GPS event with Dr. Jessica Minahan presents Practical Strategies for Reducing Anxiety and Challenging Behavior in Students

The Glenbard Parent Series: (GPS) Navigating Healthy Families presented Practical Strategies for Reducing Anxiety and Challenging Behavior in Students with Jessica Minahan during two webinars on  Tuesday, March 14.

With anxiety and challenging behaviors on the rise, adults need effective and easy-to-implement strategies to help young people process critical thoughts and interrupt negative behavior patterns. Using case studies, humorous stories and examples of common challenging situations, Minahan delivered a systematic approach to enhance adolescent coping skills and provide tools and interventions for reducing students’ anxiety and increasing their self-regulation and flexible thinking. 

Minahan is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst, special educator and internationally known school consultant. She works with students who struggle with emotional and behavioral disabilities, anxiety disorders, high-functioning autism or mental health issues. She is the author of “The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students,” and “The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools, and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behavior.” 

TAKE -AWAY 

Mary Furbush, Executive Director CASE: Cooperative Association for Special Education shared the following take-away:

"Dr. Minahan shared her systematic approach for understanding the cause and pattern of anxiety and difficult behaviors, which are often due to a lack of underdeveloped skills.  Students behave if they can. Misbehavior is a symptom of an underlying cause, and that behavior communicates a need. We should look for the patterns occurring before and after the behavior. We should ask ourselves, What is the student getting from the behavior? Anxiety often follows, which can then lead to distorted perceptions, inflexible thinking, and working memory challenges. When anxiety goes down, the ability to acquire skills goes up. Technology has impacted the skill of waiting, delayed gratification and taken time away from the development of social skills. We should focus on reinforcing positive behaviors, offer choices, provide the rationale first, and validate their feelings to assist with de-escalation. We should say "pause" not "stop" to ease transition and focus on the development of skills over incentives. Lastly, the only behavior we adults can control is our own."

RESOURCES

Handout: Parents-Practical Strategies to Reduce Anxiety in Kids HERE

Handout: Educators-Practical Strategies to Reduce Anxiety and Challenging Behavior in Students HERE

Jessica Minahan's Collection of School Resources Includes academic and social emotional resources for educators HERE

Jessica Minahan's Collection of Social/Emotional Resources and more HERE

Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast episode #107 with Jessica Minahan on "The Behavior Code: Understanding/Teaching the Most Challenging Students" HERE

Learn more about Jessica Minahan (website) HERE

Learn more about the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast HERE

20 Tips to Help De-escalate Interactions With Anxious or Defiant Students with Minahan HERE

Behaviorbabe Podcast: Jessica Minahan on Treating Anxiety & Trauma in Public Schools HERE

Behaviorbabe Podcast: Jessica Minahan on Understanding the Impact of Anxiety on Behavior HERE

A Summary of Minahan’s Work:  A F.A.I.R. Plan by Elise M. Frangos, Ed.D.  HERE