SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SELPA

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Effective Support Strategies for Support Staff
and Teachers

• SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SELPA
• KIMBERLY WEINER, Ph.D., BCBA
• JESTIN ST. PETER, M.A.

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One of our MOST IMPORTANT goals of Special
Education

• Facilitating student independence!!!
• How do you do this?
• Be aware and conscious of what prompts you are
  using, when, how often, and if they are
  necessary!
• No more automatic pilot

An IA who helps a student to become independent
is a highly desirable employee!!!!
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Inadvertent effects of one-on-one IA support

• Instead of.
• Student over dependence stigmatization
• Continual close proximity can decrease the
  likelihood of independent functioning and
  increased reliance
• Classroom teachers ability to assume ownership
  for the student can be reduced
• Hinder teacher and student interactions

• Possibilities.
• Student independence by using appropriate prompts
  and reinforcement
• Systematic use of proximity to encourage
  independence
• Teacher provides initial instruction to student
  and IA ensures follow through
• Facilitate teacher and student interactions

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Specific skills we can learn or improve

• Prompting
• Proximity
• Reinforcement

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Before you do ANY prompting

• Wait and watch!
• Do an initial pre-assessment observation by
  standing back and watching for a minute, dont
  jump right in.
• If it is a familiar task, let the student attempt
  the task first and move in if you see signs of
  frustration.
• Watch student begin and check back later to make
  sure student is on track (monitor from a few feet
  back).
• Front load assignment (Model, lead, check).
• If your student is engaged, STAND BACK and allow
  them to be independent!

Taken from Riverside County SELPA 2002-2003
Decreasing Dependency Facilitating Independent
Student Functioning
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Prompts

• What is a prompt?
• Prompts are known as a temporary crutch that
  should be systematically withdrawn as soon as the
  student begins to perform the skill
  independently.
• What does a prompt do?
• Increases the likelihood the student will engage
  in the correct behavior at the correct time.
• What is prompt dependence?

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Multiple prompts

• In small groups discuss
• What types of prompts do you most commonly use
  with the students you work with?
• What types of prompts are most commonly used
  together?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks to using
  multiple prompts?

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Effective prompting

• During teacher-led instruction, prompts should
  focus the students attention to the teachers
  instruction/direction or the natural cue.
• Prompts should be as weak as possible.
• Prompts should be faded quickly.
• Unplanned prompts should be avoided.
• Prompt, reinforce and fade.

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Prompting order

1. Try and start with prompting the student to
   attend to the teacher OR the natural cue
   (indirect prompts)
2. Prompt to teacher- Instead of saying Mrs.
   Johnson said to . what can we say?
3. Prompt to natural cue- Instead of saying Line
   up, or saying Get out your pencil and paper
   what could we say?
4. If the student needs additional prompts, you can
   give prompts to the task/assignment (direct
   prompts)
5. Give prompts to assist the student in engaging in
   the task

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Verbal prompt
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Gesture prompt
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Model prompt
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Visual prompt
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Visual prompt
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Examples of visual prompts to facilitate
independent engagement
1st Name 2nd Read directions 3rd Start on
1 4th Complete assignment 5th Raise hand to
have checked by teacher
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Physical prompt
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Least to Most prompting procedure
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Least to Most prompting

• When the student knows the task or you think the
  student can do the task.
• Initially wait to see if student responds
  (remembertry to not be a translator!)
• If you need to prompt, start with the LEAST
  amount of assistance possible (i.e. verbal,
  gesture, model)
• Provide wait time between your prompts (do NOT
  continually prompt over and over again!)
• Only give more assistance ONCE the student errors
  or does not engage in the task (after about 3-10
  seconds)
• Only use physical prompting (i.e. hand over hand
  assistance) as a last resort!

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Least to Most prompting
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Verbal prompt gesture prompt reinforcement
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Least to Most prompting practice

• Get in small groups.
• Discuss what tasks you would use least to most
  prompting.
• Be prepared to share.

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Most to Least prompting procedure
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Most to Least prompting

• When your student is introduced to a new task or
  difficult assignment.
• Start with level of prompting that assures the
  student will produce the appropriate response.
• Slowly reduce the amount of assistance as your
  student becomes more independent.

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Example of Most to Least prompting
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Most to Least prompting practice

• Get in small groups.
• Discuss what tasks you would use most to least
  prompting.
• Be prepared to share.

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Graduated Guidance prompting procedure
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Graduated Guidance

• Graduated guidance is a procedure that utilizes
  physical prompting with systematic fading of
  those prompts so that the touching of the student
  is gradually reduced until faded out completely.
• Used mostly to teach daily living skills.
• Graduated guidance vs. most to least prompting
• Graduated guidance
• All physical prompts
• Changes in location or intensity
• Most to least
• Most intrusive prompt first followed by less
  intrusive prompts

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Graduated Guidance scenario

• Sarah puts her pencil on the paper and begins to
  trace over the lines on the paper. Sarah traces
  the first part of the line by herself but then
  goes off of the line and off of the paper. Next,
  Pat positions Sarahs pencil on the line where
  she started drawing off the paper, and puts her
  hand over Sarahs.
• With Pats hand on Sarahs, Sarah begins tracing
  again and seems to stay on the line. Pat moves
  her hand slightly off of Sarahs but keeps it
  hovering above Sarahs while Sarah continues to
  draw on the lines. Then Pat moves her hand even
  farther away from Sarahs while Sarah continues
  to write. Sarah is almost to the end of the line
  and Pat removes her hand and puts it in her lap
  and watches Sarah as she finishes.
• After Sarah finishes the writing task, Sarah puts
  her pencil down. Pat tells Sarah Good job. When
  the teacher comes over, Sarah gives her paper to
  the teacher.

