Parents call for Collaborative Proactive Solutions for challenging behaviour

Forcing neurodivergent kids to look teachers in the eye, or sit still in class for long periods, can be harmful - which is why parents are advocating for a new model to deal with challenging behaviours, and the education department is taking note.

When Louise Kuchel’s son used to act out in class, his teacher used to bribe him with lollies or punish him with yellow cards. Neither worked.

Which is why the Sydney mother has spent years pushing for a new model of behaviour management in schools - one which recognises the unique needs of neurodivergent children, like her son who has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD.

More than 20,000 people have so far signed Ms Kuchel’s online petition to get education departments across the country to introduce the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) model developed in the US.

And the NSW education department is coming on board, committing to train its behavioural specialists in CPS this May ahead of possible implementation in the state’s schools as part of its enhanced student behaviour strategy.

“Every school is different, that’s why the department supports schools to make decisions about what programs or models of behaviour support best suit their local needs and contexts,” an education department spokesman said. “Collaborative and Proactive Solutions is one model the department is considering.”

Louise Kuchel and her son Liam.

Ms Kuchel, founder of parent advocacy group Square Peg Round Whole, said CPS empowered students by helping identify the cause of their disruptive behaviour, and working with them to come up with solutions.

She said it needed to replace the outdated model of teaching behaviour, which baited kids to behave by using rewards and punishments.

“Behaviourism, or the ‘carrot and the stick’ approach, may ‘work’ in the short term, but it doesn’t work long term - it didn’t work with my son, it just made him feel different to the other kids,” she said.

“If it was effective we wouldn’t have 100,000 children unable to attend school across the country. We wouldn’t have the situation where in NSW, 80 per cent of students suspended from school have a disability.”

CPS was developed by US clinical child psychologist Dr Ross Greene, who will tour Australia in September, and meet with executives from the education department.

He said the model has been used with great success in schools in the US, Canada and the UK - reducing the amount of detentions, suspensions and expulsions, and increasing attendance.

“I was trained behaviourally but found early on that rewarding and punishing behaviour wasn’t getting the job done for a lot of kids,” Dr Greene said.

“That’s because it focuses on the concerning behaviour and tries to modify it, but that behaviour - whether it’s yelling or swearing or worse - is simply the way the kid is communicating that there’s a demand or expectation that they’re having trouble meeting.

“So what we should be focusing on what’s causing that concerning behaviour, and how we can solve it.

“CPS works by asking the kid what’s making it hard to meet particular expectations; asking adults what their concerns are and why they think it’s important those expectations are met and then getting the kid and adult to collaborate on a solution that addresses the concerns of both.”

Liam with his dad Ash. Picture supplied

Mrs Kuchel has seen the benefits of such an approach - in primary school her son had reacted rudely and emotionally to traditional discipline but once in high school a “lighthouse” teacher employed a collaborative problem solving technique which worked wonders.

“My son has responded well and now has positive relationships with his teachers,” she said.

“This approach makes children feel safe, and feel heard. You can’t force neurodivergent children to look people in the eye when talking, to sit still for long periods of time - you need to look to a new model of behaviour intervention.”