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How is Individual
Student Positive Behavior
Support Implemented?
Students who engage in chronic high intensity patterns of
problem behavior are in need of individualized and intensive
support strategies. Patterns of chronic behavior problems
signal to adults that the student is experiencing some unmet
need in their life. The unwanted problem behavior enables
the student to express themselves in ways that make it impossible
for parents and school personnel to ignore, even if this means
placing themselves at serious risk. The nagging question for
parents and school personnel is what to do when a student
presents behaviors that are dangerous and or disruptive. Positive
behavior support offers a systematic process for assessing
behavioral needs and designing interventions that can result
in decreases in problem behavior and improvements in life
quality. Like schoolwide positive behavior support, planning
for individual student needs uses an assessment based five
step process that includes (a) conducting a functional behavioral
assessment, (b) developing hypothesis statements, (c) designing
an intervention plan, (d) observing intervention effectiveness,
and (e) adjusting and modifying as needed.
As you read through each step of the process look for opportunities
to view the assessment and intervention plans developed for
Randy, an 8th grade student with ADHD and Cassie a 4th grade
student with multiple disabilities.
Step 1: Conducting a Functional Behavioral Assessment
(FBA)
Functional behavioral assessment is a process for gathering
information that identifies variables contributing to occurrences
of problem behavior and helps us to understand the reasons
why problem behavior is occurring. A FBA is conducted by (1)
interviewing people who know the student, (2) observing the
student across settings, (3) summarizing and interpreting
the information, and (4) developing hypothesis statements.
Three types of information should be gathered when conducting
a FBA. These include information about the context of the
student’s life, information about variable setting events,
and information about immediate events that occur just before
and just after the behavior.
Gather Information about the Context of the Students Life
In order to fully understand the reasons why problem behaviors
are occurring it is important to consider from the student’s
perspective what life is like for them day to day. Each of
us can think back to events in our lives, major or minor,
that cumulatively have had an effect on the person we are
today. Well the same thing is true for students with disabilities.
A history of academic failure, exclusion, and limited relationships
are all examples of common experiences students with disabilities
have in school settings. By looking at the quality of the
student’s life it enables us to consider from the student’s
perspective how they may be feeling about their life and being
in school. It is also helpful to carefully consider the characteristics
of the student’s disability, medical, and sensory needs
that also may be contributing to how they feel at any given
time.
In summary, when gathering information about the context of
the student’s life consider:
• Relationships with adults and peers
• Academic and school history
• Personal and family history
• Medical and sensory needs
• Degree of inclusion or exclusion
• Characteristics of the student’s disability
View Randy’s FBA
summary
View Cassie’s
FBA summary
Gather Information about Variable Setting Events
Have a cold, wake up late, get into an accident on your way
to work. These are all examples of setting events that cause
us to act in ways not typical to our disposition. Setting
events are experiences in our day to day lives that are not
consistently present, but when they are, they predispose us
to act out of character. For example, when you are over tired
or have missed a meal you may be more irritable or short tempered.
When you are experiencing a major life event such as a divorce,
serious illness, or death in the family you may be more disorganized,
forgetful, or neglectful of your duties. These temporary events
are powerful influences on our behavior but are often hard
to notice or pinpoint, especially since they are either internal
(e.g., illness or hunger) or may be occurring outside of the
current setting (e.g., car accident before work or divorce).