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Graduated guidance practice

• Get in small groups.
• Discuss what tasks you would use graduated
  guidance.
• Be prepared to share.

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Wait time scenario

• Jack begins his worksheet by reading a paragraph
  and answering some comprehension questions.
• After he reads the paragraph, Sarah (Jacks IA),
  says to him, What is the answer to 1? Jack
  looks down at this paper for a second while Sarah
  says, Do you remember the part about the boy
  running away? I think it is in the story, go
  back and look. Look at the 3rd sentence.
• Jack looks towards the 3rd sentence while Sarah
  says, It says he ran away because he was scared
  of the babysitter. Do you see that? Jack nods.
  Sarah says, Ok, write that answer for question
  1 as she points to 1 on Jacks paper. Sarah
  then says, Write that Sam ran away because he
  was scared.

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REMEMBER to use wait time after a prompt
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• Proximity

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Velcro Support Research Shows

• Assistants maintain close proximity with student
  by
• Physical contact
• Sitting/standing immediately next to the student
• Accompanying student everywhere
• Close proximity can be detrimental to the
  student
• Dependence on adults
• Peers avoid student
• Student receives limited instruction from the
  teacher
• Aide inadvertently prompts even when it isnt
  necessary
• (Giangreco, Edelman, Luiselli Macfarland, 1997
  and Marks, Schrader Levine, 1999 Mueller
  Murphy, 2001)

Taken from Riverside County SELPA 2002-2003
Decreasing Dependency Facilitating Independent
Student Functioning
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Benefits of reducing close/continual proximity

• Allows the student to respond to the natural cues
  supports (ie teacher directions, peer
  assistance, environmental cues, etc)
• Increases student independence and reduces
  dependence on the IA
• Reduces the likelihood of unnecessary prompts
• Allows the student to receive instruction from
  the teacher
• Allows peer interactions and relationships
  (Giangreco, Edelman, Luiselli and MacFarland,
  1997)

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Proximity

• How do you use fading to increase your proximity?
  
• Think about how you fade your prompts to promote
  independence
• What are some instances you want to or need to be
  close to the student?
• What are some instances when you do NOT want to
  or need to be close to your student?

Remember to be consciously thinking about your
proximity
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Proximity and a new skill/task

• When learning a new skill, the student may
  require close proximity.
• This can ensure that the student is demonstrating
  the correct response (which may require prompting
  or errorless learning)
• Once the student begins to show independence,
  start to provide some distance between you and
  your student in some way
• This may mean that you move your entire body away
  or just move your hand away
• Continue to closely monitor your student
• Move in when you see signs of frustration
• Make sure to use a prompt sequence to get them
  back on track
• Facilitate and leave

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Proximity and a previously learned skill/task

• Maintaining a previously learned skill
• Initially be somewhat close to the student to
  ensure that the student is performing the skill
  correctly
• Once the student has gotten started and is
  independently working, provide distance between
  you and the student.
• Remember to monitor your student during this
  time!
• I.e. Stand/sit behind the student, begin to
  assist other students while monitoring your
  student, etc.
• Watch for signs of frustration or off task
  behavior so you can redirect or help the student

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How to fade your proximity

• Fading refers to decreasing the level of
  assistance needed to complete a task/activity.
• Start by determining the students ability to
  perform the skill/task
• Does the student need a lot of help or a little
  help?
• Determine at what point the student needs help
• In the beginning of the task, in the middle, at
  the end?
• Move within close proximity during times when the
  student requires your help
• Facilitate with appropriate prompts then move
  away
• Begin to slowly increase your distance
• Take a step back and monitor, take two steps back
  and monitor.

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Constantly be asking yourself.

• Do I need to be this close?
• If yes, what do I need to be this close for?
• Lacking specific skill that needs to be taught in
  isolation?
• Behavior problems? What strategies can I use to
  reduce these?
• Lesson is going too fast or needs to be
  modified?
• Do I need to prompt more effectively in order for
  the student to be more independent?
• Least to most prompting, most to least prompting
  graduated guidance
• Can I use verbal praise or other reinforcement
  systems to help the student stay on task instead
  of continually re-directing him/her?

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Reinforcement

• - Try and use frequent verbal praise to increase
  student performance

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Effective verbal praise

• Providing contingent effective praise can be as
  beneficial as other forms of tangible
  reinforcement (i.e. stickers, food, books,
  break, etc.)
• You should ALWAYS praise when using tangible
  reinforcers
• Eventually, the praise, not the tangible reward,
  will become motivating by itself

I like how you wrote your name!
Nice job finishing your math!
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Praise

• Praise should
• Be teacher/IA initiated
• Be given frequently and sincerely
• Be given contingently upon desirable behavior
  (if, then rule)
• Be given immediately after behavior (i.e., 3-5
  seconds after the targeted behavior has occurred)
  
• Be descriptive and specific
• Be varied
• Be appropriate for the student

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Examples of effective praise

• Effective Praise
• ???
• ???
• ???
• ???
• ???

• General Praise
• Great job
• Awesome
• Good job
• Thank you
• Yep, you got it

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Praise scenario

• Matt is working on his math worksheet. After
  putting his name on the paper, Kelly (his IA)
  says, Good job! Matt continues to work on the
  second math problem as Kelly watches.
• Matt makes an error on one of the problems. Kelly
  assists Matt with fixing the error. Once Matt
  arrives at the correct answer, Kelly says, Great
  job!
• After completing the assignment, Matt looks over
  at Kelly. She moves in closer to check his math
  sheet and says, Good job Matt, now you can turn
  it in.

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Inclusion at its finest!
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Thank you! Comments, questions?