Inclusive Placement Opportunities
for Preschoolers:
A Systems Approach to Preschool
Inclusive Practices
A project of the
Virginia Department of Education
and the
Training and Technical Assistance
Centers of Virginia
Fostering self-control
in young children
by using
positive behavior supports
What kinds of behaviors would
we see in classrooms where:
•
No expectations are posted
•
Children don’t know how to clean up materials
•
There are large open spaces
Some research findings
Children in poverty heard
250,000 words per year
• 2x as many prohibitive as
affirmative statements
heard
• 80 to 90% heard is
negative
•
Children in “professional
homes” heard 4 million
words per year
• 6 to 9 affirmatives to
every prohibitive heard
• 80 to 90% heard is
positive
•
(Hart & Risley, 1995)
More findings
•
If children do not develop appropriate social skills by
3rd grade, they are at much greater risk of dropping
out of school, committing crimes and eventually being
incarcerated
Activity
What strategies could
change these statistics?
•
In groups, share strategies that you have used with your
students to address challenging behaviors
What we know works!
•
Direct instruction of appropriate behaviors and social
skills
•
Use of behaviorally appropriate role models
•
Use of concrete visual examples of positive interactions
and play
•
Consistent, frequent reinforcement of pro-social
behaviors
•
Incidental teaching and reinforcement of appropriate
behavior
•
Redirection of anti-social skills
(Kayes, 1995)
Mind map
Positive
discipline
Gallery walk
New idea
New idea
Positive
discipline
New idea
New idea
Children are positively
disciplined when:
•
They are shown positive alternatives rather than
just told “no”
•
They are encouraged to think of alternatives
to the misbehavior
•
Their display of appropriate behavior is recognized
and rewarded
Children are positively
disciplined when
•
They see how their actions affect others
•
They are respected
•
The expectations are fair, simple and consistently
enforced
Children are inconsistently
disciplined when:
•
Different limits are set on different days by the same
person
•
Different adults set different limits
•
No limits are set
•
Limits are able to be changed
•
Adult expectations are too high or low
Positive discipline is used when:
•
Adults use a plan to:
o
Respond quickly and calmly, using few words
o
Reduce the misbehavior
o
Replace the misbehavior by teaching an alternative,
appropriate skill that serves the same purpose as
the misbehavior
Steps in using positive discipline
Step 1
•
Identify what the child does well and likes to do
•
Complete a reinforcement inventory
Step 2
•
Identify the behavior(s) of concern
o
List all behaviors of concern
o
Identify whether each behavior is inappropriate
or challenging
Activity
•
Turn to your neighbor and discuss what you consider
inappropriate behaviors and what you consider
challenging behaviors that preschool children may
display
Inappropriate and challenging
behaviors
•
•
Inappropriate:
o
Is abusive to materials
o
Interferes with acceptance by or positive interaction with others
o
Is not improving or is getting worse
o
Is mildly harmful to the child or others
o
Prevents learning from occurring
Challenging:
o
Involves extreme property damage
o
Is extremely harmful to the child or others
A disability is not the cause of a challenging behavior — there is
always a reason
Activity
•
Identify child
•
Complete steps 1 and 2
Step 3
•
Identify the possible functions for the behavior(s)
o
What could be contributing to behaviors?
o
Gather information about:

Medications

Medical conditions (e.g., asthma or allergies)

Sleeping patterns

Eating patterns

Learning style
Gallery walk
New idea
New idea
Positive
discipline
New idea
New idea
Children are positively
disciplined when:
•
They are shown positive alternatives rather than
just told “no”
•
They are encouraged to think of alternatives
to the misbehavior
•
Their display of appropriate behavior is recognized
and rewarded
Children are positively
disciplined when
•
They see how their actions affect others
•
They are respected
•
The expectations are fair, simple and consistently
enforced
Children are inconsistently
disciplined when:
•
Different limits are set on different days by the same
person
•
Different adults set different limits
•
No limits are set
•
Limits are able to be changed
•
Adult expectations are too high or low
Positive discipline is used when:
•
Adults use a plan to:
o
Respond quickly and calmly, using few words
o
Reduce the misbehavior
o
Replace the misbehavior by teaching an alternative,
appropriate skill that serves the same purpose as
the misbehavior
Steps in using positive discipline
Step 1
•
Identify what the child does well and likes to do
•
Complete a reinforcement inventory
Step 2
•
Identify the behavior(s) of concern
o
List all behaviors of concern
o
Identify whether each behavior is inappropriate
or challenging
Activity
•
Turn to your neighbor and discuss what you consider
inappropriate behaviors and what you consider
challenging behaviors that preschool children may
display
Inappropriate and challenging
behaviors
•
•
Inappropriate:
o
Is abusive to materials
o
Interferes with acceptance by or positive interaction with others
o
Is not improving or is getting worse
o
Is mildly harmful to the child or others
o
Prevents learning from occurring
Challenging:
o
Involves extreme property damage
o
Is extremely harmful to the child or others
A disability is not the cause of a challenging behavior — there is
always a reason
Activity
•
Identify child
•
Complete steps 1 and 2
Step 3
•
Identify the possible functions for the behavior(s)
o
What could be contributing to behaviors?
o
Gather information about:

