Debby Hudson dhudson1@spu Jorge Preciado preciadoj@spu Seattle Pacific University

1. Positive Behavior Intervention Support: Preventative Behavioral Practices for Early Childhood Classrooms Debby Hudson dhudson1@spu.edu Jorge Preciado preciadoj@spu.edu Seattle Pacific University *Portions of this presentation were designed by Carol Davis, Nancy Rosenberg, Dana Stevens, and Penny Williams at the University of Washington

2. What is Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS)? An approach to manage challenging behavior that emphasizes: • Prevention rather than reaction • Changing the environment • Figuring out the function of a behavior • Teaching a different “replacement” behavior

3. Assessment of the Environment Assessment of Instruction and Adult - Child Interactions Increase in Teacher Time and Level of Intrusiveness Assessment of Antecedents and Consequences

4. Prevention: Arranging Primary Structures of Learning Environments • Physical Environment • Material Environment • Temporal Environment • Social Environment • Self Awareness Environment

5. Physical Environment • General Focus: Organization: Structures, system, and themes • Physical Boundaries • Safety • Visibility • Accessibility • Environment as teacher • Provides opportunities for appropriate control

7. Physical EnvironmentSpecifics • Optimal Seating • Circle time • Small group activities • Optimal Body Regulation • Circle time • Transitions • Waiting in line • Moving between activities

8. Material Environment • General Focus • Preparation • Accessibility • Rotation • Organizational System • Preference • Age and Developmental Appropriateness • Safety

9. Material EnvironmentSpecifics • Specifics: • Labeling systems with photos and words • Sorting bins and marked areas • Roll carts for activity specific items • Prepare materials beforehand for activities • Incorporate child preferences

10. Temporal Environment • General Focus • Create a schedule and follow it! • Specifics • Visual Scheduling • Group • Individual • Across the day • Within activities

13. Temporal EnvironmentSpecifics • Activity Scheduling: • Match starting and ending activities to arousal needs of children. Alternate preferred and non-preferred activities. • Be open to changing schedules around child needs.

14. Common Times for the Prevention of C.B. • Transition: Clear beginning and end • Prepare for transitions: give warnings! • Auditory signal • Walking in line chants • Visual schedules or cues • Have transition or “waiting” items available • Clean up: Routines • Job charts • Song • Buddies • Labeled bins, roll-away carts for safety items

15. Continued • Down times / Done times: • “All Done” or “Waiting” box • Designated quiet area with activity choices

16. Social Environment • General Focus: • Establishing group norms • Sharing and caring behaviors • Insuring safety • Fostering interaction • Specifics: • Posted and practiced class rules • Supported & planned social activities • Multiple material sets

18. Self Awareness Environment • General Focus: • Facilitating personal space and ownership • Opportunities to express needs • Recognition of self and other • Specifics: • Marked cubbies and seating • Classmate photos • Personal comfort items • Management • Optimal settings

19. Instructional Strategies and PBS • Making the learning experience a positive and enjoyable one for the child will help to prevent challenging behaviors

20. A Positive Learning Experience Includes… • Functional Communication • Shared Control • Clear Cues and Expectations • And…………Really Terrific Instruction

21. Six General Prevention Strategies • Functional Communication • A way to say no • A way to say, “I need a break.” • A way to request things they want • A way to ask for help • A way to ask for attention or interaction • Can be verbal, gestural, or graphic • MUST BE EFFECTIVE!!

22. Six General Prevention Strategies, cont. • Shared Control • Giving choices • Allowing negotiation • Collaborative activities • Prepare for transitions • Give warnings • Provide distractors • Teach waiting

23. Six General Prevention Strategies, cont. • Errorless Learning -insuring success for the child • Behavioral Momentum • Very effective in small doses • Provide visual information • Planned Schedules • Visual cues

24. Modifying Task Size • Decrease the overall length of the task • Provide frequent breaks • Shared Control • Balance teacher directed and child directed activities • Use of visual supports may be helpful • Often simply showing amount “to-do” can help

25. Instructional Prevention Strategies Summary Content • Include individual child preferences • Break the tasks into simple steps • Make the task meaningful and functional • Vary the difficulty of the tasks (intersperse easy with hard) Presentation • Shorten the length of the task • Use materials that are meaningful or preferred • Provide choices • Insure child success • Provide positive attention • Give clear instructions • Avoid repeated instructions

26. The Individual and PBIS:Assessmentof the function of behavior

27. Assessment of the Environment Assessment of Instruction and Adult - Child Interactions Increase in Teacher Time and Level of Intrusiveness Assessment of Function of Behavior

28. Focusing on the individual involves • Figuring out the function of the behavior • Preventing the behavior • Replacing the function with a more acceptable behavior

29. Functional Assessment of Behavior Process: • Recognize that challenging behavior serves a function for the child. 2. Identify the priority behavior as a team. 3. Provide a clear description of the behavior. 4. Collect information to figure out the function of behavior. 5. Decide on effective intervention approaches.

