Positive Guidance & Behavior Flashcards

Which statement BEST describes the CDA approach to discipline?

Answer: Discipline means teaching children self-regulation and appropriate behavior through guidance

In CDA competency terms, discipline is a teaching process — developing children's ability to understand expectations and regulate their own behavior.

A teacher consistently ignores all instances of a child seeking attention through negative behavior. This technique is called:

Answer: Planned ignoring

Planned ignoring deliberately withholds adult attention from attention-seeking behavior, eliminating the reinforcement that maintains it.

A CDA professional wants to build a strong behavior support system. Which approach is MOST comprehensive?

Answer: A three-tier model: positive environment + targeted support + intensive individualized strategies

A tiered model (like PBIS) addresses all children's needs with universal supports, plus targeted and intensive strategies for those who need more.

When a child breaks a rule for the first time, the MOST appropriate initial response is:

Answer: A calm, brief reminder of the expectation

A calm, brief reminder assumes the best intent and gives the child the information needed to correct the behavior without escalation.

Which adult behavior is MOST likely to INCREASE challenging behavior in children?

Answer: Responding inconsistently — sometimes setting limits, sometimes not

Inconsistent limit-setting confuses children and creates anxiety, which increases testing behavior as children try to determine where boundaries actually are.

A CDA professional observes that a child's challenging behavior always increases after lunch. What should she do?

Answer: Document the pattern, identify possible causes (hunger, fatigue, transition difficulty), and adjust the schedule or approach

Documenting patterns and investigating causes allows the educator to address the root driver of behavior rather than reacting to symptoms.