POSITIVE

BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN

Positive Behavior Support Plan

(PBSP)
Definition of Specific Behavior
Taylor exhibits oppositional and defiant behavior towards adults. An example of this
behavior includes his refusal to follow teacher, administrator, and an authoritative adult given
directions.
Throughout the 2014-2015 school year, Taylor has exhibited disruptive behaviors that
prevent his classmates and himself from learning; this includes banging, tapping, ripping up
materials, and refusing to cooperate with adults. He has also begun showing a pattern of eloping.
Taylor leaves the class without permission to use the bathroom and leaves gym class when he
was not able to participate. Due to his inability to follow directions from adults, Taylor becomes
oppositional and defiant towards adults that reprimand him for his negative behaviors. This is
also true if he does not want to comply with the request of the adult.
Taylor exhibits behaviors that are disrespectful to those around him. He will throw
materials on the floor and/or rip them up and refuse to pick them up. He will crawl on furniture,
rock back and forth on chairs (two have been broken because of this), and hitting and kicking
lockers. Taylor can be disrespectful when speaking to adults, exclaiming, Get out of my face!
Shut up!, and Leave me alone!
These behaviors are of high intensity and happen more than five times a day. The
duration of these behaviors vary and are not consistent. The time of day the behavior is more
likely to occur is both unpredictable and does not display a pattern.

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Literature Review
Fields, B. (2012). Getting the balance right: The challenge of balancing praise and correction for
early school years children who exhibit oppositional and defiant behavior. Australasian
Journal Of Early Childhood, 37(4), 24-28.

This article is constructed around a research-based study of using Positive Behavior

Support (PBS) in the classroom for students with oppositional and defiant behaviors aged
8-11, and students aged 6-7. The study examines how teachers in PBS schools
implementing a balance between the acknowledging appropriate behaviors and correcting
inappropriate behaviors, effect student behavior compares to a non PBS schools teachers
effects on their students difficult behaviors. The study indicates that in the PBS school a
slight increase in on task behavior, recognition and praise was slightly higher, and serious
incidences were lower compared to the non-PBS school.

Karver, M.S., & Caporino, N. (2010). The use of empirically supported strategies for building
a therapeutic relationship with an adolescent with oppositional defiant disorder. Cognitive
And Behavioral Practice, 17 222-232.

This article discusses the research-based use of strategies for building a therapeutic
relationship with adolescents with Oppositional-Defiant Disorder. It emphasizes on using
strategies to build satisfying relationships among all participants, including the therapist,
parent, and adolescent. Though these treatments are evidence-based and effective, the

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programs do not create explicit guidelines for therapists to use interpersonal skills to
encourage parents to participate effectively in treatment.

Kim, H., Cho, S., Kim, B., Kim, J., Shin, M., & Yeo, J. (2010). Does oppositional defiant
disorder have temperament and psychopathological profiles independent of attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder?. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 51 412-418.

This article discusses a study that shows the characteristics and patterns of oppositional
defiant disorder independently from as well as in comparison to ADHD. Independently,
characteristics and patterns of ODD included low self-directedness, low cooperativeness,
and an increased risk for anxiety and mood disorders. When ODD and ADHD patterns
and characteristics were combined, people displayed decreased levels of persistence and
self-directedness. This study indicates that people with ODD have patterns and
characteristics independent from people with both ODD and ADHD.

Jones, V., & Jones, L. (2011). Comprehensive classroom management: Creating communities

of support and solving problems (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill.

This text discusses the proper strategies and techniques in how to address defiant and
disruptive behavior in the general education classroom. They emphasize the importance
of remaining calm and modeling self-control. In addition, it is important to provide the
student with options to redirect the student to towards a more positive behavior. Finally,
providing the student with time to reflect and have some space. Clarifying appropriate

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times to take breaks from an overwhelming situation is key to making sure the student
does not abuse this support.

Sayal, K., Washbrook, E., & Propper, C. (2015). New research: Childhood behavior problems
and academic outcomes in adolescence: Longitudinal population-based study. Journal
Of The American Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,

This article discusses the outcomes of an investigation the authors conducted to

determine the impact of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and oppositional behaviors
on academic achievement over a 9 year period. Children with inattentiveness were more
likely to have academic difficulties rather than children that displayed
hyperactivity/impulsivity. In addition, children with oppositional/defiant behaviors and
Defiant Behavior Disorders also displayed worse academic outcomes after the 9-year
study. When comparing boys and girls, boys were more likely to have worse academic
outcomes when displaying any of these behaviors.

