Positive Behavior Supports for School Districts

1. PBS in a Nutshell Gloria Wright Murphy State Support Team 6 March 16, 2009 Materialfrom the CSEFEL with funds from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families (Cooperative Agreement N.PHS 90YD0119

2. Examining Our Attitudes about Challenging Behavior What behavior pushes your buttons the most? 1. Teacher Passive Resistance 2. Multiple referrals from the same staff 3. The letter of the law (black or white) 4. Teachers sending students in for “minors”

3. How do these behaviors make you feel? 1. Angry 2. Frustrated 3. Threatened in my management skills 4. Annoyed

4. Be honest…..How does this impact your relationship with the staff? 1. Not at all 2. Somewhat 3. Quite a bit

5. Integrated Experience Students/staff act in a manner. Then staff /administrators react. It is an integrated experience. We need to be proactive and “front load” interventions so that we are NOT in the reactive mode

6. Integrated Experience There is a time to be: Supportive Directive Short Concise Concrete

7. Necessary Emotional Skills for students (and staff) Confidence Ability to build good relationships Concentration and persistence with challenging tasks Effective communication of emotions Ability to be attentive to instructions Ability to solve social problems

8. When staff/students do not have these skills, they often exhibit challenging behaviors We have to teach behavior skills just as we teach academic skills

9. Some Basic Assumptions Challenging behavior usually has a message – I am bored (academics are too low/too high), I am sad, You hurt my feelings, I need some attention Students/staff often use challenging behavior when they do not have the social or communication skills they need to engage in more appropriate interactions Behavior that persists over time usually works for the student/staff We need to teach what to do in place of the challenging behavior

10. Promote student/staff success Create an environment where EVERY student/staff feels good about coming to school Design an environment that promotes student/staff engagement Focus on teaching students/staff what TO DO! Teach expectations Teach skills that students/staff can use in place of the challenging behaviors

11. Visibility Accessibility Distractibility Individualized Intensive Interventions Social Emotional Teaching Strategies Design Supportive Environments All Students/Staff Universal Building Positive Relationships

12. Building Relationships Help EVERY student/staff feel accepted in the group Assist student/staff in learning to communicate and get along with others Encourage feelings of empathy and mutual respect among students and adults Provide supportive environment in which students/staff can learn and practice appropriate and acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a group

13. Building Relationships with Students/Staff Why is it important? Relationships are the foundation of everything we do. Build these relationships early on rather than waiting until there is a problem Humans learn and develop in the context of relationships that are responsive, consistent, nurturing Adult time and attention are very important to students and we need to ensure them our time and utmost attention at times other than when they are engaging in challenging behaviors Parents and other colleagues (community agencies) are critical partners in building student’s social emotional competence. Front loading success with prevent many challenging behaviors.

14. Every student/staff needs one person who is crazy about him/her

15. Building Positive Relationships with Students/Staff Share Empathy Play Home Visits Greet by name Time & Attention Notes Public recognition Star of the Week

16. Individualized Intensive Interventions Social Emotional Teaching Strategies Universal All Students/Staff Design Supportive Environments Building Positive Relationships

17. Classroom Arrangement and Design: Traffic Patterns Visibility Accessibility Distractibility Clear boundaries Minimize obstacles and other hazards Needs of the students with special problems Visual prompts Organization of materials

18. Schedules and Routines Develop a schedule that promotes student engagement and success Balance activities Active and quiet Large group, small group, pairs, individual, centers & stations Teach students the schedule Develop a routine and follow it consistently When changes are necessary, prepare the students ahead of time

19. Transitions Plan for transitions Minimize the number of transitions that students have to make in your classroom Minimize the length of time students spend waiting with nothing to do Prepare students for transitions by providing a warning Structure transitions so that students have something to do while they wait Teach students the expectations related to transitions Individualize supports (pre correct, prompt, cue)

20. Plan and teach CHAMPS for whole group, small group, pairs, individual work, centers and stations Conversation Help Activity Movement Participation Signal for silence Sample Staff Meeting Rules

21. Large Group Activities Planning the activity Consider the length Be specific both in writing and verbally about the benchmark (purpose and goal) of the activity Use whole group ONLY to teach NEW information Implementing whole group Provide opportunities for ALL students to be actively involved Assign jobs to students/staff Vary your speech and intonation patterns Have students lead some whole group activities Pay attention to student behavior

22. Large Group con’t Arrange seating to make special needs students/staff accessible Differentiated assignments (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) Plan for late finishers Plan for early finishers (enrichment, not busy work) Interact through patterned turns, call on all students/staff equally

23. Small Group Activities Focus of small group activities Skill building for students with common needs Produce a product Experience a process Planning and Implementing Heterogeneous and a randomly mixed equal groups (3-5) male, female, ethnicity, high, low, average Assigned task for each participant (leader, reporter, time keeper, researcher, etc.) Required individual grades Clear goals Provide feedback throughout

24. Student/Staff Pairs Peer assisted learning skills(PALS)-reading, paragraph shrinkage Coach Ask questions Listen carefully to player Provide reinforcement for correct answers Provide guides and prompts for incorrect answers (but do NOT give the answer) Show respect for player Player Listen carefully Think about question Work to master content Show respect for coach

25. Individual May be accomplished in a variety of ways Computer station Peer assistance Teacher assistance Learning center (ONLY for enrichment, application, remediation)….NOT busy work

26. Giving Directions Make sure you have student/staff attention before you give direction Minimize the number of directions given Individualize the way directions are given Give clear directions

