Providing Positive Student Support: Instructional and Behavior Management

Providing Positive Student Support:Instructional and Behavior Management Paraprofessional In-service Lower Moreland Township School District November 26, 2008 Karen Taratuski, M.Ed., M.S.

Our Goal • Our goal as educators is to help students with disabilities become as independent as possible throughout the school, home, and community.

Purpose of this training • To develop an understanding of how external supports help to shape behavior • To build our capacity to support students in developing independent functioning within the classroom, academically and behaviorally.

What is “independence?” • Freedom from the influence or control of others • Completing a task without undo assistance • Using resources to meet your personal needs • Self-help aka Self-advocating • Making appropriate choices and decisions • Being able to say, “I can do it myself!”

Why build independence? • Builds self-esteem • Motivates a student to achieve • Gives student a sense of purpose • Social acceptance • Reduces stereotypic labels • Allows teachers to focus on instruction

What is my role? • Build your knowledge about strategies • Help only when they cannot do it themselves • Teach independence • Offer support, as needed • Build independence throughout the day • Participate in behavioral intervention • Be aware of how professional’s behavior affects behavior of students • Data collection

Scaffolding Scaffolded instruction is the “systematic sequencing of prompted content, materials, tasks, and teacher and peer support to optimize learning.” (Dickson, Chard, & Simmons, 1993, p. 12)

Interaction takes place in a collaborative environment and honors the child’s intentions Expectations are developmentally appropriate Support is gradually withdrawn as skills are gained The child internalizes the knowledge and becomes independent Identify what the student already knows Begin with what the student CAN do Help students achieve success quickly Help students to “be” like everyone else Know when it’s time to stop Help students be independent when they have command of the activity Scaffolding Instruction

Building Independence • Cues/Prompts • Modeling • Shaping • Wait Time • Fading • Reinforcement

Least Intrusive Draw attention to the natural cues/prompts in some way. Ask a question about necessary action. Give an option. Model the behavior/response Tell the student what action to take. Physically guide the student through the process. Most intrusive Hierarchy of Supports

Cues or Prompts • Verbal or nonverbal signals that indicate what action is necessary • Naturally occurring • Environmental stimulus • Behaviors of others • imposed: • Questions • Options • Auditory Cue • Visual Cue • Tactile Cue

Modeling • To demonstrate a behavior or completion of a task for the learner

Shaping • To teach a behavior or task by providing cues, models, and consequences for steps demonstrated gradually until the final behavior or task is learned

Wait Time • The amount of time given to the student to respond to a question or complete a task

Fading • A gradual reduction of cues/prompts and extrinsic (outside) reinforcers as the student demonstrates desired behavior or task

Reinforcement • Any action or event that increases the likelihood that a behavior will occur Reinforcers…. • Draw attention to the natural consequences of performing the behavior • Ask a question about what natural consequences resulted from performing the behavior • Connect the behavior to a reinforcer

Effective educators have been found to be much more skilled than ineffective teachers at preventingdisruptions from occurring.

Prevention Strategies • Clear expectations • Teach (and re-teach) behaviors • Teach (and re-teach) rules and routines • Purposeful physical arrangements • Effective instruction (prompting and preparation) • Policy of consistent administrator and staff implementation

Behavior Management …it’s as easy as A-B-C

Antecedent • Conditions that exist prior to the behavior occurring that trigger the occurrence of the behavior • Task • Person • Type of request • Manner of delivery • Environmental conditions: temperature, noise, group size, stimulation level • Internal conditions – illness, pain

Behavior An action by an individual that is Observable AND Measurable

What is a Behavior? “Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes" • It is what people say and do. • An action that can be seen or heard. • It is observable, it can be described. • It is measurable, it can be recorded. • It can have one or more dimensions that are all measurable (frequency, duration & intensity). • Behavior happens for a reason (it is lawful).

Behavior: -running out into the hallway -hitting desk with fist -completing schoolwork early -yelling expletives in class -writing and passing notes to classmates Not: -bad attitude -lazy -low self-esteem -frustrated -control, power -angry -lack of motivation -disrespectful What do behaviors look like?

