Families and Positive Behavior Support

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Families and Positive Behavior Support

• Joshua K. Harrower, Ph. D
• California State University,
• Monterey Bay

2
Positive Behavior Support

• Positive Behavior Support is a team-based process
  for creating individualized support systems for
  individuals.
• Positive Behavior Support is based on
  understanding the purpose of the individuals
  problem behavior.

3
Positive Behavior Support Process

• Step 1- Identifying setting goals
• Step 2- Gathering information
• Step 3- Developing hypotheses
• Step 4- Creating a support plan
• Step 5- Carrying out the plan / making
  necessary changes

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Characteristics of PositiveBehavioral Support

• Evaluated based on a lifestyle perspective
• Understanding contexts and functions of behavior
• Proactive and longitudinal support
• Individualized, comprehensive support plans
• - Proactive
• - Educative
• - Functional

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Critical Themes in PositiveBehavioral Support

• Research based
• Consideration of real life settings or events
• Support provided within typical environments
• Respect for persons values, feelings, and beliefs
• Value of families, friends, and support providers
• Educational approach to problem behavior
• Positive changes in overall quality of life

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Process of Positive Behavior Support Facilitator
s Guide Positive Behavioral Support http//rrtcp
bs.fmhi.usf.edu Step 1 Identifying Setting
Goals
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Positive Behavior Support Step 1 Setting Goals

• Developing a support team
• Collaboration
• Identifying broad and specific goals
• Person-centered planning
• The familys role

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Behavioral Support Team

• A group of individuals who assess and develop
  individualized, proactive, and continuing
  supports. Tasks will include but are not limited
  to
• Information gathering
• Best guess about behavior
• Creation of the support plan
• Implementation of intervention

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Family Members and the Team

• Family members are a critical component of the
  team
• They are their childs most powerful and valuable
  resource
• When the family goals are incorporated in the
  process, interventions are more likely to be
  consistent with family values and lifestyles.
  Therefore creating the best contextual fit

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Teams Succeed When

• Management supports the process
• They have established goals and expectations
• They adhere to team norms of behavior
• They have reached consensus on critical issues.
• They have addressed interpersonal conflicts.
• They have taken time to develop relationships.
• When they have measured and evaluated outcomes.
• When individual goals have not superceded team
  goals.
• When they have actually implemented the plan.

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Britneys Story
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Britneys Background Info

• 6 yr old girl with Down syndrome
• Enrolled in 1st grade general ed. Classroom
• IEP listed every state standard as a goal
• History of conflict School was granted a
  restraining order against Mom

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Britneys Target Behaviors

• Hitting
• Refusal to complete a task
• Frustration
• Says no when asked to complete a task

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Interventions Used

• Time out
• Sent out of class
• No free time
• No center time (preferred activity)
• Ignored behavior
• No library time

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Britneys Strengths

• Very smart
• Easily redirected
• Enjoys outdoor play
• Very supportive and loving family
• Likes to be with her sisters
• Enjoys reading
• Good memory

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Britneys Challenges

• Math activities
• Fine motor activities
• Comprehension skills
• Staying on task
• Independent work skills
• Depends on assistant in order to complete the
  task at hand
• Communication is difficult for Britney

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Britneys Behavior Support Team

• Parents
• Sisters
• Grandparents
• University Project
• Up with Downs support network

• Administrator
• Teacher
• Classroom Assistant
• Speech therapist
• District consult

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Tips for Effective Collaboration Between Families
and Schools

• All members are treated as equals
• Focus on common interest rather than differences
• Use awareness training to jump-start
  collaboration
• Establish goals through a group process of team
  interaction and agreement
• Equity of task distribution
• Consensus decision-making
• Ongoing problem-solving
• Identify and recognize each team members
  resources, talents, and skills
• Encourage risk taking and creativity

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Identifying Goals of Intervention

• Define specific target behaviors to increase and
  decrease
• Pinpoint circumstances in which intervention will
  occur
• Identify lifestyle changes desired
• - Participation in integrated activities
• - Enhanced independence and
  satisfaction
• - Expanded social networks