Medications

Medical conditions (e.g., asthma or allergies)

Sleeping patterns

Eating patterns

Learning style
Activity
•
Turn to a different partner and discuss what you see as
“reasons” young children display the inappropriate or
challenging behaviors you listed in a previous activity
Pick a student
•
Use your fostering self-control plan to discuss
and identify Step 1 and Step 2
Functions of behaviors
•
To obtain a person, place or thing
•
To escape a person, place or thing
The pay-off:
Determine what the child gets
out of misbehaving
•
What one thing could adults do to most likely make
the behavior(s) occur?
•
What kind of response does the child get when he
or she misbehaves?
Step 4
•
Select a preventative/non-directive approach to solve the
problem
Be preventative
•
Change the environment to prevent:
o
Climbing
o
Running
o
Overcrowding
o
Lengthy clean-up times
o
Accessing “hands-off” materials
o
Power struggles
o
Rules from being broken
Be preventative
•
Cue the child using verbal, model, physical, props
or other prompts
•
Ignore the inappropriate behavior
•
Redirect or distract from potential problems
•
State the rule before it is broken
•
Give two appropriate alternative choices before
the inappropriate behavior occurs
•
Comment on good behavior
Be non-directive
•
Identify the problem
•
Identify the consequences
•
Ask a “What can you do?” question
•
Remind children of rules after they are broken
•
Give two appropriate choices
•
Provide a quiet space
Step 5
•
Develop a theory about why the child misbehaves.
Ask:
o
How does the child communicate?
o
What’s been done in the past in response to the
challenging behavior and what was its effect on
the behavior?
Observe the child and record
•
When does the problem occur?
•
Where does the problem occur?
•
Who is present when the problem occurs?
•
What happens right before the problem occurs?
•
What happens after the problem occurs?
Antecedent
Teacher says, “Time for
circle.”
Behavior
Response
Linda runs from circle
area.
Teacher says, “find your
seat in circle,”
and points to the chair.
Linda runs over to sand
table.
Teacher goes to help
Linda transition to the
circle.
Linda yells, “no, no!”
and falls to the floor.
Teacher takes Linda
to time-out area.
Activity
Video clip
•
Watch video clip of “Dumbo”
•
Use the ABC chart to determine what is happening
Back to your student
•
Identify the function of each behavior
•
Select a preventative and a non-directive strategy
to use with each behavior
Teaching a new behavior
•
What can the child do or be taught to do that could serve
the same function as the challenging behavior?
•
Alternative behavior must be as efficient and effective
as the challenging behavior
Taking a closer look…
•
Changes in children come about only when adults
change their own behavior
Teaching alternative skills
•
Is the new skill you are teaching developmentally
and individually appropriate?
•
Reinforce at a high rate when first teaching the new
behavior
o
Natural, social, material and edible
Activity
Alternative skills
•
In your groups, determine what you think an alternative
skill is for the behavior of concern you identified.
Alternative (replacement) skills
•
Replace inappropriate or challenging behavior
•
Taught directly to child
•
Challenging or inappropriate behavior cannot be
displayed when alterative skill is being performed
•
Efficient and effective as inappropriate or challenging
behavior
Alternative skills for Linda
•
Teach the use of visual schedules
•
Teach the use of a break card
•
Teach the use of props and transitional items
•
Teach “first” sand table, “then” circle
•
Teach how to regulate sensory needs
Step 6
•
Develop a systematic plan with the three Rs to:
o
Respond – make everyone’s responses consistent
o
Reduce – prevent or stop the challenging behavior
o
Replace – teach alternative skills for the child to use
instead of the challenging behavior
Window pane
Respond
Reduce
Replace
Final step
•
Reconsider the plan
o
At least 4 weeks after beginning the plan, have
the team meet to discuss:

Has behavior decreased?

Is the child using new behaviors?

If yes, begin undoing the plan.