Initial Line of Inquiry : Effective Behavior Plans for Students

1. Initial Line of Inquiry: Effective Behavior Plans for Students Created by: Jacquelynn McDonough-Dority Patti Wilson David Martin Department of Exceptional Children’s Services

2. Introductions Souette Quinn Patti Wilson Katrina Wallus David Martin Jacquelynn McDonough-Dority Tanya Streeter GeorgieGoodlett Keith Politi Shannon Beuscher Megan Christensen

3. Schedule 8:00 Introductions and get started 9:45 10 minute break 9:55 Work 11:00 Lunch until 12:15 12:15 Work 1:30 10 minute break 1:40 Work 3:00 Wrap up

4. Norms Ask questions!! Minimum side bar conversation

5. Connections to Strategic Work • Improve student achievement • Improve quality of student interventions • Key Performance Indicators • Student Achievement Targets • Student suspensions/expulsions • Students meeting graduation targets • High quality staff development

7. Today Participants Will… Review the basic components of the Initial Line of Inquiry (ILI) Learn to recognize linkages between function – strategy – reinforcement Review examples/non-examples Practice writing components of an ILI Explore the WIKI page Unpack intervention strategies

8. Folder Contents Power Point ILI Wiki URL (yellow slip) ILI Template Antecedent and Reactive Interventions Teaching New Skills Positive Reinforcement Responding to misbehaviors Matching function to prevention/reinforcement Data tracking example Upload instructions

9. The Goals of the ILI Identify student strengths Identify and define a behavior (measurable/observable; data driven) Understand the antecedents Understand the motivational factors connected to the target behavior – FUNCTION Formulate and implement strategies to teach replacement behavior Measure the effectiveness of the strategies/intervention plan

10. Story of Sam

11. Strengths What does the student do well? Student’s strengths, gifts, & talents. What are there interests? What do they like to help others?

12. Strengths ...Through choosing to take a positive outlook on life, you can begin to shift out of a negative frame of mind and see life as filled with possibilities and solutions in place of worries and pessimism.

13. Student Strengths • What should be the focus? • Best academic skill set(s) • Positive social skill routines • Leadership traits • Hobbies / Talents / Interests • What parents most want the team to know about their son/daughter • What should be avoided? • Discussion of physical attributes or things that appear to be masked insults • “cute,” “handsome,” “avoids picking nose in public”

14. Student Strengths • When the team’s concern is about student misbehavior, why is it important to discuss student strengths? • Parents attend a meeting where the first words were of encouragement and positivity • Aids in building a relationship • Increases likelihood of “buy in” • Everyone can offer information in this section • It facilitates strength-based problem-solving

15. Strengths – Activity Take a moment and think about your strengths and write at least one down the post-it notes provided at the table Share your strength with a shoulder partner If you know someone at your table, ask him/her to write a strength for you and you write a strength of his/hers to share

16. Strengths - Activity • Questions to Consider • On a scale of 1-5, how easy was it to think of one of your own strengths? • How comfortable were you in writing this strength down? • If someone wrote a strength about you, was it something you consider a strength, too? • How did it feel to hear someone talk about your strengths?

17. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • What were Sam’s strengths? • Are remembering his strengths as easy as remembering his challenging behaviors? Why or why not?

18. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • Strengths: • Sam performs well on academic tests and shows considerable knowledge of academic concepts. He is involved in Boy Scouts and is very knowledgeable about Civil War history. Sam also enjoys playing the guitar and is actively involved in his church.

19. TARGET BEHAVIOR Observable, measurable terms

20. Target Behavior • Why is this section important? • The first step to healing is... • Recognizing there is a problem • Finding common ground • Reaching consensus on what is (and is not) the focus • Everyone needs to know exactly what the target behavior is... • What does it look like, sound like? • Identifying specific target behavior facilitates data collection (future section)

21. Define Target Behavior • Pinpoint the major behavior of concern • Avoid the pitfall of working on too much at one time • “Major” can mean most severe, frequent, disruptive, etc… • Often targeting a lesser severe behavior and teaching an appropriate replacement can have a positive impact on a more severe behavior. Think ripple effect. • Vagueness is not your friend – avoid words such as “noncompliance” – Dead Man’s Rule: If a dead person can do the behavior, it is not behavior.

22. Measurable, Observable Behavior? Jeff is noncompliant Susie refuses to write because she does not want (like) to write Gary does not enjoy transitions What would you need to know to change these statements into observable, measurable behaviors? Jeff ....

23. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • Think back to Sam’s story... • What would be a good behavior to target? • How would you write it, so that it is measurable and observable?

24. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • Define Target Behavior (include baseline): • Latency – After the teacher provides a verbal or written direction, Sam takes 5+ minutes before he complies; on average of 6 times per day.

