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Behavior is a form of communication. What is the behavior communicating? 

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Behavior is a form of communication. What is the behavior communicating? 

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Through self-regulation and coping strategies, students are able to work on identifying emotions and engage in strategies to manage those emotions and behaviors. These skills help with increasing a child/student's well-being and problem solving skills.

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Special Education: Behavior Department

This padlet will assist you and your child(ren) by offering evidence based behavior intervention strategies and resources to proactively increase positive replacement behaviors. Navigate through the padlet to access resources, visual supports, videos and more that are based in applied behavior analysis and the science of behavior.

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Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a science that studies and develops applied interventions to understand human behavior and how behavior is affected by the environment. ABA is effective because intervention support strategies are designed to be applied daily across home, school and/or community settings. A variety of skills can be taught through the use of ABA teaching methodologies such as social skills, verbal behavior (e.g., making requests), learner readiness, adaptive skills and self regulation.

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How you respond to the behavior will influence the outcome.  

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How you respond to the behavior will influence the outcome.  

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Positive Strategies to Respond to Behavior:

Its more than just your words! The manner in which you deliver your communication in response to behavior has an impact.

Words have power! Consider body language, voice volume, tone of voice and/or pace at which words are spoken.

Use supportive communication

Recognize & Adjust proximity, body language, tone of voice and voice volume.

Avoid making comments regarding the behavior the student engaged in, or engaging in verbal back and forth/arguing.  Instead redirect student to what you want them to do.

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Positive reinforcement means that something is given (or something is added to the environment) that will increase the behavior in the future.

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verbal praise/compliments from adults

high fives, hugs, squeezes, smiles, etc.

money, allowances, tokens

access to preferred activities/people, items/locations

Points

listen to music

extra time on computer

play a game with preferred peer or adult.

homework pass

teacher helper

Reinforcers should be individualized and preferred

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Build positive reinforcement delivery into your daily schedule (catch good behaviors, recognize student efforts)

Provide choices of potential reinforcers that can be earned. This will increase shared control with choice making.

Reinforcement should be immediate and paired with preferred reinforcers.

Reinforcers should be earned and provided contingent on appropriate behavior (in order to INCREASE behavior).

Fade delivery of the reinforcer once a skill/behavior is learned (variable & intermittent delivery)

If the desired behavior is not increasing, the reinforcer being provided is NOT a true reinforcer. Change it up!

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A prompt is…

An instructional strategy to guide a person’s behavior. It can help a student learn a new skill or engage in desired behavior.

Prompts are used temporarily until the learner has the desired skill or step in a whole sequence

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Prompt hierarchies are a systematic way to introduce prompts and then gradually fade them out as the learner masters a skill.

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Prompt dependency is not a learner issues, it's an instructional issue…..it's WHAT IS BEING DONE BY THE IMPLEMENTER DURING THE TEACHING PROCESS.

This can be controlled and the prompt dependency cycle can be broken by fading prompts during the teaching process.

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Visual Timers: Why Use Them and How To Implement in Special Education Classrooms

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Prompt Fading....Build The Independence 

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Prompt Fading....Build The Independence 

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Fading prompts is crucial to developing and programming learner independence.

Gradually reducing the level of assistance until learner is able to complete the task independently.

As time goes by, check if the learner can perform the task/behavior independently or with a lower level of prompts

If they can complete a task with lower prompt then utilize that instead of the most intrusive prompt

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A visual to show the learner what tasks they need to complete first (typically a non-preferred or neutral task/activity) followed by what they will be able to do (typically a preferred task/activity).

TIPS:

The reward or desired item/activity must be easy to deliver and highly motivating

Choose a task that is attainable for your student/child to complete

Avoid phrases such as “If you don’t do___, then you won’t get____”

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Generalization is a teaching process designed to expand a learners skill(s) within a specific setting to being able to apply the same skill(s) across different:  settings, people and materials.

Generalization MUST be taught…..we should not “train and hope”

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A reinforcement system used to reward appropriate behavior(s) by delivering tokens, stickers, coins, etc. which may be exchanged for a reward (e.g., preferred toys, snacks, choice of activity, break, etc.). Students can visualize progress towards completing a task and learn to work for delayed rewards.

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Use multiple exemplars in teaching (varying picture or object stimuli, books, etc.)

train loosely: varying times of the day, different settings, using different materials to teach, vary the context of teaching the skill, etc.

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Practice the behavior/skill across a variety of contexts

Instructional

Initial direct instruction takes place in the context to which the new skill/behavior is introduced.

Generalization Setting

alternative teaching setting is different from the instructional setting.

Teach and practice skills/behavior with various people, in various settings, with different types of stimuli or materials, using varied language and at different times of the day.

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How to implement Token Economy Reinforcement 

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How to implement Token Economy Reinforcement 

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Visual schedules let the student/child know what is coming up in their schedule. This is helpful for students who have difficulty transitioning from one activity to another, especially from preferred to non-preferred activities, and to prime for changes in routine.

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Evidence based practices refers research which has been conducted and replicated across well designed studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of intervention strategies across home, school and community settings.

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Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

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Visual tools, such as pictures and icons, can be beneficial for students. They can provide a way to communicate without using words, and they can help to promote positive behavior.

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1. Ignore minor inappropriate behaviors.

