Function - based Behavior Support at the Team, School and District Levels Rob Horner, and George Sugai University of Oregon and University of Connecticut

Question  What happened to the woman with pica? 36

Questions  How often do you recommend sending out newsletters, and is it possible to get samples?  How can Mental Health agencies effectively collaborate with SWPBS?

Questions  What you said about 8 th grade students is true with regard to “they don’t need it”…but what about teachers to think kids should already know how to behave…if we coddle them will they be ready for high school?

Goals  Define the critical features of a team implementing individual behavior support plans.  Define the role of functional behavioral assessment in the design of behavior support.  Define the features of individual student behavior support plans.  Define a system for monitoring behavior support efforts.

Positive Behavior Support Defined  “Positive behavior support” is the rational integration of: (a) valued outcomes, (b) behavioral and biomedical science, (c) validated procedures, and (d) systems change … to enhance quality of life, and minimize/prevent problem behaviors.

A Context for PBS  Behavior support is the redesign of environments, not the redesign of individuals  Positive Behavior Support plans define changes in the behavior of those who will implement the plan. A behavior support plan describes what we will do differently.

Major Changes in Behavior Support  Prevention  Teaching as the most effective approach  Environmental redesign, Antecedent Manipulations  Function-based support  Functional assessment  Team-based design and implementation of support  Comprehensive Interventions  Link Behavior Support to Lifestyle Plan  Multi-component interventions  Linking behavioral, educational, mental health strategies  Systems Change  Intervention at the “whole-school” level  Systems that nurture and sustain effective practices  Systems that are durable

Primary Prevention: School-/Classroom- Wide Systems for All Students, Staff, & Settings Secondary Prevention: Specialized Group Systems for Students with At-Risk Behavior Tertiary Prevention: Specialized Individualized Systems for Students with High-Risk Behavior ~80% of Students ~15% ~5% SCHOOL-WIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT  27

“Reiko” Assessments indicate that Reiko performs in average to above average range in most academic areas. However, her teacher has noticed Reiko’s frequent talking-out & asking & answering questions without raising her hand has become an annoying problem to other students & to teacher. What would you do?

“Seth” Seth is a highly competent student, but has a long history of antisocial behavior. He is quick to anger, & minor events quickly escalate to major confrontations. He has few friends, & most of his conflicts occur with peers in hallways & cafeteria & on bus. In last 2 months, he has been given 8 days of in school detention & 6 days of out of school suspension. In a recent event, he broke the glasses of another student. What would you do?

“Mitch” Mitch displays a number of stereotypic (e.g., light filtering with his fingers, head rolling) & self- injurious behaviors (e.g., face slapping, arm biting), & his communications are limited to a verbal vocabulary of about 25 words. When his usual routines are changed or items are not in their usual places, his rates of stereotypic & self- injurious behavior increases quickly. What would you do?

“Rachel” Rachel dresses in black every day, rarely interacts with teachers or other students, & writes & distributes poems & stories about witchcraft, alien nations, gundams, & other science fiction topics. When approached or confronted by teachers, she pulls hood of her black sweatshirt or coat over her head & walks away. Mystified by Rachel’s behavior, teachers usually shake their heads & let her walk away. Recently, Rachel carefully wrapped a dead squirrel in black cloth & placed it on her desk. Other students became frightened when she began talking to it. What would you do?

Assumptions about problem behavior  Problem Behavior (Aggression, Disruption, Insubordination, Withdrawal, Defiance) is a major barrier to BOTH social and academic success in school.  Problem behavior arises from an interaction between biology, context and learning.  Problem behavior can be changed.

Assumptions about behavior support  Context matters  Combining social, behavioral, psychopharmacological, and educational variables is appropriate  All elements of a multi-component intervention need to be consistent with assumptions about the mechanisms sustaining problem behavior.  Understanding behavioral function is essential  Implement effective practices WITH the systems that will support and sustain those practices

Steps in Building a Behavior Support Plan  Defining the Challenge  Assessment  Design of support strategies  Implementation of strategies  Evaluation and adaptation

Behavior Support Elements Problem Behavior Functional Assessment Content of Support Plan Fidelity of Implementation Impact on Behavior and Lifestyle *Team *Specialist *Hypothesis statement *Competing Behavior Analysis *Technical Adequacy of Plan * Contextual Fit *Implementation Plan *Monitor, Adapt *Person-centered planning * Wraparound

Behavior Support Planning Define the challenge Establish a functional team Define behaviors of concern Define outcomes (behavioral, educational, lifestyle) Person-centered planning  Functional Assessment  Support Plan Design  Implementation  Evaluation and modification

Defining the Challenge  Valued outcomes  Not just reduction of problem behavior  Focus on credible lifestyle, learning, social outcomes  Technical soundness of plan  Procedures are consistent with (a) laws of human behavior, (b) functional behavioral assessment outcomes  Contextual fit of plan  Procedures are consistent with the values, skills, resources and administrative support of those who will implement the plan  Knowledgeable team process  Team needs to be composed of people with the knowledge needed to build an individualized intervention.

