Behavior Programming for Resource Room Students

Behavior Programming for Resource Room

StudentsElementary

Penny Williams BCBA, [email protected]

• “If you just applied yourself. . . “• “You’re so smart, why can’t you. . . “• “He’s bright but lazy. . . “• “She lives in her own world. . .”• “She knows better….”• “He knows the rule…”

Have you ever thought or said……

Behaviors Defined

•Anything we SAY or DO•How we REACT to our environment

•Behaviors are often LEARNED and continue because they serve a PURPOSE or FUNCTION

•We engage in behaviors because we have learned that a DESIRED OUTCOME occurs

If a student engages in a problem behavior…

He/she is most likely doing it for

a reason

Because it is PAYING OFF for the student

Behavior is lawful

When we understand why a student is demonstrating a behavior, we say that we understand the function of that behavior

Behavior is lawful

When we understand why a student is demonstrating a behavior, we say that we understand the function of that behavior

Understanding the function of behavior

Obtain•Attention•Tangible•Sensory

Escape•Attention•Tangible•Sensory

What does the “function” of the behavior mean?

Assumes all challenging behaviors have a function

Emphasizes:•Prevention•Instruction of appropriate alternative behaviors

Improves quality of life for student and family

What is Positive Behavior Support?

What can we change?

Setting Events

Environment

Instruction

Consequences

Setting Events: Conditions that increase the likelihood that the problem behavior will occur

Removed in time from behavior

Close proximity to behavior

Ongoing state/situation

What can we change?

Setting Events

Environment

Instruction

Consequences

Environmental Interventions

Physical Arrangement: low distraction, traffic

areas, groupingsIdentify, teach, and reinforce

classroom/School rules and disciplinePlan a predictable schedule Plan for transitions

What can we change?

Setting Events Environment

InstructionConsequences

Irrelevant• Child no longer needs to use problem behaviors to achieve

wants/needs

Ineffective• Problem behavior no longer enables the child to achieve the

function of his/her behavior

Inefficient• Problem behaviors require much more effort and time to

achieve purpose compared with acceptable behavior

Make Problem Behavior……

Define the behavior you are teaching as a replacement skill

When will you teach the skill?

How will you reinforce the

behavior?

How will you monitor

progress?

What materials do you need?

Teaching Replacement Behaviors

What Behaviors To Teach

Communication

Flexibility/Indep

Self Management

Academic

Acquisition Performance

“won’t do”

Familiar with skill

“cant do”

Doesn’t know how

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Back to the basics:

• As many as 84% have an anxiety disorder• Levels of endorphins significantly higher in ASD

than typicals

• Anxiety leads to social withdrawal, repetitive movements, difficulty with attention and cognitive function, easy to arouse/anger, impaired memory, poor decision making, difficulty to calm

Stress and ASD

Handwriting!!!! Arrrgh……….• “having to engage in handwriting is the most

significant and serious impediment to academic participation for students with autism spectrum disorders in schools in North America today”. (Dr. Richard Simpson, 2007)

•multiple tasks (printing and thinking) leads to “a system wide resource constraint”—blood and oxygen for each component task are reduced and coordination of brain decreases

Executive Functions help with

• Thinking• Acting• Solving Problems• Learning new info• Remembering• Retrieving info

Looks like….

Pay attention to minor details, but fail to see big picture

Difficulty Maintaining Attention

Difficulty Organizing Thoughts

Impulse Control Challenges

Difficulty with Self Regulation

History of Reinforcement

Students come to us with a long history of being reinforced for particular behaviors

What is it that motivates a student to try when something is

hard?

What is the schedule of reinforcement—or

how often do they need to be motivated?

How to keep it as natural as possible.

Fading and Delaying Reinforcement

It begins and ends with motivation

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What is Reinforcement?

Something that immediately follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that that behavior will happen again.

A reinforcer is a stimulus that increases likelihood of behavior occurring again, and is presented AFTER behavior occurs

A bribe does not guarantee the increase of behavior and is presented DURING a behavior or as a “carrot”

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Reinforcement is not a bribe!

•Reinforcers are individual

•Use natural reinforcers whenever you can

Choosing Reinforcers

Today we are going to……• 1. Watch news show • 2. Talk about news events

3. Review vocabulary words•

4. Reading comprehension

Listening to my Teachers

My body and face are turned toward teacher

I am not talking when the teacher is talking

I am not fidgeting with clothes or drawing

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Regulating Arousal States

Think I t!

Sometimes I have things I want to say.

I f I say something with my voice I need to say it to a person.

I f I don’t say it to a person than I need to think it in my head.

I might need a reminder to Think I t.

Really Unsafe Behavior

Students at Medina Elementary need to be safe!

At school I never…..

Talk about weapons

Draw pictures of weapons

Or pretend to play with weapons.

