1. Top 10 Tips for Working With Students with Challenging Behaviors
Top 10 Tips for Working With Students with Challenging Behaviors
Flint Simonsen, Ph.D.
Eastern Washington University
March 1, 2012

4. Acknowledgments Project PREPARE Effective Behavior Support Project
Project PREPARE
Colvin, Kame’enui, & Sugai ( , OSEP)
Effective Behavior Support Project
Sugai & Horner ( , OSEP)
Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support
Sugai & Horner ( , OSEP/SDFS)
UO, UK, KU, MU, USF
Parents, students, educators, researchers

6. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
PBIS refers to the application of positive behavioral interventions and systems to achieve socially important behavior change.
Proactive and preventative rather than reactive and punitive interventions

7. PBIS Assumptions
Human behavior is affected by behavioral, bio-behavioral, social, and physical environmental factors.
Much of human behavior is associated with unintentional learning opportunities.
Human behavior is learned and can be changed.

8. Designing School-Wide Systems for Student Success
Academic Systems
Behavioral Systems
Tertiary, Individual Interventions
Individual Students
Assessment-based
High Intensity
Tertiary, Individual Interventions
Individual Students
Assessment-based
Intense, durable procedures
1-5%
1-5%
Secondary Group Interventions
Some students (at-risk)
High efficiency
Rapid response
5-10%
5-10%
Secondary Group Interventions
Some students (at-risk)
High efficiency
Rapid response
SAY: Student success is linked to the degree to which academic and behavioral systems are in place for all students. As such the 3-tiered prevention logic has been applied to both behavioral and academic systems, and have been conceptualized and operationalized as an integrated system of support.
Every effort should be made to blend school-wide academic and behavioral systems to maximize academic and social behavior outcomes and implementation efficiencies.
Primary Interventions
All students
Preventive, proactive
80-90%
Primary Interventions
All settings, all students
Preventive, proactive
80-90%

9. What seems to be the problem?
What seems to be the problem?

11. Basics Behavior (what) Antecedents (when) Consequences (why)
Basics
Behavior (what)
What the student does
Antecedents (when)
What happens before to “trigger”
Consequences (why)
What happens after to maintain

12. Behavior and the Environment
Behavior and the Environment B A C
Antecedent
Behavior
Consequence
Passage of Time

13. Deciding on Interventions
Deciding on Interventions
Two types of problems:
Can’t Do
Teach, Remind, Practice
Won’t Do
Motivate, Encouragement and Discouragement

14. Top 10 Tips for Working with Students with Challenging Behaviors
Top 10 Tips for Working with Students with Challenging Behaviors

16. 1. Make a Plan Write down what the adult will do when student:
1. Make a Plan
Write down what the adult will do when student:
(a) behaves appropriately
(b) engages in minor problem behaviors
(c) engages in major problem behaviors

17. Defining Behavior
Must be in operational, observable, or measurable terms.
Available to 5 Senses
“Avoid Dead Man’s Rule”
To achieve high agreement between people.

20. 2. Be Consistent Follow the plan. No exceptions and no excuses.
2. Be Consistent
Follow the plan. No exceptions and no excuses.
Stick with it
Never make a demand or request that you are not willing and able to follow through with.

21. … What if the student escalates?

22. 3. Stay Calm
Neutrality: never let them see you sweat.

25. 4. Catch ‘em being good (Acknowledge expected behavior)
4. Catch ‘em being good (Acknowledge expected behavior)
Give 4 to 1 positives to negatives
Respond immediately
Be positive
Give information
Individualize

27. 5. Exploit Their Greed

28. Exploit Their Greed
When managing behavior the key is to exploit kids greed. Give them everything they want as often as they want it for doing what you want them to do.
~Dr. Phil McGraw

29. Different kids have different preferences.
Students will always find a way to get what they want.

32. 6. Use What Works
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." ~Albert Einstein

34. 7. Take Data
Teaching without data is like driving a car with your eyes closed.
“The two week rule”

36. 8. Prevention is Better than Intervention
8. Prevention is Better than Intervention
Look for ways to rearrange the environment to prevent problems the next time around.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

38. 9. Actively Supervise
Watch students. Be there. Be ready. Correct errors early. Catch ‘em being good.

39. 10. Teach, Teach, Teach
Teach students important (pivotal) skills – ones that will make a difference in a student’s life.
Every moment is a teaching moment.

40. Teach and Reinforce Pick replacement behavior Teach
Teach and Reinforce
Pick replacement behavior
Teach
Provide reinforcement for functionally equivalent alternative behavior
Student gets (consequence) what he/she wants for doing (behavior) what you want.

41. … and if that doesn’t work? Reset to “Problem-Solving”

42. Problem-solving Steps
Define the problem(s)
Analyze the data
Define the outcomes and data sources for measuring the outcomes
Consider 2-3 options that might work
Evaluate each option:
Is it safe?
Is it doable?
Will it work?
Choose an option to try
Determine the timeframe to evaluate effectiveness
Evaluate effectiveness by using the data
Is it worth continuing?
Try a different option?
Re-define the problem?

43. Big Ideas Teaching matters in the lives of children
Big Ideas
Teaching matters in the lives of children
Have a plan and follow it consistently
Use proactive and preventative interventions rather than reactive and punitive interventions
Catch kids doing what you want them to do.
NEVER GIVE UP!

44. pbiswashington.pbworks.com flintsimonsen@centurytel.net
P. O. Box 602
Cheney, WA 99004