Managing the Cycle of Acting-Out Behavior

6 Components of PBS

1) Select and define expectations & routines (OAT)2) Teach behavior & routines directly (in all settings)3) Actively monitor behavior (MIS)4) Acknowledge appropriate behavior

Predictable/Intermittent/Long-term5) Use data to make decisions6) Correct behavioral errors

Pre-correction/Boosters/De-escalation/FBA

Primary Prevention:School-/Classroom-Wide Systems for

All Students,Staff, & Settings

Secondary Prevention:Specialized Group

Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior

Tertiary Prevention:Specialized

IndividualizedSystems for Students

with High-Risk Behavior

~80% of Students

~15%

~5%

CONTINUUM OFSCHOOL-WIDE

INSTRUCTIONAL & POSITIVE BEHAVIOR

SUPPORT

Cycle of Acting-Out Behavior

1. Calm Phase

2. Triggers Phase

3. Agitation Phase

4. Acceleration Phase

5. Peak Phase

6. De-escalation Phase

7. Recovery Phase

Phase One:Calm

• Angry and aggressive student are relatively calm in the initial phase of the acting-out behavioral cycle.

• Characteristics:

•Maintaining on task behavior;

•Following rules and expectations;

•Responding to praise;

•Initiating appropriate behavior; and

•Responding to goals with success.

Proactive Strategies for Maintaining the Calm Phase (1)

• School-wide Behavior Supports– All settings, including Classroom

• Teacher-Student relations • Home-School relations• Managing Instruction

– Work difficulty level & OTR – Getting started routines (first 7 minutes)– Interesting & appropriate content & presentation

Classroom ManagementCritical Features

1. Designing the physical space & schedule

2. Teaching classroom expectations3. Establishing classroom routines4. Utilizing consequences5. Pre-Correcting problem behavior6. Correcting problem behavior7. Quality instruction

Teaching Behavioral Expectations

1) State behavioral expectations

2) Specify student behaviors (rules)

3) Model appropriate student behaviors

4) Students practice appropriate behaviors

5) Reinforce appropriate behaviors

Establishing Classroom Routines

• Manages “administrivia” efficiently– Attendance, lunch, announcements

• Minimizes disruptive interactions– Provides a buffer against negative interactions

• Helps create shared ownership between teacher/students– The more students contribute, the more they own

Establishing Classroom Routines

Step 1: Identifying Classroom RoutinesEstablishing Classroom Helpers

• Substitutes (J. Witt 1999)• Classroom visitors (J.Witt 1999)

Speaking in Class Organizing Assignments Conducting Tests & Quizzes Meeting Personal Need Using Filler Activities

Step 2: Specify Student Behaviors

Step 3: Teach the Routines– Use 5 step teaching procedure

Sample Routines

Specialist: Beginning Physical Education • Students line up at the gym door• On signal they enter the gym• Students move directly to line on gym floor

(basketball court line)• Maintain a space, more than one arm’s length• Face the teacher• On signal begin to jog in place

Phase Two:Triggers

• Triggers are defined as those events that set off the cycle of acting-out behavior.

• Triggers serve to increase the agitation level of the student.

• Two types of triggers:

School-based

Nonschool-based

School-based Triggers

1. Conflicts

(a). Denial of something that the student wants or needs.

(b). Something negative is inflicted on the student.

•Often, students who exhibit serious acting-out behavior typically do not

have good communication skills.

•They are also easily triggered, are often provoked by a perception that something negative is inflicted upon them.

School-based Triggers 2. Changes in Routine•Sudden changes in routine or schedule

•Transitions (tasks and/or location)

•Adjustments to rules

•Adapting to substitute teachers

3. Peer ProvocationUnfortunately, other students sometimes see these easily triggered students as fair game.

•Name calling;

•Teasing;

•Interfering with their activities or belongings;

•Or making fun of them in the presence of other peers.

School-based Triggers 4. Pressure

Schools can be viewed as a very high-demand location. Students are expected to:

•Manage time well;

•Function independently in a number of situations;

•Often manage multiple tasks at the same time;

Students with serious problem behaviors, do not have the skills necessary to meet these expectations, so they feel under constant pressure

The ordinary demands of a school day can set the stage for panic, depression, anxiety, and other emotional responses resulting in poor decisions.

School-based Triggers 5. Ineffective Problem Solving

Acting-Out students generally have limited strategies for:

•Identifying the source of a problem

•Generating appropriate options

•Evaluating them

•Negotiating with others

•Implementing plans

These students often apply one ineffective strategy repeatedly or resort to angry reactive behaviors.

