PositiveBehaviorSupportPlan

TowsonUniversity
ElanaKanter

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I.

DefinitionofSpecificBehavior

StudentBackgroundInformation
RyanisaneighthgradestudentatThomasJohnsonElementarySchoolinBaltimoreCity.
HeisastudentwithanIndividualizedEducationPlan(IEP).RyanisdiagnosedwithAutism
SpectrumDisorder(ASD).Ryanisininclusiongeneraleducationclassroomfortheentireday.
However,hisIEPallowshimaccesstoinclassandpulloutsupportbythespecialeducator.
Ryanexhibitsreceptiveandexpressivelanguagedeficits.Ryanhasacademicdeficitsaswell,
butheiscapableoffollowingsimpledirectionsandcompletingroutinetasksindependently.
Despitebeingcapable,Ryanisoftenofftask.
DefinitionofSpecificBehavior
Manytimesthroughouttheschoolday,Ryanexhibitsofftaskbehaviors.WhenRyanis
displayingundesiredbehaviors,hewillnotstartorcompletesimpletaskswithoutexcessive
prompting.Simpletasksincludetakingnotes,startingopeningdrills,andgettingoutclass
supplies.OfftaskbehavioralsomeansRyaniscompletingonlysmallportionsofindependent
work.
Ryansundesiredbehaviorsaredetrimentaltohisclasswork.Ryanhasadifficulttime
catchingup,soifheisofftaskthenheislikelytofallbehindandhaveincompleteassignments.
Ryansofftaskbehaviorscanbedisruptivetothewholeclassbecausethegeneral/special
educatorhastopauseinstructiontospendextratimepromptingorcheckinginwithRyan.
Furthermore,thisbehaviorcanhavenegativeimpactonotherstudentsbecausethe
general/specialeducatorispreoccupiedwithRyan,thusunavailabletohelpotherstudents.
Ryansbehaviorsareshortindurationbutthefrequencymightlastforaportionofclassorthe

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entireclassperiod.ThiscausesadisruptionofRyaneithersittinginclasscompletingnoneor
someoftheassignmentswithexcessivepromptingandcheckinsbythegeneral/special
educator.

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II.

LiteratureReview
IconductedaliteraturereviewofcurrentresearchrelatedtoRyansinappropriate

behaviorandpotentialstrategiesforhisPositiveBehaviorSupportPlan(PBSP).Ryans
inappropriatebehaviorisbeingofftask,whichcauseshimtonotstartorcompleteindependent
work.
Source1
TheBriere&Simonsenarticleoverviewsastudythatexaminedselfmonitoring
techniquesformiddleschoolstudentsexhibitingofftaskbehavior(2011).Thearticleincluded
specificantecedent,behavior,andconsequencesformiddleschoolstudents.Afterimplementing
selfmonitoringtechniques,resultsdemonstratedaclearfunctionalrelationshipbetweenthe
typesofbehaviorstargetedforselfmonitoring(functionallyrelevantornonrelevant)andthe
offtaskbehavioroftwomiddleschoolstudentsinanurbansetting(Briere&Simonsen,2011,
p.139).Functionallyrelevantselfmonitoringhelpedimprovebothbehaviorandacademic
performanceformiddleschoolstudents.

BriereIII,D.E.,&Simonsen,B.(2011).Selfmonitoringinterventionsforatriskmiddleschool
students:Theimportanceofconsideringfunction.
BehavioralDisorders
,
36
(2),129140.

Source2
Twentynineresearchstudiesareincorporatedinthisarticletodemonstrate
selfmanagementinterventionsonstudentswithautism(Carretal.,2014).ReviewingtheCarr

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etal.articletaughtmetheeffectivenessofselfmanagementtechniquesreducingproblem
behaviors(2014).Sufficientevidencesupportstheconclusionthatselfmanagementisan
evidencebasedprocedureforstudentsdiagnosedwithautismspectrumdisorders(Carretal.,
2014,p.28).Selfreinforcementtechniqueswasthemostcommonstrategyusedamongthe
studies(Carretal.,2014,p.37).Thearticlereiteratedthatselfmanagementtechniquesfor
studentswithspecialneedscanandshouldbeincorporatedintothegeneraleducationclassroom.
Thesetechniquesneednotstaylimitedtoresourceroominterventionsinfact,incorporating
themintomultiplesettingswillhavethegreatesteffectonastudentsbehaviorandacademic
performance.