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Defining Problem Behavior

• Hitting Britney hits classroom assistant with
  open or closed fist, sometimes while holding a
  sharp object, like a pencil. Britney will usually
  only hit the assistant. She does not hit her
  peers or classroom teacher

• Refusal to complete task Britney will usually
  say/yell no, get out of her seat and run around
  the classroom

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Britneys Goals

• Family goals
• Have friends
• Complete task independently
• Stay included with her peers
• Stay on grade level
• Use language more consistently

• School Goals
• Decrease hitting behaviors
• Increase independence within the area of academic
  tasks
• Have Britney comply when she is asked to do
  something
• Decrease refusal behavior

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What is Person-Centered Planning?

• Planning Process
• Assessment Tool
• Intervention
• Motivational Activity
• Team Building Process

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Why Is Person-centered Planning So Important to
PBS?

• Keeps the team focused on the child
• Emphasizes a team approach and collaboration
• Allows the team to understand various levels of
  the childs life
• Allows participants to focus on the positive
  aspects rather than the negative
• Makes the functional assessment better
• Broadens the number of effective interventions
• Creates the best contextual fit

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Person-Centered Plan Sample Organizational Chart
Dream
People
Health
Choices
Strategies
Barriers and Supports
First Steps
Goals
Places
History
Respect
Hopes and Fears
Themes
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Britneys Person-Centered Plan
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D R E A M
THE

• With this frame we want to help the person
  identify their dream for the future, including
  all the ideas, values, people and things that are
  important to them.
• List anything that is important for the person to
  realize the kind of life they desire.

• Have friends Communicate her wants
  and needs
• Be independent Sleep over her friends
  house
• Stay involved with her dance group
• Attend a friends birthday party
• Have fun!!! Go to college
• Stay included Stay on grade level
• Join girl scouts Live a healthy life
• Stay involved with the church

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PEOPLE
Family
Agency

• List the people who are present in the persons
  life.
• Place their name in the appropriate section of
  the circle.
• Place the name of individuals who are closest to
  the person in or near the inner circle.

• Grandparents
• Aunt and uncle
• Mother
• Father
• Gracie
• Mary

• Outside Speech Therapy
• Outside Occupational therapy
• Teacher
• Classroom assistant

• Neighbors
• Mom and dads friends Nicole and Bill
• Mrs. Jones Church
• Jessica little girl from Ballet class

• Up with Downs Group
• Ballet teacher
• Church group

Friends
Community
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HEALTH

• Describe the individuals health by listing any
  positive or negative conditions.
• Indicate any medications the individual is
  currently taking.

• Good appetite
• Good vision
• Appropriate activity level for age

• Hearing loss due to middle ear infection
• Fine motor difficulties

Medicines

• None at this time

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Opportunities

• What are some barriers and opportunities for this
  individual and his/her team?

• Supportive school-based team
• Administrator and school believe in INCLUSION
• Currently in an inclusive setting
• Family is very supportive
• Family follows through with homework, extra
  activities, practices with Britney, etc..
• Team has committed to the PBS process
• Team has Britneys best interest at heart

Barriers

• Communication barrier between the team
• IEP goals are unrealistic
• Teacher has a difficult time communicating to
  family that Britney is frustrated with class work
• Family wants Britney to do the same things (work,
  activities) as the other children with NO
  modifications

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Goals

• List the goals that you would like to see
  achieved one year from today.
• Think about what might be possible if everyone
  tries their hardest.
• Consider any outcome as long as it is POSSIBLE
  and POSITIVE.

• Express frustration appropriately
• Revise IEP goals and discuss transitions for next
  school year
• Increase independence (academic seat work, lunch
  time, large group time)
• Have a friend at school
• Hearing (ear) problems would be resolved live a
  healthy life
• Move on to second grade with peers in an
  inclusive setting

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• What
• actions can
• be taken
• immediately?
• These
• steps
• can be
• small

• Do a Functional Assessment to identify why and
  when she is getting frustrated
• Plan a meeting with appropriate team members to
  address IEP goals
• Implement peer buddy system in class in order to
  decrease the reliance on the assistant
• Identify someone in her class that she likes to
  be with
• Get ears rechecked by the ENT

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Process of Positive Behavior Support
Facilitators Guide Positive Behavioral
Support http//rrtcpbs.fmhi.usf.edu Step
2 Gathering Information (Functional Behavior
Assessment)
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Comparing Approaches
Positive Behavior Support Plans
designed to focus on the environment and skills
the student may be lacking. The goal of
intervention is to alter the environment, teach
appropriate skills, and reward appropriate
behavior

• Traditional Behavior Plans designed to focus
  on the student. The goal is to stop undesirable
  behavior by applying consequences, often with
  punishment.

