Notice
Recognize a change from the student’s individual baseline or an emerging pattern.
Calm people. Clear supports. Brighter futures.
The Brooks Response Sequence
Behavior is understood before it is managed. Adults respond through safety, regulation, communication, relationship, teaching, repair, and reflection.
Check
Consider medical, communication, sensory, environmental, task, and relationship factors.
Regulate
Reduce demands or stimulation and use individualized regulation supports.
Relate
Stay calm, preserve communication, and avoid power struggles.
Reason & Teach
Reteach expectations, model the safer response, and provide supported practice.
Return & Repair
Rejoin, complete expectations when appropriate, clean up, and repair harm.
Review
Ask what the team learned and what should change next time.
Prevent when possible.
Communication access, health knowledge, predictable routines, and environmental support reduce preventable distress.
Safety guides every step.
Adults remain calm, reduce escalation, preserve dignity, and use only the support needed for safety.
Support growth always.
The sequence ends with learning, repair, and change—not shame.