Carr,M.E.,Moore,D.W.,&Anderson,A.(2014).Selfmanagementinterventionsonstudents
withAutism:Ametaanalysisofsinglesubjectresearch.
ExceptionalChildren
,
81
(1),
2844.doi:10.1177/0014402914532235

Source3
Acrossthecountry,studentswithspecialneedsaremorecommonlyplacedingeneral
educationclassrooms.Giventheincreaseinautismspectrumdisorderdiagnosis,manyinclusion
classroomswillhaveastudentwithASD.Acomparisonofselfmonitoringwithandwithout
reinforcementtoimproveontaskclassroombehaviorexploredwaystorespondtobehaviorsof
studentswithspecialneedsinthegeneraleducationclassroom(Davisetal.,2014).Thearticle
reviewedevidencebasedstrategiesformanagingbehaviorofstudentswithASDinthegeneral

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educationclassroom.Strategiesmentionedincludesocialscripts,selfmonitoringtechniques,
andpeermediation.Inthisstudy,selfmonitoringplustokeneconomyreinforcementwasthe
mosteffectiveinterventionatreducingproblembehavior(Davisetal.,2014,p.16).
IncorporatingchoiceintothebehaviormanagementplanforastudentwithASDcannotonly
decreaseundesiredbehaviors,butalsohelpincreasesocialcommunicationandotherdesired
behaviors.UnliketheotherarticlesIread,thisarticlefocusedonthebigpicturesocial
communicationdevelopmentonastudentwithASDinsteadofhavinganarrowfocusononly
decreasingundesiredbehaviors.

Davis,T.N.,Dacus,S.,Bankhead,J.,Haupert,M.,Fuentes,L.,Zoch,T.,&...Lang,R.(2014).
Acomparisonofselfmonitoringwithandwithoutreinforcementtoimproveontask
classroombehavior.
JournalOfSchoolCounseling
,
12
(12),123.

Source4
Implementingclasswidepositivebehaviorsupport(PBS)programscanhelpreduce
offtaskbehaviors.Kraemeretal.,comparetwoPBSprogramsthatcanbeusedasatier2
responsetobehaviorproblems.Oneprogram,MysteryMotivator,focusedheavilyon
proactivebehavioralstrategies,e.g.,increasingstudentinterestandanticipation.Thesecond
program,
GetEmOnTask
,involvesacomputergeneratedrandomsignalthatnotifiesthe
teachertoscantheroomtoseewhoisontask(Kraemeretal.,2012,p.165).Thestudents
ontaskwillreceivepointsfortheirbehavior.Bothprogramsusedprogressmonitoringchartsto

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trackstudentbehaviors.Theresultsshowedthat
GetEmOnTask
decreasedofftaskbehaviors
morequickly,butbothinterventionswereequallyeffectiveafterseveralweeksof
implementation(Kraemeretal.,2012,p.173).Adirectlinktothesuccessforeitherpositive
supportprogramwastheteacherswillingnesstoparticipateandpromotetheprogram.

Kraemer,E.E.,Davies,S.C.,Arndt,K.J.,&Hunley,S.(2012).AcomparisonoftheMystery
MotivatorandtheGet'EmOnTaskinterventionsforofftaskbehaviors.
PsychologyIn
TheSchools
,
49
(2),163175.doi:10.1002/pits.20627

Source5
PreventTeachReinforce(PTR)isaninterventionmodelthataimstochangeorterminate
behaviorsofstudentswithautismingeneraleducationclassrooms(Strainetal.,2011).The
PTRmodelusesresearchbasedstrategiestoaddressantecedents(prevention),instructional
strategies(teach),andappropriatereinforcements(Strainetal.,2011,p.161).ThePTRmodel
hasfivemainsteps:teamcollaborationmeetings,goalsetting,functionalbehavioralassessment,
interventions,andevaluations.Overall,thedatashowedthatchildrenwithASDcanbe
supportedingeneraleducationclassroomswithascripted,standardizedPBSprocessthat
producesindividualized,assessmentbasedinterventions(Strainetal.,2011,p.170).Strainet
al.suggeststhatindividualized,assessmentbasedinterventionsaremoresuccessfuliftheyare
partofthePTRmodel.