30. Challenging Behavior • How does it make you feel? • Be honest with yourself and other staff -Know what you can and can’t tolerate • Develop team strategies to handle those situations

32. Obtain attention Obtain food or toys Obtain activities Obtain internal stimulation Escape/avoid activities Escape/avoid interaction Escape pain/discomfort 1. Behavior Serves a Function

33. Examples of Escape/Avoidance Behaviors Escape or avoid an activity or task • Child scratches to avoid having to cut during art. • Child flops down when it’s time to come inside • Child leaves line to avoid waiting. Escape interaction • Child moves out of play area when other children join her. Escape pain - Child hits head to escape the pain of a headache.

34. Examples of Behaviors to Obtain • Obtain things • Child screams to get a favorite food. • Child hits to obtain a toy. • Obtain attention • Child asks repetitive questions. • Child pokes peer during circletime. • Child calls teacher “stupid” - Nic story • Obtain sensory input • Child smears glue.

35. Behavior: Sam is poking and pinching kids during circle Sam is removed from circle. Function: To escape circle. Sam is reinforced! Sam continues to poke next time

36. Behavior: Maria is banging a toy against the ground. Teacher comes over, redirects Maria to another toy, and reminds her to be gentle. Function: To get attention. Maria is reinforced! Maria continues to bang toys for attention.

37. 2 & 3. Defining Problem Behavior

38. 4. Figuring out the Function Functional Assessment Questions: • What is the child getting out of this? • What triggers the behavior? • When does the behavior occur? • When does the behavior not occur? • How does the child typically communicate?

39. Tools for figuring out the function • Talking to parents and team members • Motivation Assessment Scale • A-B-C Data

40. Talking to Parents and Staff This approach gives you info about: • Setting events outside of school that might be affecting behavior • Parent ideas of what function of behavior might be • Whether the behavior is happening outside of school • Creating a communication system with parents (i.e., Code red clip)

41. Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) • published by Proactive Educational Planning, 1999. • http://www.monacoassociates.com • http://www.monacoassociates.com/mas/aboutmas.html • 16 item survey to assess behavior in four main categories: escape, attention, obtain tangible, and sensory. • Can be filled out by any team member

42. Motivation Assessment Scale 1. Would the behavior occur continuously, over and over, if this child was left alone for long periods of time? (For example, 20 minutes.) Never Almost Never Seldom Half the time Usually Almost Always Always 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 11. Does the child seem to do the behavior to upset or annoy you when you are not paying attention to him or her? (For example, if you are sitting on the opposite side of the room, interacting with another person).

43. If the function isn’t clear • Take ABC data. Each time the behavior occurs, write down • 1) Antecedent: what was happening right before • 2) Behavior: what the behavior was • 3) Consequence: what happened right after

44. Name: ___________________________ Date:____________________ Teacher(s)________________________

45. Example of A-B-C Data Date: 4/03/04 Time: 1:20 pm Antecedent: Stephen is doing cutting with teacher. Behavior: Stephen scratches teacher. Consequence: Stephen put in timeout. Date: 4/03/04 Time: 2:00 pm Antecedent: Stephen is playing game with another child with teacher assistance. Behavior: Stephen scratches the other child. Consequence: Teacher comforts child (& game is delayed). Date: 4/04/04 Time: 3:00 Antecedent: Stephen is playing with toys. Another child comes and tries to play with him. Behavior: Stephen scratches the other child. Consequence: Other child leaves.

46. Replacing the Function • Teach a Communicative Alternative • Think about what the child may be trying to communicate. What is an appropriate way to communicate the same thing? • Other examples of replacing a function • Giving a child something hard and plastic to chew on instead of hand biting

47. Examples of what the child may be trying to say • “NO!” • “I need a break” • “I want to stay here” • “Help me” • “Look! • “Play with me!” • “I want that”

48. 1. Teach ways to request and reject A replacement communication SHOULD… • Be easily available • Be easily understood • Be EFFECTIVE • Follow cultural norms

49. Teaching request and reject, cont. Process: • Look for (or set up) situations where the challenging behavior typically happens. • Catch the child BEFORE they engage in the challenging behavior and prompt appropriate communication. • Immediately reinforce the appropriate communication EVERY TIME at first. • To the greatest extent possible, make sure the challenging behavior no longer works for the child. (ideally prevent it!)

50. Catch Kids Doing the Right Thing! Positive Reinforcement: • increases the likelihood that behavior will happen again • helps children understand their behavior affects their environment • can help children build self-esteem • Remember the 3:1 ratio: For every corrective/negative, use at least 3 affirmative/positive comments