School-based Triggers

6. Facing Errors during Instruction

In many cases, these students will stop working after they make errors and will avoid new learning rather than make more mistakes.

Their self-confidence is very fragile due to the lack of school success.

7. Facing Correction ProceduresEasily triggered students often have problems in accepting assistance after errors have been made or with being required to do the task over again.

The process used for teaching and learning, may actually prompt an increase in agitation levels. Thus, making it difficult to engage the student in new learning.

Nonschool-based

1. High Needs HomesStudents who have behavioral disorders often come from homes where many critical needs are not met.

•Adequate shelter

•Food

•Support and nurturing.

•Parents unemployed or under employed

•Poverty

•Forced transience

2. Health Problems•Lack of health insurance

•On going care – costly

•Common or chronic illnesses untreated due over the counter cost.

•Viruses,

•Infections

•Headaches …

Nonschool-based

3. Nutrition NeedsNot having regular, well balanced meals, and/or are often hungry.

4. Inadequate Sleep

•Irregular or inadequate sleep patterns.

•Environmental factors:

-Excitement before sleep -Going to bed late -Crowded conditions

-Excessive noise in the home or neighborhood -Conflicts at home

•Physical or Medical Issues:

-Medication side effects that may cause agitation or discomfort

-Medication adjustments

-Unmedicated students

Nonschool-based

5. Duel Diagnoses•A student may receive a duel diagnosis of ADHD and ODD, and the respective treatments may interact negatively with each other.

•If students are prescribed medication, a side effect of agitation may result.

6. Substance Abuse•Students who use drugs and alcohol often exhibit serious and unpredictable acting-out behavior at school.

•These behaviors can also occur if the student is deprived of the substance.

•A growing population of students who are born to substance-addicted mothers.

7. Gang and Deviant Peer Groups•Often this population challenges school authority and peer relationships.

•Membership is also associated with criminal activity and inattendance at school.

Nonschool-basedSchool-based Triggers

Compound Triggers

Some students with serious problem behavior experience triggers in both settings. The triggering events may have a cumulative effect. When triggers are not effectively resolved for the student, more and more frustration and anxiety can develop for the student…thus resulting in an explosive eposode.

Precorrection Strategies for Triggers Phase (2)

Key Points

• “Pre-” means before; “-Correct” means after• “Pre-Correction” means anticipating problem

behavior and intervening beforehand• Problem behavior is prevented• Expected behavior replaces problem behavior

7 Steps of Precorrection

1) Identify the context (trigger) & predictable problem behavior

2) Specify expected behaviors3) Systematically modify the context4) Conduct behavioral rehearsals5) Provide strong reinforcement6) Prompt expected behaviors7) Monitor the plan

Study: Colvin, G., Sugai, G., Good III, R.H., & Lee, Y. (1997). Using active supervision and pre-correction to improve transition behaviors in an elementary school. School

Psychology Quarterly, 12, 344-363.

Effect of Supervisor Interactions on Problem Behavior

Results of Pre-Correction Study

Major Findings:• Active supervision combined with pre-correction significantly

reduced problems• Active supervision defined as: Moving around, looking around

and interacting with children• Interactions between supervisor and children negatively

correlated to high degree (-83%)• Actual number of adults present did not affect student behavior

(range 1-5)• Some students persisted with problem behavior implying they

needed a more individualized intervention.

Teaching Social Skills for Managing Triggers Phase (2 continued)

• Social Skills defined as: Actions or behaviors displayed by students (or adults) in a specific context (setting) resulting in a positive social outcome.

• Social Skills Instruction: Direct teaching of setting specific behaviors designed to provide information, practice & acknowledgement regarding the behavioral expectations of that setting.

Phase ThreeAgitation

Once the Phase Two triggers began to take effect, the student moves from the Calm phase to Phase Three, Agitation.

•Agitation will develop when the student is unable to control or manage the triggers. Often the student is saying, “Leave me alone.”

•“Agitation” is a general behavioral term that includes the emotional disposition of:

-anger -upset -depressed -on-edge-withdrawn

-worried -disturbed -frustrated -anxious

The Agitation phase can last for a considerable amount of time, depending on the events that take place or on which stimuli are present.

Phase ThreeAgitation

Agitation can be manifested in one of two ways:– Responses indicating increase in behavior; or– Responses indicating decrease in behavior.

It is important to note that the behaviors exhibited in this phase represent a change from the behavior in the previous “Calm” phase.

