5 Signs a Student Is Dysregulated Instead of Misbehaving

In this blog post today we are exploring 5 signs a student is dysregulated instead of misbehaving. I think one of the best pieces of advice that I give to others within the field of special education… Is to change their view of bad behavior. Because sometimes.. What can look like ‘bad behavior’ is actually a student whose whole nervous system is completely overwhelmed and is just trying to cope.

For our autsitic students, behavior is always communication. So instead of asking about the ‘rules’ that they’re breaking, I want you to pause.. And sit with your coworkers.. And try to work out what are they trying to tell us?

I think a lot of us are trained in a way that we have to view behavior through some sort of compliance lens. If we have a student that is refusing to work.. Or calls out.. Throws something.. Or even elopes from the classroom.. Then those behaviors are very quickly labelled as defiance.. disruption.. even disrespect.

But for a lot of our students, those behaviors aren’t just choices that they’re making. They are however signals that our student is struggling to regulate their body, emotions or even their sensory system.

When a student’s nervous system becomes overwhelmed.. That’s when dysregulation happens. And with this.. Their brain literally moves from thinking and problem solving into complete survival mode. And in that moment.. Our student’s goal is not to listen, follow instructions or please adults. Their only goal in that moment, is to cope. To survive.

I think the best place to start, is to really understand this on a different level. We don’t want to control our students or their behavior. What we want to do.. Is to support our students.

If you’re ready to learn.. Read on below to find 5 common signs that a student may be dysregulated, and not intentionally misbehaving.

1. Sudden Changes in Behaviour

I think this is probablty the best place to start. One of the most common signs of dysregulation is a sudden change in behavior. And this is a behavior that seems to appear from nowhere.

You may have a student who goes from happily working.. to suddenly refusing to continue. Or maybe they start shouting.. Throwing things.. Even pushing their work away and leaving their seat/the classroom. This is when I often hear from teachers that the behavior came from nowhere and there’s no trigger.

The thing that we miss the most.. is that dysregulation builds slowly. You may have a student that is already working on trying to manage things like..

• sensory input in the classroom
• social demands
• communication challenges
• anxiety about making mistakes
• fatigue from masking or coping all day

And now for my favorite analogy.. I often say that our students start each day with a bottle of soda. Every time that they have to manage with something, it’s a shake of the bottle. And finally, something really small can become the final piece that just tips them over the edge.. And that soda bottle just explodes.

To us it may feel like such a small thing that doesn’t even seem relevant.. But to our student, it was the last straw. And their nervous system has now fully reached capacity.

Another analogy that I like is to think of an empty cup. Through the day, more and more water is added to that cup. Noise.. Expectations.. Transitions.. Sensory input.. It all adds a little bit of water.

That cup doesn’t grow. It stays the same. Nobody is drinking from it. So at some point.. That cup is going to overflow. Now the behavior that we are seeing is the overflowing of that water out of the cup.

I’ll also hear from teachers that this is a completely new behavior and most days they’re fine and they can’t find a pattern. But there’s a always a pattern. There’s always a reason. We just have to find it.

Some helpful questions are;

Have they had a lot of demands today?
Were there any recent transitions?
Is the environment noisy or busy?
Have they had enough breaks?

I find it helpful to encourage teachers to reflect back on the whole day, even right back to arrival. Sometimes, it’s even before arrival.. This is where I find having a communication book with familie sreally helpful. Often when we start looking earlier in the day, the behavior makes much more sense.

2. Fight, Flight, or Freeze Responses

When our student becomes dysregulated, their whole nervous system shifts into a survival response. You have most likely heard of this before.. The fight, flight or freeze response.

And these freezes are just automatic body responses. They are not responses that our students are consciously making. It’s the body entering survival mode.

Some examples of fight responses may include:

hitting
kicking
yelling
throwing items
pushing furniture
aggressive language

Some examples of flight responses may include:

running out of the classroom
hiding under tables
trying to escape activities
repeatedly asking to leave

Freeze responses can be less obvious but they are just as important. These might include:

staring into space
refusing to respond
shutting down completely
putting their head down
appearing “zoned out”

When our students are experiencing these.. The thinking part of their brain is not readily available at this time. So basically the part of their brain that handles reasoning, consequences, lectures or even demands is not readily available right now. And all of those things can make the situation worse rather than better.

So when we find our students and ourselves in these situations.. Our prioity is not to reason with them or place new demands on them.. We have to help our student to feel safe and supported. This is what will help their nervous system begin to settle.

Once our student is feeling regulated again, that’s when learning and problem solving can happen again.

3. Increased Sensory Behaviors

Many of our students will also use sensory behaviors to regulate themselves. So when they are feeling dysregulated, you may notice that these behaviors become more noticeable.

