Building on the Behavioral and Emotional Strengths of a Child

Working with children who experience behavioral challenges requires a mindset shift: rather than focusing only on what a child struggles with, we need to recognize and build on their behavioral and emotional strengths. 

You’ll get absolutely nowhere with students if you continue to focus on the negative behaviors they’re showing in the classroom. On the flipside, you’ll get further, faster, when you focus your energy on learning about a child’s strengths and using that to your advantage. Think about it like this, you wouldn’t want your principal coming into your classroom everyday only calling you out for what you did wrong, right?

It’s the same with our students. Special education teachers play a crucial role in fostering a supportive environment where children’s strengths—whether in social interactions, emotional intelligence, or problem-solving skills—can thrive. 

We have to be using a strength-based approach to behavioral intervention plans (BIPs) in order to foster growth in all areas for the student, and to boost their confidence along the way. This allows educators to shape interventions that encourage positive behaviors while fostering future success in academic and social settings. 

If you’re developing a behavior intervention plan (BIP), you want to make sure you’re coming at it through the lens of strength, rather than just deficit. I’m sure everyone on your team will have plenty to say about the negative behaviors of the student you’re developing the BIP for, but make sure you also stretch their thinking to include ways the student shines in the classroom environment. 

In order to make behavioral progress, you need to be both mindful of deficits and double down on strengths. Building skills and building confidence are inextricably linked. Remembering that our job is to essentially beef up the student’s confidence in areas they are lacking skills, leads us to seeing much more positive behavior in the long run with the skills in question and overall in their social and academic career.

Understanding Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs)

We often get really confused on what a BIP can do, should do, and will do. A Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) is a structured strategy designed to support a child in overcoming behavioral challenges. 

Traditional BIPs often focus on reducing negative behaviors, but shifting towards a strength-based approach means recognizing that every child has unique abilities that can be harnessed to support their growth. BIPs shouldn’t just address a child’s behavior; they should leverage their personal strengths, such as good communication skills, leadership skills, emotional resilience, and social strengths, to guide them toward a positive outlook on their behaviors and interactions.

There is no one-size-fits-all BIP outline, but there are ways that you should go about creating one. This blog post is going to walk you through the areas you’ll need to shift your mindset and practice around in order to create strength-based BIPs that harness student’s current strengths and build off of them.

Why Behavior Can Be Challenging

You wouldn’t be creating a BIP in the first place if there weren’t some significant behaviors occuring in the classroom. Behavioral challenges in children, including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other special needs, often stem from difficulties in emotional regulation, social situations, or cognitive skills development. 

So many of our students also experience stressful situations at home or school that can impact their ability to navigate daily life successfully. They way they show up at school is a direct reflection of their home environment as well as their biology. It’s important for us to remember this as we think, react to, and discuss these challenging behaviors. 

It can be easy to slap labels on behavior without zooming out on the full picture. Instead of labeling behaviors as “manipulative” or “bossy,” we need to look at the emotional development behind them.

For example, a child who appears “bossy” may actually have good leadership skills that can be nurtured in a positive way. A child who seems “manipulative” may be showing strong problem-solving skills but needs guidance on using them in social situations. 

There are tons of skills our most challenging students have that, although they aren’t easy to work with in an elementary classroom setting, will serve them very well in adulthood. When we recognize the key emotional strengths of each child, we’re closer to supporting students in finding their voice without the added disruptions. 

How We Talk About Behavior Matters

Language plays a significant role in shaping how children see themselves. Back to the principal example from earlier, you wouldn’t want your admin coming in and constantly calling your classroom “messy,” would you? That would probably sting a little. Now, I’ve been in both messy and organized classrooms of awesome teachers, that’s not the point. The point is that no one wants to be constantly referred to in a negative way. Instead, you probably wouldn’t mind as much if your admin said your classroom style was “dynamic.” Has a little better ring to it, right?