2. Offer an opportunity for a non-contingent breaks (these are not earned, rather given freely)

3. Prompt student to use coping strategies by modeling and/or using visual supports.

4. Change or modify something in the environment.

5. Provide feedback/redirection individually

6. Be respectful and reasonable with the instructions you are giving.

7. Allow some space (if safety allows) and keep eyes on the student but allow space to de-escalate.

8. Offer choices of alternative tasks

9. Modify or breakdown the expectation/demand

10. Use visual supports

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Social stories are use pictures and simple language to outline behavior expectations and teach students how to respond across varying contexts (e.g., frustration, learning a social game, making friends, take a vacation, etc.)

Write from the perspective of the learner.

use real pictures if possible

Describe the positive behavior you want the learner to do

read the story multiple times per day.

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A common tool in the special educator's toolbox is the social story. In 1989, Carol Gray developed the social story to show her students the "hidden social rules" and teach them how to respond, interact and value social relationships. Since then, teachers have used social stories to teach a wide variety of skills to learners who need extra support to interact and become independent in their school, home and community.

A social story is a simple story written specifically for one of your learners. In pictures and user-friendly language, it explains to them the expectations and rules for different social situations. Typically, a story will feature one picture and one or two lines of text per page to make it accessible to all learners. Social stories are great tools when written correctly and used effectively. Here are the do's and don'ts when using social stories:

Do

Write the story from the perspective of the learner

Use "I" statements throughout the story so the learner can imagine themselves in the story. Keep in mind that many learners with disabilities struggle to understand the concept of pronouns. It might be beneficial to write the story using their name instead of I or me.

Use real pictures whenever possible

Many of our learners thrive on visual supports. The closer the pictures are to what the learner will experience, the easier it will be for the learner to picture themselves in the story.

Describe the positive behaviors that you want the learner to perform

Use positive statements like "I can" or "I will" to tell learners what they will do during the story. This helps the learner use self-talk when asked to perform the behavior in the natural environment.

Read the story with your learner multiple times before they try it out for real

Revisit the story after. The more times the learner reads the story the more effective it will be.

Make two copies of the story and send one home for the learner's parents to read with them

Stories make a great activity to help wind down at the end of a busy day and will help prepare the learner for the next day.

Laminate the story and put it on a binder ring

Reading the story over and over again will take its toll on the pages. Make it more durable so that it lasts longer.

Don't

Use the social story in response to a negative behavior

Social stories are proactive strategies designed to teach the appropriate behavior. Making a learner read the story as a punishment only reinforces and reminds the learner of their mistake.

Use pre-made social stories

You can find example social stories online, but in order for the story to be effective, it is best practice to take that example and make it specific to the learner. Take the ideas you see online and tweak the story so that it matches the exact situation your learner will face.

Describe negative behaviors

A social story is a positive, proactive strategy. Reword any negative behavior into something positive that you want to see the learner do. Instead of saying, "Don't pick your nose!" say, "I will use a tissue in the bathroom if I need to clean my nose."

Social stories are an evidence-based strategy for changing a learner's behavior. Once you have mastered writing the social story, the uses for different situations and environments are limitless. Try using a social story to teach positive behaviors in the cafeteria or attending an assembly. For difficult transitions, help prepare your learner through a social story that introduces a new classroom, a new teacher or a new student. Help your learner develop social relationships by creating a story for asking a friend to play on the playground at recess or going to the movies with a group of friends. Social stories are adaptable to meet the needs of unique learners and are a great, proactive way to prepare your learners for navigating all those tricky social situations.

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Using Social Stories to Teach Positive Behaviors

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Use social stories to teach a wide variety of skills to learners who need extra support to interact and become independent in their school, home and community.

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Zones of Regulation toolbox - Elementary

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Zones of Regulation: Middle School - High School

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Zones of Regulation Middle School- High School

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Shaping behavior involves reinforcing a learners progress towards achieving closer and closer approximations to the target behavior/skill.

Shaping trials are conducted over time, systematically and gradually.

Start by teaching a small part of the skill and build the skill with repetition and practice.

Paired with consistent positive reinforcement

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Evidence Based Dimensions about Behavior Analysis

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Evidence Based Dimensions about Behavior Analysis

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The seven dimensions of ABA were created by Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1968) to serve as a guide for behavior analysts in order to ensure practice is ethical and successful across all domains.

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What strategies can you try at home with your child today to increase the likelihood of positive behaviors?

Make sure you have your child's attention prior to delivering directions. This may mean removing distractions that hold their attention.

Keep your directions clear and concise. Less is more in this case!

Clearly define your expectations by stating things positively. Saying to your child, "use a quiet voice," instead of, "don't yell," may make a difference!

Allow your child some time to process the direction and respond before you instruct again.

Consider providing reminders and warnings to your child when time with preffered items/activities are coming to an end. Whether you do this verbally or with a visual cue like a timer, the warning can be helpful for ending fun things.

For more difficult instructions, consider offering a choice to give your child a sense of control. "Do you want to clean up the cars or the dinosaurs?" may go a long way with your child.

Catch your child being good by reinforcing it in the moment! Anytime your child is doing something appropriate, acknowledge it so they know that it is what they are supposed to be doing.

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Here are some helpful worksheets and exercises from Behavior Breakthrough that breaks down some of the strategies discussed in more detail!