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Motivating Special Needs Students in School Settings

Motivating Special Needs Students in School Settings. Donald M. Stenhoff Workshop for UK Field Supervisors and Program Faculty Members March 20, 2007. Why do we continue to:. Get out of bed Go to work Write Interact with colleagues Read Teach. Student Characteristics.

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Motivating Special Needs Students in School Settings

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  1. Motivating Special Needs Students in School Settings Donald M. Stenhoff Workshop for UK Field Supervisors and Program Faculty Members March 20, 2007

  2. Why do we continue to: • Get out of bed • Go to work • Write • Interact with colleagues • Read • Teach

  3. Student Characteristics • Limited academic skills • Limited social skills “It is naïve and irresponsible…for educators to expect students who do not already have the skills needed for experiencing success to work hard without positive consequences (Heward, 2003).”

  4. Consequences • Consequences make behaviors: • Increase • Decrease • Stay the same • Each behavior has a consequence • Understanding consequences leads to effective social skill and academic skill acquisition

  5. Classroom Consequences • Teacher attention • Reprimands, praise, assistance • Peer attention • Laughter, student called names • Breaks from work • Delay, avoidance, activity change, time out

  6. Classroom Consequence Examples • Student hits the teacher which produces a break from a task • Student shouts out answers during class discussion which produces a reprimand from the teacher

  7. Reinforcement • Reinforcers are those stimuli, that when provided contingent on a behavior, increase that target behavior • Praise • Physical contact • Tangible items • Activities • Privileges

  8. Using Reinforcement • When consequences are pleasant or satisfying, they influence students to behave the same way in future similar situations

  9. Reinforcement Guidelines • immediate • contingent • varied • satiation/deprivation • readily available • easily consumed • age appropriate • fade to natural reinforcement as soon as possible • provide behavior specific praise • unpredictable and novel

  10. Why use praise and other extrinsic reinforcers? • Use of praise and other extrinsic reinforcers is an empirically proven method to increase students’ performance allowing students to contact naturally existing reinforcers

  11. Why is praise and reinforcement underused? • The effects are not perceived immediately • Reprimands for misbehavior produce immediate effect • Praising a child for working quietly only produces more of the child working quietly • Appropriate student behaviors go unnoticed while inappropriate are immediately apparent

  12. Identifying Potential Reinforcers • Ask • Student • Significant others/care providers • Observe student • Stimulus preference assessments

  13. Identifying Function • To know how to change a behavior, you must know what is causing the behavior • That is, what is the “FUNCTION” of the behavior • Behavioral intervention is not a one size fits all • Some reinforcers are effective for one child and ineffective for another child

  14. Basic Functions • Positive reinforcement • Attention • To request help • Just to get attention • Some like reprimands • Peer attention • Tangible items • Toys • Food • Academic materials • Preferred activities • First in line • Recess activities

  15. Basic Functions • Escape/Avoidance • Delay or to get out of doing something • Academics • Avoid people • Teacher • Peers • Avoid activities • Classroom/group chores/tasks • Avoid demands • Avoid work all together

  16. Example of a Mismatched Consequence • Time out for throwing an assignment on the floor during independent work • The reinforcer for escape behavior is a break from work • Time out IS a break from activity • Giving a break following behaviors that serve to escape work actually strengths those behaviors

  17. Example of a Matched Consequence • Reduce work periods to shorter lengths • Require, hand over hand if necessary, work completion (i.e., the student does not get out of the task) • Provide a small break following small work period

  18. Example of a Mismatched Consequence • Reprimanding or providing other forms of attention following behavior maintained by attention • The attention IS the reinforcer • Delivering attention strengthens that behavior

  19. Example of a Matched Consequence • Withhold attention following problem behavior • Use high levels of attention and praise during times when there is not problem behavior • Catch them being good

  20. General Strategies • Proactive • Don’t wait for problems to happen • Find opportunities to praise • Classroom expectations • Academics • Instructive • Teach the appropriate behaviors • Do not assume kids know appropriate behavior • Ignore inappropriate behaviors

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