The Missing Piece in PBS: A pplied B ehavior A nalysis for Educators

1. The Missing Piece in PBS: Applied BehaviorAnalysisfor Educators Dr. Lynn Singletary Sharon Henry Sessions 30A & 30B Presentation for 2008 LA PBS 1st Annual Statewide PBS Conference: Living in the Triangle: Refocused and Recommitted

2. Discipline continues to be cited year after year as the number one concern facing educators (Phi Delta Kappa / Gallup Poll) Our schools are more diverse then ever before Different learning histories More and more students enter school lacking school skills Lack of the science of teaching

3. “In modern times there are opposing views about the practice of education. There is no general agreement about what the young should learn either in relation to virtue or in relation to the best life; nor is it clear whether their education ought to be directed more towards the intellect than towards the character of the soul… And it is not certain whether training should be directed at things useful in life, or at those conducive to virtue, or at non-essentials… And there is not agreement as to what in fact does tend towards virtue. Men do not all prize most highly the same virtue, so naturally they differ also about the proper training for it.” Guess Who??

4. Aristotle wrote passage more than 2,300 years ago • Educators are still debating • Different approaches to resolving these fundamental issues have given rise to different schools of thought concerning the philosophy of education The great education debate

5. “The socio-economic thriving of the US sets the stage for bold developments in a science of health, rather than focusing on illness and strife. It is time to go beyond our attempts to cure mental illness and devote more energies to preventing sickness and promoting well-being. Positive psychological science and practice can fuel the identification and understanding of human strength and virtue.” The Emergence of Positive Psychology: The Building of a Field of DreamsShane J. Lopez, PhD University of Kansas

6. It is a science that deals with everyday life and effective use of positive reinforcement Sweeping advances range from treatment of clinical problems such as depression, childhood autism, learning disabilities to achieving workplace productivity and safety using behavioral methods What is the science of behavior analysis?

7. A science that has the same properties as any other science (chemistry, natural science, etc.,) • Observation • Data collection • Reliability of occurrence • Replication • Measurability • Explains why. . . • people do what they do & say what they say & under what conditions Behavioral Science

8. ABA attempts to improve individual and social conditions. In education, direct instruction, precision teaching, and other behavior analysis approaches have great success within regular & special education, or adult and higher education. However, these programs have not been widely adopted yet. In industry, performance management produces results (i.e., Fortune 500 companies train managers in these approaches). Other programs related to environmental concerns, such as littering, energy and water conservation, and recycling, have been developed. In clinical areas related to personal problems, parenting, child-rearing, corrections, drug and alcohol treatment and in health-related areas, such as weight control and smoking cessation, Successful programs grounded in behavior analysis are well documented.

9. The study of behavior (called behavior modification) grew out of a disenchantment with traditional methods of psychotherapy and the belief in the utility of the scientific method for solving problems. During the 1950’s. . .

10. 7 Characteristics • Applied- behavior must be important to the subject or society • Behavioral- behavior chosen for study must be in need of improvement and be measureable • Analytical- demonstrated functional relationship and believability • Technological- explicit description, clear procedures • Conceptually systematic- interventions are derived from basic principles of behavior change • Effective- behavior change is meaningful to person changing and others • Generality- behavior change lasts over time and appears in other environments From: Cooper, Heron, Heward (1987) Applied Behavior Analysis The Discipline of Applied Behavior Analysis (Sidney Bijou, Don Baer 1961; Don Baer, Montrose Wolf, Todd Risley, 1968)

11. emerged out of a dissatisfaction regarding traditional methods for addressing serious behavior problems (Horner et al., 1990; Ruef, Poston, & Humphrey, 1999). Positive Behavior Support (PBS)

12. focused exclusively on consequences, • unacceptably intrusive and reactive And, ultimately • ineffective in helping students realize meaningful changes in behavior Traditional methods of trying to change problem behaviors . . .

13. TBM Views individual as problem and seeks to “fix” him or her, • is short term fix, • and little support after • PBS views systems, settings, and lack of skill as part of the “problem”, • is long term, • and built in support system Traditional Behavior Management Vs. Positive Behavior Support

14. The science of human behavior has taught us that children are not “born with bad behavior,” and that they do not learn better ways of behaving when presented aversive consequences for their problem behaviors (Patterson, Reid, Dishion, 1992) “Some kids are just B-A-D”

15. School systems began to “get tough” by implementing reactive and punitive policies such as zero tolerance and “three strikes you are out” legislation. National Education Goals Reported lack of discipline was the top challenge facing American schools.

16. that using punishment alone, without teaching or reinforcing pro-social behavior, is ineffective and has been associated with increases in aggression, vandalism, truancy, and dropout rates (Mayer, 1995; Mayer & Sulzer-Azaroff, 1990; Skiba & Peterson, 1999). Research has shown

17. Positive Behavior Support (PBIS.org) Prevent “behavioral earthquakes” system-wide primary prevention effort in schools, consists of rules, routines, and physical arrangements that are developed and taught by school staff to prevent initial occurrences of problem behavior.

18. The adoption of a preventive approach (PBS) is the first step in creating positive school wide changes. Sustaining positive school wide changes (social and or academic) is more than having positive expectation, new vision statements, well written lesson plans, teamwork, discipline referral system…

19. What works is a combination of antecedent (rules, routines, physical arrangements) & consequences (what happens after rule following and rule violating)

20. Antecedents are necessary and effective in starting the behavior change process. Antecedents must be backed up by consequences. PBSAntecedents & Consequences required here!

