Barbara’s Workshops on Challenging Behavior

You can invite Barbara to talk about challenging behavior at your conference, school, or center. For information, email her at barbarak@challengingbehavior.com

To see a schedule of her upcoming presentations, click here. To learn what people say about her workshops, see below.

Barbara demonstrating the L-Stance at a workshop in Mauritius

Here is a list of possible keynotes and workshops

Meeting the Challenge  (1½ hours-full day).  When you’re spending many hours a day with a child with challenging behavior, you can make a difference in his life. Early intervention is the key. This presentation—designed for teachers, parents, and others working first-hand with children with challenging behavior—uses real-life examples to identify practical and effective strategies drawn from research.

Nothing I Do Works! Understanding, Preventing, and Responding Effectively to Challenging Behavior  (3 hours-full day). This workshop will help teachers to build their capacity to develop positive relationships with all children, understand why children behave the way they do, learn how to prevent many inappropriate behaviors,  and develop skills and attitudes that will enable them to respond effectively when challenging behavior occurs.

I Didn’t Mean to Ruin Your Day (1½ hours-3 hours). When you recognize that challenging behavior is rooted in biological and environmental factors and not a child’s desire to ruin your day, you can figure out what that child needs in order to succeed. This workshop will help you understand why a child behaves in a particular way and enable you to meet his needs and manage his behavior effectively.

Prevention Is the Best Intervention (1½ hours-full day). Challenging behavior can be prevented when teachers understand the risk and protective factors in children’s lives and create a responsive learning environment. This workshop describes those risk and protective factors (including the role of the brain), shows how they apply in practice, and helps teachers redefine the concept of fairness.

Time-out for Time-out! (1½ hours-full day). This workshop examines the effects of punishment and explores alternatives to time-out, such as natural and logical consequences, functional assessment, and positive behavior support. These important tools will enable you to help children with challenging behavior learn appropriate ways to express their needs.

Functional Assessment and Positive Behavior Support (2  hours, 3 hours, or full day). Every challenging behavior can be thought of as a child’s solution to a problem and a form of communication. This workshop will help you learn to use functional assessment and positive behavior support to understand where a behavior is coming from, why it’s happening in a particular time and place, and the purpose it serves for the child. You will also learn how to replace it with acceptable behavior.

There’s Bullying in My Classroom (1½ hours-full day). What is bullying? Why do kids bully? Who bullies? Who are the targets of bullying? Who are the bystanders and what can they do to change things? This workshop answers all your questions and provides strategies for dealing with this pervasive problem. Available for teachers of children from preschool through grade 8.

Opening the Culture Door (1½ hours-full day). Everyone and every place has a culture that governs our thinking and behavior. This workshop investigates how understanding culture can improve your ability to prevent and respond to challenging behavior.

WEVAS: Working Effectively with Violent and Aggressive States (3 hours, full day, or 2 full days). Challenging behavior sometimes seems to come out of nowhere. The WEVAS strategy demonstrates how to recognize warning signs, see things from the child’s perspective, and match your response to the child’s needs.

Parents As Partners (1½ hours-3 hours).  Talking to parents about their child’s challenging behavior can be one of a teacher’s most difficult jobs. This workshop provides tips for connecting with parents and creating a team approach to difficult behavior.

Challenging Behavior in Young Children: The Director’s Role (1½ hours-full day). A director has to balance multiple roles when there are children with challenging behavior in the center. This workshop will develop your understanding of why some children behave inappropriately and explain how to understand and respond effectively to staff and families. You’ll also explore best practices for positive guidance and guidelines for creating a behavior management policy.

Can’t Help Loving Them: A Workshop for Parents (1½ hours-full day). When they’re struggling with their child’s challenging behavior at home, parents often seek new strategies. This workshop will provide them with insight into their child and themselves and suggest ways they can prevent and respond to challenging behaviors more effectively.

Facing the Challenge: Helping Teachers Better Work with Children with Challenging Behavior (2½ days, train-the-trainer). This intensive workshop, presented with the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, provides participants with new tools, techniques, and skills for teaching educators and others closely involved with young children to understand, prevent, and respond effectively to challenging behavior. Recommended especially for behavioral specialists, therapists, specialists in early childhood mental health and disabilities, trainers, and technical assistance providers, as well as directors and administrators.

What people say about Barbara’s workshops

“I loved  your workshop and the ideas I took from it…. I already see some positive changes in the general class behavior.”  —Julie, Singapore American School, Singapore

“This workshop opened my eyes to things I can do differently. Barbara is great! I loved her enthusiasm. There were lots of opportunities for discussion and exchange of ideas.”  —Preschool teacher, Richardson, TX

“Finally a workshop where I learned some strategies that are useful and realistic.” —Pre-K teacher, Baton Rogue, LA