Target Behavior City School District of Albany New Hire/Recent Hire Training Presented by: Brianna Olsen and Cathy Huttner

Video Sample

When do we consider developing an FBA? The student exhibits persistent behaviors that impede his or her learning or that of others, despite consistently implemented school-wide or classroom-wide interventions The student’s IEP indicates behaviors that impede his or her learning or that of others The student exhibits behavior that places the student or others at risk of harm or injury The student is being referred to the CSE due to behaviors concerns First and foremost, we want to discuss when an FBA must be conducted within our school district. The following information is considered district policy and comes primarily from educational regulations.

When do we consider developing an FBA? The CSE is considering more restrictive programs or placements as a result of the student’s behavior The student has a high number of office referrals, in-school suspension, and/or out-of-school suspension If the manifestation team determines that the conduct was a manifestation of the student’s disability, an FBA will be conducted

ALL FBA/BIP documents need to be done as WEB-BASED Guidance Documents Planning Worksheet FBA Consent process (step-by-step directions) The Amazing Traveling Target Behavior Social Significance of Target Behavior Prioritizing Target Behavior Timeline for Completion of FBA/BIP FBA Template and indirect assessment documents ALL FBA/BIP documents need to be done as WEB-BASED And don’t forget…..

Consent Protocol If the TARGET BEHAVIOR remains the same You do NOT need to create a new FBA, you do NOT need to obtain consent. However, you MUST revise the student’s BIP to reflect any changes. You also need to collect new BASELINE data for the new school year. This gives us a “starting point” and also highlights any regression. If the TARGET BEHAVIOR is different– You DO need to obtain consent for a NEW FBA and follow district protocol. However, it is important to note that some of your interventions might carry over, depending on the new target behavior and hypothesized function YOU DO NOT NEED TO OBTAIN CONSENT TO REVISE A BIP You only need consent if you are initiating a new FBA REMEMBER Sped STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE CONSENT ISSUED AND DOCUMENTED THROUGH IEP DIRECT! Brianna If the TARGET BEHAVIOR remains the same You do NOT need to create a new FBA, you do NOT need to obtain consent. However, you MUST revise the student’s BIP to reflect any changes. You also need to collect new BASELINE data for the new school year. This gives us a “starting point” and also highlights any regression. If the TARGET BEHAVIOR is different– You DO need to obtain consent for a NEW FBA and follow district protocol. However, it is important to note that some of your interventions might carry over, depending on the new target behavior and hypothesized function YOU DO NOT NEED TO OBTAIN CONSENT TO REVISE A BIP You only need consent if you are changing the FBA (i.e., new Target Behavior) or initiating a new FBA REMEMBER Sped STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE CONSENT ISSUED AND DOCUMENTED THROUGH IEP DIRECT!

IEP DIRECT DOCUMENT REPOSITORY IEP DIRECT NOW HAS the capacity to save/attach additional supportive documents. For identified students FBA’s should be uploaded to the repository. BIP’s and graphed PM can be uploaded in June. Link to training video: http://webinar.iepdirect.com/default.asp?VID=53 Cathy

What we will learn today: Target Behavior – choose and define What is a Replacement Behavior? What is a Goal Baseline? FROM THIS TO THIS!!!

Choosing a Target Behavior A target behavior is the behavior selected for change Must be socially important Annoying Behavior vs. Problem Behavior Impact the learning of the individual and/or his/her peers?

Exploration phase Narrow down the possible target behaviors Information from interviews, scatterplots, record reviews, point sheets, etc. As a team,* determine which Target Behavior to address- Prioritize Not always the most dangerous behavior. *Minimally Teacher, Social Worker, Psychologist, Behavior Specialist & other staff as appropriate -The exploration phase is used to narrow down possible target behaviors. This is a team effort and should involve the child’s parent whenever possible. -Information can come from interviews, discussion with school staff, parents, student, record reviews, point sheets, discipline referrals, etc.. -The target behavior is not always the most dangerous behavior. Oftentimes, there are behaviors that occur prior to the most dangerous behavior that should be targeted. Targeting those behaviors may prevent the most dangerous behavior from occurring altogether. This does not mean a safety plan does not need to be developed for the dangerous behavior. -Utilize the prioritizing handout to narrow down the target behavior. -The social significance questions can be used to make sure the target behavior is meaningful to the student.

Defining Target Behaviors If a behavior is observable you must be able to: see it, hear it, touch it, or otherwise prove its existence If a behavior is measurable you must be able to determine: how many (frequency), how long (duration), other measurements Target behaviors are clear, concise, measurable, observable, objective…

Defining Target Behaviors Can we measure these behaviors (as written)? Hyperactive Inattentive Insubordinate Sensory Seeking Non-compliant Fidgety DON’T LOOK AT ME.. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ANY OF THAT MEANS The answer is no. Each of these behaviors must be defined in such a way that ANY observer will know if the behavior is or is not occurring. The observer must know exactly what he or she is looking for before the behavior can be measured.

Your answer should be yes! Test It Test your operational definition: Can you count the number of times that the behavior occurs in a specified time period, the duration of a behavior, etc.? Your answer should be yes! Will a “stranger” know exactly what to look for when you tell him/her the target behavior you are trying to modify? Can you actually see the child performing the behavior when it occurs?

