BEHAVIOR: A HOT TOPICTARGET ING THE BEHAVIOR, NOT THE STUDENT!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Some of the following information has been taken or altered from materials created by Dr. Laura Riffel, Behavior Consultant and is used with her permission.

• Behavior is simply anything a student does that can be observed or recorded.

• The word “behavior” does not automatically imply that the behavior is voluntary or willful.

• However, keep in mind when labeling a student’s action(s) as “behavior”, it can be inflammatory, as parents often interpret this word as meaning school personnel are implying the behavior is intentional, therefore their child needs to be punished.

WHAT IS BEHAVIOR?

Consider using objective statements that provide:• a short verbal description of the behavior;• a brief description of the impact the behavior

has on the student and others; and• acknowledgement that the behavior may not

be willful and that the behavior may be a symptom of the student’s disability.

STRATEGY FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL

GREETING STUDENTS

T O U C H T H E M

U S E T H E I R N A M E I N A

P O S I T I V E W A Y

M A K E E Y E C O N T A C T

S M I L E

DEFINE TARGET BEHAVIORSExamples:

Hitting others with a fist, or an object

Laying on the floor and refusing to move

Crying

Non-Examples:

Poor impulse control

Angry, hostile, resentful

Stubborn

(These behaviors are difficult to describe

and often lead to misinterpretation)

FBA information provided by Dr. Laura Riffel, Ph.D.

Difficult behaviors and academic concerns may develop secondary to: 1) medical problems, 2) language delays, 3) learning disabilities, 4) delayed cognition; and/or 5) mood disorders.It is important to remember that ALL behavior has a reason, you just have to navigate a different path to find the reason.

POSSIBLE REASONS FOR BEHAVIOR

OTHER POTENTIAL REASONS FOR BEHAVIOR:• problems at home;• issues with peers;• demands at school;• boredom; and/or• anxiety.

Medical Concerns:• Sinus infections• Medication side effects• Sleep deprivation

Activity Patterns: • Staying up late on school nights• Behaviors that only occur in the gym or on the playground

Relationships with Others:• Antagonistic relationships• Favorite person being absent

CONSIDER SETTING EVENTS

TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BEHAVIOR

1. Behavior is learned and serves a specific purpose.

FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT: SUMMARY STATEMENT(S)

Given a context/routine:Setting Antecedent Problem Maintaining

Baby Example:Alone Mom and Dad Talking Cough AttentionEvent Stimulus Behavior

Consequence

2. Behavior is related to the context within which it occurs.

Different context=Different behavior

3. For every year a behavior is in place it takes at least one month for that behavior to have a significant change.

4. We can improve behavior by 80% by simply pointing out what one student is doing correctly.

5. Though we know we can improve behavior by 80%, we point out the appropriate behavior less than 10% of the time!

4 POSITIVES FOR EVERY NEGATIVE

Abacus• 20 beadsStart in the morning with all 20 beads on your left side• Every time you compliment a student on their appropriate

behavior move a bead to the right side.• Every time you reprimand a student move 4 beads back to the

left side.

PAPER CLIPS• Put 30 paper clips in your left pocket or a cup.• Every time you compliment a student, move a

paper clip into the other pocket or cup. • Every time you make a reactive statement to a

student, move 4 paper clips back to where they started.

VIBRATING WATCH: Reminds you to catch students being good and is also a great intervention to assist students to stay on task.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=vibralite+3

http://www.eseasongear.com/viviwa.html

6. To increase cooperation from students, try whispering in their right ear and offering them equal choices. “You may have the purple pencil

or yellow pencil”.

Use Choices • Instead of saying “Sit Down”, use open-

ended questions like: Which chair would you like to sit in,

the blue one or the green one?• If they still refuse, repeat the choice and

walk away.• Never engage in a power struggle; you will

lose.

ALL BEHAVIOR FALLS INTO TWO CATEGORIES

7. Positive Reinforcement OR Negative Reinforcement. When a student exhibits inappropriate behavior, they are either trying to gain or escape something.

8. STUDENTS MAY BE TRYING TO OBTAIN:

1)Attention from adults or other students;

2)Access to highly preferred items; or

3)Sensory: proprioceptive/

vestibular input.

9. STUDENT MAY BE TRYING TO ESCAPE:

1) Work or tasks;2) Attention from adults or peers;3) Pain (emotional or physical); or4) Sensory overload (too much input).

10. YOUR REACTION DETERMINES WHETHER A BEHAVIOR WILL HAPPEN AGAIN OR NOT.

In order to change student behavior, we have to also change our own behavior (reactions). We want to switch from a reactive approach to a proactive approach.

