Frequent Outbursts During Kindergarten Transitions
Ms. Rivera teaches kindergarten in a class of 22. Amara, age 5, has no IEP or behavior plan and has recently moved into a shelter with her mother after a fire. For six weeks, Amara has had four or five episodes a week during the cleanup-to-lunch transition: she screams, throws plastic bins, and runs toward the classroom door. Episodes last 5–12 minutes and usually end when an adult sits nearby and speaks softly. Academic screening shows typical letter knowledge and counting. The classroom has a visual schedule, but cleanup is signaled by a bell and a 2-minute warning is given only some days. The principal recommends sending Amara to the office each time and, if episodes continue, requesting a special education evaluation for emotional disturbance. The school has a counselor available twice a week and a quiet corner that is often used for storage.
1. What should Ms. Rivera and the team do before agreeing to an emotional disturbance evaluation?
Read the worked answer
Before requesting an emotional disturbance evaluation, the team should conduct a functional behavioral assessment and rule out environmental causes. The episodes are tightly tied to cleanup-to-lunch, a bell, and inconsistent warnings, so antecedent control is a plausible explanation. Gather ABC data for two weeks: what happens before, the exact behavior, duration, and what ends it. Also review attendance, health, sleep, shelter instability, and trauma history. Interview Amara and her mother using a trauma-informed approach and an interpreter if needed. The principal's office removal may reinforce escape and does not teach a replacement skill. However, if data show a pattern across settings and the behavior persists despite appropriate supports, or if the team suspects a disability, it must not use RTI to delay a referral. Emotional disturbance requires marked, long-standing impact, so a six-week reaction to a recent fire is not enough by itself. The immediate step is a function-based support plan and close progress monitoring, not a label.
2. Describe a function-based support plan for the transition and how the team should monitor whether it is working.
Read the worked answer
Make transitions predictable: give a 5-minute and 2-minute visual and verbal warning, use a picture schedule, assign Amara a cleanup job, and offer a choice of where to wait. Teach and practice a break request, such as handing a card and going to a quiet corner for two minutes; the corner should be accessible, not storage. Pre-correct before cleanup, name expected behavior, and reinforce approximations. Adults should use calm proximity and minimal language, as that already de-escalates. Track episode frequency, duration, and latency to return to routine on a simple daily sheet; the counselor can check in twice weekly. Meet with the mother to ask what helps at the shelter and share the plan. After four weeks, review the trend. If episodes decline, continue and fade supports. If they do not, or if concerns span settings, refer for evaluation with the FBA data.