Some of these behaviors can include;

rocking back and forth
pacing around the room
tapping objects repeatedly
chewing on clothing or pencils
flapping their hands
crashing into furniture or walls

Other students may show sensory avoidance. This can look like:

covering their ears
avoiding bright lights
pulling away from touch
becoming distressed by noise

There are times when these behaviors can be misunderstood or overlooked. Sometimes they can be seen as distractions or just ‘inappropriate’ classroom behaviors. However, in a lot of cases, these are actually regulation strategies that our students are using. They’re trying to calm themselves and their nervous system down. Many will also behave this way to try and block out any overwhelming sensory input.

I know that sometimes it can feel like we need to rush and stop these behaviors. But, there’s actually a lot of reasoning behind these behaviors and why your student is doing them. You can then look into what your student is getting from them and look at other ways to support them, like;

sensory tools
movement breaks
quieter spaces
headphones
fidgets
deep pressure activities

Supporting regulation through sensory needs can prevent dysregulation from escalating further for our students.

4. Difficulty Communicating

Another common sign of dysregulation in our students is to have a sudden change in communication. You may have a student who usually speaks in full sentences start to repeat phrases or a lot of “I don’t know.”

Maybe you have a student who answers questions but stops responding entirely.. You may have other students who cry, yell or even use gestures instead of words.

This is because of dysregulation. Dysregulation actually affects how our brains can process language.

So when our student gets overwhelmed.. Their brain tries to change focus. It will move away from communication and towards survival. So being able to understand and following instructions, answer questions or even something like being able to explain how they feel, all becomes much harder.

If we try and get our students to communicate during these times, we can actually make things worse for them and increase their stress.

Some helpful things you can do in these moments are to:

use simple language
reduce the number of questions
offer visual supports
allow quiet time or space
give the student time to regulate

Once the student is feeling calmer, then their communication skills will usually return. The timing of this return can differ depending on individual students.

5. Emotional Reactions That Seem Bigger Than the Situation

One common theme that I hear from a lot of teachers is that the reaction that we see in the classroom.. feels a LOT bigger than the event that triggered it.

So one example could be that you have a student burst into tears because they used the wrong color pencil. Or maybe a student who becomes extremely upset when their routine changes ever so slightly. Even a simple transition between activities might lead to yelloing or refusal.

Sometimes, we are guilty of only looking at the final moment. And we may think that that behavior came from nowhere.. No warning signs.. No triggers.. And that is when the reaction can feel confusing or dramatic to us.. Because we’re looking at the end, and not at the whole picture.

Dysregulation doesn’t usually begin when we see the behavior. It builds slowly throughout the day. For our student, they may already be overwhelmed.. And that means that they have fewer emotional resources avaialble to cope with any additional challenges or demands. So even the smallest of frustrations can feel extremely intense to them.

Try and imagine that you are in a loud room. It’s not too big, and everything feels extra loud. You’re anxious, tired, overwhelmed. There’s lots going on. You’re trying to concentrate but you can’t. Now, someone is telling you that you need to leave that task and go to a different task. Suddenly this ordinary demand has become much harder than it normally would be.

And for our students who are already experiencing dysregulation.. That feeling can be even more magnified.

This is why it’s really important to have prevention strategies in place. Having things like predictable routines, visual schedules, sensory breaks and even supportive communication can help to reduce the build up of stress throughout the day.

Why This Change of Perspective Matters

It’s really important in our roles to recognize the signs of dysregulation. And when we do.. That’s when our reactions will naturally change. So instead of focusing on trying to gain compliance.. or punishment.. we will naturally start to focus on supporting our student and helping them to regulate.

What this can look like, is:

allowing a short movement break
offering a calm space
reducing demands temporarily
providing sensory tools
using visuals to support understanding
helping the student re-regulate before continuing

A lot of people think that when we react like this.. we are ignoring the behavior.. Or we are removing expectations but we’re not. What we are actually doing is recognizing that regulation has to come before learning.

A dysregulated brain can not focus on learning. It can not follow instructions.. Or even process new information effectively. But, a regulated brain, can! So the goal.. Is to help support regulation.. And that’s when we will create the right environment and conditions for our student to learn.

The most important difference in understanding and recognizing the difference between dysregulation and misbehavior is how it will naturally transform how we respond to our students in our classrooms.

When you are able to sit back and look for signs that your student is overwhelmed, instead of just assuming defiance.. Then you are going to open the door to be more supportive for your student and helping them to regulate.

There’s a quote that goes around a lot that always resonates with me. And it’s.. Our students are not trying to give us a hard time.. they are having a hard time.

I hope that blog post was able to help you understand and learn some of the differences between dysregulation and misbehavior.

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Nikki