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Strain,P.S.,Wilson,K.,&Dunlap,G.(2011).PreventTeachReinforce:Addressingproblem
behaviorsofstudentswithautismingeneraleducationclassrooms.
BehavioralDisorders
,
36
(3),160171.

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III.

BaselineDataCollection
TocollectbaselinedataforRyansPositiveBehaviorSupportPlan(PBSP),Icreateda

BehaviorObservationTallySheet
.Thepurposeofthistallysheetwastotrackthefrequencyof
Ryansundesiredbehaviors.BecauseRyansundesiredbehaviorsareshortanddiscrete,a
frequencychartwasanappropriatetrackingmethod.Ryanisinallgeneraleducationclasses.I
observedhiminhisLanguageArtsandMathematicsclasses.ItrackedRyansbehaviorsover
fivedaysfor15or30minuteincrements.Ihadtroubletakingdataonconsecutivedaysfor
manyreasons,includingstatetesting,snowdays,fieldtrips,andstudentabsences.
The
baselinedata
taughtmethatRyanhasrepeatedundesiredbehaviorsrelatetobeing
offtask.Ryansofftaskbehaviormanifestsinseveralways,includingrefusingtofollow
directions(e.g.,ignoring),verbalrefusals,notstartingindependentwork,andnotcompleting
independentwork.Consequencesincludedproximitycontrol,physicalassist/prompt,new
task/activity,givenanothertask/activity,ignoredproblembehavior,leftalone,given
direction/task/activity,andverbalredirection.
InadditiontoobservingRyan,Iconducteda
recordsreview
tolearnmoreabouthis
academicandbehavioralhistory,medicalhistory,andpersonalinterests.Ireviewedsomeof
Ryansclasswork,spokewithgeneraleducators,specialeducators,andreadhisrecent
IndividualizedEducationPlan.RyanhasadiagnosisofAutismSpectrumDisorder.Ryanhas
impairmentsincommunicationandsocialskills.RyansteachersandIEPnotedelayedverbal
andwrittenlanguageskills,includingdifficultyansweringopenendedquestions.Ryanno
longerreceivesspeechlanguageservices.IlearnedthatRyanisa14yearoldeighthgraderwith

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academicdeficitslikelyduetohisdiagnosis.Ryanslargestacademicdeficitishisreading
fluencyandcomprehension(instructionalgradeperformancelevelof4.5).IlearnedthatRyans
formalandinformalassessmentsshowhehasbelowagelevelcognitive,speechandlanguage
expressiveandreceptivelanguageskills.
Teacherinterviews
and
academicreviews
(includingclassworkreview)revealsthatRyan
consistentlypasseshisclasses.Bothgeneralandspecialeducatorsagreethathisacademic
performanceisdependentonthesupportsRyanreceivesthroughhisIEP.Ryanreceivesseveral
supports,e.g.,extendedtime,verbatimreading,whichareadministeredbythegeneraland
specialeducator.

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IV.

HypothesisofFunctionalIntervention
Basedonthebaselinedata,IhypothesizethattheprimaryfunctionofRyansundesired

behaviorissensory/automatic.Otherfunctionsoftheundesiredbehaviorrelatetoattentionand
escape/avoidance.Theprimaryantecedentoftheundesiredbehaviorsarerelatedtoorganic
causesconnectedtoRyansAutismSpectrumDisorderdiagnosis.Theenvironment,specifically
theactivity,isanotherantecedentofthebehavioroftheundesiredbehavior.

V.

