Blindspots: Uncovering Strategies to Reduce Anxiety, Oppositional Behavior, and Increase Student Engagement

Outline

15 minutes 
- Rates of Anxiety and Trauma in Children and Teens 
(interactive component: group participation - holding up fingers/hands)
- Relationship Between Anxiety and Working Memory  
(interactive component: group participation - holding up fingers/hands)
- Behavioral Symptoms of Anxiety
- Underdeveloped skills associated with anxiety 
- Why traditional Behavior Interventions Fall Flat 
  
15 minutes 
- Why breaks may not be helpful and how to change that 
( interactive component: Electronic polls)
- Use of Biofeedback 
- Dissecting Transitions to reduce oppositional behavior and case study practice 
(interactive component: Peer–to–peer interaction)
  
20 minutes 
- Neurobiology of work avoidance 
- Accommodations/Preventative strategies for students with underdeveloped initiation skills 
(interactive component: Peer–to–peer interaction)
- Teaching initiation skills to increase work engagement and independence 
(interactive component: Peer–to–peer interaction)
  
10 minutes 
- How to reduce negative thinking towards writing 
(interactive component: Peer–to–peer interaction)
- Tips on Giving Directions to Reduce Oppositional Responses 
- Closing Remarks

Supporting research

1. Bryant, D. J., O, M., & Damian, A. J. (2020). The rise of adverse childhood experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S193-S194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000711

2. Bryce I. Responding to the accumulation of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for practice. Children Australia 2020; 45: 80-7.

3. Essau, C. A., Conradt, J., Sasagawa, S., & Ollendick, T. H. (2012). Prevention of anxiety symptoms in children: Results from a universal school-based trial. Behavior Therapy, 43, 450-464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2011.08.003

4. Janiri, D., Moser, D. A., Doucet, G. E., Luber, M. J., Rasgon, A., Lee, W. H., ... & Frangou, S. (2020). Shared neural phenotypes for mood and anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis of 226 task-related functional imaging studies. JAMA psychiatry, 77(2), 172-179.

Jaycox, L. H., Langley, A. K., & Hoover, S. A. (2018). Cognitive behavioral intervention for trauma in schools (CBITS): RAND Corporation.

5. Johnson, C., Eva, A. L., Johnson, L., & Walker, B. (2011). Don't turn away: Empowering teachers to support students’ mental health. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 84(1), 9-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2010.484441

6. McIntosh, K., Ty, S., & Miller, L. (2014). Effects of school-wide positive behavioral
interventions and supports on internalizing problems: Current evidence and future
directions. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 16(4), 209-218.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300713491980

7. Wallace, J., Learman, K., Moran, R., Covassin, T., Deitrick, J. M., Delfin, D., & Shina, J. (2020). Premorbid anxiety and depression and baseline neurocognitive, ocular-motor and vestibular performance: A retrospective cohort study. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 418, 117110.