A child with behavioral problems isn’t a bad kid, nor are they necessarily bad at school; they just might need a push in the right direction. But in the past, that encouragement might require a Redondo Beach Unified School District student to be sent to a non-public school, or for the district to bring in a staffer from a non-public agency.
That stopped being the case this year, when the district opened its Behavior Clinic at Jefferson Elementary School. At this clinic, students with difficult behaviors learn coping mechanisms and skills to better express themselves, while also giving educational aides from around the district an avenue to learn how to apply and reinforce those techniques.
“Across the district, we have a number of special needs students whose behaviors are unique and severe, in terms of showing aggression, or they’re maladaptive in some way,” Jefferson Principal Jeff Winckler said to RBUSD’s Board of Education. “They’re cognitively at grade level, above it, or below. But because of their behavior, their access to the curriculum is limited.”
This is the Behavior Clinic’s first year in operation; Winckler volunteered the school for the clinic in part to fulfill the district’s need, but also because its relatively central location aligned with the clinic’s goal: getting students back to their local school within the district in 6 to 8 weeks. While they’re at the Behavior Clinic, staff works with the students to shape their behaviors and push through what’s giving them problems.
Students at the clinic learn through restructured ideas, as when one student that was so disruptive as to be essentially unable to function in a classroom learned new behaviors through positive reinforcement, which was demonstrated to the board with a video.
In another example, a student played through a game to talk through a hypothetical situation where his siblings get into a conflict over a remote control, what that feels like, and how much anger is warranted in such a sibling fight.
The clinic has a variety of tools and visual aids “to help maintain, shape and generalize behaviors, which is what they’re able to take back to general education and to their home schools,” said RBUSD Special Education Department Program Coordinator Jessie Olshan.
Those tools help students monitor and track their behavior, get feedback and earn positive rewards or incentives for their good behavior, Winckler said.
This year, the program has had anywhere from two to five students enrolled at a time, alongside the aides from their school that have come to train in techniques the students are learning. Going forward, the clinic plans to increase capacity, building support for students and educational aides alike.
“It’s nice to come forward and present something that’s shiny and clean, but this one is a bit messy. It’s not always clear how to navigate forward, but we want to support these students and better train our aides. We’re really proud to have this at our school,” Winckler said.
