Module 2: Positive Behavior Supports that help teaching Students with Autism
Back to Main page: Samantha A. Massaro
Unit Overview
PBS is a broad range of systemic, and individual strategies for students to achieve important social and learning outcomes while preventing the problem behaviors. It is a package deal of strategies, not just one simple intervention. When implementing PBS it is important to focus on:
- teaching the new skill or habit.
- Changing the environment or condition
- Prevent the behavior from happening again, and condition the student to lean towards towards the targeted behavior.
Objectives
At the conclusion of Module 2, participants will
- Continue learning and investigating ASD and the physical and environmental needs of all students
- Describe various learning strategies to make students effective life long learners.
- Identify tools to facilitate these supports effectively in the classroom for students and teachers to be successful in this process.
Mini Lecture
PBIS is broken down into a Three- Tiered Framework:
In the diagram above you have Primary Preventions: Primary Preventions are school-wide strategies for all students in the school. The goal for this is to be able to teach and create a positive social culture, and focus on the explicitly teaching positive behavior. In this tier, adults are expected to respond to the problems in a consistent way, allowing to establish and create routines within children.
Secondary Prevention: Secondary prevention strategies are often given to students with at-risk behaviors who need a little more support. Some examples of secondary prevention include checkins, smal group instruction, individual reviews of rules, social skills clubs or any other intervention that is done in a small group setting.
Tertiary Prevention: Highly individualized interventions for students who engage in seriousproblem behaviors. Tertiary Preventions can be needed when students who have emotional or behavioral disorders, as well as downs syndrome and Autism.
In addition, Behavior Supports can be something environmental: Such as,
•Pick soothing colors for your classroom. It is important when thinking about your own classroom to use colors that aren’t going to be distracting or over-stimulating to the human eye. For example, stick with neutral and cool colors, like blue, green, cream, avoid bright colors like orange or yellow as they may be over stimulating to the student.
•Stick to the productivity of the classroom. There is no reason to post every piece of paper used in instructional time. Focus on supports that will be needed for long term referencing such as a schedule, timer, writing process, and rules.
•Set up a safe place: For all students, we may need a time to relax and take a break. Designating a spot in the room may help for students who feel anxious or just need a break from instructional time.
•Minimizing distraction in the classroom and make the environment less stimulating. This can be also done to encourage students to have a safe place to work as well as relax. Show students the perks of desk dividers, and encourage student office space to help minimize these visual distractions.In my ICT class, we try to incorporate chill town or a break area for students to self-soothe if they are feeling frustrated or distracted. There is a protocol when being asked to take time to "chill".
•Encourage fidgets, NOT toys. Students need to be self-advocates for their needs. Encourage students to use fidgets if they need them, asking for breaks, lowering the lights and voice volumes to enhance their needs and allow them to be self-advocates for themselves.
It is all about your approach
- The approach you take must focus on repairing or replacing a system of behaviors that will benefit the child. (Carr, 2007, "While we wait for a cure: Positive Behavior Supports"
Learning Activities
1. Participants will watch the following Youtube Video:
2. Participants will reflect on strategies talked about in this video, while taking engaging notes and following along using a K-W-L Chart ( Know, Want, Learned)
3. In this learning journal task, Participants will take time to reflect on the importance of learning these helpful strategies for your classroom. Rather than writing a full extended reflection, Simply focus on reflect on your knowledge thus far in the class. What strategies do you think would be attainable to use in your classrooms? Which ones will you rule out that will not be attainable?
4. Case Study
In this task, students will read about a case study of a young woman named Shiloh. We will discuss the various strategies for Shiloh to give her the best and most successful in the classroom Shiloh, is a new student at P.S. 24 4th grade ICT class. Shiloh is a student with Autism. She struggles to complete her classwork, and she is constantly talking out of turn or blurting out answers inappropriately ie, shouting, yelling over the teacher, etc. . Shiloh's teacher reprimands her about the lack of hand raising and following classroom expectations. Shiloh has asked multiple times to move seats closer to the teacher, and Ms. P continues to say no and that she is fine where she is. Ms. P is always standing next to Shiloh, and this is often when Shiloh will do her best work."
Part II:Case Study: Let's Identify Use the following link to identify and modify various strategies and tools that are being used, not quite being used, and never used. Using a Implementation Tiered Checklist, allows professionals to target in on the important aspects of using these valuable resources in the classroom to help meet the needs of our students, but especially in this case, Shiloh.
Part III: Respond/Reinforce Using your tiered checklist, you will begin to hypothesize various communication needs that Shiloh is expressing. Now, is the time, in your collaborative partnerships to decide and make an educated hypothesis of various strategies that may help Shiloh with her behavior that needs supports. Following this, you will then begin discovering what skills and target behavior you would like to begin to make a support for.
So, What are Positive Behavior Supports?
Positive Behavior Supports are assessment based and differ from student to student. Interventions can be directly linked to environmental influences and various hypothesis concerning a function of the behavior, or the ""target"" of the behavior that is happening. PBIS are strategies to help students self-manage their emotions and use visual supports to encourage the positive behavior, rather than focusing on the negative ,or targeted.
Communication Functions and Sensory Functions
In many cases, students exhibit a negative behavior because their needs are not being met. This can be Tangible, emotional, sensory, communicative, etc. Some common Communicative and Sensory Needs are as follows.
- Getting Attention
- Escape or avoidance
- Getting something tangible
- Self-management or Regulation
- play or fun
Key Components when teaching, implementing and responding to behaviors
- Prevent: Prevention strategies prevent the problem behavior before it occurs, you should be thinking about ways to be proactive, rather than reactive.
- Teach: Teach the student skills/behaviors that will serve the same function in another acceptable way. For example, if a student wants to avoid doing math problems, try various strategies to do less math problems, but then a reward afterwards
- Respond/Reinforce: How will you reinforce the targeted behavior? How will you respond to the problem behavior if it occurs?
Collaborative Discussion Prompts
YOU may choose from one of these prompts to reflect upon. This requires thoughtful synthesizing before engaging in your own creation and implementation of your created support tool.
Challenge yourself, instead of thinking in agreement to these questions, think about the potential argument that you can make with either of these assignments.
The faculty and staff understand the importance to practice inclusiveness including students with special needs, at-risk students, or English Language Learners
As an educator, I focus on the importance of a co-teaching model.
I implement positive relationships among students and faculty.
I express my concerns with administration if I have a student who I believe needs additional help or resources.
Examples of Visual Support Tools
References and Resources
Bleiweiss, J. D., Hough, L., & Cohen, S. (2013). Everyday classroom strategies and practices for supporting children with autism spectrum disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC Publishing.
Lee, A. M., & J.D. (n.d.). PBIS: What You Need to Know. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/pbis-how-schools-support-positive-behavior
Positive Behavior Support Articles. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://disability.publichealth.gsu.edu/initiatives/education-and-schools/positive-behavior-support-articles/