B for Biting

When a child bites on a regular basis, it can be quite distressing to witness. For the parents of the child who bites, they feel embarrassed, annoyed at their child and worried about how others will see and react to their child. For the child or adult who gets bitten, it is a painful experience and can leave them feeling fearful and worried that it will happen again. For the parents of the bitten child, they are angry that their child got bitten and are worried about their child's safety. The climate of the context (e.g. childcare, early childhood, primary and secondary school, disability support and youth services) can also change dramatically. A considerable amount of time and energy can be spent on the child showing the biting behaviour, which can have a deleterious effect on the quality of the learning experience for all the children. Research consistently shows that managing behaviour is linked to staff experiencing high levels of stress, burnout and job dissatisfaction. Based on the evidence-based Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) approach this user-friendly guide, B for Biting will help you develop a comprehensive PBS plan step-by-step:

1. Work out why your child is biting (assess),

2. How to respond when your child bites (manage), and

3. How to prevent them from biting (prevent). Use the practical tools (checklists, forms and strategies) provided to develop comprehensive PBS plans that can be used to support children of all ages consistently in all contexts. This invaluable resource is useful for parents, caregivers, educators in childcare, early childhood, primary and secondary schools, disability, mental health, allied health and supervisory professionals.