For students with disabilities events like these often contribute
to why behavior is occurring. Have you ever had a student
in your class who behaves inconsistently one day to the next
and you feel like you can not predict what will set him or
her off on any given day? It is possible that the inconsistent
disposition and behaviors you are seeing are the work of setting
events. Because these events are easily missed, it is important
to ask specific questions to see whether they are present
in your student’s life. In summary, when gathering information
about setting events consider:
• Illness or allergies
• Lack of sleep
• Missed meals
• Medication changes or side effects
• Incident (e.g., fight) earlier in the day
• Negative interpersonal history with another person
(e.g., teacher or peer)
• Temporary family events such as a divorce or moving
to a new town
Gather Information about
Immediate Events in the Environment
Immediate events refer to
the Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence patterns that represents all
behavior. The following provides an example of the A-B-C pattern
of behavior:
Antecedent |
Behavior |
Consequence |
Request
to complete
academic task |
Verbal refusal
Failure to initiate |
Teacher redirection
or reprimand |
Antecedents are events
in the environment that are present immediately before the problem
behavior occurs. Examples of antecedents include task demands, having
to wait a turn, or being told “No.” Antecedents may be
unique to a situation and inconsistent across different environments
or may be very consistent across environments. In actuality anything
in the environment can act as an antecedent to the occurrence of
behavior. Common antecedents include curricular and instructional
conditions (e.g., type of task, level of difficulty, quantity or
structure of work), environmental conditions (e.g., noise level,
temperate, or degree of structure), social conditions (e.g., tone
of voice, pace of interaction, word phrasings, or requirements of
the interaction), and personal and control conditions (e.g., degree
of predictability available, degree of control or choice within a
situation, ability to organize self or materials). In summary when
identifying antecedents that may trigger occurrences of problem behavior
consider:
• Curricular and instructional conditions
• Environmental conditions such as degree of structure or transitions
• Social and interactional conditions
• Personal and control conditions
In response to an antecedent, the student exhibits a behavior. Behaviors
can take many forms and be interpreted differently by different people.
Because of this, it is important that target problem behaviors are clearly
defined in terms of what they look and sound like. When behaviors are
not clearly defined it may be hard for members of the student’s
team to come to consensus about what the focus of the intervention should
be. It is also more difficult to get an accurate baseline of occurrence
that in turn will make evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention
less clear. The following are examples of well defined and poorly defined
behaviors:
Poor |
Better |
| Aggression |
Pushes
peers forcefully with both hands
Scratches to the point of breaking the skin
Pins peers up against a stationary object such as lockers, door
jam, or wall
Kicks adult forcefully in the shin several times in a row very
quickly |
| Off Task |
Looks
out window
Talks with neighbors
Looks at alternative material
Fails to initiate activity (e.g., does not get out materials or
open book) |
| Disrespectful |
Interrupts
the teacher while she is instruction the class
Uses derogatory language in response to teacher requests
Argues with teacher in front of the class
Calls peers names that are perceived as insulting (e.g., “Your
stupid”) |
In summary when defining
a target behavior it is helpful to keep three key questions in mind:
• What does the behavior look like?
• What does the behavior sound like?
• How intense do people perceive it to be?
The third component of the A-B-C model of behavior is the consequence
or how people in the environment respond when behavior occurs. It is
very important to clearly and accurately define consequence events because
how we respond increases or decreases the likelihood behavior will occur
again in the future. Thus the consequence takes on a reinforcing or punishing
quality depending on how it is perceived by the student. The influence
of consequences can be tricky because they do not always have the response
we intend them to. Consider the following example:
Antecedent |
Behavior |
Consequence |
Teacher
request to complete independent work |
Tony
Fiddles with objects in desk
Talks with neighbors
Stares out the window |
Repeated
redirections to complete work culminating in loss of recess
time |
In this example, loss of
recess is being used as a punitive consequence to being off task
and not completing the assignment. From the teacher’s perspective,
recess is highly valued by her students and thus serves as an effective
deterrent to future occurrences of off task behavior. Now let us
look at the same student’s behaviors during recess:
Antecedent |
Behavior |
Consequence |
Children
playing in pairs or groups
No one is playing with Tony
Children walk away when he approaches |
Tony
runs up to peers and gets very close to their face and yells
at them to stop what they are doing
Tony plays alone and walks along the edge of the playground area |
Peers
walk away from him
Some yell back
Some make fun of him |
It is easy to see now that
recess is not a pleasant time of the day for Tony. This prompts the
question whether loss of recess time is really a punisher or a reinforcer.
Since Tony does not enjoy recess what he may be learning is that
engaging in off task behavior gets him out of an activity that is
very uncomfortable and unpleasant for him. The lesson here is that
it is important to always consider the consequence from the student’s
perspective because it may differ greater from our own interpretation.
Because of this operationally define exactly what people say and
do and to consider the types of outcomes that may be resulting because
of the behavior and the imposed or natural consequence. In summary
when defining the consequence that occurs following a behavior consider:
• What do people (adults and peers) say and do?
