Basic Needs
Violence may result from either a threat to one of these basic needs or a frustrated attempt to meet a given need.
Staff actions will be more successful if they are designed to meet basic needs rather than simply stop assaultive behavior.

12. All Causes of Behavior may be impacted by:
medical illness
psychiatric illness
psychosocial stressors
consumption of drugs and alcohol

13. Understanding Behavioral Causes to reduce risks
Employees who are able to identify the fundamental cause of a behavior can develop appropriate interventions to decrease the risk of reoccurring aggressive behaviors and assist students in acquiring replacement behaviors.

14. Break Out Session Choose a student that exhibits aggressive behaviors.
Using the five fundamental causes discussed today, identify the one that is contributing to the aggressive behaviors.
List the appropriate school personnel to address this cause and a preventative method that he/she might put in place.

15. Summary Stress may trigger aggression.
Developmental incongruities may contribute to an assault.
Assaultive incidents are signaled by, and grown from, patterns of unbalanced, nonassertive communication.
Environmental irritants may contribute to assaultive incidents.
Unmet needs on a more primitive level may lead to assault.