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When fluorescent lighting was replaced by full-spectrum lighting in classrooms, children's previous misbehaviour and hyperactivity were much improved (by over 30 percent) and number of teeth cavities in fell by two-thirds.
Dr J Ott - New Sci 1991; 6 April: 13 - Except Child, 1981; 47: 352 - Am J Public Health, 1939;29: 777 and J Nutr, 1938; 15: 547
Self-esteem is critical to learning. … There seem to be strong links between emotional development, self-esteem and school behaviour.
Usha McNab
"The Individual and the Whole Class”
Usha McNab
"The Individual and the Whole Class”
The early correlates and consequences of child poverty for children and young adults include adverse trends in reading skills, unmanageable and aggressive behaviour at school, drug misuse, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, homelessness, crime, and suicide. These are the symptoms and signs of social exclusion, which has been defined as "the inability of our society to keep all groups and individuals within reach of what we expect as a society and the tendency to push vulnerable and difficult individuals into the least popular places." … Many initiatives come late in the process, addressing consequences rather than causes. Their targeted nature is also limiting. BMJ 2001;323:175-176
Use of PBS (an empirically validated, function-based approach) decreases the need for more intrusive or aversive interventions (i.e. punishment or suspension) and can lead to both systemic as well as individualized change.
Andrea M. Cohn - National Association of School Psychologists - USA
Children scoring highly on standard tests for hostility were more likely to have developed risk factors like obesity, insulin resistance and high blood pressure, which together can lead to heart disease or diabetes.
Health Psychology (vol 22, p 279)
Health Psychology (vol 22, p 279)
Clinics in Glasgow, Springburn, Anniesland, Milngavie, Clarkston, Strathaven
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A variety of studies and reports indicate that issues with children’s behaviour and health issues seem to stem from a narrow view of their potential, inappropriate nutrition, lack of good role models, peer pressure, poor emotional intelligence and many other factors.As with other matters, dictating rules and regulations for antisocial behaviour, enforced schooling, trying to change external factors such as housing and building more facilities for children and so on is only part of the solution. What is really needed is a cohesive, integrated approach which supports children at many levels.
A rational understanding of their predicaments without prejudice or blaming can lead to interventions which have more profound and sustainable benefits for children than any single intervention alone.
Adopting this integrated approach has produced remarkable positive outcomes in projects delivered in schools within areas of multiple deprivation in Scotland where the most challenging children were able to behave more appropriately as well as attain higher educational accomplishments.
On the links below, you will find programmes, reports and outcomes of three such projects, two run in primary schools and one at a secondary school for children with extreme behaviour difficulties. The reports have been edited in parts deemed to be confidential.
Primary school 1: The first time ‘stress management’ was delivered for children (1993). Based mainly on promoting self-awareness. It was run by Easterhouse Stress Centre (Glasgow).
Primary school 2: A more refined, multidimensional approach. Here a group of 12 children deemed to be mostly in need were selected by their school to participate. The children were entirely responsible for the running of their group (including the disciplinary procedures mechanisms) with very little intervention from us.
Coming to the group was not obligatory and was perceived as a privilege. Indeed, the ultimate ‘punishment’ was not being allowed to participate of one (the following) session. In case of disruption, the group as a whole decided that certain behaviours were inappropriate, discussing the reasons, where the problem stemmed from and the appropriate action to be taken.
Each session started and finished with a meeting to discuss the session’s programme, plan the next session and discuss any other matters including their experiences in and out of school. Minutes were taken (by a designated child). Every participant had a task (sometimes in rotation).
There were also half-hour one-to-one personal development meetings with the therapists and each child had a personal contract outlining what they wanted to achieve from coming to the sessions, what they needed to do in other to allow the therapist to support in the achievement of their goal them and what to do in case of a breach of contract. The contract had clauses applying to both parties.
Eventually parents and teachers requested a similar group for themselves. This added cohesion to the children’s support mechanisms. This project was published by ‘The Therapist’ (now titled ‘Human Givens’, published by the Human Givens Institute). You can read the article HERE (PDF - 308 KB).
Click HERE for summary report.(PDF - 32 KB)
Secondary school: I was asked by the head teacher of a secondary school for special-needs children with extreme behaviour issues to come up with ‘alternative’ ideas to support those children. I spent 8 months researching the issues with the children and all the staff.
What I found was surprisingly simple and obvious. Most children had unexplored and in some cases exceptional talents, all the children had a very narrow view of what they could achieve, academics from ‘the outside’ dismantled previously successful mechanisms in order to fit the children into general theoretical principles, and, for a variety of reasons, there was no cohesion in dealing with unacceptable behaviour and there was no clear, cohesive support between life in and outside the school.
One of the children even stated that there wasn’t enough material to study and he got bored and that the staff was “too soft”. This boy was one of six who engaged with me, achieving goals they never thought they could.
The findings could and should be applied to any other kind of schools (not just in special-needs cases).
Click HERE for the full report.