25. Why Isn’t it working? • Have we adequately defined target behavior? • What are: aggression, non-compliance, attitude? • Once defined, do all parties collecting data understand and use the same language? • Is the definition of the target behavior documented? (definition-magnitude-topography) FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY DEFINE TARGET BEHAVIOR

26. Antecedent Triggers What are the Environmental triggers?

27. Antecedent Triggers • A condition, event or activity that happens immediately before the target behavior occurs • Sets the stage for the student to respond to a “typical” situation in an “atypical” way • Comparable to precipitating factors in CPI • Avoid naming diagnoses in this section

28. Antecedent Triggers • Why is this section important? • Because you need to know what “sets the stage,” increasing the likelihood that the target behavior will occur – so you can avoid it, or at least lessen the impact. • Knowing triggers helps to design prevention strategies

29. Triggers - Activity • Answer the following, then discuss with your shoulder partner... • Think of the last time you were “set off”...what were your triggers? • How do you feel when your triggers are present? • Do you actively modify your environment to avoid those triggers?

30. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry What were some of the environmental triggers for Sam?

31. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • Antecedent Triggers: What are the environmental triggers? • Sam has limited organizational skills (e.g., he loses homework, forgets his book for class, cannot keep up with his agenda, etc.) • Sam experiences difficulty with transitions • Sam has limited opportunities for social play with peers

32. Environmental Impact What is the immediate impact on the environment when the behavior occurs?

33. Environmental Impact The events or interactions that occur immediately or shortly after the behavior or as a result of the behavior What does adult typically say/do when the behavior occurs? What do peers typically say/do... How is classroom activity impacted? What is student’s reaction?

34. Environmental Impact Ask yourself: Exactly what happened immediately after the student exhibited the behavior? Who did what? Did peers give some form of attention (for example: laughing, staring, etc.)? Did adults give some form of attention (for example: attempted to redirect, gave choices, etc.)? Were they able to get out of doing the assignment or not complete the task?

35. Environmental Impact • Why is this section important? • We need to reframe – think about what we as adults can control • We need to focus on the environment – this is not about student behavior, but about how the environment sets the stage for the presence/absence of behavior • Focus on intended and unintended consequences – we need to find the payoff

36. Environmental Impact – Activity • Think about the environment you prefer to be in... • What specifically happens there that makes this your preferred environment? • What are others saying/doing? • What are you able to say/do? • Write your responses and share with a table partner

37. Environmental Impact - Activity • Think about participating in a non-preferred activity... • How does your behavior change from the preferred activity? • What are others saying/doing? • What are you able to say/do? • What do you want to say/do? • Write your responses and share with a table partner

38. Sam’s Environmental Impact • Answer the following, referencing Sam’s story • What do adult(s) typically say/do when the behavior occurs? • What do peers typically say/do? • How is classroom activity impacted? • What is Sam’s reaction?

39. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • What does adult typically say/do when the behavior occurs? • Attempts to redirect; give is individual attention to Sam • What do peers typically say/do? • Continue their work or wait impatiently • How is classroom activity impacted? • It is temporarily halted while teacher assists Sam regains his attention and gets him back on track • What is student’s reaction? • Sam appears to become anxious, often mumbling and taking extended time to comply

40. Function What is the payoff? Why does this work for the student? What reinforces the behavior?

41. Function When we talk about function, what exactly are we discussing? Student behavior Adult behavior Both Neither FUNCTION IS THE GOAL OF BEHAVIOR

42. Function • Why is this section important? • If you don’t understand the function of a behavior (what need is being filled), you will have a difficult time isolating effective strategies • Consider the function of pain – it calls attention to an unhealthy state of things...so do most target behaviors

43. Function Some of the more common functions of behavior: Attention – Power and Control – Revenge – Escape/Avoidance Easy ways to identify function See handout

44. Function Who’s in control? Who’s the adult? As adults, WE control the environment. It is the manipulation of the environmental factors that influence behavior. Therefore, adult behaviors have asignificant impact on student behaviors.

45. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • In response to what adults say/do when behavior occurs, what does Sam • Gain: • Avoid: • In response to what peers are saying/doing when the behavior occurs, what does Sam • Gain: • Avoid: • In response to the change in classroom instruction, what does Sam • Gain: • Avoid: • In having his own response, what does Sam • Gain: • Avoid:

46. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • In response to #1, what does the student • Gain: Attention • Avoid: Working • In response to #2, what does the student • Gain: Negative attention • Avoid: Working • In response to #3, what does the student • Gain: Attention and avoidance • Avoid: Working • In response to #4, what does the student • Gain: Avoidance • Avoid: Working

47. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • What is the function? • Avoidance and attention • Why does this work for the student? • There is delay in complying with directives, class is stopped temporarily and he receives individual attention and assistance. • What reinforces the behavior? • Delaying the task at hand and adult attention/assistance.

48. Function So, when you write an I.L.I., you are looking specifically for an identified function, and a match between ADULT strategies (prevention/teaching/ reinforcement) and the function. Yeah…right. Easier said than done!

49. Why Isn’t it working? • Is function misidentified? • Is there no change in the rate, frequency or duration of the target behaviors. • Increase in target behavior with NO extinction burst. FAILURE TO CORRECTLY IDENTIFY FUNCTION

50. Sam’s Initial Line of Inquiry • Start page 2 off with the Primary Function of Target Behavior • Summarize responses to Function questions on page 1: • It is believed that the primary function of Sam’s behavior is avoidance and attention.