What are automatic negative thoughts (ANTS) and how can you help your students get rid of them?

As we become more and more aware of the importance of trauma assessment in schools, we also learn about the effects of automatic negative thoughts (ANTS) on students who have experienced neglect, abuse, and stressful life events.  

What are automatic negative thoughts? ANTS are a distorted thinking pattern that makes us interpret distressing situations in an unbalanced, negative way. They are common but become problematic when they appear chronically or are taken to extremes. Examples of ANTS in students could be “I am stupid”, “Everybody hates me”, or “ I don’t have any friends”. This all-or-nothing way of thinking may cause a lack of self-esteem and make relationships more difficult.  

Why you should use the FACT to help your students combat ANTS  

When a student does not feel safe or comfortable in the classroom, they may start having automatic negative thoughts that impair their performance and learning ability. That is why trauma assessment is so crucial by all the members of the school team: it helps them implement efficient interventions to reduce stress and stop ANTS.  

The Feifer Assessment of Childhood Trauma (FACT), as the first and only comprehensive instrument measuring how stress and trauma can impact children in a school-based setting, provides a Score Report with Recommendations.  It can include up to 60 interventions that can be used at home and at school to facilitate a student’s comfort level. Based on the scores on the FACT, some of the interventions may include recommendations on managing ANTS. 

Combat the ANTS with interventions on the FACT  

The beauty of the score report are the interventions generated. For each scale, dozens and dozens of classroom and home interventions will automatically be generated for the examiner to cut, paste, and include in their evaluation. -- Steven G. Feifer, DEd, author of the FACT  

As the author of the FACT himself points out, the practical side of this instrument is the number of interventions it generates. When it comes to the ANTS, here are three examples of interventions that may appear: 

• The audio file: Research has shown that words of encouragement or positive affirmations can help reduce distorted negative thoughts. Thus, an audio file is a useful, easy-to-implement intervention. It consists of soothing words of encouragement, either from a parent, a teacher, or another coach on an audio recording. The student can be listening to them in class when they feel anxious and it will help combat the ANTS.   

• The crisis pass: A crisis pass has a green side and a red side. If the child is not feeling comfortable, they turn the pass to red. The teacher then knows it is time to direct the child to the calm corner in the classroom. This keeps the child in the classroom, close to instruction and classmates, which is more beneficial than hanging out in the nurse’s or principal’s office.  

• The calm corner: The calm corner is a partitioned place in the classroom, perhaps with a beanbag or other comfortable chair. There the student puts on headphones to listen to a prerecorded message from a parent or caregiver giving them words of encouragement to stay relaxed and calm. Hearing from people who care about them can be helpful and reduce significantly their ANTS. They can then refocus in reduced time by remaining in the instructional setting.  

These are just three examples of interventions generated by the FACT, but there are many more. In fact, the digital FACT Score Report with Recommendations contains a wealth of information that helps you complete a 504 as well as an IEP plan. As you reassess every 30 days, use the reliable change index (RCI) to track progress made toward relieving the student of ANTS.