21. “Antecedents set the stage for a behavior to occur one time. Consequences get it to occur again and again.” Aubrey Daniels, 2001 Examples: Antecedents: posted rules, teaching and modeling appropriate skills, telling kids the right way to behave. Consequences: ROUTINE feedback such as conduct grade, positive mark on a tracking card, access to what is reinforcing (i.e., Fun Friday, free time, free dress, etc.).

22. . . . will tell you why a behavior is occurring and not occurring. Consequences are perceived as reinforcing (maintain or increase behavior) or punishing (decrease or stop a behavior). Consequences

23. Think strengthening • Increases a behavior R+ describes a relationship between a behavior and a consequence Examples may be praise, money, positive feedback from a supervisor, a day off from work, . . . Positive Reinforcement

24. Think weakening • Decrease a behavior Providing an undesired consequence (P) following a behavior decreases the likelihood of the behavior recurring Examples may be reprimands, embarrassing comments, the look, Punishment

25. Significantly more time is given to the talk about the plan and providing training … What makes the difference?? Leadership (principal, district office, teachers) manages the events that come before behavior (antecedents) and prompts behavior to occur. They also identify the events that follow behavior (consequences) and influence the future likelihood the behavior will occur again WarningWarningWarningWarning

26. “to change the behavior of those around you, you must change what you do. By changing what you do, you change the environment for those around you, which in turn changes them.” First Things First Aubrey C. Daniels: Other People’s Habits (McGraw Hill, 2001)

27. What is the first thing we must change about what we do? What we DO must match what we SAY! Sounds simple…

28. Actions that support positive behaviors Respond to individual needs (preferences, strengths, and needs) Alter environments- if something in the environment influences or triggers the challenging behaviors- organize the environment for success Explicitly teach new skills. Many students need to learn alternative or replacement behaviors- telling them what not to do is not good enough- they must know what to do. Genuinely appreciate and acknowledge all the positive behaviors you observe.

29. Anything a person says or does (good / adaptive, bad / maladaptive) • Also what a person does not say or do (sitting silently) What is behavior?

30. Human behavior is learned. • Both adaptive and maladaptive • Learning occurs as a result of the consequences of behavior. • Behavior that is followed by a pleasant consequence tends to be repeated and thus learned Why do we do what we do?

31. No ambiguity • Explicit, direct instruction • Small steps • Sequence information (minimizes errors) • Practice until proficient • Provision of positive and corrective feedback What works in terms of learning?

32. Using programs, methods, or strategies that promise results (evidence) when used with integrity • Stakeholder involvement • Training (first and ongoing) • Mechanism for monitoring progress Good programming includes:

33. What is required to successfully implement sustained change in organizations/programs • The right strategic goals • The right processes to make the program or business work • The right behaviors for making everything work • The right consequences to support the behaviors that drive all the key outcomes (L. Braksick, 2000) “Behavior is key to success”

34. Develop a formal leadership team • Decide on expectations • Make a plan of actions that includes incentives for rule following and rule violating • Develop a system of accountability • Provide lots of training and support • Use the data to make decisions about behavior change progress Components

35. Treatment / program or intervention integrity refers to the degree to which the “treatment agent” implements the “intervention” as planned. However, failure to get child behavior change is often attributed to the fact that the program or intervention plans are not implemented as describe or intended. Integrity

36. It is important to specify or operationalize the components of a program or an intervention for inspection of integrity Practice not widespread

37. We are all models & powerful change agents • Focus on what we want to see more of (all the positive we can find) and we will see more positive Points to remember

38. 8 systematic components necessary in effective classroom management plans

39. Remember observable and measurable • Think order, safety & respect • Follow teacher directives (“I need you to….”)- ORDER • Keep hands feet objects and unkind comments to self-SAFETY & RESPECT FOR SELF AND OTHERS • Raise hand for teacher attention-ORDER • Stay in assigned area- SAFETY & ORDER 1. Kids need to know the rules /expectations

40. Accountability • Develop tracking system • *You need a way to monitor youth behavior change (i.e., track how well they are learning to do what you taught them to do ) • Develop daily, weekly and monthly level system • Behavior tracking sheet • Incentives chart • Level changes • Manage data using Excel

41. Determine a Schedule of Reinforcement • Determine specific time periods to REINFORCE rule following • The schedule you choose should be relative to the rates of inappropriate behaviors • Hourly, q2hrs, per activity, 2 times day, end of day

42. Decide on consequences for rule following and rule violating • Rule following: • Stickers, praise, edibles, varied tangibles, fun Friday, dress down day, A in conduct, other • Rule violating: • Depending on degree: Can not earn points, can not access incentive or engage in fun activities, must participate in social skills class, increased practice opportunities for student, behavior plan,

43. Find out what is reinforcing--ask the kids to tell you what they would like to earn for engaging in the expected behaviors

44. Stay calm • Humiliation, sarcasm, and ridicule should never be used as a consequence • Offer choices about events that affect them • Use a realistic timeline • Use appropriate consequences * Guidelines for reducing misbehavior

45. 6. Develop a way to track and score their behavior changes. In other words, how many points / grade does a student need to access incentives?

46. 7. Practice makes fluent • Get prepared • Train and provide feedback • Practice Practice Practice

47. 8. Analyze data and make necessary changes • Analyze data • Make necessary changes • Implement updated plan • Analyze data • Make necessary changes • Implement updated plan