Reframing Our Approach to Students with Challenging Behaviors

Effective Approach to Challenging Behaviors

Educators across the country are navigating an increased need for meaningful behavior support strategies that create positive outcomes for students, teams, and school communities. To help guide this work, SESI recently hosted a thought leadership webinar titled Reframing Our Approach to Students with Challenging Behaviors, presented by Dr. Diane Myers, Senior Vice President of Integrated Supports, alongside district leader Kay Hamrick.

This webinar explores how subtle shifts in language, mindset, and daily practice can create significant improvements in student behavior, staff culture, and school climate. The conversation also highlighted the power of reframing behavior challenges through an instructional lens rather than a deficit-based view.

Why This Conversation Matters

Dr. Myers opened the session by sharing why educators must take the time to reflect on how they think about, discuss, and respond to students with challenging behaviors. Even small mindset shifts can reshape expectations, reduce burnout, and strengthen the relationships that make positive change possible.

Key themes included:

• The importance of person-first language and how it shapes mindset
• How repeated negative framing can lower expectations and morale
• The need to focus on increasing pro-social behaviors rather than only reducing problem behaviors
• How labels, stereotypes, and assumptions can unintentionally impact student opportunities

Taking an Instructional Approach to Behavior

One of the central ideas in the webinar is that behavior is learned, and it can be taught. Dr. Myers challenged educators to treat behavior mistakes the same way they treat academic mistakes, using clear feedback, reteaching, and positive reinforcement.

Educators were encouraged to:

• Assume a student cannot rather than will not
• Respond with brief instructional feedback
• Focus on the function behind the behavior
• Separate the student from the behavior
• Reinforce successful moments, not only corrections

This approach enables educators to develop skills, establish predictability, and mitigate conflict while maintaining student engagement in learning.

How Mindset Shifts Transform School Systems

During the second half of the webinar, district leader Kay Hamrick shared how shifting staff perceptions from “challenging students” to “students with challenging behaviors” changed the way her teams delivered services.

Her insights include:

• How the district improved programming by focusing on behavior as a skill deficit
• Why professional development on language and mindset mattered
• What happened when teachers began reframing their day-to-day interactions
• How expectations changed once staff better understood student needs

Kay emphasized that when teams adopt shared language and consistent practices, students benefit, staff confidence increases, and schools are better equipped to provide equitable support.

Watch the Full Webinar

Below is the complete recording of Reframing Our Approach to Students with Challenging Behaviors, including the full discussion, examples, and district perspective.