Teach

Respond to Diverse Staff Beliefs about Sexual Development

As discussed in Lesson One, most education professionals, even those with many years of experience and advanced education, have had little or no professional development or formal education on sexual development and behavior in children and adolescents. Due to a lack of opportunity to learn and the taboo nature of this topic, school staff may need more extensive support to learn about this typical area of development.

Perhaps you have observed how a lack of opportunity to learn about this topic affects staff members’ beliefs and also how they view their role in supporting sexual development. You may have heard staff make some of the following comments:

While no one should be faulted for having these feelings, it is important that staff members understand that their primary roles include keeping students safe and supporting their learning and development, including healthy sexual development. If you encounter similar beliefs from school staff, you can do the following:

Supporting School Staff

Remember that several factors affect children and adolescent’s sexual development and behavior, such as:

• Culture and family norms
• Development
• Function of the behavior
• Frequency and participation
• Environment
• Effect on others
• Response to redirection

Though you will consider all of these factors, school staff may need the most help from you when analyzing a student’s development and functions for sexual behaviors.

Development

Typical or age-appropriate behavior, especially during the early-childhood years, and especially with the growing prevalence and access to social media, is varied. Understanding the development of students with disabilities may require more in-depth evaluation of specific skills and abilities. It is valuable to think about development based on students’ individual abilities rather than their chronological age or grade-level placement. This is sometimes difficult for staff, particularly when they have a very strong identity as an educator for a specific age group. For example, “I’m a high school teacher, and high school students should know to cover their genitals.” While this statement is generally true, this teacher may work with a 15-year-old student whose social development is similar to that of a 5-year-old.

For the example above, thinking about development helps staff determine ways they can support Kari in doing, “What we want to happen.” Staff may decide to give her a reminder cue before she enters the bathroom like, “if you need help pulling up your pants, ask for help.” Then a staff member will intentionally stay near the bathroom so they can hear if Kari requests help. They can also teach Kari what private means by explaining, “Our private parts stay covered in the classroom” or “Pants are pulled up before we leave the bathroom.”

Function of Behaviors

All behavior has meaning and function or a reason why it occurred. However, determining whether functions are a reaction to the environment or a more thought-out occurrence requires careful thought about students’ cognitive, social-emotional, physical, and language abilities. You may need to support school staff when determining functions of behaviors. Some students may be able to tell you why they engaged in a behavior, “I did it to be funny.” But many students will not understand why they engage in sexual behaviors or unsafe touch. In these instances, you will need to think carefully about the student’s environment and development to determine if the behavior was a reaction or a thought-out occurrence. Even when sexual behavior seems carefully crafted (e.g., a school-age student yells out a sexual obscenity to get a laugh from peers), think deeply about why students engage in these behaviors and what they “get” out of doing so (e.g., attention from peers and adults).

Supporting Staff with Follow-Up Questions

In this example, a middle school team hears about a challenging sexual behavior involving Carson, a sixth-grade student with developmental delays. Other students reported that when Carson is on the playground, he sits in the grass and touches his genitals. After hearing of this behavior, the team completed the Sexual Behavior Reflection Tool below. Use the toggle feature to read the follow-up questions that Margot, the school counselor, asks the teaching team.

 

Sexual Behavior Reflection Tool

Team Responses

 

Is the behavior random or infrequent?

No. Multiple students report that Carson has been touching himself on the playground.

 

Is the behavior typical for the student’s age and developmental ability?

No. A fifth-grade student should know that it is inappropriate to touch their genitals in public.

Follow-Up

“Though Carson is a fifth-grade student, he is developmentally more similar to a much younger student and has some atypical behaviors. Privacy is a very abstract concept, an idea rather than something that can be tangibly experienced, which may be difficult for him to understand. Does Carson understand other abstract concepts? Do you think he understands what public versus private means?”
The team is in agreement that Carson has not developed abstract thinking and doesn’t understand privacy, or the difference between public versus private.

 

Is the behavior driven by curiosity, exploration, and playfulness?

No. Carson has a lot of problem behaviors and usually hangs out by himself.

