What is the Acting Out Cycle?The Acting Out Cycle is a process that students undergo when they are triggered or set off. The cycle can be stopped at any point. The goal is to help the student self-regulate to keep themselves from progressing through the cycle. The student is only able to learn in the calm stage of the cycle although the student may continue to work in other stages of the cycle.
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1. CalmThe student is learning and focusedThe ability to work and function in a manner that is typical to that child including the child’s behavior- each child’s calm looks different- normal to the child. The child accepts corrective feedback, praise and ignores distractions.
What you can do: Prepare, positive reinforcement systems, teaching skills including coping skills, pre-corrective strategies
Examples: Teaching a runner to run to the principal’s office. Practice going there. Have the child have positive experiences there, Role-Play, discuss past issues |
2. TriggeringThe student is distracted by an upsetting eventThings not going the way we expect them to or the student expect them to. Triggers are often unnoticeable to teachers, there can be multiple triggers. In order to take action notice when a student is triggered by looking at their body language and watching for patterns.
External triggers- other people, schedules, routines being changed, hangry, physiological states (hunger, tired), school/work, stress, relationships, arguing with parents before school, Internal triggers- hormones/puberty |
6. DeescalationIrrationally calming downIn this stage the student is starting to calm down but is not entirely rational. The student may cry, have heavy breathing, blame others for their behavior, be confused or disoriented about what just happened and/or express remorse. It is important to remember that at this stage the student has not yet returned to a calm state of being.
What teachers can do:
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7. RecoveryReturning to calm and repairing the relationshipAt this point the student is tired and wanting to take a nap. They have calmed down but are still sensitive. Things may not be quite the same as usual and the student may regress (revert to younger behavior).
What teachers can do:
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