Increases in Behaviors:

•Darting eyes

•Busy hands

•Moving In and Out of Groups

•Off-Task and On-Task Cycle

Decreases in Behaviors:

•Staring into Space

•Veiled Eyes (avoids eye contact)

•Nonconversational Language (one word responses)

•Contained Hands

•Withdrawal from Group

Calming Strategies for Managing Agitation Phase (3)

• Teacher empathy• Assist student to focus on the task• Provide space• Provide assurances & additional time• Permit preferred activities• Use proximity (when appropriate)• Choice of independent activities (when appropriate)• Passive v. Active activities• Movement activities• Student self-management

Calming Strategies for Managing Agitation Phase (3 continued)

• Addressing potential roadblock responses from adults– Fair vs. Equal– Task Avoidance

Phase FourAcceleration

• In the previous phase, students are characterized as unfocused and the behavior is nondirected.

• In the Acceleration phase, the students behavior becomes focused and directed (usually towards staff).

Engaging behavior: the goal is to obtain a response…negative or positive.

-Questioning and Arguing -Noncompliance and Defiance

-Off-Task Behavior -Provocation of Others

-Compliance with Accompanying Inappropriate Behavior

-Criterion Problems (performing below expectation) -Whining and Crying

-Avoidance and Escape -Rule Violation

-Threats and Intimidation -Verbal Abuse

-Destruction of Property

Defusing Strategies for Managing Acceleration Phase (4)

• Avoid escalating prompts

• Maintain calmness, respect & detachment

• Approach student in non-threatening manner

Correcting Problem Behavior

• Procedures are designed to:

a. Arrest problem behavior

b. Ensure correct behavior occurs

next time

c. Avoid escalation

Systematic Correction Procedures

• Focus on student(s) nearby exhibiting the expected behavior first, then slowly move to target student

• Secure student’s attention• Inform him/her of expected behavior• Redirect the student to expected behavior/activity

(gesture/verbal prompt)• Acknowledge the changed behavior when occurs• Make first contacts least disruptive• More intrusive measures if behavior persists

Note

• Addressing problem behavior means providing attention which MAY REINFORCE the behavior

• Controlling for attention is critical

• The next student behavior is often determined by initial (and subsequent) teacher responses.

Phase FivePeak

• The most serious or intense of the phases. The students’ behaviors are characterized by disruption so serious that class cannot continue or continues with difficulty.

• “Peak” behaviors often represent a threat to the safety of others or to the involved students.

• These behaviors include:– Physical Attacks– Self-Abuse– Severe Tantrums– Running Away

Safe Management Strategies for Peak Phase (5)

• School/District Policy

• Identify possible emergency situations

• Guiding Principles for safety issues

• Necessary prerequisites

• Action Response Plan

• Follow up

Phase SixDe-escalation

• The De-escalation phase is the beginning of the student’s disengagement and corresponding reduction in intensity of behavior.

The student is moving from a situation of conditioned or patterned behavior to one of more uncertainty and confusion. It is a reintegration process.

This reintegration process is very similar to Phase Three-Agitation, where there is a very clear lack of focus and obvious appearance of distraction.

The common behaviors manifested in this phase are:

-Confusion -Responsiveness to Direction (concrete directions)

-Reconciliation -Responsiveness to Manipulative or Mechanical Tasks

-Withdrawal -Avoidance of Discussion

-Denial -Avoidance of Debriefing

-Blaming Others

Reintegration Strategies for De-escalation Phase (6)

• Isolate student

• Decision (send student home or retain)

• Engage in independent work

• Complete exit paperwork

• Determine consequences

• Restore & resume

Key to Using Negative Consequences

No Silver bullet!

Rather

MILD CONSEQUENCES

CONSISTENTLY delivered

Phase SevenRecovery

• In this final phase, Recovery, the student returns to a non-agitated, and relatively normal state. The student is able to participate, perhaps marginally, instruction or the current classroom activities.

Recovery Phase Characteristic:

•Eagerness for Independent Work or Activity

•Subdued Behavior in Group Work

•Subdued Behavior in Class Discussion

•Defensive Behavior (cautious, almost measured)

Resumption Strategies for Recovery Phase (7)

• Transition steps– Strong focus on normal routine– Maintain consequences– Acknowledge problem solving behaviors– Support student– Plan (if necessary)

• Debriefing Plan

Early Phases

Emphasis on teaching and

prevention techniques.

Later Phases

Emphasis on safety,

crisis management,

re-entry and follow-up procedures.

Strategies for Managing the Acting-Out Behavior Chain