Follow-Up

“I’d like for us to explore the function of this behavior. I see that you documented that you don’t think it is driven by curiosity or exploration. Why do you think Carson does this? How does Carson usually initiate interactions with peers?”
Staff members thinks that Carson engages in this self-soothing behavior as a coping skill due to his anxiety on the playground. They agree that it is not a planned behavior, but more of a reaction to his experience. The team also shared that although Carson doesn’t cooperatively play or communicate with peers, he does like to watch them.

 

If other students are involved, is it mutual and good-humored?

No. The other students were upset by what they witnessed.

 

If other students are involved, do they know each other well and are they of a similar age and development (<2 years)?

Yes. The students are around Carson’s age and they all attend the same middle school together.

 

Is the behavior easily redirected?

Staff haven’t had the chance to redirect Carson. One of the other students said they told Carson to, “stop that.”

Follow-Up

“I know that you have not observed this behavior, but I’m wondering how Carson responds to redirection during other activities?”
The team shares that Carson sometimes responds to simple redirection. Carson’s parents have shared that Carson becomes antsy in loud environments where there are a lot of other kids. In the classroom, Carson’s teachers have encouraged him to work with his peers and matched him with students that show compassion and empathy toward him. They have also referred him to the school counselor’s group on building social skills. This has been very helpful in class when there is structure, but there is nothing established in more unstructured settings such as on the playground.

 

Normative Sexual Behavior?

No. Carson should know that it is inappropriate to touch his genitals in public.

Follow-Up

“I agree that we need to address this sexual behavior, but I also think it is the type of behavior that is developmentally typical for younger students. Although Carson is in middle school, his language and social skills are atypical and more like that of a preschool student. You shared that he mostly plays by himself but likes to watch peers. His parents have also reported that he struggles socially, and interventions have been put in place in the classroom. Do you think Carson is trying to cope in a social environment that makes him uncomfortable?” 
Margot’s follow-up questions for the team helps them decide that although Carson’s sexual behavior is inappropriate for middle school students, it is not unexpected given Carson’s development. They develop a plan to provide structure to his playground time and more active supervision. Margot and the team plan to implement this prevention plan for two weeks before reassessing the behavior. With the school administrator, Margot will communicate the plan to Carson’s family, in addition to calling the families of the students who reported the incident. She will confidentially share what was reported and that the school has a prevention plan in place to address the behavior. If there are still concerns after two weeks, school leadership will consult withPUBLIC a specialist. 
You may wonder why Margot chose to wait to contactPUBLIC a specialist. School leadership assessed Carson’s behavior to be consistent with his developmental abilities; therefore, they were confident in deciding that this sexual behavior is normative for Carson and can be easily prevented using universal and targeted strategies (supervision and structured playgroup activities).

Assess School-Wide Needs

It is helpful to have a baseline for the knowledge and comfort level of school staff, regarding sexual development and behavior. You can collect data to assess this by asking staff to complete the My Knowledge and Beliefs self-assessment tool in the Apply section of Lesson One. This is a way to measure your school as a whole and individual staff members. If you find that most of the staff in your school report limited knowledge on sexual development and behavior or are feeling uncomfortable, collaborate withPUBLICa specialist to plan a professional development opportunity. As a school leader, you can support program-wide learning in the following ways:

• Lead a presentation or discussion to orient staff to sexual development.
• Invite a specialist with expertise in this area to give a presentation.
• Set an internal goal such as, “By the end of the calendar year, all staff members will have completed some form of professional development on sexual development and behavior.”
• Provide group case study opportunities where you lead a small group discussion and practice using tools such as the Sexual Behavior Reflection Tool and Sexual Behavior: Definition and Factors worksheets.

These opportunities support staff members’ knowledge and communicate that everyone, not just leadership and specialists, has a role in promoting healthy sexual development and preventing sexual behavior challenges.