27. Giving Directions, con’t. Give directions that are positive Give students/staff the opportunity to respond to a direction When appropriate, give the student/staff choices and options for following directions (live with their choice) Follow through with positive acknowledgment of student’s/staff’s behavior

28. General Guidelines about Rules 3-5 simple, positively stated classroom rules Measurable Involve students/staff in developing the rules Post the rules visually Teach the rules systematically 5X a year (beginning , after each break, a week or two before school is finished Reinforce the rules at a high rate initially

29. Guidelines for Writing Rules Measurable Consistent with school rules Understandable Doable Manageable Always applicable Stated positively Consistent with your own philosophy

30. Rules could address: Noise level Space Materials/supplies Promptness Safety Respect for others, self, property Work habits

31. Ongoing monitoring and positive attention Give students/staff attention when they are engaging in appropriate behaviors Monitor our own behavior to ensure that we are spending more time using positive descriptive language and less time giving directions or correcting inappropriate behavior 4:1 is the rule of thumb

32. Positive Feedback Contingent upon appropriate behavior Descriptive Conveyed with enthusiasm Contingent upon effort * nonverbal forms may be used * individualize feedback and encouragement * encourage all adults and students to use positive feedback and encouragement

33. Individualized Intensive Interventions Targeted Social Emotional Teaching Strategies Students at-risk Design Supportive Environments All Students/Staff Building Positive Relationships

34. What is Social Emotional Development? A sense of confidence and competence Ability to develop good relationships with peer and adults/make friends/get along with others Ability to persist at tasks Ability to follow directions Ability to identify, understand, and communicate own feelings/emotions Ability to constructively manage strong emotions Development of empathy

35. What happens when children don’t have these skills? Isolation from peers and staff Failure in academics Exhibition of inappropriate behavior due to the isolation, failure and frustration about not knowing what to do

36. Stages of Learning Awareness – that a skill/concept is missing Acquisition – new skill/concept Fluency – ability to use the skill/concept without a prompt Maintenance – continuing to use skill/concept over time Generalization – applying the skill/concept to new situations, people, activities, ideas and settings

37. Teachable moment

38. What are some skills that can be embedded into any context at school ? Giving Compliments Friendship Being Helpful Being Helpful Sharing Taking Turns Knowing How and When to Give Apologies Team Member

39. Emotional Literacy The ability to identify, understand, and express emotions in a healthy way

40. Students with a Strong Foundation in Emotional Literacy

42. Engage in less destructive behavior

43. Are healthier

44. Are less lonely

45. Are less impulsive

46. Are more focused

48. Intensive Individualized Intensive Interventions Few Students/Staff Social Emotional Teaching Strategies Students at-risk Design Supportive Environments All Students/Staff Building Positive Relationships

49. Challenging Behavior What are we referring to when we say “challenging behavior? Any repeated pattern of behavior that interferes with learning or engagement in prosocial interactions with peers and adults. Behaviors that are not responsive to the use of developmentally appropriate guidance procedures Prolonged tantrums, physical and verbal aggression, disruptive vocal and motor behavior (e.g. screaming, throwing), property destruction, self-injury, noncompliance, and withdrawal

50. Intensive Individualized Interventions Intensive individualized interventions are used with students who have very persistent and severe challenging behavior and do not respond to the typical preventive practices, child guidance procedures, or social emotional teaching strategies that would normally work for most children

51. The PBS (Positive Behavior Support) approach to Intensive Intervention An approach for changing a student’s behavior based on developing an understanding of why the student has the challenging behavior and teaching the student new skills (which get him/her what he/she wants) in place of the old challenging behaviors which have already worked An approach the considers all of the factors that impact the student (family, school, peers, health, emotional issues, hunger, low academics, etc.)

52. Research on PBS Effective for all ages of individuals 2-50 years of age Effect for diverse groups of individuals with challenges: mental retardation, oppositional defiant disorder, autism, emotional behavioral disorders, children at risk, etc. PBS is the only comprehensive and evidence-based approach to address challenging behavior within a variety of natural settings.

53. Old Way New Way General intervention for all behavior challenges Intervention is reactive Focus on behavior reduction Quick fix Intervention matched to purpose of the behavior Intervention is proactive Focus on teaching new skills Long-term interventions

54. Challenging Behavior Communicates Communicates a message when the student does not have the language skills necessary to communicate in another way Used instead of language by a student who has limited social skills or has learned that challenging behavior will result in meeting his/her need.

55. ChallengingBehavior Works Students engage in challenging behavior because it “works” for them Challenging behavior results in the student gaining access to something or someone (i.e. obtain/request) or avoiding something or someone (i.e. escape/protest)

56. Every communicative behavior can be described by the form and function Form: the behavior used to communicate Function: the reason or purpose of the communicative behavior

57. Formsof communication Words FacialExpression Body Language

58. Functions of Communication Request information Request object Request help Request Stimulation Request social interaction

59. Functions of Communication Escape person Escape demands Escape sensory stimulation Escape activity

60. Work as a Collaborative Team to Provide Positive Behavior Support Step 1 Establishing a collaborative team and identify goals Assign roles (facilitator, recorder, time keeper, reporter of group information, etc.) Determine agenda and time for meeting (This is a problem solving meeting, NOT a gripe session) Step 2 Ensure that all participates are prepared by each gathering information known to them about the form and function of the student’s behavior (FBA-Functional Behavior Assessment)

61. Work as a Collaborative Team to Provide Positive Behavior Support Step 3 Develop an hypothesis (best guess) Step 4 Design positive behavior support plans Step 5 Implement, monitor, evaluate outcomes, refine plan in natural environments