Transitions and Biting in a Pre-K Classroom
A prekindergarten classroom has 18 four-year-olds, two adults, and four children with IEPs. Over three weeks, two children have run out of the carpet area during the transition from outdoor play to circle time, three to five times daily. One of those children also bit a peer twice during clean-up. The teacher’s current response is to chase the runners, return them to the carpet, and remind the biter to “use gentle hands.” The assistant reports that transitions feel chaotic and that circle time often starts 10 minutes late. The IEP team meets in two weeks, and one parent has asked whether the classroom is safe. The teacher wants to reduce the behavior without resorting to punishment or removing the children from activities.
1. What hypothesis about the function of the running and biting would you test first, and what data would you collect?
Read the worked answer
The most likely hypothesis is that running serves escape from the noisy, nonpreferred transition to circle time, and that biting serves either access to a toy during clean-up or escape from the demand. These are hypotheses, not conclusions. The teacher should collect ABC data for two weeks: what happens immediately before the transition, what the child does, and what happens afterward. Specifically, record the time, noise level, number of children nearby, whether a warning was given, who chased the child, and whether the child returned to circle. If running reliably results in adult chasing and a delay in circle, the behavior is being reinforced by escape and adult attention. For biting, record the antecedent, the peer’s proximity, the item involved, and the adult response. Frequency alone will not answer the function. Two weeks is short but enough to see patterns across transitions, and the data should be shared with the IEP team.
2. What prevention and teaching strategies would you put in place for the next two weeks?
Read the worked answer
Prevention should change the transition before the behavior occurs. Use a visual schedule, a two-minute and one-minute warning, a transition song, and a preferred job such as carrying the bucket. Offer a choice of where to sit, and have an adult stationed at the carpet rather than chasing from behind. Teach the routine explicitly with role-play during a calm time: practice walking, sitting, and what to do if upset. For biting, increase supervision during clean-up, teach and practice “my turn,” “help,” and “stop,” and provide a designated place to put a toy when a child is waiting. If the function is escape, do not remove the child permanently from circle; instead offer a brief break card and a return plan. If the function is access, teach a request. Collect the same ABC data and track whether transitions start on time. These strategies are not rewards for misbehavior; they are environmental changes and replacement-skill instruction.
3. How would you communicate with families and the IEP team?
Read the worked answer
Communicate early, neutrally, and with a plan. Before the parent meeting, call the parent who asked about safety, describe the specific steps being taken, and avoid blaming any child. Use descriptive language: “During clean-up, we are teaching waiting and asking; an adult is within arm’s reach.” For the IEP team, bring the ABC data, the frequency, the strategies already tried, and the two-week review date. Ask the team whether a functional behavioral assessment is needed; do not promise one before the team decides. For the family of the child who bit, acknowledge the incident, explain the supervision and teaching plan, and ask what works at home. For the family of the bitten child, do not disclose the other child’s identity; focus on supervision and reporting. Document calls and meeting notes. The judgment is to be transparent without turning a behavioral hypothesis into a label.