Tangled, but all webs serve a purpose

Nate Moro and Lauren Reynolds

Causes
What are termed critical incidents rarely occur in an isolated manner. They are usually preceded
by definable and addressable aspects that have been overlooked. Four of the main categories
of causes are social, emotional, sensory, and educational. In cases where we are unable to
identify antecedents, we can look at the critical incident as a snapshot view into a larger
situation.

Critical incidents
Critical incident, for the purposes of this discussion, refers to an event that contains components
of risk or harm: physical, emotional, or social. These are often stressful, and out of scale with
familiar interactions. Reacting appropriately can be a challenge, as these events are often
emotionally charged.

Responding
Stay calm Deep breath, everyone needs you calm, including you.

Safety first Direct other people to clear the vicinity

Remove hazards in the area

Intervention Speak to the participant(s) in a calm and firm voice.

Where it is safe to do so, refrain from physical interference.
If words fail: BC law allows for use of minimal physical restraint and
isolation in order to ensure student safety1. This should be a last
resort, and is not recommended.

First aid If necessary, have a designated first aid person attend to anyone
needing assistance.

Restore Return room to its previous state, or cleaner.

social-emotional and If the scene cannot be altered at this time, establish a base in another
spatial environment. location.
Take some time for everyone to calm down, breathe together.
Return to learning, if appropriate.

Communication
Each school has policies regarding who to contact in various situations, be familiar with them
before it is necessary. If you are injured at work, file form 4a with WorkSafe BC.

Follow up
It is important not to leave unresolved emotions, so we recommend having conversations with
the participants in the event, and touching base with other witnesses who might be affected.

1
​http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/fv-vf/mcb-cce/index.html​ and
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/support/diverse-student-needs/ph
ysical-restraint-seclusion-guidelines.pdf​.
 Tangled, but all webs serve a purpose
Nate Moro and Lauren Reynolds

Remember the ABCs

Antecedent Behaviour Consequence

Antecedent in this instance When describing behaviour, Be sure to include all

refers to the specific event or be sure that it is only the consequences, both
situation that precedes the concrete aspects that are immediate and long term;
behaviour in question recorded, leaving official and social.
impressions to one side.

Purpose:
The premise of the ABC model is that all behaviour acts to communicate a want or need that a
person has (hunger, tiredness, attention), communicate an emotion or other state of being
(anger, frustration, sadness), or serves a social purpose (social posturing, care). With the above
framework and the theory, we can begin untangling the incidents that occur. This framework can
be applied to any event; apply it to the critical event, or a number of events that you feel could
be better understood and give you insight into a student.

Being proactive
The key recommendations are to know one’s students, and be vigilant of everyday events.
Many of the precursors listed on our poster (a poor lunch, being disorganized, vocalizing) are
indicators that can be addressed before a critical incident occurs.

The goal of the ABC model, is to allow us to preempt problem situations by changing the
environment, addressing needs and wants before they hit a crisis point, and help the student
gain self-awareness and learn more prosocial ways to communicate

Feeling empowered to respond appropriately to events that arise will decrease our stress as
teachers, and make the classroom a more secure place for students. We can design our
classrooms to be safe places, and prepare ourselves to handle situations that arise.

Related training options

● Managing Conflict from the BCTF
○ http://bctf.ca/PD/WorkshopDetail.aspx?id=38713
● Challenging Behaviour: Dealing with At-risk and Targeted Students from the BCTF
○ http://bctf.ca/PD/WorkshopDetail.aspx?id=38701
● Non-violent crisis intervention training from the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)
○ https://www.autismoutreach.ca/training/non-violent-crisis-intervention-cpi-training-
new