Following Classroom or School Rules

Student: Teacher:

Date:

Class or School Rules

Time Period 1: Time Period 2: Time Period 3: Time Period 4:

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Student: Teacher:

Date:

Class or School Rules

Time Period 1: Time Period 2: Time Period 3: Time Period 4:

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Rating Scale: 1 = Needs Work 2 = OK 3 = Good 4 = Excellent Circle the number that reflects your performance If the teacher disagress he/she will place a line through the circle If the teacher agress she will leave the circle as it is

Behavior Tracking Form

Student:____________________

Target Behavior 1:_______________________________________________________________________________________

Target Behavior 2:_______________________________________________________________________________________

Target Behavior 3:_______________________________________________________________________________________

Class/Activity Monday Initials Tuesday Initials Wednesday Initials Thursday Initials Friday Initials TB1: E G N

TB2: E G N TB3: E G N

TB1: E G N TB2: E G N TB3: E G N


































Instructions: 1. Student delivers tracking form to each class/activity teacher daily. 2. Each teacher completes form (rates behavior) and initials the form at the end of the class/activity. 3. Program Coordinator reviews the form daily with the student.

Rating System: E= Excellent G=Good N= Needs Work

Weekly Progress Chart Student:_______________ Date:__________ Teacher:_______________ Class:_________

Student Goals Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Total Goal: 1 2 3 Seldom/Never Sometimes Usually/Always

Goal: 1 2 3 Seldom/Never Sometimes Usually/Always



Key: 1 Seldom/Never: Student does not engage in target/goal behavior or only engages in

behavior a low percentage of the time (i.e. if goal is to greet peers at least 5 times daily, student may greet peers once per day)

2 Sometimes: Student engages in target/goal behavior occasionally, but not consistently (i.e. if goal is to complete tasks independently 9 out of 10 times—90%, student does so about 5 out of 10 times-50% of the time)

3 Usually/Always: Student engages in target/goal behavior most or all of the time (i.e. if goal is to respond to initiations from peers 9 out of 10 times-90%, student does so at least 90% of the time)

Total Column: Teacher can determine if how many points the student needs to earn to gain access to a motivating item/activity (i.e. 10+ points equals 20 minutes on computer at end of week)

Adapted from Classroom Behavior Report Card Resource Book, Jim Write http://www.interventioncentral.org

What can we change?Setting Events

Environment

Instruction

Consequences

ConsequencesOccur after the behavior

Can be planned or unplanned

Natural or artificial

Types of Consequences• Adding a reinforcer—

increases target behavior

• Adding a punisher—decreases target behavior

• Removing a reinforcer—decreases target behavior

Get out of Homework Pass Name____________ Date____________ Good for one subject on any day.

15 Minute Free Time Card Name_________________ Date__________________ Good for one use only. When time is up, I will go back to work.

Reinforcement!!!!Why would they want to do something hard?

contingent presentation of a stimulus that decreases behavior

Punishment

Time

Beha

vior

Inte

nsity

Escalation Cycle

High

Low

Calm

Peak

De-escalation

Recovery

Acceleration

Agitation

Trigger

Consider…….

Speak……• Calmly/quietly• Respectfully/privately

Use non threatening body languageAllow processing time…….

Put yourself at same physical levelGive choice/repeat expectation (then walk away)

Avoid……

Getting in student’s face/space• Discrediting student• Nagging

Shouting/threateningArguing

POWER STRUGGLES

Adaptations, Accommodations and Modifications

Accommodations for Work Output

Clear Expectations•Concise Language (keep it simple)•Pictures/Symbols/Written as much as possible

Modifications•Highlight, circle, shorten, break down•Fidgets, seating modifications

Check Ins/Monitoring•May need help to get started•May need assistance to keep going

Hand Writing Accommodations

• Permit student to verbally express information and tape record it

• Allowing the student to state information to a scribe

• Modify assignments/tests to incorporate multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, and/or short-answer questions

• Computer, laptop use• Allow student to underline or

highlight answers to questions in reading passage

• Supply student with a teacher-made outline of main ideas and key points from readings and/or presentations

Other Strategies….

Shorten/chunk assignmentsMinimize ClutterVisual Supports

Assistive TechnologyPlanners and organizers

Notetaking accommodations (guided notes)Memorization (acronyms)

“Home Base”A place the student can go to…• Plan/review daily events• Escape stress of a current environment• Regain control if needed (meldown, tantrum)

Important that student recognizes home base as:• A predictable and positive place• Not presented used as a time out

Amount of time in home base:• Some students may need more time initially• Some activities may be scheduled daily (social

skills)

Key Concepts

“Asperger Time”

•Twice as much time half as much done

Manage Anxiety

•Changes……•Setting Events

General Considerations…Work and Directions• Tasks and skills broken down? Task lists?• Amount of work? Hand writing

accommodations?

Directions• Have you given enough processing time?• Avoid overloading student with too much verbal

information—can you use gestures/visuals?

Reinforcement and Visuals• Is motivation considered? Lots of Praise• Schedules, social scripts, behavior cues?

What Else?

Consider Sensory needs• Built in schedule of sensory activities• Accommodations (seating, group work, etc.)

Physical and Health needs• Food intake, bathroom habits, fatigue• Temperature, clothing, odors, etc.

Any scheduling changes?• Too tired in the am?• Crowded environments

Behavior Programming for Resource Room Students

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