• What is the chronological order of how people respond?
• What outcomes occur?
• Punitive
• Academic
• Social
• Tangible
How might the student be viewing the consequences?
View Randy’s FBA Summary
View Cassie’s FBA Summary
Thus far, we have talked about the types of information needed when conducting
a functional behavioral assessment. Next let us turn our attention to
the tools or practices needed to gather information
Using Indirect Assessment Tools and Practices to Gather
Information
Indirect information refers to the opinions of people who are familiar
with the student and occurrences of problem behavior. Indirect information
also refers to information that can be obtained by reviewing the student’s
records, reports, and individualized education program (IEP). Gathering
indirect information can occur in a number of ways including one to one
interviews, group interviews or discussions, questionnaires, checklists
and rating scales, and document reviews. When using indirect assessment
tools consider:
Does the tool:
|
Lead to identifying
the student’s strengths, preferences, or learning style? |
|
Lead
to identifying lifestyle context influence on behavior (e.g.,
relationships, medical, or psychological factors)? |
|
Lead
to information about settings where the behavior does and
does not occur? |
|
Leads
to information about antecedents present in the environment
immediately prior to behavior? |
|
Lead
to a definition of what the behavior looks and sounds like? |
|
Lead
to information about what people say and do in response to
a behavior? |
|
Require
training or extensive time and effort to complete? |
Typically,
no one tool will provide you with all the information you need. It
is often helpful and necessary to select a combination of tools that
will provide you with a comprehensive and complete picture.
View Blank Indirect Assessment Tools
View samples of completed Indirect
Assessment Tools for Randy
Using Direct Assessment Tools and Practices to Gather Information
When conducting a functional behavioral assessment, it is extremely important
to observe the students in settings where the behavior does and does
not occur. Direct observations enable us to establish a concrete baseline
of behavioral occurrence. Direct observation also allows us to identify
antecedent and consequence conditions that were not revealed during the
indirect assessment gathering efforts (e.g., records review or teacher
interview). Opportunities for direct observation should be distributed
over time and sample different times of the day and the school routine.
Obviously, you want to select times of the day when behavior is occurring.
But you will also want to observe during times when the student is successful.
These observations will provide important information about the conditions
that work for the student, their strengths and their preferences. This
information can then be used during intervention planning to increase
opportunities for successful experiences.
When conducting direct observations consider:
• Have you defined your target behavior in measurable terms?
• Does your behavior occur very often or only occasionally?
• Are you interested in how many times your behavior occurs (Use Event
Recording)?
• Are you interested in how long your behavior lasts (Use Duration Recording)?
• Are you interested in calculating the rate of occurrence (Use Interval
Recording)?
• Are you interested in describing what occurs (Use Anecdotal A-B-C Recording)?
When and how many observations be conducted?
View Blank Direct Observation Tools
View samples of completed
Direct Observation Tools for Randy
Step 2: Summarize and Develop Hypothesis Statements
Now that you have gathered direct and indirect assessment data, you probably
have a lot of information. It will be helpful for you to organize the
information into categories that allows you see what information you
have and if necessary what additional information you may need. The Functional
Assessment Summary Form is one tool that will help you organize the
information you have gathered.
As you review your assessment data, it is helpful to look for common
scenarios that occur across settings. For example, you may notice that
problem behaviors often occur in response to being asked to complete
an academic task or when denied access to a preferred item or activity.
Next, ask yourself if the behaviors are serving to help the student get
something they want (access) or get out of something they do not want
(escape). This is the function of behavior.
