ABSTRACT
Education has a long history of managing children with identified behavioural difficulties through behaviourist approaches that rely on learning through reinforcement and may include systems of rewards or punitive consequences such as detentions or exclusions. School policies may advocate for zero tolerance of specific behaviours but such one-size-fits-all policies deprive practitioners from taking steps to understand the individual experiences of children. This chapter argues that behaviourist interventions are limited, as they generally do not consider the emotional experiences of the children or supporting adults. It offers a number of practical tools by which practitioners can take steps to reduce learning barriers for children identified with mental health needs through planning, assessment and analysis of response to intervention.
