Behavior Supports in the Classroom

1. Behavior Supports in the Classroom

2. Disruptive Behavior • Evidence: • Off-task talking, out-of-seat, competitive activities • Culprits: • Classroom management, curriculum, teaching strategies • Deficits in skills • Attention seeking (given more attention for disruptive behavior than appropriate behavior)

3. Solutions • Understand the function • Often it is attention seeking—so give them attention for appropriate behavior . . . often! • School-wide and classroom interventions • Well-written, and enforced, class rules (clear expectations) • Well-planned systematic response (consistency) • Self-discipline and self-management

4. Noncompliant Behavior(e.g. Oppositional Defiant Disorder—ODD) • Evidence • Passive noncompliance, direct defiance, simple refusal, and constant negotiation. • Culprits • Attention as correction-only/power-struggles • Indiscriminant attention (lack of clear expectations, consistency and follow-through) • Preference of being seen as ‘bad’ rather than ‘dumb’ • Promotes escape-type behaviors

5. Solutions • Say what you mean, mean what you say (consistency and follow-through) • Reinforce compliant behavior • Research suggests that the most effective intervention for non-compliance is providing positive consequences for appropriate behavior as well as reprimands for non-compliant behavior. • So extinction is not effective! • Since escape is a primary suspect—suspension in not effective either.

6. Impulsivity • Evidence • Erratic and poorly controlled behavior • Acts without all information, often calls out in class, difficulty organizing materials • Difficulty reflecting on inappropriate actions (including academic work) • May also have disruptive and noncompliant behaviors • Culprits • Attention-seeking • Self-gratification (including hitting to stop someone from bothering them) • Biology

7. Solutions • Teach skills • Waiting behaviors • Self-control and relaxation • Deliver smaller, shorter tasks • Check for accuracy often • Provide more feedback • Do not rely on medication!

8. Attention(e.g. ADHD) • Evidence • Difficulty starting and finishing tasks • Distractibility • Not paying attention vs. paying attention to everything! • Decision-making • Can also occur with hyperactivity and impulsivity • Culprits • Boredom • Skill deficits • Self gratification • Escape and/or attention seeking

9. Solutions • Teaching skills • Motivating curriculum • Appropriate pacing • Teach skills that demonstrate attention (‘sit and listen’). • Smaller, shorter tasks with more feedback • Understand the function. If it is skill deficits—teach the skills! • Reinforcement systems work well for this behavior--particularly preferred activities (kinesthetic) • Self-monitoring at timed intervals

10. Hyperactivity • Evidence • Often associated with inattention and impulsivity—but is not exclusive to it! • Immature behavior • Disruptiveness/aggressiveness • Seems unable to connect with peers—may look to adults for friendships • Culprits • Self-gratification • Attention seeking • Biological and environmental • Family schedules and interactions

11. Solutions • Consistency • Deliver reinforcement and consequences • Social skills training • Cognitive behavior management • Teach academic skills where there are deficit areas

12. Aggressiveness • Evidence • Hostile: Intent to harm • Instrumental: Intent to gain something • Physical or verbal • Culprits • Power, control, affiliation • Skill deficits • Escape, attention-seeking, and/or self-gratification • The behavior has been trained or is being modeled by someone • The media

13. Solutions • Understand the pattern of aggression • Over-aroused (excitability), impulsive (blow-ups), affective (rageful), predatory (vengeful), and instrumental (intimidation) • Understand the stages (p. 442) so intervention can take place before dangerous behavior • Social skills training • Proactive vs. reactive • Empathy (e.g. role-playing) • Peer acceptance

14. Tantrums • Evidence • Aggressive, non-compliant behavior • Acting out behaviors (crying, screaming, jumping up and down) • Common in young children • Culprits • The behavior gets them what they want! • Mostly connected to parents and other caregivers (including teachers) giving in. • Attention seeking

15. Solutions • Extinction is highly effective with this behavior. • Say what you mean, mean what you say! • Routines • Transition warnings

16. Stereotypy • Evidence • Self-stimulation (e.g. ‘flapping’) • Self-inflicted injury (e.g. SIB) • Repetitive behaviors (e.g. OCD) • Culprits • Deficits in communication skills (speech and language) • Attention-seeking /escape

17. Solutions • Increase ability to communicate • Social skills training • Sign language • Decrease gains from behavior (e.g. attention, tangibles, escape, etc) • This does not necessarily mean extinction! • Very responsive to behavior management-based interventions

18. Depression • Evidence • Low energy or fatigue • Concentration /decision-making issues • Sleeping /eating issues • Social skills issues • Sadness and/or aggression • Culprits • Biological or environmental • Short- or long-term

19. Solution • Know when to seek additional information and refer to professionals! • Combination of professions • Medication, behavioral, and psychological • Skills training • Social skills • Cognitive behavior management

20. Something to Think About Utah has highest rate of mental illness and depression in the US • In Utah, 14% of adults and adolescents reported experiencing severe psychological distress, and 10% said they’d had a major depressive episode in the past year. Bad mental health days come three times a month for those living in Utah. • The states found to have the highest suicide rates had fewer resources for mental health care, and barriers such as cost made it harder for people in those states to access what resources were available. • Researchers also found that the more highly educated a state’s population is, the lower its rate of depression.

21. Depression and ADHD • 18% of children diagnosed with ADHD suffer from depression as teens • 10 times higher rate than peers • 5 times more likely to consider suicide (not attempt it) • Those with combined types evident between ages 4-6 were at greatest risk for depression and suicidal thoughts • Includes depression, ODD, conduct disorder • Although boys have higher rates of diagnosed ADHD, girls have the greater risk for depression • Having a mother with depression increases the risk *The study appears in the October 2010 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry

22. Functional Behavior Assessment And Behavior Intervention Plans

23. Rationale Behaviors never occur in isolation! Historically • ‘Problems occur in people’ • Lead to trying to change the person Present-Day • ‘Problem-behavior occur in contexts’ • Leads to trying to change the context

24. Steps for Conducting a FUBAfrom the U.S. Department of Education • Define the behavior • Gather information • Hypothesize the function • Develop a plan • Monitor behavior

25. Step 1: Define the Behavior • Concrete definition • Observable • Measurable • Objective • Conditions under which it occurs

26. Step 2: Gather Information • Interviews • Questionnaires • Record Reviews • Direct Observations

27. Step 3: Hypothesize the Function • Use data • Question: When are the behaviors most/least likely to occur (a.k.a. setting events)? • Think of ways the behavior is serving the student

28. Step 4: Develop a plan (BIP) • Determine the appropriate behavior that would serve the same function • Arrange the environment to prompt desired behavior • Develop plans for reward and consequence systems

29. Step 5: Monitor behavior • Verify hypothesis • Validate intervention • If successful, the assessment is complete • If unsuccessful, return to step 2 (gather information)