TARGET BEHAVIOR SAMPLE Daniel will exhibit physical and verbal aggression towards his peers in settings/times that are unstructured (i.e., transitions, specials). These behaviors occur when Daniel does not get his way or when he feels threatened or embarrassed. Daniel seeks revenge on peers who may instigate with him. Daniel will name call or threaten in response to those who do the same to him. He has become physically aggressive towards peers and adults but on a very rare occasion. HOW CAN WE RE-WRITE THIS TO BE A MEASURABLE OBSERVABLE TARGET BEHAVIOR?

HOW ABOUT THIS…. Daniel yells at peers during transitions within the class. OR Daniel hits peers when in Gym, Art and Music. Daniel hangs his body over his desk during times when being seated is expected.

REPLACEMENT BEHAVIOR The Replacement Behavior must serve the same REPLACEMENT BEHAVIOR Replacement Behavior “buys time” while you build greater competency; it is not necessarily the behavioral “end point” where you want to be. The Replacement Behavior must serve the same FUNCTION as the Target Behavior to be effective.

EXAMPLES OF REPLACEMENT BEHAVIORS Teach the student to communicate (ex: “I’m done”) to replace throwing materials to escape difficult work Teach the student to initiate social interactions (ex: “Play with me”) to replace teasing peers as a form of attention seeking Teach the student to remove to a sanctioned area and engage in a sanctioned alternative activity (ex: go to bean bag and read a book) to replace kicking adults to escape difficult work

EXAMPLES OF GOAL BASELINE This is the measure that, once achieved, would indicate the BIP can be discontinued.   THE GOAL BASELINE IS: Behavior measure that would indicate discontinuation of BIP (i.e., student engages in replacement behavior at a rate of 80% of opportunities presented) EXAMPLES OF GOAL BASELINE Student demonstrates 0 instances of the target behavior for 10 weeks (where the target behavior addressed physical aggression towards peers) Student demonstrates 20% or fewer instances of the target behavior (non-compliance defined as not following a concrete staff directive with one or fewer prompts) during each observation during academic instruction for 5 consecutive weeks. The student engages in replacement behavior (defined as requests a break) at a rate of 80% of opportunities presented.

Be clear, concise, and complete Let’s Practice Remember: Use observable terms Use measurable terms Be clear, concise, and complete

Background Student: Raúl Age: 8 Grade: 2nd Scenario “I ain’t doin’ that!” Raúl yells before he walks out of the classroom. Mrs. Banks, his teacher, steps into the hallway and says, “Raúl, you need to cool off then come back inside.” Raúl shrugs and replies, “Aw, man.” He looks around and begrudgingly walks back into the classroom. Raúl has received ten office discipline referrals (ODR) in the past three weeks. Mrs. Banks stated on the ODRs that Raúl is disrespectful. The Response to Intervention Team has looked at Raúl’s ODRs to determine what the issue is and which intervention might prove beneficial. Questions Identify Mrs. Banks’ definition of Raúl’s target behavior. Is the definition measurable, observable, and clear, concise, and complete? What additional information should the Response to Intervention Team seek from Mrs. Banks when trying to create a behavioral definition?

Background Student: Tiffany Age: 4 Grade: Preschool Scenario A preschool teacher consults with the principal about a new student, Tiffany. Ms. Leigh tells the principal that Tiffany has temper tantrums and gets out of control in the classroom. The principal states that she will convene a team consisting of herself, Ms. Leigh, the behavior specialist, and the school counselor. Ms. Leigh agrees to write a definition of the target behavior for the team to review. She gets back to her classroom and finds it much more difficult to specifically say what Tiffany does. She is puzzled about how difficult it is. She has seen these temper tantrums every day twice a day for the past two weeks! Why can’t she write about it? She provides the following definition to the team the next day: Tiffany engages in temper tantrums during transition time prior to large group activities. She is not aggressive toward other children, only adults in the classroom. Questions What elements of an operational definition are not included in Ms. Leigh’s definition? Is it possible to write an operational definition given the information provided ? Explain why or why not?

Background Student: Felicia Age: 10 Grade: 5th Scenario Mr. Brown has had it with Felicia! He completed the paperwork to refer her to the school’s Response to Intervention team a few weeks ago, and he finally has a meeting with the team this afternoon. He cannot wait to find out what he can do to get Felicia back under control in his class. The meeting starts promptly after school. Asked to explain Felicia’s problems, Mr. Brown says, “I can’t get her to do anything! She won’t be quiet during my lesson. During independent work, she won’t do her work. Instead, she looks out the window. She can’t read on grade level.” A team member asks Mr. Brown what he would like for Felicia to do instead. He ponders this for a moment then responds, “I would like for her to be on-task and perform on grade level.” Questions 1. List the three target behaviors that Mr. Brown identified for Felicia. Explain why you think each of these definitions is sufficient or insufficient. 2. List the two desired behaviors that Mr. Brown identified for Felicia. Explain why you think each of these definitions is sufficient or insufficient. 3. Choose one of the target behaviors Mr. Brown refers to and rewrite its definition to make it an operational definition.

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Questions