When we shift our perspective from negative labeling to acknowledging behavioral strengths, we create a safe space for growth. Here are a few ways to rephrase common behavior descriptions:

• Instead of “manipulative,” say “strategic thinker” – Many children with behavioral challenges are masters at reading the emotions of others and responding accordingly. Rather than seeing this as negative, we can teach them how to use this skill to become a good communicator and a positive role model.
• Instead of “bossy,” say “natural leader” – Many children with strong opinions and assertiveness have leadership skills that, when nurtured, can help them support their peers and become good role models.
• Instead of “defiant,” say “determined” – Some children are resistant to authority because they have a strong sense of independence. Teaching them good manners and guiding their determination toward positive relationships can encourage them to use their strengths productively.
• Instead of “lazy,” say “needs motivation in a supportive environment” – Children who struggle to complete tasks may simply need more visual support, structure, or positive reinforcement to engage in academic and social settings.

Finding a Student’s Strengths

Let’s face it, sometimes it’s really hard to see past big, unsafe behaviors to find the strengths. Truthfully, some students may not be able to fully let you in to see their strengths. That doesn’t mean they don’t have them, though. There are ways for us to capitalize on their natural talents and use those to support positive behavior in our school environment. Here are some things to think about:

• Is the student funny or enjoys laughing? – Perhaps you’ve got a class clown on your hands, but they genuinely are funny!
• Does the student have a younger sibling you’ve seen them interact sweetly with? – Maybe you’ll be able to incorporate helping younger students into the plan! 
• What physical talents does the student have? – Maybe they’re drawing all over their desk, but they’re actually really artistic!

When you start looking through this lens, you’ll start to uncover so many hidden skills you may have overlooked before. 

Developing BIPs Using Strength-Based Language

Now that you’ve learned ways you can shift your perspective and your language to a strength approach, it’s time to start working on developing a BIP that reflects this.  A strengths-based approach in BIPs means designing strategies that align with a child’s own strengths rather than focusing on deficits. 

You’ll want to make sure you offer many opportunities to gather all the strengths the child could be exhibiting in every environment. This is also a great way to get parents on-board by asking them for their input and opinion. 

When you’ve realized what behaviors you want to address and you have a solid knowledge on the strengths of the student, (and you’ve compiled all the data), you’re ready to design your BIP. 

Make sure you read my blog post of FBAs and BIPS for more info on these important pieces!

Here’s how to develop an effective BIP using this approach:

1. Conduct a Strength-Based Assessment
   • Identify the child’s behavioral strengths, such as good organizational skills, social strengths, emotional intelligence, and strong points in academic performance.
   • Observe social interactions and note positive behaviors that can be reinforced.
2. Set Goals Around Strengths
   • Instead of focusing solely on reducing negative behaviors, set goals that build on good character, emotional learning, and academic strengths.
   • For example, if a child struggles with impulse control but enjoys playing a card game, and is really good at them, use structured games to teach patience and emotional regulation.
3. Incorporate Positive Reinforcement
   • Use positive reinforcement and encouragement to reinforce personal strengths like good common sense, academic success, or motor skills.
   • Praise efforts to navigate difficult situations in a healthy way, such as asking for help or using open communication.
4. Encourage Social and Emotional Development
   • Teach children how to identify their own emotions and respond to the emotions of others in a positive way.
   • Foster positive relationships by pairing children with good role models who demonstrate effective communication skills and social connection.
5. Provide the Right Support
   • Create a nurturing environment with mental health services, visual support, and early childhood intervention strategies where necessary.
   • Engage family members to reinforce positive behaviors at home.

When we reframe how we see a child’s behavior, we allow room for growth, confidence, and resilience. By implementing strength-based assessments and focusing on character strengths rather than weaknesses, educators can create BIPs that foster academic achievement, social skills, and emotional resilience. We’re not simply shaping behavior to make our teaching practice easier, we’re actively supporting and shaping healthy behaviors for a student’s entire life. That’s very powerful. The more we can pour into our students in a strength-based way, the greater payoff they’ll receive for years to come. 

A child who understands their own strengths and receives the right support in a supportive environment is more likely to thrive, build positive relationships, and navigate difficult times successfully. We all remember key teachers in our younger school years because of the way they made us feel about ourselves. Using this approach to behavior support allows you to give even the toughest students an opportunity to see themselves in their strengths and work hard to overcome their challenges. 

By focusing on behavioral strengths rather than weaknesses, we empower children with behavioral challenges to achieve academic success, develop meaningful social relationships, and cultivate a positive outlook on their daily life.

It may be a difficult shift at first, but you’ll be surprised at how fast you see growth when you adopt this tool into your practice!