Function refers to the reason or purpose behind why the student is engaging
in problem behavior. All behaviors serve a function, they either get
us something we want (access) or get us out of something we do not like
(escape). Another way to think about this is that behaviors are a way
of communicating with us in the absence of more socially appropriate
alternatives. Even students who have strong and competent articulation
skills may have difficulty knowing the socially acceptable response to
use or if they know the appropriate response, something may be inhibiting
them from using it. It is also possible that the appropriate response
was once in their repertoire but situational events over time conditioned
them not to use it. Consider the following example:
When (Antecedent) |
What (Behaviors
that are known to occur) |
In
order to
(Consequence + Function) |
Social
studies class, the teacher is randomly picking students to
read orally. |
Talks
to neighbor
Pulls out a magazine
Closes her book
Asks to go to the bathroom/nurse/guidance |
Escape
being asked to read aloud because Angela is reading substantially
below grade level and she does not want to be embarrassed
in front of her peers. She would rather get in trouble
with the teacher than risk looking stupid in front of
her friends |
Hypothesis statements, such as the one above, are instrumental in guiding
teams to design interventions that are practical, proactive, and
meaningful. For example, antecedently, the teacher could pull Angela
aside before class and let her know that she is going to call on
students to read, but promises not to call on her. This level of
predictability neutralizes the anxiety Angela feels about being called
on resulting in her not needing to engage in the behaviors bothersome
to her teacher and disruptive to the class. In conjunction with this,
private 1:1 or small group instruction can be used to provide Angela
with socially safer opportunities to read out loud.
Often times, there will be multiple hypotheses for a single student.
You should also not be surprised if you find yourself asking if one behavior
can serve two functions (i.e., sometimes it is used to get attention
and sometimes it is used to escape a task demand). Such complexities
are common, but through good data collection and productive team discussion
it is possible to tease out the different messages the student is sending
you.
View Randy’s
FBA Summary and hypothesis statements
View Cassie’s
FBA Summary and hypothesis statements
Step 3: Designing an Intervention Plan
Thus far, you have collected indirect information
and direct observation data, you summarized that information,
and developed hypothesis statements explaining why you
think the student is engaging in the behavior. At last,
it is time to begin planning the interventions that will
be used. Effective interventions are those that effectively
compete with the outcomes achieved by exhibiting the problem
behavior. This means that interventions must be sufficiently
intense and produce meaningful and relevant outcomes for
the student. Above all, the interventions must be a good
fit for the context they are applied in (i.e., the teacher
feels comfortable using the strategies or the work within
the general education classroom) and a good fit for the
student’s needs. This is why the development of hypothesis
statements is so critical, because it provides team members
with a very clear direction for intervention planning resulting
in practical and proactive strategies. Using the hypothesis
statements as a guide the team selects interventions that
will (a) prevent behavior from occurring, (b) teach the
student a socially appropriate replacement skill, (c) strengthen
appropriate behaviors, and (d) respond effectively to occurrences
of problem behavior.
Preventative Strategies
Preventative or antecedent strategies are powerful intervention options
because they are proactive in nature, thus they eliminate or at least
reduce the possibility that the problem behavior will occur at all. Preventative
strategies are always matched to the specific antecedents that trigger
behavior within the context of understanding why (i.e., function) behavior
is occurring in the first place. There are many ways to design antecedent
interventions including modifying instruction, materials, tasks or requirements,
increasing predictability and control, or introducing preferred items,
events, or people.
When developing preventative strategies consider:
• What is the function of behavior?
• What is the learning/behavioral/social objective of the situation?
• What conditions trigger behavior?
• How can you modify the environment in a way that achieves the learning/behavioral/social
objective and also meets the student’s needs?
• Brainstorm strategies to prevent problem behavior.
• Brainstorm strategies to promote appropriate or desired behaviors.
View Cassie’s
behavior intervention plan
View Randy’s
behavior intervention plan
Teaching Alternative Replacement Skills
A second important component of the intervention plan is to identify
and teach skills that offer the student a socially appropriate way to
meet their needs. Since problem behavior can be viewed as resulting from
a skill deficient (e.g., communication or social skills) it is imperative
that we develop the student’s competence to handle the situation
in a more appropriate way. By teaching alternative skills you expand
the student’s competence to negotiate life’s challenges while
also decreasing their dependency on antecedent interventions and environmental
modifications.
The key to teaching alternative skills is the extent that the outcomes
achieved by the new skill competes with the outcomes (i.e., function)
achieved by the challenging behaviors. Meaning, that the student will
only use the new skill if it results in an outcome that is meaningful.
