REAL-LIFE DATA DRIVEN DECISION MAKING The Data Story

Featuring: Brad Pitt Brad’s behaviors:  Hitting  Suck Thumb  Kicking  Throwing object(s)  Hide under table/desk  Threatening  Taking materials  Walk/run away  Punching  Touching others  Stealing toys  Taking property  Pushing  Close Eyes

Data Collection System HitKickPunchPushThrowThreatsGrabTouch Steal Toys Take property Close eyes Such Thumb Leave area M T W Th F Total

What’s the problem? Too many targets Cannot track all Complicated system Likely to be inaccurate Need definitions: need to operationalize Behaviors occur in clusters So…we developed categories  Aggression  Inappropriate touching  Refusal

Data Collection System Easier to use/get accurate results Behaviors defined on the back Daily/Weekly Behavior Summary Chart Week # AggressiveTouchEscape # Time Out Date: Totals: Ave/day:

Baseline Data

Determining a Target Behavior Most often occurring? Most dangerous? Takes most of your time? Strongest impact on education/learning? Easiest/Quickest fix? Our focus: Refusal  Most time, high frequency, strongest impact

Target behavior: Refusal So why is he refusing? (function)  Obtain or Escape?  Attention, Tangible item, Sensory input, Task/Activity  Motivation Assessment Scale by V. Mark Duran and Daniel Crimmins Overwhelming response – escape! Escape by:  Suck thumb, leave area, close eyes, hide under table/desk  Is the aggression and touching just another means to escape?

Situation Brad is a very young student Refuses everything to get out of tasks  Can he actually perform the tasks?  Does he have basic school skills? So what do we do about it?  Teach Brad to escape in appropriate ways WHAT!?!

The Intervention Activities are offered with group When Brad’s refusal indicators are seen:  Hand over hand: ‘different’  Brad will move away and choose from a box  Cutting, coloring, gluing, blocks, counting, worksheets  Timer set for 5 minutes  Asked to return: can indicate ‘yes’ or ‘different’  Yes: return to group Different: choose from box Also, for every 5 minutes at a planned/group activity, Brad earns computer time

The results

Modified the intervention Brad MUST return to the group/planned activity before indicating ‘different’ He may no longer stay in the alternate activity more than once at a time For every 7 minutes at a group/planned activity, Brad earns computer time

…and the progress continues!!

Uh-oh…Brad is changing schools!! What are we going to do??  Have meeting with select current and future staff and administrators  Share data, plan, progress, challenges, concerns  Send over all visuals and supports  In-service all future staff  Meet over summer to prepare materials and staff, ask/answer questions, provide support And then what happened?

Welcome to Your New School! Brad’s behaviors:  Hitting  Suck Thumb  Kicking  Throwing object(s)  Hide under table/desk  Threatening  Taking materials  Walk/run away  Punching  Touching others  Stealing toys  Taking property  Pushing  Close Eyes The behaviors were the same, but had diminished in frequency.

Data Collection System

Weekly Data Collection Summary

Determining a Target Behavior Our focus in the D/HH Program at the new school was also: Refusal Our team wanted to continue monitoring the progress made at his previous school. We also wanted to provide continuation in case of regression over the summer.

Target Behavior: Refusal So why is he STILL refusing? escape! Escape by:  Still sucks thumb, leaves area, closes eyes, hides under table/desk

Baseline Data

The Intervention Activities are offered with group When Brad’s refusal indicators are seen:  Independently signs ‘different’  Brad will move away and choose from a picture chart  Cutting, coloring, gluing, blocks, play dough, puzzles.  Timer set for 7 minutes (increased from last year)  Must return to the activity before indicating ‘different’  He may no longer stay in the alternate activity more than once Also, for every 7 minutes at a planned/group activity (increased from last year), Brad earns 5 minutes of computer time.

“Different” Choices

The Results

Identifying the New Behavior PHEW!!!!!! Brad sits at the table now, BUT… a new behavior has popped up!

Determining a Target Behavior Most often occurring? Most dangerous? Takes most of your time? Strongest impact on education/learning? Our focus: Inappropriate Touching  Highest frequency, strongest impact, most time

Target Behavior: Inappropriate Touching So why is he inappropriately touching? (function)  Obtain or Escape?  Attention, Tangible item, Sensory input, Task/Activity  Observations and data collection Overwhelming response –Obtain Attention! Got attention by:  Slapped, rubbed, grabbed, and pinched others’ private areas as well tried to put others’ hands on his private area, tried to look down others’ shirts, put his hands up others’ shirts Brad has continued with aggressive behavior and has also started a NEW behavior of showing his middle finger to both peers and teachers. Data Collection will now include: Finger, Aggressive Behavior, Inappropriate Touching, and Time Outs

Data Collection

Weekly Data Collection Summary

Baseline Data

The Intervention Staff will TEACH appropriate attention seeking behaviors  Raising hand, signing/vocalizing person’s name, using tactile clues in appropriate places such as the shoulder and using a social story, play acting etc. Staff will MODEL appropriate attention seeking behaviors  Raising hands, signing/vocalizing person’s name, using tactile clues in appropriate places such as the shoulder, use social story Staff will PROMPT appropriate attention seeking behaviors  Picture cues, visual prompts (raising hand) Staff will REINFORCE appropriate attention seeking behaviors  When Brad seeks attention appropriately, he is given a sticker and praise  When he gets 5 stickers, he will earn a preferred activity such as 5 minutes of computer time or 5 minutes of play time. Staff will also provide consequences to inappropriate touching.  When Brad inappropriately touches peers or teachers, he will take responsibility for his actions and place an X on his “Bad Touch” chart  When he gets 3 X’s, he will receive a 5 minute time out.

Visual Support

Data Collection System

The Results

What’s next for Brad? As you can see in the charts, the Escaping, Inappropriate Touching, and the Finger has diminished, but his Aggression remains. Aggression due to a skill deficit. Intervention:  Staff will teach, model, and prompt Brad to walk away, sign/say “fine” or pick a different friend, when peers don’t wish to play with him.  Staff will teach, model and prompt Brad to tell a teacher or sign/say “not yet finished,” when a peer takes his toy.  All of these positive behaviors will be reinforced using prompting, picture cues, verbal praise, high fives, sticker chart to earn preferred activity etc.

Brad’s Team Raven Stromek, ISRC Consultant Brenda Schmidt, D/HH Consultant Jennifer Rees, D/HH Classroom teacher