ESE 691 W5 Behavior Management in the Classroom D2

Review Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports and Positive behavior support plan (Essential elements)

Positive behavioral intervention and support (PBIS) can either be individually based or school wide (SWPBIS), and in many cases both. The whole school can have a behavior intervention plan that involves system-wide positive rewards for following the school’s code of conduct and consistent negative reinforcement for code violations. Individually based behavior plans are dependent on the student’s unique target behavior and what the student finds as a motivator. The main goal of either a school-wide or individual-based PBIS is to teach students to generalize positive behaviors in the “real world” without adult support or external rewards.

Thomas was a fourth grader at a local elementary school who was diagnosed with Down syndrome and received specially designed instruction as defined on his IEP. Thomas had been attending the school since first grade and knew several of the other students. He received most of his instruction in separate special education class that was located within the general population. Thomas’ teachers described his problem behaviors as off task and disruptive to instruction and other activities that included excessive talking, prolonged waving and pointing at peers, and excessively long transitions between activities. Thomas has also been sent home several times for touching peers in private areas. The teachers have reported that when there are five or more students per teacher the majority of problems arise. Thomas really likes getting the teacher’s attention, high-fives, and getting calls home to say he is doing a great job.

What would you choose as the one target behavior that needs to be modified? Which differentiated response would you choose to use to modify the behavior and why? How will you teach this new skill? What will you use as a reward? What will you use as a negative reinforcer? What are two short-term goals (1 month each) you can use to achieve your long term goal? What is your long-term goal (at the conclusion of 6 months)? How will you teach him to generalize this goal?