ReplacementBehavior

Whatisitthatthestudentshouldbedoing?
Ryanshouldcometoeachclasspreparedtoworkbytakingoutwritingutensils,
assignmentstoturnin,andclassnotebooks.Additionally,Ryanshouldstartmostofhisworkon
hisownandaskforhelp(ifneeded).Ryaniscapableofdemonstratingpreparednessforclass,
startinghisopeningdrills,andtakingnotes.However,duetoRyansautismspectrumdisorder
diagnosis,herequirespromptingandadditionalsupports.Thereissomeindependentworkthat
Ryancannotcompleteonhisown.WhenRyanisofftask,herequiresexcessivepromptingthat
debilitatesthespecial/generaleducatorfromsupportingotherstudents.Ryansclassworkwill
sufferbecausehewillfallbehindandturninincompletework.
Howwillyouteachthereplacementbehavior?
ToremedyRyansofftaskandrefusalbehaviors,ItaughtRyanontaskreplacement
1
behaviors.Thefollowingaretheontask
replacementbehaviors
ItaughttoRyan:
Atthe

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beginningofclass,Ryanwillstarttheworkonhisown(e.g.,takingoutappropriatematerials),
2

3
Ryanwilltakedownnoteswithoutprompting,and
IfRyancannotcompleteanassignment,he

willcopydownthequestion.
Itaughttheseappropriateontaskbehaviors
toRyanthrough
modelingandoneononedirectinstruction.Ryanwillreceivearewardfordemonstratingthese
ontaskbehaviors.Ryanwillreceiveverbalpraiseeverytwominutesheremainsontask.These
replacementbehaviorsandrewardssatisfythefunctionsoftheinappropriatebehaviors.Ryans
primaryfunctionforhisbehaviorissensory/automatic,whichisprobablyconnectedtohis
autismspectrumdisorder.HavingarewardssystemisaroutinethatRyancanfollow.This
meetsRyanssensory/automaticneedsbecausestudentswithautismspectrumdisorderrespond
positivelytoroutines.TheverbalpraisegivenwillsatisfyRyansneedforattention.Having
Ryanwritedowndifficulttaskswillallowthegeneral/specialeducatorbreakdownthequestion
forhim.BreakingdownthequestionwillhelpsatisfyRyansescape/avoidancefunctionbecause
theworkwillbemoremanageableandappropriateforhim.
Whenwillyouteachthereplacementbehavior?
Itaughtthesereplacementbehaviors
beforeIimplementedthepositivebehaviorsupport
plan.IdiscussedthethreereplacementbehaviorswithRyan.Imadesurehewasonboardwith
thethreebehaviors,thenItaughtthebehaviorthroughoneononeconversationsandmodeling.
OnceIimplementedthePBSPandstartedusingtherewardschecklist,Icontinuedreinforcing
andteachingeachbehaviortoRyan.

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VI.

PositiveBehaviorSupports
ToensurethatRyanwouldchoosetoemitthereplacementbehavior(ratherthanthe

inappropriatebehavior),Iput
threedistinctpositivesupports
inplacesimultaneously.The
followingarethe
threepositivebehaviorsupports
thatItaughtRyan.
1) Whengivenachallengingassignment,includingadifficultopeningdrill,Ryanwillcopy
downthequestion/assignmentintohisnotebook.Havingawrittencopyofthetaskwill
allowthespecial/generaleducatortobreakdowntheassignment.Chunkingthe
assignmentintosmallerparts,orchangingit,willhelpRyancompletethetaskathand
withminimalsupport.Writingandbreakingdowntheassignmentintostepswillhelp
Ryannotfeeloverwhelmedorconfusedbytherequirements.
2) Whenenteringaclass,Ryanwilldemonstratereadinesstowork.Readinesstoworkcan
bedemonstratedbytakingoutwritingutensils,classrelatedmaterials,andany
assignmentstoturnin.Ryanwillbegivenverbalpraiseandattentionwhenheis
preparedforclass.Theverbalpraisewillcontinueevery2minutesheremainsontask.
3) Ryanwillearnarewardforthefollowingspecificontaskbehaviors:
1

Atthebeginningofclass,Ryanwillgetstartedonhisown(e.g.,bytakingoutmaterials,

homework)
2

Ryanwilltakedownnoteswithoutbeingaskedand

IfRyandoesnotknowhowtocompleteaproblem,hewillcopydownthequestion.