Behavior is Learned • If a behavior leads to a pleasurable or favorable outcome, it will tend to be repeated, increase, happen more often. • If a behavior leads to a distasteful or unfavorable outcome, it will tend to stop, decrease, occur less often. These are the laws of learning.

Consequences • The events that happen following the behavior that affect what a person gets as a result of the behavior - good or bad! • They can be reinforcers or punishers • Peer reactions • Teacher reaction • Removal of demand • Removal from the situation • Unpleasant or undesired response

Reinforcement v. Punishment • Reinforcers INCREASE behavior • Positive Reinforcers: desirable or pleasant stimuli • Negative Reinforcers: undesirable or aversive stimuli (seat belt bell/reminder) • Punishment DECREASES behavior • Any stimuli that is presented following the behavior that decreases the occurrence of the behavior

All Reinforcers Are Not Created Equal

Punishment • Time out (from reinforcement) • Reprimand • Cost response (loss of token, loss of privilege • Exclusion

Functional Behavior Assessment(FBA) A systematic assessment of the problem behavior, using observation and data analysis, in order to develop a plan to develop more appropriate behaviors.

Form (What does the behavior LOOK like?) Specific description Frequency Duration Intensity Function - All behaviors are purposeful Get something Avoid something Escape something Attention Object Activity Stimulation Behaviors have

Behavior Mantra “It is easier to prevent a behavior from occurring, than to deal with it after it has happened.”

Peak 5. 4. Acceleration 6. De-escalation 3. Agitation 2. Trigger Recovery 7. 1. Calm Seven Phases of Challenging Behaviors

Peak 5. 4. Acceleration 6. De-escalation 3. Agitation 2. Trigger Recovery 7. 1. Calm Seven Phases of Challenging Behaviors You are here

Seven Phases of Challenging Behaviors 1. Calm Definition: • Student is in typical, neutral state • Student is cooperative and responsive to teacher and task demands

Preventing Challenging Behavior • Be aware of the antecedents that affect behavior • Environmental • Time • Physical/Medical • Task • Instructor • Presentation

Responding to Students • Treat students with respect • Look for opportunities to praise students • Attend to appropriate behaviors of student

Seven Phases of Challenging Behaviors 2. Trigger Definition • Any event that provokes an undesired response from the student • School-based • Non-school based

Prevention at the Trigger Stage • Remove or reduce the importance of the trigger • Provide a reminder or cue for an alternate reaction to the trigger • Precision requests

Responding at the Trigger Stage • Respond to negative student behaviors in a professional manner • Don’t take it personally • View as a teaching opportunity • Avoid management traps • Passionate discipline • Preteaching • Questioning

Seven Phases of Challenging Behaviors 3. Agitation Definitions • Student behavior unfocused or off-task • Student showing indicators of anxiety • Student no longer in typical, neutral state

Prevention at the Agitation Stage • Let student know you are aware there is a problem • Use active listening • Help student label the emotion • Clarify immediate expectations • Reduce situation demands

Responding at the Agitation Stage • Provide or withdraw attention • Avoid a power struggle • Offer choices • Use interrupting strategies

Seven Phases of Challenging Behaviors 4. Acceleration Definition • Student actively resisting, refusing • Verbal aggression, threats • Violation of behavior rules • A student screams “You can’t make me, _________” • A student curses at you • Behavior is confrontational

Prevention during Acceleration • Posture • Eye Contact • Facial Expression • Distance • Voice Quality • Privacy • Present Options • Acknowledge cooperation

Responding during Acceleration • Avoid escalating prompts • Remain calm and respectful • Set clear limits • Remove potentially dangerous items • Obtain needed support to manage situation • Use distracting statements to help student redirect focus

Seven Phases of Challenging Behaviors 5. Peak Definition • Student aggression to self, others or property • Overall student behavior out of control • Fighting • Property destruction • Assault

Providing Positive Student Support: Instructional and Behavior Management