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Functional Assessment is based on the ABCs of
Behavior

• A antecedent
• events that consistently precede the behavior
  (triggers)
• B behavior
• What the child says or does
• C consequence
• events that happen after the behavior occurs.
  These may or may not be reinforcing to the
  student and thus impact the likelihood that the
  behavior will happen again.

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Functions of Behavior
GET
ATTENTION
SENSORY
TANGIBLE (objects activities)
GET AWAY
ATTENTION
SENSORY
TANGIBLE (objects activities)
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Data Collection

• Information we collect in order to determine why
  the behaviors are occurring
• Interviews
• Scatter plots
• ABC data

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Interviews

• Interviews going over a series of questions
  that are designed to clearly define the behavior
  of concern and to gather information about
  setting events, antecedents, behaviors, and
  consequences
• Interviews provide us with
• Information from multiple viewpoints
• Potential variables influencing behavior
• A broader lifestyle perspective
• An opportunity to build rapport

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Functional Assessment Interview

• Family Interview
• Crowds and loud environments are difficult for
  Britney
• Britneys problem behavior hitting teachers
  assistant and refusal to complete task
• Behaviors do not occur with Speech or
  Occupational therapist
• Lack of communication skills frustrates Britney
• Britney enjoys positive praise
• Behaviors do not occur at home

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Scatter plot Data Sample
Student Jack Observer Teacher Date
1/8-1/18 Target Behaviors H Hitting S
Screaming
Dates
Time Activity
1/8 1/9 1/10 1/11 1/12 1/15
1/16 1/17 1/18
800 Breakfast at school

830 Circle Time
900 Math HS
H HS H H S
HS S
945 Reading H
HS S HS H H HS
HS HS
1030 Recess S
S H
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Individual Britney Date 1/17/01 Observer
Principal Staff _________________
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Process of Positive Behavior Support
Facilitators Guide Positive Behavioral
Support http//rrtcpbs.fmhi.usf.edu Step
3 Developing Hypothesis Statements
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Hypothesis Statements Framework

• When this occurs (describe context)
• The child does (describe the behavior)
• To access or avoid (describe functions).

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Britneys Hypothesis Statements

• During academic instruction, when Britney is
  given verbal prompts (asked to use her alpha
  smart and asked to do paper and pencil task)
  Britney will say no repeatedly in a calm voice,
  in order to maintain social interaction and/or
  attention
• During difficult tasks (math, fine motor, etc.),
  when Britney is given direct instruction or a
  reprimand in a harsh tone by the teacher, and has
  been redirected to the task several times, she
  will hit the assistant in order to delay or avoid
  the task

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Process of Positive Behavior Support
Facilitators Guide Positive Behavioral
Support http//rrtcpbs.fmhi.usf.edu Step
4 Designing Behavior Support Plans
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Designing Interventions

• Proactive change the environment to make
  problem behavior unnecessary
• Educative teach skills to make the problem
  behavior inefficient
• Functional manage consequences to make problem
  behavior ineffective

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Proactive Strategies

• Transition prompts (timer or verbal)
• Adapt curriculum/make modifications teacher
  will shorten lessons and adapt difficult task so
  that Britney is more successful
• Peer buddy system will be implemented and rotated
  during difficult class activities
• Expand communication and social interaction with
  teacher assistant

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Proactive Strategies (cont.)

