Behavior Intervention Strategies: Teaching Socially Withdrawn Students

Being able to interact appropriately with peers is an important skill for all students, and particularly to those who have emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). Many students who have an EBD are socially withdrawn. These students may have little or no interaction with peers due to social anxiety, previous rejections from peers, lack of self-confidence, having a negative attitude about themselves and their abilities, and a variety of other reasons. Being socially withdrawn can lead to behavioral problems as a result of not wanting to engage in activities where interaction with other students is required or necessary, such as classroom projects, lunch, recess, and times of transition. Some students can exhibit behavior problems when they are asked to do things that may result in embarrassment or stress (such as being called on to read aloud or work in a group). Examples of such behaviors are refusal to comply with a teacher's request, verbal or physical confrontations with students and teachers, and disruptive outbursts.

There are a number of interventions and strategies that teachers can implement when working with a socially withdrawn student. Giving the student some sort of responsibility in cooperation with another student is one strategy. This student should be one who is friendly, more outgoing, and nonthreatening. Running errands together, passing out graded papers, or working on a project or bulletin board are tasks the students could do together. Observe the students in the class to create groups for cooperative learning assignments, placing the socially withdrawn student in the group where he or she will be most successful. The student may even be assigned a specific role in the group, such as group leader or reporter.

It is important that teachers model correct social interactions and it's helpful to reinforce positive interactions among students, especially those that involve the student who is socially withdrawn. During peer interactions, the teacher should keep an eye on the students to make sure that no negative behaviors are occurring or are about to happen. If the student seems overwhelmed, stressed, or if the students are having a problem which could escalate, intervene to prevent any potential conflicts. One very important thing to do when trying to encourage positive social interactions is not to force students to interact. Pushing students to interact with each other when they aren't ready or when other conditions are not favorable for positive interactions, the strategy can quickly go in the opposite direction.