Effective Collaboration with Parents to Develop Individualized Positive Behavior Support

1. Effective Collaboration with Parents to Develop Individualized Positive Behavior Support Leah Benazzi, Ph.D., NCSP Beaverton School District Lisa Sterling, Ph.D., NCSP Boise School District

2. Outcomes • Learn essential components of IPBS. • Review barriers to successful development of IPBS. • Understand parents’ point of view and the importance of parental involvement. • Examine the role of the school psychologist as a team builder. • Speak with colleagues regarding current practices. • Reflect on case study examples.

3. What is Individualized Positive Behavior Support (IPBS)? • A. Defining and prioritizing problem behaviors • B. Conducting a functional assessment • C. Developing data-based hypotheses that explain the problem behavior • D. Developing a behavior support plan • E. Implementing, evaluating, and modifying the plan as needed (Bambara, Nonnemacher, & Kern, 2009)

4. Essential components of a function-based plan • Preventative strategies – make the problem behavior irrelevant by altering antecedents • Teaching Strategies – make the problem behavior inefficient by teaching a replacement behavior or skill serving the same function • Consequence strategies- make the problem behavior ineffective by altering consequences • Critical team members include those most familiar with FBA and PBS (school psychologists) as well as those most familiar with the student and the school’s resources and routines (parents and teachers). (Benazzi, Horner, & Good, 2006; Dunlap, Newton, Fox, Benito, & Vaughn, 2001)

5. What are the barriers to successful development of IPBS? • School culture • Administrative leadership and support • Structure and use of time • Ongoing professional development • Family support and involvement (Bambara, Nonnemacher, & Kern, 2009)

6. Why is effective parent consultation important in all aspects of our work? • In a meta-analysis of 18 studies, Guli (2005) found that parent consultation is an effective vehicle for addressing a variety of school-related behavioral concerns. • Parents who are actively involved in their children’s education reduce their child’s risk of academic failure. • Parent involvement in the elementary years seems to have lasting effects in high school. • Teachers who work well with parents seem to have a better understanding of students’ problems and are better able to solve those problems. (Braden, 2007; Guli, 2005)

7. Parent involvement in IPBS • Family participation in the functional assessment process helps us to understand better the conditions (antecedents and consequences) that make the problem behavior likely to occur. • Family members may be directly involved in the interventions for the student especially if the consultant is able to provide wrap-around services at home. (Dunlap et al., 2001; Minke & Anderson, 2005; Peck Peterson, Derby, Berg & Horner, 2002)

8. Parent involvement in IPBS • If the school psychologist or consultant works with the family to design interventions that are consistent with the family’s values, skills, schedule, resources and support system, the behavior plan may be much more successful. • Trusting, respectful relationships among teachers and families appear to lead to more successful interventions. • Families are experts about their children! (Dunlap et al., 2001; Minke & Anderson, 2005; Peck Peterson, Derby, Berg & Horner, 2002)

9. Barriers to Parent Participation in IPBS: The Parents’ Point of View • Their own parents were not involved in their education • Inflexible work schedules • Negative perceptions of the educational process • A belief that their input will not be valued • A belief that the education of their children is the sole responsibility of the teacher • Teachers may not encourage the involvement of parents • The definition of “involvement” – some parents perceive their role as providing food and safety to children outside of school (Braden, 2007; Minke & Anderson, 2005)

10. Barriers to Parent Participation in IPBS: Culture and Language • Socioeconomic status and culture • Is information provided to parents in their language? • Language barriers • “Lost in translation” • Stigma and shame surrounding mental health and behavioral problems • Roles of teachers and authority figures in different cultures • Developing rapport and trust • The importance of a cultural broker

11. Barriers to Parent Participation in IPBS: The School’s Point of View • Sometimes school personnel view parents as the cause of the student’s behavior problems. (Minke & Anderson, 2005) • The definition of “involvement” as assisting the school in reaching goals defined by the school – parents made not define involvement in the same way. (Minke & Anderson, 2005)