Model

Collaborate with Staff, Families, and Multidisciplinary Teams

Normalize Communicating About Sexual Development

There may be a tendency for faculty and staff to only discuss students’ sexual behavior with each other and with families when there is a concern. Even when sexual behavior is normative, staff may feel hesitant to ask questions or talk with their teaching team and families. You can help school staff gain confidence by allowing them to practice with you. During role-playing, you can model how you would talk about sexual behaviors and preventive strategies. Ask staff to practice what they would say to a colleague or family. Read the examples below showing how to model communicating about sexual behavior.

Leadership Approaches to Support Families with Students with Sexual Behavior Challenges

As discussed in Lesson Six, families with children or adolescents with sexual behavior challenges may have additional life stressors as a result of their student’s needs. The school leadership can support families in the following ways:

• For students who attend intervention appointments in the middle of the day, offer to help the staff and family by getting the student ready to leave. The family member can then quickly pickup their student. This is especially helpful for family members who take time off work for appointments.
• Keep all paperwork you receive for the student, such as support plans or evaluation reports, organized and readily available. If a family misplaces their documents, offer to make a copy for them.
• If a student leaves your school to attend intensive treatment for sexual behavior challenges, reach out to the family via a phone call to let them know you are thinking of them. Be available to listen if they would like to share updates, and remember that it’s OK if the conversation ends only with you sharing your thoughtful message.
• It is not uncommon for students with sexual behavior challenges to also display normative sexual behaviors. When children and adolescents have sexual behavior challenges, work withPUBLIC a specialist to communicate the range of behaviors observed, so families understand that some sexual behaviors are typical. This can help families with children with sexual behavior challenges feel less stigmatized and learn more about sexual development.

Multidisciplinary Teams to Support Students with Sexual Behavior Challenges

School staff will have the support of school leadershipPUBLIC, a specialist, and the family when implementing a support plan for students with sexual behavior challenges. While a team approach is best, it is important that everyone involved have clearly defined roles. Depending on your school, the school administrator or another individual such as the counselor, social workers, or school psychologist may be the point person and have most of the responsibilities under the School Leadership section. Review the chart below to see an example of how schools may choose to designate specific responsibilities.

PUBLICSpecialists

• Complete evaluation and create support plan for school
• Recommend and coordinate external intervention (outside of school) with family
• Coordinate conferences and team communication

School Leadership (administrator, counselor, social worker, school psychologist)

• Assist staff when completing the Sexual Behavior Reflection Tool and other program tools
• Review all internal documentation of sexual behaviors
• Be present when a staff member speaks with a student after a sexual behavior incident has occurred; ensure documentation procedures are followed
• ContactPUBLIC a specialist if a sexual behavior challenge occurs or if it is not clear if a referral toPUBLIC a specialist should be placed
• Put temporary support plans in place while awaiting recommendations fromPUBLIC Specialist
• Serve as point of contact forPUBLICSpecialists and families regarding questions or updates
• Serve as a point of contact for school staff regarding questions or updates
• Ensure support plans and other documents are placed in the student’s file
• Ensure that the support plan can be implemented (staffing needs, etc.)
• Model recommended strategies for teachers and staff
• Observe and provide feedback to teachers and staff

Teachers & Staff

• May work with school leadership to complete documentation of sexual behaviors
• Inform and receive feedback from school leadership on all sexual behavior documentation
• Carry out support plan recommendations and strategies
• Bring questions and concerns about support plan implementation and behavior to school leadership
• Share relevant communication from family with school leadership
• Continue to communicate with family using best practice

If there is a teaching team in your school working with a student with sexual behavior challenges, that team will likely need more than typical support from you. They may be asked to carry out strategies that are new to them or possibly even have an additional staff member added to their team to provide closer supervision for the student with sexual behavior challenges. This can be challenging and stressful for staff. Be sensitive to the fact that they are working with a student who has needs beyond what is typical of most students.

Observe

Listen as an expert speaks about the role of members of a multidisciplinary team. Think about how you will contribute to your school’s team when supporting students with sexual behavior challenges.

Take some time to think about scenarios you might observe in your program. As you read each scenario that follows, think about how you might respond to the caregivers. Then read suggested ways you might approach the situation with each staff member.