Addressing Student Problem Behavior

• Part I - Functional Behavioral Assessment & Behavior Intervention Plans

• Part II - Conducting a Functional Behavioral Assessment

• Part III - Creating Positive Behavioral Intervention Plans & Supports 

ADHD In The Classroom, Part 1: Strategies For Behavior Management - Successful academic achievement requires the ability to concentrate, and students who have problems with this are at a significant academic disadvantage. In fact, students who are unable to pay attention to one task are likely to avoid or develop a strong aversion to tasks that demand prolonged concentration. Consequently, academic performance and academic success for these students can be inconsistent and infrequent. These difficulties are inherent components of a disorder known as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

ADHD Understanding the Problem - This three-part article provides an excellent overview of the current state of knowledge regarding a disorder that is often called the most "over-diagnosed" mental problem--attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. The extensive use of medication for emotional disorders is controversial for some people. While the National Institute of Mental Health--which commissioned this article--is a firm supporter of medication use, it is certainly on the side of those who urge caution and care with prescription drugs. This article discusses the medication controversy and provides descriptions of alternative treatments that have been shown to be effective. It also identifies treatments that have not yet been proven effective in most cases.

Applying Positive Behavioral Support and Functional Behavioral Assessment in Schools - OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader )

Association for Positive Behavior Support - an international organization dedicated to the advancement of positive behavior support. APBS strives to expand application of this approach with children, adolescents, and adults with problem behavior.

Behavior Intervention Guidelines - Provides school districts with assistance in conducting Functional Behavior Assessments and Developing Behavior Intervention Plans.

Behavior Management Getting to the Bottom of Social Skills Deficits - When someone mentions behavior management, our first thought may be about controlling students or stopping them from performing inappropriate behaviors. We expend a great deal of energy managing students so that inappropriate behaviors will not occur. However, successful termination of inappropriate behavior is no guarantee that appropriate behavior will take its place. One of the most puzzling and frustrating problems encountered by parents and teachers of students with learning disabilities (LD) is not the student who obviously acts out or engages in overtly antisocial behaviors, but rather the one who simply fails to perform the appropriate behavior for a given circumstance or setting. This problem is frequently labeled a social skill deficit.

Behavioral Interventions Creating a Safe Environment In Our Schools - School discipline has been a topic of intense concern among both educators and parents throughout the history of American public education. Bear (NASP, 1996) in his article, “Best Practices in School Discipline” suggested that the public has always demanded that schools teach self-discipline for the good of society. The public also has demanded that schools use discipline to teach habits reflecting self-discipline, to maintain an orderly environment conducive to academic achievement and to develop socially and morally responsible individuals. Bear discusses a  variety of theoretical models ( i.e. prosocial behavior model, peer mediation model, affective and communication model, etc.) to help prepare children for their role as socially competent, responsible, and productive citizens. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader )

Behavioral Interventions Creating a Safe Environment In Our Schools - (Disciplining Students with Disabilities) - In this publication, the National Association of School Psychologists draws upon promising practices that reflect practical approaches to positive behavioral interventions. Directed at both regular and special education students across the school years, these articles feature prosocial skills for improving student responsibility and discipline, effective parenting strategies, conflict resolution and violence prevention programs, techniques to defuse disruptive behavior in the classroom, and implications of the behavioral provisions of IDEA ‘97. We hope that practitioners, educators and parents will find this publication an important resource in assuring that schools are safe learning environments for all children.  (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader )

Behavior Intervention Guidelines - Provides school districts with assistance in conducting Functional Behavior Assessments and Developing Behavior Intervention Plans

The Center for Effective Collaboration & Practice: briefs on research-based intervention practices & programs for children with behavioral problems written for families - Parents rarely have access to research-based interventions. These briefs reflect CECP’s commitment to provide families with useful and usable information about evidenced-based practices.

Example Behavior Support Plan - Hypothesis: In a range of settings and circumstances during the day, Stephen engages in inappropriate touching and grabbing behaviors to gain the attention of others. Escape from difficult work appears to be a secondary influence on this and related behaviors.

Example Behavior Support Plan

Fair and Effective Discipline for All Students: Best Practice Strategies for Educators - disciplining students particularly those with chronic or serious behavior problems, is a long standing challenge for educators.  They must balance the needs of the school community and those of the individual student.  At the heart of this challenge is the use of punitive versus supportive disciplinary practices.

Functional Behavioral Assessments:  What, Why, When, Where, and Who? - The recent amendments to IDEA are final. School districts are now required to conduct functional behavioral analyses of problem behaviors, under certain circumstances.

You Can Handle Them All - A discipline model for handling over one hundred different misbehaviors at school and at home. This is a great resource!!

How should teachers respond when children with problem behavior are included in the classroom? - Teachers are often faced with great rewards and challenges when supporting children in inclusive classrooms, particularly when problem behavior may arise. It can be very difficult to be responsive to the needs of all students when one particular student is having behavioral challenges. There are effective strategies that can support teachers and their students who exhibit challenging behavior. Understanding how to respond to behavioral concerns and being responsive to each child begins with an understanding of problem behavior and how you can prevent it from occurring.

