Article Review: Here is the full article I reference in my YouTube channel.
What are distal setting events?
Distal setting events are sometimes called slow triggers or setting events. They are setting events that can trigger challenging behavior but don’t happen immediately before the behavior occurs. These are things such as:
- Lack of food (hungry)
- Got in a fight before school
- Lack of sleep
- Being sick
- Conflict at home
- Missed medication or medication issue
We can help a student’s behavior when we know the distal setting events
Imagine this scenario: How do you feel if you have not eaten and you have to do a strenuous task? On top of that imagine that, you got bullied in the hallway going to class and you only got three hours of sleep last night. All of these factors add up to distal setting events that can set a child up for failure.
Teachers respond to challenging behaviors all day long. We often forget about the distal setting events that can lead to behavioral challenges. The focus is usually on what happens immediatly before behavior happens. A functional behavior assessment can take into account these distal setting events to help us get a full picture. This assessment will give us a better idea of “why” or the function behind the problem behavior.
Keep lines of communication open
Open lines of communication between home and school are vital for us to pinpoint the distal setting events. Having a morning check in around wellness can also help us get a “pulse” on how the child is feeling and their general wellness. A community circle is a great way to do a group check in if you don’t have time to do individual check-ins.
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Here is another great article written about setting events if you would like to read more!
What distal setting events have you seen have the most impact on your students’ behavior?
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