Learn ways to increase positive school behavior
School Behavior for a child can sometimes be inconsistent with behavior in the home, especially if a child is involved in school bullying. Some children will behave very well in school and then only seem to have problems at home. Factors to consider and strategies to implement:
1. Eliminate any sleep problems. An extremely important factor that affects a child’s school behavior is the amount of sleep he or she is getting each night. If your child has a problem sleeping at night then he or she will be tired in class, have less ability to focus, and become irritable. You may also notice a lot of hyperactive behavior due to the body releasing cortisol (steroid) in response to the stress of fatigue. Click on the link above to make sure you know how much sleep your child should be getting. These symptoms can all lead to a diagnosis of ADHD even though the real issue is related to sleep. Teachers may even go as far as to trying to strongly urge parents to put their child on medications that aren’t necessarily needed. Therefore, making sure that your child is getting the recommended sleep for his or her age is very important for developing positive school behavior. 2. Monitor your child’s diet. Limit caffeine and sugars. These can affect your child’s ability to sit still and pay attention in class. You may also keep an eye on foods with red dye 40 as these have been known to cause hyperactivity and irritability, both common school behavior problems. Add omega-3 fatty acids or DHA to your child’s diet. These have shown to improve symptoms of hyperactivity. 3. Some children are easily distracted by noise and other stimuli. These may be affecting your child’s ability to concentrate in class. Talk to your teacher about having your child seated in the front row of a classroom away from distracting peers. I personally find that I even have a difficult time paying attention to someone that is talking when there are other distracting noises and classroom learning was never my strong point as a result. 4. Have your child study material prior to class. I always learned best by teaching myself. However, this often led to missing important statements made by the teacher because I was so busy reading and going through the material on my own. By having your child review material before class, he or she will be able to use class as more of a review and is better able to participate due to already knowing the material. I also recommend using the tips listed on the page about attention and memory, to help your child. 5. Make sure your child is in an appropriate class/school. If your child is having a lot of difficulties you may check to see if the material being presented is too difficult or too easy. If it is too difficult your child may engage in behavior to escape the learning and if it is too easy he or she may be very bored.
This is especially important for children with autism or asperger’s syndrome. Finding a good school with programs in applied behavior analysis will benefit your child the most. For other children an option to consider, if you are able to afford it and you know that symptoms of ADHD run in your family, would be a Montessori School These schools allow for more kinesthetic learning, which will automatically improve school behavior and permit a child to progress at his or her own individual rate. However, you have to start your child at the age of 3 years old. A web site dedicated to helping parents understand special education is another great resource. The guide helps parents understand the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process, special education law, and provides tips for improving school success. 6. Work on your child’s school behavior in relation to listening skills. Ways to improve your child’s listening skills can be found by clicking on the link above. 7. Utilize study tips and strategies. If your child has difficulties doing homework, click on the above link to read some tips for helping your child do better with homework. You may also try using homework charts to encourage homework completion. 8. Consider other options. For children that are kinesthetic learners, it can be very demanding to sit through a class that is solely based on visual and auditory learning. Should children be punished for their personal learning style? Kinesthetic learners are usually good at sports, unable to sit for long periods of time, are fidgety during lectures, have bad handwriting, aren’t very good at spelling, need lots of study breaks, enjoy role playing, building things, science, adventure books, and loud music(1). Do any of these sound familiar? 
Your child may need to have alternative teaching methods from the traditional school behavior of having to sit in a seat all day long. One option may be to consider homeschooling your child. This may sound like an extremely difficult task, but there are many home school based curriculums available these days that make it very easy for you to teach your child. This allows the opportunity to spend more quality time with your child and do more kinesthetic based learning, such as going to the zoo when learning about animals or local botanical gardens when learning about plants. This also eliminates any stress you may be experiencing as a result of your child's school behavior. Developmental Disorders Autism Spectrum DisorderADHD and Coexisting Behavior Disorders Attention Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderSensory Processing Disorders Tactile DefensivenessSchool Behavior Listening SkillsApplied Behavior Analysis Discrete Trial TrainingPrintable Behavior Charts More free behavior chartsBehavior Help Using social storiesWork at home jobs Virtual call center Jobs
References1. Fleming, Grace. Learning Styles: Know and use your personal learning style.www.about.com. 12-1-09.
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