• Social stories will be developed at home for
  changes in routine and/or schedule
• Provide more opportunities for choice-making.
  Teacher will implement workstations for Britney.
  This will also reduce the amount of time she is
  in her seat and on one specific task
• Positive praise intermittent attention before
  problem behavior occurs and for appropriate
  behavior

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An Educational Approach to Behavior Support
Because behavior problems are often a reflection
of skill deficits
teaching is often the best intervention.
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Educative Strategies
Strategy Increase use of alternative skills
that allow the student to obtain the same
function of the behavior in a more socially
acceptable manner. Example After school when
Johnny is home and working on his Math homework,
he becomes frustrated and begins to bang his head
on the table. When he begins to bang his head
his mother will walk up to him and assist him
with his homework. Instead of having Johnny bang
his head, it is appropriate to teach him how to
ask for help when he becomes frustrated with a
particular activity. Johnny can do this by
verbally asking for help, using a picture symbol,
or raising his hand.
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Educative Strategies

• Strategy Increase tolerance for a delay in
  reinforcement.

Example Now that Johnny is raising his hand
and not pounding his fist and swearing to get
assistance, the teacher can begin to gradually
require more and more of Johnny prior to
providing help.
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Educative Strategies

• Teaching strategies
• Prompt Britney to ask for a break and/or
  assistance during difficult tasks
• Provide, practice, and reinforce expressive
  language samples appropriate for simple
  situations
• Provide opportunities for Britney to request
  assistance from her peers verses the classroom
  assistant. Peers were taught how to respond to
  Britneys requests
• Find opportunities for these skills to be taught
  during class instruction (before behaviors occur)

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Functional Strategies

• Reduce outcomes of problem behavior
• Withhold reinforcement (as best as possible) when
  problem behavior occurs
• Increase use of alternative skills
• Student is practicing the replacement skill
  during non-crisis times through role play,
  appropriate role modeling, and positive
  reinforcement
• Student is using his/her replacement skill
  rather than resorting to the problem behavior to
  obtain the desired outcome

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Functional Strategies

• Star system will be revised to provide Britney
  with more consistent reinforcers (4 per day)
  instead of one at the end of each day
• Respond only to appropriate behavior and request
• Positive praise
• Ignore inappropriate response redirect to use
  appropriate response

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Lifestyle Interventions

1. Help maintain friendships 2. Use peer
networks to introduce into play group 3.
Incorporate opportunities for daily choice 4.
Develop an action plan that moves from
segregated to inclusive settings 5.
Sample perspective jobs 6. Help to participate
in after school activities
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Lifestyle Component

• Increase independence in all areas of her life
  (choices, seat work, bathroom, self help skills
  etc.)
• Increase appropriate use of social skills
• Increase peer interactions at school and within
  the community (i.e., Ballet class)

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Process of Positive Behavioral Support Facilitato
rs Guide Positive Behavioral
Support http//rrtcpbs.fmhi.usf.edu Step
5 Implementing the Plan and Monitoring the
Outcomes
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Attaining Specific Outcomes

• What to look for?
• Reductions in the individuals problem behavior
• Increases in use of alternative skills
• Revise plan to enable individual to decrease
  problem behavior / increase new behaviors
• Support plan has been implemented in a consistent
  manner
• Support plan hypotheses and support strategies
  have been re-evaluated over a specific period of
  time

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Attaining Broad Outcomes

• What to look for
• Increase quality of life goals
• Increased positive relationships with others
• Participation in school and community activities
• General health and well-being improved
• Individuals and familys increased level of
  satisfaction re personal growth development

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Britneys Plan

• Implementation and Monitoring
• Interventions will be implemented throughout the
  day and in all environments
• Teacher will continue to take frequency data on
  behaviors via scatter plot
• Team will continue to meet to evaluate outcomes
  and recommend revisions to plan, if needed.

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Current Updates!!

• Successfully completed second grade with typical
• peers, moved on to a general ed 3rd grade
  class
• New teacher (2nd 3rd grades)
• New aides (2nd grade), Classroom aide only (3rd
  grade)
• New IEP was developed (1/2 the length of the
  previous IEP)
• Behavior at or near zero instances per week
• School is including several students with
  disabilities in general education classrooms

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Thank You!

• Josh Harrower, Ph. D., BCBA
• Special Education
• CSU, Monterey Bay
• Josh_Harrower_at_csumb.edu