Consider the following hypothesis for Melissa a 3rd grade student with
Autism:
When: |
What:
|
In
Order To: |
Presented
with a task request that involves multiple steps |
Melissa
will push work away, crumple or rip the paper, pinch the
teacher’s arm |
Escape
tasks that are difficult and that she is unsure of what to
do |
Antecedently, the teacher can modify the task and the directions to reduce
the difficulty level associated with completing the task. For example,
she can present step of the request at a time and when Melissa finishes
the teacher can present the next step. This is helpful because it
neutralizes the trigger (i.e., difficulty level) that occasioned
the behavior. The problem is that Melissa is always dependent on
the teacher modifying the task. By teaching Melissa a replacement
skill such as asking for help or stating that she does not know what
to do will empower her to resolve the problem she is encountering
in a way that is productive and socially appropriate.
When teaching alterative skills consider the following:
• Does the new skill produce a meaningful outcome for the student (i.e.,
does it produce an outcome that is the same as or similar to the function of
behavior)?
• How and when will you teach the skill?
• How will you support the student while they are learning the new skill?
View Cassie’s
behavior intervention plan
View Randy’s
behavior intervention plan
Designing Interventions to Strengthen Occurrences of
Appropriate Behavior
In order to increase occasions of appropriate behavior, it will be necessary
to provide the student with systematic and regular reinforcement. Typically,
when a student engages in problem behavior, people in the environment
usually respond in ways that are obvious and emotionally charged (e.g.,
teacher is upset or classmates laugh). This provides the student with
a great deal of reinforcement for acting inappropriately. But when the
student is acting appropriate, often there is a much less intense response
(e.g., classmates not paying attention or teacher is attending to other
students). Thus, the student is less likely to be reinforced for acting
appropriately.
To encourage appropriate behaviors and use of the new alternative skill,
teams will find it helpful to develop strategies for providing the student
with positive feedback and incentives. Social praise and acknowledgement
is highly valued by students and should not be underestimated as a powerful
intervention option. However, social interactions need to be driven by
genuineness and content that goes beyond simple statements such as “good
job.” Similarly, incentives should reflect student interests and
preferences.
When designing interventions to strengthen occurrences of appropriate
behavior consider:
• The schedule for providing reinforcement.
• The form (i.e., verbal praise, tokens, etc) that reinforcement will take.
• The student’s interests and preferences for incentives.
• How you will fade tangible reinforcement out over time.
View Cassie’s behavior intervention
plan
View Randy’s
behavior intervention plan
Responding to Occurrences of Problem Behavior
The final component of the intervention plan focuses on strategies for
responding to occurrences of problem behavior. It is often helpful for
teams to think about responding to behavior during four key stages in
the behavioral cycle.
What
does the student look like? |
What
are the adult responses? |
Calm
What is the student’s disposition? |
How
will you reinforce appropriate behavior? |
Pre-Curser
What behaviors does the student exhibit (e.g., begins to fidget,
looses concentration, starts to hum) that signals an incident is
about to happen? |
What
strategies can you use at this point to neutralize the effects
of an antecedent trigger and help the student to stay calm? |
Agitated
What behaviors does the student exhibit that signals they are now
in a state of crisis? |
What
strategies (e.g., take a walk, quiet time) will you employ
to de-escalate the situation and keep everyone safe? |
Calming
Down
What behaviors does the student exhibit and signals to you they
are calming down?
What behaviors does the student exhibit that signals to you they
have a reached a point of calm? |
What
strategies helps the student to calm down and regain composure?
At what point can adults begin to re-engage the student back into
their typical routine? |
Step 4: Observe
for Intervention Effectiveness
Once the intervention strategies are in place, it will be important to
monitor for effectiveness. Periodically, the team should come together
to review data and discuss their interpretations of how the student is
doing. To do this, a systematic data collection process will need to
be in place so that decisions to continue, modify, or discontinue interventions
are informed. Additionally, it is often helpful, whenever possible, to
build in a self monitoring strategy for the student so that they can
track the progress they are making.
Step 5: Adjust and
Modify as Needed
Over time, it will be necessary to adjust and modify interventions. Interventions
may loose their effectiveness or not work out the way initially planned.
Additionally, new circumstances in the student’s life may trigger
old behaviors that require the team to problem solve new intervention
strategies. Temporary setbacks, although disappointing, should be viewed
as an opportunity to further strengthen the support strategies in place
for the student. |
