• Workshops and presentations
• Praise from participants
• Barbara’s speaking schedule

Barbara Kaiser is giving presentations about challenging behavior throughout the United States and Canada. You can invite her to your conference or center.

Meeting the Challenge (keynote or workshop). If you’re like most of us, you feel frustrated and defeated when confronted with a child with challenging behaviors. The daily struggles sap your energy and joy in teaching. You worry that you're failing not only that child and his family but the rest of the children in your group as well. Early intervention is key when it comes to children with challenging behavior. The adults who spend many hours a day with them can make a difference in their lives. Designed to help those individuals—parents, teachers and caregivers—who are working first-hand with young children with challenging behavior, this keynote address uses an anecdotal approach to identify practical and effective ideas and strategies that have been drawn from research in many fields to prevent and address this behavior.

I Didn’t Mean to Ruin Your Day (keynote or workshop). When you recognize that a child’s challenging behavior is rooted in biological and environmental factors and not a desire to ruin your day, it becomes possible for you to figure out what the child needs to learn in order to succeed. This workshop will help you understand why a child behaves in a particular way and make it much easier to meet those needs and effectively manage inappropriate behavior.

Prevention Is the Best Intervention (keynote or workshop). Challenging behavior can be prevented when teachers understand the risk and protective factors in children’s lives and create a responsive learning environment, program, and social context. This workshop applies research to practice, investigates biological and environmental risk factors, the role of the brain, and helps teachers to redefine the concept of fairness.

Time-out for Time-out! (workshop). This workshop explores alternatives to time-out and the effects of punishment. It examines the use of natural and logical consequences and provides an overview of Functional Assessment and Positive Behavior Support, important tools that enable early childhood educators to help children with challenging behavior learn appropriate ways to express their needs.

Functional Assessment and Positive Behavior Support (workshop). The premise of the linked strategies of Functional Assessment and Positive Behavior Support is that every challenging behavior can be thought of as a child’s solution to a problem and a form of communication. This workshop will help educators learn how to use these strategies to help them to understand where the behavior is coming from, why it is happening at a particular time in a particular place, the logic behind it, and function (or functions) it serves for the child. Even if the behavior is unacceptable, the function seldom is.

There’s a Bully in My Classroom (keynote or workshop). What is bullying? Why do kids bully? Who are the children who bully? Who are the targets of bullying? Who are the bystanders? Bullying happens everywhere, whether the school or classroom is large or small, urban or rural. This workshop answers questions that all teachers have about bullying and provides strategies for dealing with this pervasive problem.

Opening the Culture Door (keynote or workshop). Every place and everyone has a culture. This workshop explores how understanding that culture can improve a teacher’s ability to prevent and respond to challenging behavior.

WEVAS: Working Effectively with Violent and Aggressive States (1- or 2-day workshop). Even to the experienced teacher, challenging behavior sometimes seems to come out of nowhere. WEVAS helps you to recognize warning signs, see things from the child’s perspective, and match your response to the child’s needs.

Parents Are Partners (keynote or workshop). Talking to parents about their child’s challenging behavior can be one of a teacher’s most difficult jobs. This workshop provides lots of tips for connecting with parents and creating a team approach to challenging behavior.

Parent Workshop (a workshop for parents). Struggling with their child’s challenging behavior at home, families often seek new strategies. This workshop will help them to understand their child and themselves and suggest ways to prevent and respond to challenging behaviors more effectively.

Participants rave about Barbara’s presentations!

“This workshop opened my eyes to things I can do differently. Barbara is great! I loved her enthusiasm. There were lots of opportunities for discussion and exchange of ideas." Preschool Teacher, Richardson, TX

“Learning about Functional Assessment and Positive Behavior Support using an actual case study was very practical and useful." Childcare Educator, Baltimore, MD

“Finally, a workshop where I learned some strategies that are useful and realistic. I plan to use them with two of the children in my classroom." Pre-K Teacher, Baton Rouge, LA

“I have found the WEVAS system invaluable this year working with special needs 4-year-olds. It significantly changed the behavior of the child I was working with, after more traditional methods (sending him home, time-out, “talking” to him) did not work at all.”

“Barbara packed the day with insights about young children and useful strategies for the classroom teacher….we were energized.”

“Barbara’s workshop is not only practical, but full of her own personal experiences.”

“Virtually everyone learned practical strategies they couldn’t wait to try!”

“We were thrilled with the day! Barbara challenged teachers to rethink their classroom management practices and apply new ideas.”

Where is Barbara going?

To book a workshop or keynote address, or contact Barbara, email barbara@challengingbehavior.com