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From: Delaine Certo jdjbird@eartlink.net
Date: 13 Jun 1997
Time: 14:51:08
Remote Name: max6-vgd-ca-72.earthlink.net
When one child starts biting others in the class can soon join in.. Your once calm classroom can become a battle field. With angry parents, upset children and frustrated staff. It can be a difficult situation all around.
It is important to understand why some children bite. Biting can be viewed as a primitive behavior. It can be effective in helping the biter get what he/she wants. They usually bite because they do not yet possess the skills to get their needs met. They may not have the ability to communicate effectively. They don’t have the capacity to wait for a turn or to share the toy. They do not fully comprehend how much biting hurts the other person. The other child is more than likely to drop that toy! This does not mean that biting is OK.
At our school when a child bites we step in quickly and attend to the child who was bitten. We apply appropriate first aide to the bite and comfort the child. We tend to ignore (if possible) the child who did the biting while we comfort the other child. Then we turn to the biter. We use short clear statements. Such as: “We do not bite. Biting hurts. When you bite I will stop you. I can not let you hurt other children.” We usually talk about what was happening when the child bit and try to guide him or her into using more appropriate ways to communicate. We also tell the child that we will be telling mommy and/or daddy about the biting. That all of us will help him/her stop biting. Depending on the child and the circumstances, the child is given a short time out or redirected.
A note is sent home to both parents. The parents of the biter are informed that if their child bites again (within a short time period-perhaps two week) they will be required to come immediately and remove the child for the remainder of the day.
This is usually very effective in stopping the biting. Most children like to come to school. Having to miss the rest of the day sends a clear message that biting will not be allowed. Most parents are not going to be in a great mood when they have to leave work/play to come for their child.
We keep a written record of who, when, where, why the child bit. Over a period of time we may see a pattern in biting. Perhaps the child has a favorite circle time spot and she only bites when someone sits there first. Maybe Johnny bites when he has to stand in line for a long time. If staff can become aware of what triggers a biter they can step in to prevent it.
There is more but I think that is enough for this forum! Thanks for reading> Delaine