Baseline Data Collection

Over the course of the month of March, I collected data on Taylors behaviors by
utilizing behavior point sheets. For the month of March, 17 sheets were collected, one for each
day observed. The point sheets included six behaviors that Taylor had difficulty following on a
daily basis. These behaviors included following directions and rules, working quietly, keeping
hands, feet, and objects to self, completing work, not destroying materials, and using appropriate
language. He was observed throughout the day at 15-minute increments for displaying

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appropriate behaviors. He received a 0 for not displaying the appropriate behavior and a 1 for
displaying the appropriate behavior. At the end of the day, his points were tallied to determine if
he met his goal of a total of 120 points.
For example, on my first observation of Taylor on March 9th from 10:00am 10:15 am,
Taylor was already displaying undesirable behaviors. When entering the classroom, Taylor was
already spoken to in the hallway for disruptive behaviors. After returning to the classroom,
Taylor carried the negative consequences of being reprimanded on his shoulders, continuing to
pout and not follow directions. From 10:15 10:30 am, Taylor did not engage in peer discussion
when instructed to talk about how to extend their thinking on their opinions of an author in
English Language Arts. While he sat quietly, he did not do any work, thus he did not gain points
in the areas of following directions and rules or in the area of completing work. From 10:45 -11
am he continued to sit quietly with his hands over his face. He was asked to write in his writing
journal but continued to sit with his face covered. He did not earn points for following directions
and rules or for completing work.
On my second visit to observe Taylor on March 10th from 9:45 10:00 am. After talking
to his teacher early on in the day, I was aware of his most recent behavior of failing to follow
directions. From the beginning of the day, Taylor was asked to take his hat off. He refused and
made the excuse that he needed to keep it on because he was cold. While I observed him, this
behavior continued. Multiple adults asked him politely and repeatedly to remove the hat. He was
defiant and refused to follow the given direction. Failing to remove his hat when directed
continued throughout the rest of the week.
The behavior that is of most concern, as described, when observing Taylor, is his
inability to follow directions given by an adult. When reviewing the data collection, the majority

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of the time, Taylor did not follow directions. This will be the focus for this positive behavior
support plan. Taylor will be able to follow directions when given by an adult.
In addition to my observations of Taylor, he has an extensive record of academic and
behavioral concerns from his previous schools. Taylor was diagnosed with Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder by Kennedy Krieger Institute on 12/22/10. In 2012 at a previous school,
Taylor was taking medication to address the symptoms of ADHD. He was referred to the IEP
Team in 1st grade for academic and behavioral concerns. The SST developed a 504 plan that
included preferential seating, multiple or frequent breaks, and an incentive plan. Taylor was
referred to the Student Support Room 14 times and suspended 5 times while in first grade.
Reasons for referrals and suspensions include refusing to cooperate with school transportation,
defiance/disrespect/noncompliance, physical contact/aggression, and disruptive behavior that
result in interference with the normal school program. Taylor has a history of report comments
since kindergarten, indicating difficulties with making good behavior choices and difficulties
complying with teacher directions. Taylor was retained in first grade due to difficulties with
decoding, sight words, and counting up to 100. Taylor does not interact well with peers of his
own age, which could be due to only interacting within his four older brothers at home. From
2013-2014, Taylor attended a parentally placed private school. He was removed from this school
at the end of his 4th grade year due to behaviors. He began his 5th grade year at Vincent Farm
Elementary.
Hypothesis of Functional Intention
Taylors oppositional and defiant behaviors towards adults are evident throughout the
duration of the day. These behaviors show no pattern and are unpredictable. He is reprimanded
throughout the day by one on one discussions with the teacher, by being given reminders of

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potential consequences (office referral, loss of points/privileges), or by simply being ignored. All
aspects of classroom instruction and reactions to his behaviors are triggers for his undesirable
behaviors. Triggers include, independent seatwork, presentation of undesirable tasks, teacher
demand, and reprimand and/or negative attention.
When concerning his difficulties with oppositional and defiant behaviors towards adults
(refusing to follow teacher directions), Taylor is looking to gain attention and control from the
behavior. He is also using these undesirable behaviors to avoid completing work or engaging in
an activity or task.
Replacement Behavior
Taylor will follow directions given by adults with consistent positive behavioral supports and
reinforcements.
What is it the student should be doing?
Taylor should be following directions given by adults. He should follow directions in and
out of the classroom and throughout the school building. This may include working
quietly, keeping his hands, feet, and objects to himself, completing his work, be
respectful of school property and materials, and using appropriate language when
speaking to adults and peers.
How will you teach the replacement behavior?
Instead of becoming oppositional and defiant towards an adult when given specific
directions to follow, Taylor will be instructed on how to utilize the flash pass system. By
modeling how to use the flash pass system, Taylor will know how to appropriately use it
to provide him opportunities to calm down and reflect on his actions before his behavior
escalates, and return to class.

