Lillian Michaels

SPED 839-99
Professor Runyan
Chapter 4 Activity Behavior Management Plan
September 23, 2014
I have chosen to learn more about the Attention Demander. This is a
student who, likely for reasons discussed below, demands the attention of
teachers and other adults in inappropriate ways which cause disruptions for
the teacher and the other students.
The Attention Demander is the student who consistently disrupts class
in a number of predictable ways. S/he is typically the loudest student in the
class and often responds negatively to teachers and other adults.

This

student expresses little concern for others time, often being late to class,
failing to turn work in on time, being out of his/her seat during instructional
time, and asking unnecessary or repetitive questions. In social situations,
this student sometimes tries to force his/her way into peer groups, has a
tendency to pick on other students, and says the wrong thing at the wrong
time, including the use of profanity and crude language.
When a student is behaving in this manner, the teacher and the other
students are necessarily distracted.

The teacher is forced to spend extra

time on the students behavior and this may put additional stress on other
students who cannot continue their work because of the distraction.
Classmates may begin to exclude the Attention Demander from groups and

social situations, causing the student to feel an even greater need for
attention.
Several causes may underlie this behavior, but at the heart of the
matter, the student is feeling an intense need to be acknowledged by others.
Unfortunately, this students behavior leads to negative attention, which may
tend to isolate the student even further and exacerbate the behavior. This
student likely has low self-esteem and acts out in ways designed to make
him/her feel important.
This student may be demonstrating any of several needs through this
type of behavior, primarily the need to prove him/herself to others or an
inability to form appropriate social relationships.

Secondary needs may

include the need for belonging or success.

Strategies for meeting this students needs center around building and
reinforcing his/her self-esteem. For example, giving the student a leadership
role in the classroom as well as additional opportunities to demonstrate
responsible behavior will show the student that you have confidence in
him/her. Also, giving this student attention at appropriate times is critical.
For example, the teacher should pay attention and be prepared to reinforce
good behavior and appropriate questions with extra attention. The teacher
should always be kind, polite and firm in dealing with this student, modeling
the type of behavior which is desired. The student should not be excluded or
subjected to unnecessary embarrassment and the teacher should seek to

give attention for positive actions as well as disruptions. The teacher should
also be on the lookout for overall improvement in the students behavior and
celebrate that with the student.
There are several common mistakes to avoid with this type of student.
Its easy to dismiss much of what s/he has to say, since they sometimes use
language just to gain attention. I know this from working with a 10-year-old
foster son who is an attention demander.

I have also noticed that I have

tendency to withhold attention from him when he is misbehaving, which is

seriously counterproductive. Sometimes, I need to refrain from responding in
order to keep from saying things which would not be helpful, but its best in
that situation to acknowledge him and let him know I need a minute to
collect my thoughts and then I will talk to him. Im embarrassed to say I
have also been guilty of ignoring his behavior. Some days it has felt like the
only thing left to do, but it has not helped anything and may have made
things worse. Its often very difficult to pay attention to what this child has
to say after he has spent the better part of the day talking just to have the
attention on him, but it is really important for us to continue to listen to him
and to comment on the meaningful things he does have to say.

We also

need to avoid making hasty and inconsistent judgments about this child.
Instead, we need to continually assess what his needs are and work to find
ways for him to meet those needs without the attention-seeking behavior
which gets him into trouble so often.