IN SCHOOL SUSPENSION

• Identify how to intervene early in an escalation.

• Identify environmental factors that can be manipulated.

• Identify replacement behaviors that can be taught and serve a similar function.

OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

THREE KEY STRATEGIES FOR PROACTIVE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 makes provisions for students being served in special education in regard to functional behavior assessments (FBA) and positive behavior support (PBS).

IDEA

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) broadens an intervention from only one approach – reducing challenging behaviors, to encompassing multiple approaches:

• changing systems; • altering environments; • teaching skills; and • appreciating positive behavior.

T H E O S E P T E C H N I C A L A SS I S TA N C E C E N T E R O N P O S I T I V E B E H AV I O R A L I N T E R V E N T I O N S A N D

S U P P O RT S ( P B I S )

Classroom Expectations Behavior Expectations

• Express in positive and observable terms.

• State in language easy to understand.

ConsequencesConsequences for Appropriate Behavior

• Recognition of good behavior.

• Procedures for acknowledging expected behavior.

Consequences for Inappropriate Behavior

• Clear consequences for rule violations.

• Hierarchy of responses to behavior.

SCHOOL-WIDE BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS

EXAMPLE: PAWSBe Prompt Accept responsibility Work Hard Show respect

• Change the mode of instruction to meet the needs of the student (visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile).

• Break instruction and tasks into manageable blocks.• Provide oral prompts, especially for transitions (“in

two minutes it will be time to put away materials and line-up for music class”).

• Provide physical prompts (shoulder tap, proximity of teacher etc.).

• Visual prompts (daily schedule, task analysis of an activity).

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING STUDENTS WITH BEHAVIOR DIFFICULTIES

• Normal resting heart rate is 60 beats per minute.

• Research shows increase in heart beat up to 45 seconds before the aggressive act.

• Gary Lamb’s music is 60 beats per minute.

www.garylamb.com/

5 Way too loud!

4 Loud

3 Talking

2 Whispering

1 No Talking

AHHH!!

“I said…”

“Today at school…

“Today, I was walking down the hall and I

saw..”

zzzzzzz

http://www.5pointscale.com/books_links.htm

If a child can’t read…we teach.If a child can’t compute…we teach.If a child can’t spell…we teach.If a child can’t behave…we punish.

Dr. Bob Algozzine

Geoff Colvin (1989)- “It is always important to remember that if you inadvertently assist the student to escalate, do not be concerned; you will get another chance to do it right the next time around.”

OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

FINAL THOUGHT

National Dissemination Center for Childhood Disabilities (NICHCY resources available until September 2014)http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/emotionaldisturbance

The Center for Parent Information and Resources' Library (many documents from NICHCY will be hosted on this site)http://www.parentcenterhub.org/resources

The OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) http://www.pbis.org/default.aspx

Behavior Doctor Seminarshttp://www.behaviordoctor.org/

Oklahoma State Department of Education, Special Education Serviceshttp://ok.gov/sde/disability-category

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

RESOURCESThis is a great teacher resource book: Challenging Kids, Challenged Teachers: Teaching Students With Tourette's, Bipolar Disorder, Executive Dysfunction, OCD, ADHD, and More This is the link to the author’s Website: http://www.challengingkids.com/? page_id=2

This is a link to the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention: http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/explore/pbs/pbs.htm

This is a link to a site that offers school mental health resources not only for clinicians, but also for educators, administrators, parents/caregivers, families, and students: www.schoolmentalhealth.org/

This is an inexpensive book with reproducible charts for a variety of self-regulation issues: http://www.5pointscale.com/books_links.htm

 This is a wonderful resource for providing a calming classroom environment: http://www.musicintheclassroom.com

RESOURCES CONTINUED…This is a link to the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention:http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/explore/pbs/pbs.htm

Here are a couple of links to sensory diet sites that offers explanations and lots of ideas for

students who are need of sensory input to either assist with focus or calm their body:http://nspt4kids.com/parenting/what-is-proprioception-and-why-is-it-important/ http://sensorysmarts.com/sensory_diet_activities.html

Link to a wonderful teacher resource for classroom grants: http://www.donorschoose.org/

Link to First task, Then preferred item/activity examples:https://www.google.com/images?hl=en&biw=&bih=&q=first+then+board&gbv=2&sa=&oi=image_result_group&ei=kXcrU-HTFayI2gXu4IHYAQ&ved=0CBsQsAQ and http://lessonpix.com/articles/9/35/First+Then+Boards 

Karie Crews-St.Yves, Tiered Intervention SpecialistOklahoma State Department of EducationSpecial Education Services(405) 521-2199Karie.Crews-StYves@sde.ok.gov

CONTACT INFORMATION