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When will you teach the replacement behavior?

The replacement behavior will be taught in the beginning of the day before classes begin.
He will meet with the special educator or AA (Adult Assistant) to discuss how to
appropriately use the flash pass system to avoid the negative behaviors he has been
displaying.
Positive Behavior Supports
1. Taylor will receive preferential seating during all classroom instruction and in the
lunchroom. He will be seated near the teacher or an additional adult to ensure ontask behavior. In addition, he will be seated away from peers whose behaviors
might distract him.
2. Taylor will receive frequent positive feedback for good behavior choices. He will
continue to earn points for following directions for his behavior point chart. He
will choose an incentive (gold fish, candy, etc.) for earning 50% of his behavior
points at the end of the day.
3. Taylor will receive T.V. studio time at the end of each week if he displays
positive behaviors 50% of the time for the entire week. Taylor will receive an
update at the end of each day when meeting with the special educator. They will
review if progress needs to be made to meet the requirements to earn the T.V.
studio time on Friday. This is an extracurricular that Taylor regularly wants to be
apart of every week.

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Data Collection and Visual Representation: Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence of

Following Directions

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Data Summary and Interpretation of ABC Chart

The above pie charts display the change in antecedents and functions of the behavior
from the month of March into the month of April. I compiled Antecedent Behavior Consequence
(ABC) charts for the month of March and April to analyze if the immediate consequences and
subsequent consequences helped Taylor to make improvements in following directions.
The baseline data collected in March for the function of the behavior (following
directions), determined that the majority of the time (66.7%), Taylor was trying to gain control of
the situation by not following directions. Approximately 16.7% of the time, Taylor was avoiding
work by not following directions. He was avoiding his AA (Adult Assistant) 16.7% of the time
when he decided to not follow directions.
A change in Taylors AA was made at the beginning of April as well as the
implementation of the flash pass card, and the positive behavior supports of preferential seating,
loss/gain of behavior points to gain/lose an incentive at the end of the day and/or for the week
helped improve his functions. These supports and change in AA showed that Taylor decreased in
the function of gaining control but increased in the function of avoiding work. With the new AA
in place, Taylor no longer displayed the function of avoiding an individual.
I determined by analyzing the data that the behavioral supports were beneficial to the
students function of gaining control. The change in AA reduced Taylors need to gain control of
the situation as well as refusing to follow directions because he was trying to avoid the former
AA.
The baseline data collected in March for antecedents, determined that the majority of the
time (60%), Taylors behavior was enticed by negative peer interactions followed by not

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following directions. Approximately 40% of the time, the teachers demands cued Taylor to not
follow directions.
The implementation of the flash pass card, and the positive behavior supports of
preferential seating, loss/gain of behavior points to gain/lose an incentive at the end of the day
and/or for the week throughout March and into April displayed an improvement in the
antecedents in the area of negative peer interaction and teacher demand. Due to Maryland School
Assessment (MSA), Taylor was triggered by a test situation that he did not want to partake in.
I determined by analyzing the data that Taylors antecedents have decreased in the areas
of concern of negative peer interaction and teacher demand with the new implementation of
behavioral supports. In addition, the amount of ABCs observed were reduced by half in
comparison to the month of March.

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Data Collection and Visual Representation: Behavior Points Sheet for Following Directions

MARCH: Following Directions

25
20
15
MARCH: Following
Directions

10
5
0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31

APRIL: Following Directions

30
25
20
15

APRIL: Following
Directions

10
5
0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31

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14

30
APRIL: Following Directions
25
MARCH: Following Directions

20

15

10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Data Summary and Interpretation of Behavior Points Sheets

The above bar graphs display the amount of points Taylor received for following
directions in the months of March and April. I compiled behavior data over these months to
observe Taylors ability to follow directions in the month of March with little to no
implementation of the positive behavior supports. Then I compiled data in the month of April to
observe whether the implementation of the supports benefited Taylor in following directions.
The baseline data received for the month of March showed that he steadily declined
throughout the month when following directions. He ended with 186 points out of a possible
625, exhibiting that he displayed the correct behavior of following directions approximately 30%
of the time.
In April, Taylor received a new AA and the implementation of the flash pass card, as well
as the positive behavior supports of preferential seating, loss/gain of behavior points to gain/lose
an incentive at the end of the day and/or for the week began. With these factors in place, Taylor