Technically Sound Plan of Support  The elements of the plan are consistent with basic laws of behavior  The elements of the plan are consistent with basic laws of physiology  The elements of the plan are consistent with the summary statement(s) from the functional behavioral assessment.

Contextual Fit  The people who will implement a BSP: Are knowledge about elements of the BSP Have the skills required to implement BSP Are comfortable with the procedures (Values) Have administrative support to implement BSP Have the expectation that the BSP will be effective Believe that BSP is in the best interest of focus person Have the resources (time, materials) to implement are available and efficiently used.

Establish a Functional Team  Knowledge about the individual  His/her behavior, interests, strengths, challenges, future  Knowledge about the context  Instructional goals, curriculum, social contingencies, schedule, physical setting.  Knowledge about behavioral technology  Elements of behavior  Principles of behavior  Intervention strategies

Which team is more likely to bring the three sources of knowledge?  Team A  Child  Parent  Teacher  Coordinator  Behavior specialist  Friend  Team B  School Psychologist  Counselor  Teacher

Importance of Team Composition  Leah Bennazi (University of Oregon) How does the composition of a behavior support team affect:  (a) the technical soundness of the behavior support plan, and  (b) the contextual fit of the behavior support plan selected for implementation. Leah

Systems for Individual Behavior Support  Administration  Team-based Coordination  Specialist

Administrative Systems  Establish commitment with the whole faculty  Priority for educating all children (with or without IEPs)  Written feature of school improvement plan  Administrative leadership  Regular review with faculty  Regular review by administrator  Allocation of adequate resources  Team, Coordinator, Specialist, Implementation  Implementation of School-wide PBS Expectations  School-wide foundation in place

Team systems  Purpose is to organize local assistance  Not test and place elsewhere  Team meeting schedule and procedures  Efficient  Documented  Teacher request for assistance system  Request for assistance form (provided)  Team-based evaluation  Does system work for faculty and staff?  Does system work for children and families?

Specialist Capacity  Assist in defining school-wide commitment  Conduct Functional Behavioral Assessment  Person-center planning, wraparound, FBA  FACTS (provided)  Teach others to conduct FBA  Lead the design of behavior support plan  Comprehensive  Contextual Fit  Write plan

Specialist Capacity  Develop system for active evaluation  Is support being delivered  Is support making a difference  Coordinate implementation  Plan for implementation  Lead interpretation and adaptation  Assist in organizing information for regular reports to administration and faculty

Functional Behavioral Assessment: Defined  Functional behavioral assessment is a process for identifying (a) observable problem behaviors, (b) the contexts or routines where the problem behaviors are most likely, (c) the specific antecedent events within a context or routine that reliably predict occurrence of problem behaviors, and (d) the consequences that appear to maintain the problem behavior.

Functional Behavioral Assessment: Purpose  The primary purpose of a functional behavioral assessment is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of a behavior intervention plan.  An FBA that does not affect the content of a BIP is not useful.  Multiple levels of FBA are needed. Most schools should have at least three approaches to FBA.

The importance of functional behavioral assessment  Behavioral Function The consequence that maintains a behavior.  Obtain/Get positive (events, objects, activities, sensations)  Avoid/Escape negative (events, objects, activities, sensations)  The effectiveness and efficiency of behavior support is improved with knowledge of behavioral function.  Developing support without regard for behavioral functional will result in plans that are as likely to make problem behavior WORSE as to produce improvement.

Defining Behavioral Function  Define the behavior Be specific, and operational (what you can count)  Define the routine/context Place the behavior in a context.  In that context, that behavior, by that student is most likely maintained by ???? Focus on the single most controlling consequence Use three-step logic model

Identifying Behavioral Function: Maintaining Consequences Given a Problem Behavior and Routine Get: Object, Activity, Sensation Avoid: Object, Activity, Sensation SocialPhysiologicalSocialPhysiological Precise Event Precise Event Precise Event Precise Event Object/ Activity Object/ Activity Precise Event Precise Event

Video  Define Behavior  Define Context/ Routine  Define behavioral function Get/Obtain vs. Escape/Avoid Social/Object/Activity/Sensation? Specific Event

Using Behavioral Function  School-wide/Classroom Prevention  Targeted Interventions  Individual Student Interventions Functional Behavioral Assessment Ingram Bergstrom facts demo

Moving from FBA to Behavior Support Plan

Behavior Support Elements Problem Behavior Functional Assessment Content of Support Plan Fidelity of Implementation Impact on Behavior and Lifestyle *Team *Specialist *Hypothesis statement *Competing Behavior Analysis *Technical Adequacy of Plan *Implementation Plan * Contextual Fit *Monitor, Adapt *Person-centered planning * Wraparound BennaziIngram

BSP TemplateCharles

Main Themes of Effective Interventions  Make the problem behavior irrelevant  Change the context so the problem does not arise  Make the problem behavior inefficient  Teach alternative skills that produce same effect as problem behavior  Exaggerate rewards for appropriate behavior  Make the problem behavior ineffective  Minimize the likelihood that a problem behavior will be rewarded.

CharlesBSP Template

Summary  Focusing on the “behavioral function” of problem behavior places the challenge in the context rather than in the student.  Behavioral function affects how we organize support at all levels of SWPBS.