An IEP Team’s Introduction To Functional Behavioral Assessment & Behavior Intervention Plans - In response to certain disciplinary actions by school personnel, the IEP team must, within 10 days, meet to formulate a functional behavioral assessment plan to collect data for developing a behavior intervention plan, or if a behavior intervention plan already exists, the team must review and revise it (as necessary), to ensure that it addresses the behavior upon which disciplinary action is predicated (615(k)(1)(B)); and... (an IEP team's how to guide)

Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions - A Journal that deals exclusively with principles of positive behavior support in school, home, and community settings for people with challenges in behavioral adaptation.

The Link Between Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs)
and Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs) - Research has demonstrated that FBAs can lead to the development of effective, proactive BIPs (Gable, Hendrickson, & Sasso, 1995). Depending on the hypotheses resulting from the FBA, the BIP might include changing the variables that precede the inappropriate behavior(s), teaching alternative forms of appropriate behavior, and providing reinforcement for appropriate behavior (Flannery, O'Neill, & Horner, 1995). Thus, BIPs tied to the FBA data are child-, behavior-, and setting-specific (Iwata, Vollmer, & Zarcone, 1990; Rutherford & Nelson, 1995) and therefore enhance the likelihood that the expected behavioral change will occur. Also, an FBA can aid in the early identification (Feil, Severson, & Walker, 1995) and understanding future behavior problems (Iwata et al., 1990).

Managing Misbehavior 1-2-3 - One of the most exasperating aspects of parenthood is managing misbehavior. When we are caught up in the midst of a misbehavior event, we are not always at our emotional best, and our use of reason often disappears. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a specific, practical strategy right at your fingertips? Here is a plan that will help you determine the most effective way of managing misbehavior

Medication That Affects Behavior - A critical issue in supporting some individuals who exhibit challenging behavior is the role of medication. It can be stated categorically that under no circumstances is medication alone a sufficient response to challenging behavior. Environmental supports are always necessary. That is not to suggest, however, that medication should be reserved as an intervention of last resort, only to be employed when all other interventions have failed. Individuals have a clear cut right to timely access to appropriate care. If that appropriate care involves medication, it should be begun as soon as the need is recognized. Failure to provide appropriate medication is no less morally unacceptable than willful overmedication.

Medications Commonly Prescribed To Improve Behavior, Mood and Learning

OSEP Technical Assistance Center On Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports - The Center has been established by the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education to give schools capacity-building information and technical assistance for identifying, adapting, and sustaining effective school-wide disciplinary practices.

Paraeducator Training Project: Supporting Students with Challenging Behaviors - 4 units - Understanding Student Behavior; Gathering Information About Challenging Behavior; Preventing Challenging Behavior and Teaching Replacement Behaviors; Responding to Challenging Behavior

Positive Approaches To Challenging Behavior For young children with disabilities - The mission of the Center is to promote the use of evidence-based practice to meet the needs of young children who have, or are at risk for, problem behavior

Positive Behavior Support and Functional Assessment - Unlike traditional behavioral management, which views the individual as the problem and seeks to "fix" him or her by quickly eliminating the challenging behavior, positive behavioral support (PBS) and functional analysis (FA) view systems, settings, and lack of skill as parts of the "problem" and work to change those. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader )

Practical Approaches to Behaviors That Drive You Crazy - Also Known as "Challenging Behaviors", from the November/December 1999 issue of "Disability Solutions. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader )

Punishment at school: How to protect your child - Your son comes home from school with a red welt on his arm. When you ask what happened, he says that his teacher grabbed him hard, until it hurt. How can this be? you wonder. Your son doesn't usually lie, but the idea that an adult would harm him at school seems so horrendous, you can't believe it actually happened.

Sample Behavior Program - Blank form

Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support: Helping Kids Achieve - Featured is the real story of a "tough," low-achieving middle school where student behaviors and academic achievement improved significantly following the implementation of schoolwide PBS efforts. There is also a brief summary on the Reauthorization of IDEA and its impact on PBS. Also included are research summaries, interviews, groups, books, and tips on PBS.

Supporting An Individual With Challenging Behaviors- Supporting a person with challenging behaviors in the community can be a difficult task. What do you do? How do you do it? If the person has significant challenging behaviors, the task of supporting the person becomes more "challenging" than the behavior.

Think Time Strategy - One of the greatest challenges to working effectively with students who exhibit disruptive behavior is that many of the classroom management systems or strategies used by teachers for disruptive behavior are ineffective. Teachers’ responses to disruptive behavior not only appear to result in more persistent disruptive behavior but also lead to escalating the severity of challenging behaviors. Additionally, the varying responses of the school staff are especially problematic for students with disabilities because they often work with several professionals throughout the course of the day, each with a different type of response to disruptive behavior.