Adolescents and Behavior Problems Depression Stereotypy Peer Interventions

Depression Pervasive sadness/irritability Biological disruptions  appetite, insomnia, fatigue Psychological difficulties  low self esteem, poor concentration,hopelessness Results from multiple factors  Review S.Braaten’s “About Adolescents”“About Adolescents”

Interventions for Depression Assessment of depressive factors  E.g., if social isolation: teach social interaction skills Cognitive restructuring  Attribution retraining  Thinking, changing, rearranging

Stereotypy Repetitive behaviors: perseveration  Self-stimulation  Self-injurious Results from biological and reinforcement factors Rules for intervention  If self-injurious, treat  If interferes with education, treat

Interventions for Stereotypy Functional Analysis and assessment Social and interactive skills training Establishment of appropriate reinforcement and scheduling.

Behavior Interventions for Adolescents By Adults  Positive attention and approval  Social reinforcement  Contingency Contracting Training procedures  Building “backbone”  Cognitive Behavior Management

Building “backbone” Effective teaching/schooling  Intellectual stimulation  Relevance Social values training and incorporation Development of social competence

Development of Social Competence Prosocial behavior training or reinforcement Assertiveness training Stress prevention Refusal skills

Peer mediated Interventions Use of peers as behavior managers Teaching others leads to improved learning and automaticity

Peer Intervention Strategies Group goal setting and feedback Group Contingencies

Group goal setting and feedback Groups discuss and decide individual student goals Specific goals (objectives) are best

Peer Monitoring

Group Contingencies Dependent Independent Interdependent

Dependent Group Contingencies Individual performance of the target student determines consequences to the whole group.  Appropriate when target student is being reinforced by his/her “audience” AND the behavior of the whole group is generally good.

Independent Group Contingencies Every individual instance of the target behavior in a group is given the same consequence  E.g., everyone who turns in a complete homework assignment receives gym instead of study hall

Interdependent Group Contingencies Each student in a group must achieve a prescribed level of performance before anyone in the group can get a reinforcement  E.g., 100% attendance on Fridays for 4 weeks = 10 points for everybody on the midterm

Self-mediated Interventions Self-monitoring (self recording) Self-evaluation Self-instruction

Self-Monitoring Keeping a record of one’s own behaviors  Monitoring progress on self-chart

Self-Evaluation Student assesses quality (correctness, adequacy) of self-behavior

Self-Instruction Planned “whispering”  Student whispers appropriate instructions for a behavior to self

Guidelines for Use of Self- Management Determine student ability to self-manage Engage student in determining accurate recording or use of strategies Assess fidelity of the procedure Assess that adequate progress is being made

Behavior-Related Issues for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners Primary Considerations  Language  Culture  Problem Behaviors vs. Cultural Differences