12. Barriers to Parent Participation in IPBS: The Big Picture • Public schools have viewed parent advocacy groups as imposing changes to long-standing special education practices. • Mandates resulting from advocacy have been viewed by some as a loss of control over education by school systems. • Compliance with the law may be perceived as more valuable than the student’s experience. • The perceived expense of special education services may leave educators reluctant to provide more services and parents frustrated by lack of support. (Nietsch, Siegal, Keefe, & Horn, 2008)

13. Barriers to Parent Participation in IPBS: The Big Picture • Without training, educators may feel unprepared or disinclined to work with parents especially if they have had bad experiences. • Failure to value each other’s knowledge about a child’s behavior can undermine effective interactions. • Assumptions about parents and their concerns • Differing timelines • Cultural and socioeconomic differences • Parents may not believe they know enough about the process to have worthwhile contributions; they may not feel empowered. • Parents may not believe that their contributions are being “heard”. (Nietsch, Siegal, Keefe, & Horn, 2008)

14. Removing Barriers: School Psychologists as Team Builders • Goals for the consulting school psychologist: • Improve the quality of parental involvement • Assist with the immediate concerns of the parent • Establish a partnership between the parents and the school • At the early stages of consultation, estimate (via parent interview) the level of parental involvement needed to implement the recommendations. • How involved is the parent currently? • How involved would they like to be? • Understand that all families will not participate in the same way. (Braden, 2007, Minke & Anderson, 2005)

15. Removing Barriers: School Psychologists as Team Builders • Educate teachers and other personnel about the barriers and benefits to parent involvement. • Encourage teachers to reach out to parents of kids with behavior difficulties proactively. • Act as a consultant to teachers working to build relationships with parents. • Work directly with parent groups to invite their participation. (Braden, 2007; Dunlap et al., 2001; Minke & Anderson, 2005)

16. Removing Barriers: School Psychologists as Team Builders • Expand the definition of “involvement” to include providing support to families and learning from families as equally important as gaining support for school goals. • Adopt a collaborative rather than an “expert” approach. • Frame the student’s needs in a broad enough perspective to encompass multiple environments and systems. • Attend to issues of conflict and emotion, not just the PBS process, when meeting with the team. (Braden, 2007; Christenson, 2003; Dunlap et al., 2001; Minke & Anderson, 2005)

17. Self-assessment of current practices: Think-Pair-Share • Do you work well with parents? • What judgments do you make about parents of children who are ESL? • Parents with attorneys? • Parents with advocates? • What do you think when a parent does not show up for a meeting? • What additional efforts do you make to help parents feel comfortable? • What steps do you take to build a partnership with parents?

18. Case study examples • Scenario #1: Student has ASD. Parents have an attorney. • Scenario #2: Student has TBI. Parents are refugees from Somalia.

19. Resources • Bambara, L.M., Nonnemacher, S., & Kern, L. (2009). Sustaining school-based individualized positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 11(3), 161-176. • Benazzi, L., Horner, R., & Good, R. (2006). Effects of behavior support team composition on the technical adequacy and contextual fit of behavior support plans. Journal of Special Education, 40(3), 160-170. • Braden, M. D. & Miller, J. A. (2007). Research based practice: increasing parental involvement in education. Communiqué, 36(1). • Christenson, S. (2004). The family-school partnership: an opportunity to promote the learning competence of all students. School Psychology Review, 33(1), 83-104. • Dunlap, G., Newton, J., Fox, L., Benito, N., & Vaughn, B. (2001). Family involvement in functional assessment and positive behavior support. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 16(4), 215-21.

20. Resources • Guli, L. (2005). Evidence-based parent consultation with school-related outcomes. School Psychology Quarterly, 20(4), 455-472. • Minke, K., & Anderson, K. (2005). Family-school collaboration and positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 7(3), 181-185. • Nietsch, P., Siegel, C., Keefe, C., & Horn, K. (2008). Partnering with parents of special needs students: barriers to collaboration. Communiqué, 37(1). • Peck-Peterson, S., Derby, K., Berg, W., & Horner, R. (2002). Collaboration with families in the functional behavior assessment of and intervention for severe behavior problems. Education and Treatment of Children, 25(1), 5-25 Contact information: leah_benazzi@beaverton.k12.or.us Lisa.sterling@boiseschools.org