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showed improvement. Taylor learned to utilize his flash pass to take time to calm down before
reacting. He also found the new supports of gaining incentives of a treat at the end of the day,
and TV studio time at the end of the week as he earned his points, as motivators to follow
directions continuously throughout the day. The bar graph shows that Taylor steadily increased
throughout each week and throughout the month. He earned 248 points out of 625, exhibiting
that he displayed the correct behavior of following directions approximately 40% of the time.
Taylor began showing positive behaviors 10% more frequently in April than in March.
By analyzing the data utilizing the Behavior Points Sheets, Taylor has benefited from the
positive behavioral supports created to increase the positive behavior of following directions.
When analyzing both sets of data of the behavior points sheets and the ABC charts, I
determined that the positive behavioral supports of preferential seating, loss/gain of behavior
points to gain/lose an incentive at the end of the day and/or for the week has benefited Taylor.
The addition of a new AA has also been a positive factor in increasing positive behaviors. Taylor
is now following directions 10% more than he was before the positive behavioral supports were
implemented. Taylor also has decreased in his need to gain control and avoid certain individuals
after the new AA was brought in to assist him. As the year progresses, the work in class is
becoming more difficult, which explains why Taylor is becoming overwhelmed and has used his
behaviors more to avoid schoolwork. Taylors negative interactions with peers as well as
receiving teacher demands has also decreased as a trigger to his behavior. Overall, Taylor is
making progress towards positive behaviors, specifically in following directions given by an
adult, with the positive behavioral supports in place.

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Reflection
The completion of the Positive Behavioral Support Plan project has helped me to grow in
my knowledge, skills, and dispositions in classroom management. Prior to the beginning this
project, I had no experience in developing or implementing behavior supports to support
undesirable behaviors class-wide and/or individually. This project allowed me to use real life
experiences to gain the knowledge and skills of working with a student who was defined as
having difficulty with displaying positive behaviors in and out of the classroom when asked to
follow directions.
Taylor was a student on my mentors caseload. I was able to gain in-depth background
information of this student from teachers, AAs, observations, and parental input. This helped me
to determine what supports would be most beneficial for Taylor in improving his targeted
behavior. I found out what he liked, which provided incentives that would motivate him. This
information provided enough insight of the students habits, likes, dislikes, and background to
determine that preferential seating and utilizing a points sheet to earn incentives would be
beneficial for the student to display the positive behavior of following directions. Though the
change in AAs was not a decision I was able to make, I found that this factor contributed to
Taylors strides he made in following directions from adults.
After implementing all supports from this plan, I feel comfortable in moving forward in
my special education career to develop and implement positive supports that will benefit the
student in managing their behaviors in a positive manner. This project also has helped me to
think outside of the box to differentiate for the individual. One size does not fit all and this
support plan is proof of that. The supports provided for Taylor will not work for another student.

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Having a comprehensive understanding of the students behavior is vital in developing,

implementing, and analyzing the results to determine what is best for the student.
This PBSP has proved to be successful in reducing the undesirable behavior of not
following directions given by an. My plan is to continue implementing the support plan as it has
been developed. In addition to the current plan, I would have wanted to pay closer attention to
aspects of the students academic performance. As I evaluated the data, I noticed that Taylor was
increasing his behaviors when it pertained to avoiding work. I would have collected Taylors
grades in his academic areas to see if he was beginning to struggle as the year went on. I would
have suggested bringing it to the attention of the TEAM to decide if Taylor would benefit from
further accommodations or modifications of his assignments to relieve his stress and anxiety
when having to complete difficult tasks. I also would have wanted to determine if the positive
behavioral supports were beneficial without the implementation of the new AA. With the new
AA in place, it was hard for me to decipher if the supports I developed were working or if the
change in AA was the main reason for increasing positive behaviors. Analyzing the data over a
longer period of time would also help me to determine which supports were most beneficial.
Overall, this project has helped me to have a comprehensive understanding of the factors that
need to be considered when developing, implementing, and analyzing the data of positive
behavioral supports in order to increase positive behaviors in the student.

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Original Data Collection Sheets
Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence Charts

18

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19

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20

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21

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22

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Behavior Point Sheets

Due to the amount of behavior point sheets, there are 4 of the original sheets and then a
data sheet of the amount of points earned for each day for March and April.

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MARCH DAY POINTS EARNED

1
2
19
3
19
4
12
5

6

7

8

9
14
10
20
11
15
12
11
13
8
14

15

16
2
17
12
18
17
19

20

21

22

23
10
24
8
25
4
26

27
0
28

29

30
7
31
8
TOTAL
186

26

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27

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FOLLOWING
DIRECTIONS

APRIL

TOTAL

DAY
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

POINTS EARNED
3
14
4


20
15
13
18
21


12
5
6
11
18


10
12
18
17
25






242

29