Threat Assessment

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Threat Assessment

• Professional Development
• Tracey Whitehouse

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Threat Assessment

• This is the process of determining if the threat
  is valid and the individual can actually complete
  the threat.

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Violence is an Evolutionary Process

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Evolution of Violence

• Higher end violence is evolutionary
• It evolves over time,
• Behaviourally evolving
• Cognitively evolving

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Low End Violence

• All schools will have low end violence
• Kicking
• Pushing
• Shoving
• This really isnt the concern. What is important
  is that you know the individuals behaviour
  pattern and can recognize when problems begin to
  develop. Know the students baseline.

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Factors Affecting Violence
ENVIRONMENT
Peers
School Dynamics
Family
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Environment

• The setting itself can cause the risk/threat.
• -with high end violence, the threat assessment
  needs to look at the environment and whether or
  not it can be altered to assist the individual
  with developing more appropriate behaviours.

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Behaviour Management

• It is up to us!
• We need to change the environment, so we can
  assist in managing the childs behaviour.

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Question?

• We need to ask
• What is going on?
• Why is this student engaging in threatening
  high-risk behaviour?

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No One Snaps
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Pathway of Violence

• Everyone who behaves violently moves along a
  pathway of justification
• If we dont listen, it justifies their action ---
  they believe that no one cares

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Action

• If you suspend students you need to ask
• Will the place that we are suspending them to,
  elevate or lower their risk?
• Remember Students rely on their peers on which
  way they go --- suspension allows them to
  associate with individuals that may adversely
  affect them and you can not control the

Environment
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Types of Violent Individuals
Traditional High-risk
Mixed Type
Predominately Cognitive
Nontraditional High-risk
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Predominately Cognitive

• These students are okay with violence
• If at all possible they do not commit the violent
  act themselves. They usually get the Mixed-type
  behavioural student to complete the act
• These students are the brains behind the
  operation

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Traditional High-risk

• These students act out. They are what we see as
  behavioural students. Many are diagnosed with
  OCD, ODD etc.
• These students are okay with being violent!
• Their violence is instrumental violence --- they
  are violent to get something (i.e. status, money
  etc.)
• Violence is a means to an end

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Traditional Violent Levels

• You must understand what their base line
  behaviour is.
• Fist/feet
• Showing of the weapon
• Using the weapon
• Suicide/homicide
• These students have minimal levels of emotional
  arousal --- they move through the each level
  remember behaviour is evolutionary

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Mixed Type

• Highly emotional often have been abused
• Primarily cognitive however,they also act out in
  the behaviour domain
• Can be ODD, OCD etc.
• These students are in pain, they are okay with
  low end violence, but usually not okay with high
  end violence

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Nontraditional High-Risk

• These students function in the cognitive domain
• They do not have a history of violence
• They may use writings, drawings, or verbal
  threats prior to behaviour outbursts

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Warning Signs

• Art Work
• Look for
• Themes, evolution, big pictureenvironment
• Suicide
• Those uttering threats might be addicted, they
  might use this technique to manage their anxiety
  --- it is a solution, people give them the
  attention that they need

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• Immense pain usually they dont have a history
  of violence
• Cognitively and emotionally they can move along
  the path of violence
• If you dont listen to their threats, it
  reinforces their belief and they may act out

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Baseline

• Know the typical baseline of the student
• If the student begins to go above the baseline
  .this is when you should be very worried!

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The Importance of Data Collection

• The better the data (FIR)
• frequency, intensity, and recentness
• --- the better the assessment and therefore the
  better the intervention

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Remember

• To control the behaviour, control the
  environment!