Healing Magazine; Fall/Winter 1998 Article: "Life Space Crisis Intervention: new Skills for reclaiming students showing patterns of self-defeating behavior" By: Nicholas J. Long, Ph.D., Frank A. Fecser, Ph.D., LLPC, and Larry K. Brendtro,Ph.D. pp2-24

This article provides an in-depth review of a crisis intervention program called Life Space Crisis Intervention.

Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) is based on research conducted in the 1950s by Redl and Wineman who studied delinquents classified as disturbed and violent.

LSCI is a program of crisis intervention designed for school personnel dealing with disturbed and often explosive and violent students. The LSCI program philosophy is based on the premis that a crisis is not a disaster but rather an opportunity for growth,learning,and change. It provides school staff with the competencies to successfully and effectively manage student conflict and crisis.

Staff are trained to effectively intervene with a student's self-defeating behaviors without using isolation and exclusion. It is intervention minus the outcome of punishment or expulsion for the student.

The current and popular methods for dealing with disruptive and acting out students call for what the authors describe as criminalizing the actions of the student. Students who are emotionallhy or behaviorally disabled however rarely benefit from either punishment or expulsion. These are the kids most likely to be sspended or expelled and become the dropouts or pushouts from the educational system. The authors claim that these students fail to graduate at a higher rate than any other disability group. The authors point out that when all interventions fail, it makes sense to discard the intervention and not the student.

Rather than using coercion or exclusion, the LSCI model is a relationship-based intervention. A trained staff member becomes the student's life skills coach. This is the staff who will be with the student during times of crisis. The authors state that children are programmed to reach out to others during times of crisis and it is the current models of intervention that go against the natural needs of the child by isolating them during their time of greatest need for human contact. The authors further claim that by isolating the student, they are more apt to downplay in their own minds, the seriousness of their behavior. By maintaining contact with another, they can not deny what took place during their erruption or crisis.

The LSCI model is designed for specific students who show patterns of self-defeating behaviors. The student is guided to change their behavior as well as to "understand and take responsibility for their behavior rather than being coerced into superficial behavioral compliance."

The authors claim that the LSCI model has been effective in turning around the behavior of some extremely disturbed and violent youth while maintaining them in the school enviroment. The zero tolerence policy of schools is replaced with a "zero reject" policy meaning that all students are entitled to an appropriate education. The LSCI model holds kids accountable without allowing staff to give up on the more difficult kids.

This article did not address the needs of other students who are witness to explosive and violent behaviors of the kids in crisis. It was not clear where the intervention takes place. In the classroom,an office,hallway, or where? The school certainly has a responsibility to see to the safety of other students and staff. Also, witnessing violent or disruptive behavior can have a significant impact on the bystanders. I would have liked to have had this issue addressed.

I do agree with the authors that the current interventions are ineffective for a large number of kids. These are the same kids who at age 3 or 4 were in all liklihood coming to the attention of child protective services. This would be the time for effective interventions before any additional and possibly irreversible damage has been done. Adults are not as likely to give up on the 3 or 4 year old as they are on the 13 or 14 year old. This article does give me hope that there might be promise for these kids that some have already written off as untreatable. It is also interesting to me that once again it is up to the schools to make a difference. This is an area I might continue to explore for future assignments in this category.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 1998

Answers

Marcia, this sounds like such a good program. However, didn't the article give specifics about just what strategies were used to deal with these explosive situations? Just what are the staff trained with? Reality and Control theory? Have you found out more? Please let me know. It does seem that the administative response is to try to get rid of the troublesome students. I would love to see a model for actually teaching students to deal with their anger and frustration in non-destructive ways.

-- Anonymous, December 30, 1998

SECOND JOURNAL ARTICLE READING

For my second assignment in this category, I read an article titled,"Turning Hyperactivity into Measure of Success" by Bonnie Miller Rubin. The article appeared in the Chicago Tribune Nov.6,1998.

This article profiled Jack Sandner who is an attorney and past chairman of the Chicago Mercantile. Sandner also happens to have ADHD.

According to the article, Sandner did not know what caused his problems both in and out of school. Sandner says that all he knew was that he,"had excess energy,a talent for getting into trouble,and a brain that,from time to time,would inexplicably go on strike."Sandner had difficulty succeeding in school and attended five high schools, one for only six hours, before finally earning his high school diploma.

Sandner found success in boxing winning a Golden Gloves title and athletic scholarship. Sandner continued to do well and went on to law school where he placed first in Notre Dame's moot court competition. His risk taking behaviors served him well as he made a fortune in the stock market.

Jack Sandner has become a spokesperson for the learning disabled. He believes that in order for change you have to "bang on the door" and so he bangs loudly. Sandner believes we apply stale,incorrect standards in a way that locks anyone out who is different. That way, according to Sandner,"we can weed out anyone who is different, so that everyone on this side of the line can dictate to everyone on the other".

I agree with Sandner in that we tend to want to fit the learning disabled child into our molds. This may be due in part because we simply do not know what else to do with kids who do not conform. Many learning disabled students are a major inconvenience for school personnel. Because of their non-compliance and disruptive behaviors, we want them medicated or removed from class. What about giving school personnel the tools necessary to effectively work with and teach the learning disadvantaged?

As the article points out,someone with a physical or mental disorder can go to a center for treatment. Someone with a learning disorder has no where to go. As the author states, "we don't know how to re- wire people." Instead, these kids struggle daily with poor school performance, social isolation,and emotional problems. They are made to feel and believe that they are the problem only because their brain works differently.

The article does not mention Sandner's background in terms of his parenting,family supports,or socio-economic status while growing up. I don't think one can underestimate the impact of these factors and I wonder how significant a role they played in Sandner's success story. It goes without saying that those from disadvantaged backgrounds facing other forms of oppression will of course have additional barriers and struggles than the learning disabled coming from priviledge.

The article makes a valid point that without interventions, most kids with learning disabilities end up with continuing difficulties as adults, many ending up in prison. Creating strategies to help kids cope with their disability,restructuring classrooms and curriculum,and mentoring programs are a few suggestions for interventions with the learning disabled. Of course, positive role models such as Jack Sandner can also give kids hope and hope for the future is one of the best interventions.

-- Anonymous, February 10, 1999