Page 40 - CARING and SAFE SCHOOLS in ONTARIO

Junior or Senior Kindergarten level (i.e., for either four- or five-year olds). A teacher uses her/his observations after several months of classroom/school interaction with the child to complete the questionnaire. The instrument provides information for groups of children in order to report on areas of strength and deficit for popula- tions of children, monitor populations of children over time, and predict how children will do in elementary school (Offord Centre for Child Studies, 2008).
Functional Behavioural Assessment (FBA)
▪ A functional behavioural assessment involves gathering information that can be used to plan interventions to address inappropriate behaviour. The focus of the assessment is on identifying patterns of behaviour rather than on individual occur- rences of problematic behaviour. This type of assessment is used to determine the relationship between a person’s environment and the occurrence of the problematic behaviour (Centre for Autism and Related Exceptionalities, n.d., para. 1).
Risk Assessment
▪ In an educational setting, a risk assessment can be used to identify sources
of potential harm to students and adults, such as inappropriate behaviour by a student that shows signs of escalating. After identification is made, the probability and severity of the risk are evaluated, and measures are planned and put in place to manage the risk and prevent the harm from happening (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2006, para.2).
Indicators that a student’s behaviour poses a potential risk of violence may include a history of violence or mental illness and a variety of environmental factors, along with corroborative data from those who know the student. The sample questions that follow may be useful for assessing a student’s potential for violence, and could be included in a school-developed risk-assessment tool:
✦ Has the student made statements or taken actions that cause him/her to be a concern to the school? What motivated the student to behave in these ways?
✦ Has the student communicated to anyone concerning his/her state of mind or intentions?
✦ Has the student shown an interest in targeted violence, perpetrators of violence, weapons, extremist groups, or murder?
✦ Has the student engaged in attack-related behaviour such as harassing or stalking?
✦ Does the student have a history of mental illness with indications that he/she has acted on delusions or hallucinations?
✦ Has the student exhibited extreme behaviours that are linked to conduct disorders or other mental health issues? Have these behaviours resulted in injuries or trauma to self and/or others?
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Caring and Safe Schools