Tier 2 · Targeted
Coping and emotion-regulation skills
Explicitly teach the student to notice feelings and use a calming strategy before they escalate.
How to do it
- Teach feelings vocabulary and body signals (“My face gets hot when I’m angry”).
- Teach 3–4 calming strategies: deep breathing, counting, squeezing a stress ball, positive self-talk.
- Practice the strategies when the student is calm, many times.
- Build a personal calm-down plan with the student.
- Prompt the strategy early when you notice warning signs, and praise any use of it.
- Review what worked after difficult moments, once the student is calm.
Why it works
- Students can’t use skills they haven’t been taught
- Gives the student control over their own reactions
- Reduces frequency and intensity of outbursts
When to use it
- Students with frequent frustration, anxiety, or anger
- After a meltdown, once the student is calm
- In small groups or 1:1 with a counselor
Tips and pitfalls
- Practice calm-down skills when calm, not in the middle of a meltdown.
- Model the strategies yourself: “I’m frustrated, so I’m going to take three deep breaths.”
Templates for this strategy
My calm-down plan
A student-facing plan to recognize warning signs and choose calming strategies. Complete it together when the student is calm.
My calm-down plan.docxABC observation log
Record what happened before, during, and after each incident to find patterns and the likely function of the behavior.
ABC observation log.docxHelps with
Not working after a fair trial?
Check that it’s been used consistently for 4–6 weeks and that your data shows the pattern. If so, look at the next tier of support for this behavior.
Tier 3 · Intensive