Icreatedachecklistthatmonitorseachofthesebehaviors.BothRyanandIhaveacopy
ofthechecklist.Ryancanearnonecheckmarkforexhibitingeachofthebehaviors
listedabove.Attheendofeachweek,Ryanstallymarksareaddedtogether.Each

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weekhadanincreasingtotalnumberoftallymarksneededtoreceivethereward.The
rewardwaschosenbyRyan:computertimeandabagofsourcream&onionchips.

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VII.

DataCollectionandVisualRepresentation
Seeattacheddocuments/images.

VIII.

DataSummaryandInterpretation
ThedataItookonRyan,oncethepositivebehaviorsupportswereimplemented,showan

overalldecreaseinundesiredbehaviors.Onsomedays,therearethesameamountofundesired
behaviorsexhibitwiththepositivebehaviorsupportsasbeforethesupportswereimplemented.
ThereareseveralpointsthatmayhavepositivelyornegativelyaffectedtheoutcomesofRyans
positivebehaviorsupportplan.
1) Ryansdiagnosisofautismspectrumdisorderaffectshisbehaviorandacademic
performance.ItishardtoknowifRyansbehaviorischangingbecauseheiscognitively
tryingtomakeachange,wantstheaward,orisreactingtoavarietyofexternalfactors.
Inthefuture,IwoulddoevenmoreresearchaboutimplementingPBSPwithstudents
withautism,e.g.,findingexpertsinthecommunitytointerview.
2) Iimplementedandtrackedthepositivesupportbehaviorplanonconsecutive,butnon
backtoback,schooldays.Theinterruptionsinthisimplementationandtracking
probablyaffectedtheoutcome,especiallyconsideringRyansdiagnosisofAutism
SpectrumDisorder.Thenonbacktobacktrackingwasoutofmycontrol.Thereasons
behindthisincludestudentabsences,fieldtrips,assemblies,assessments,andstate
testing.Inthefuture,Iwouldtrytominimizeinterruptionsinmyinitialobservationsand
firstdaysimplementingthePBSP.

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3) Severalexternalandenvironmentalfactorsmayhavepositivelyornegativelyaffected
Ryansbehavior.WhenRyancomestoschoolexhausted,heismorelikelytobe
offtask.Ryansbehaviorschangewhenafacultymemberisabsentandifthereare
changesintheschoolday.Thesebehavioralchangesarenotalwaysnegative.Inthe
future,Iwouldfindawaytoincorporateexternalfactorsintothedatacollectionand
observationprocess.
4) Ryansbehaviorswereaffectedbyhavingareward.RyanandIdiscussedtherewardhe
wouldreceiveforontaskbehaviors.Ryanchosetherewardofabagofchipsand
computertime.MoretimeisneededtoseethemaintenanceofRyansbehavioroncethe
rewardiscompletelygone.Sofar,despitesomeinconsistencies,Ryansbehavior
improveswhentherewardispresent.
5) Inthefuture,IhopeIamabletotrackthestudentsbehaviorfortheentireday.Ona
regularbasis,IamonlyabletobewithRyanduringhisLanguageArtsandMathematics
classes.BasedonbriefobservationsofRyansotherclassesandtherecordsreviewI
conducted,IknowthatRyansofftaskbehaviorsexistinmultiplesettings.However,I
donotthinkthepositivebehaviorsupportplanwaseffectiveintheclassesIdidnot
attend.RyanonlyusedhisbehaviorchecklistwhenIwaspresent.
Overall,therearealotoffactorswhichcouldhaveaffectedtheimplementationofRyans
positivesupportbehaviorplan.ManyofthesefactorsarerelatedtoRyansautismspectrum
disorderdiagnosis.Thisdiagnosis,andmylackofexperience,madetrackingRyansbehavior
difficult.Despiteanypotentialaffectingfactors,Ryansbehaviorplanwaseffective.Beforethe
PBSP,IwasoftenoverwhelmedwithRyansneedsandmanaginghisundesiredbehaviors.Ihad

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ahardtimejugglinghimamongaclassroomofotherstudentswhoneededorwantedmy
support.SinceimplementingthePBSP,theexpectationsforRyansreadinessandontask
behavioraresethigher.Asaresult,Ryanhasbeenmoreontaskandindependentthanhehad
beforethePBSP.

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IX.

Reflection

Creatingandimplementingapositivebehaviorsupportplanhashelpedmedevelop
knowledge
,
skills
,and
dispositions
inclassroommanagement.Thedatacollectionprocess,
includingrecordsreview,enhancedmy
knowledge
ofstudentbehaviors.Ilearnedabout
behaviorsRyanemitsindifferentscenariosandthewaysthespecialandgeneraleducators
addressthesebehaviors.Addressingundesiredbehaviorswithastudentwithspecialneeds
requiresaspecial
skillset
.Specifically,studentswithAutismSpectrumDisordertendtohave
difficultywithcommunicationandsocialskills.ImplementingmyPBSPwithastudent
diagnosedwithAutismSpectrumDisorderhelpedmegainspecific
knowledge
and
skills
,which
Icancarrywithmeinmyfuturecareerasaspecialeducator.IlearnedthatstudentswithAutism
SpectrumDisorderrespondwelltoroutine,selfchosen/highinterestrewards,andconsistent
reinforcement.OnethingthatwentwellwithmyPBSPwasincorporatingRyaninthe
decisionmakingprocess.Ryanchosetherewardhewantedtoearnandagreedtothewaysto
earnit.
OnethingIwouldchangeinthefuture
istotrytoavoidestablishingaPBSPwhenthe
scheduleissoinconsistent.Therewereassemblies,fieldtrips,assessments,andstatetesting
schedulesamidstthetimeIwascollectingbaselinedataandwhileIdimplementedthePBSP.
AnotherthingIwouldchangeinthefuture
isfindingmoresupportfromcolleaguesandresearch
abouthowtocreate,implement,andtrackaPBSPforastudentwithAutismSpectrumDisorder.
Maintenanceandgeneralization
Fortheremainderoftheschoolyear,IwillcontinueimplementingthePBSPwithRyan
togainknowledgeof
maintenance
and
generalization
.Sofar,Ihavefocusedmyobservationsof
Ryantotwoclasses:LanguageArtsandMathematics.TotrulyunderstandthenatureofRyans

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undesiredbehaviorsandtheresultsofthePBSP,IwouldneedtoobserveRyaninmultiple
settings(
generalization
),Ialsowantmoretimetotaperofftherewardscompletely
(
maintenance
).IdidhavetimetoincreasethenumberofchecksRyanneedsonhisbehavior
sheetinordertoreceivehisreward.
Thingstododifferently
Throughoutmydatasummaryandinterpretationsection,Iincorporatedseveralareasfor
improvementandthingsIcoulddodifferently.ThefollowingaretwomainchangesIwoulddo
differentlyformynextpositivebehaviorsupportplan.
1) Inthefuture,Iwanttocollectdataformypositivebehaviorsupportplanonconsecutive,
backtobackdays.Ideally,theseobservationsanddataincludesthebaselinedata,the
datawhilethePBSPisimplemented,andmaintenancedata.AsforthisPBSP,the
schedulingwasoutofmycontrol.Therearemanyreasonsobservationanddata
collectiondidnotoccuronbacktobackdays.Studentabsences,schoolclosings,field
trips,andassessmentsinterruptingmybaselinecollectiondata.Postimplementingthe
PBSP,therewasmorebacktobackdatacollectiondays
but
thereweremanyschedule
changesonthesedays.EspeciallybecauseofRyansASDdiagnosis,schedulechanges
mayhaveimpactedtheoutcomeofthisPBSP.Schedulechangesincludedfieldtrips,
assemblies,andassessments.Hopefully,Icangathermoreaccuratedatainthefutureby
planningmydatacollectionperiodsaroundtheseschedulechanges.
2) Formynextpositivebehaviorsupportplan,IwanttochangeandexpandthewayI
collectdata.Iwanttodomoreresearch,includinginterviewingexperts,tounderstand
moreeffectivedatacollectionmethods.Aftercollaboratingwithpeersaboutmy

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completedPBSP,IrealizedIcouldhavecollecteddataonRyanindifferentways.For
example,IcouldhavecollecteddataonthenumberofopportunitiesRyanhadtobe
ontask.Iwanttointerviewexpertstohelpmeunderstandwaystocollectdatathatis
mostsuccessfultotheparticularstudentsattributesandgoals.