Positive Behavior Support:
An Individualized Approach for
Addressing
Challenging Behavior

“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.
“If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.”
“If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we……..
…………teach? ………..punish?”
“Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?”
Tom Herner (NASDE President, Counterpoint 1998, p.2
)

• Read the scenario, “Jack and Amy”.
• Discuss “ Did you ever have a child in your program who didn’t seem to respond to any of your typical approaches to dealing with challenging behavior, a child with whom nothing you tried seemed to work?”

• An individualized approach to developing effective interventions for children with severe challenging behavior
• Developed from the science of applied behavior analysis (behavior modification)
• Incorporates the values of child-centered approaches

• Interventions are based on understanding the purposes of the challenging behavior.
• Use of positive strategies to support child in achieving meaningful, long-term outcomes

Step 1: Bring together a team of individuals who are concerned and knowledgeable about the child.
Step 2: Gather information about the child’s behavior (functional assessment).
Step 3: Develop the behavior support plan.
Step 4: Implement and evaluate the success of the plan.

• Read paragraph one of the “Amy” scenario.
• Who was on Amy’s team?
• How did they begin to collaborate?
• Who might you include on a team for a child in your class?

• Used to understand the purpose or function of a specific problem behavior.
• Team members observe the child and write down what happens before, during and after the child’s challenging behavior.
• Interview teachers and family members about the nature of the behavior, what child might gain through the behavior, what predicts the behavior, etc.

• Read paragraphs 2 and 3 of the “Amy” scenario.
• What did the team learn about Amy’s behavior?

1. Procedures for teaching new
REPLACEMENT skills.
2. Strategies for RESPONDING so that new skills are maintained and acknowledged.
3. Strategies for modifying the curriculum, environment, activity, or interactions to
PREVENT the occurrence of the behavior.

• Prevention strategies reduce the likelihood that the child will need or want to use the challenging behavior.

• How can the environment be changed to reduce the likelihood that the behavior will occur?
• What procedures can I select that fit in with the natural routines and structure of the classroom or family?
• How can I build on what works?
• What can be done to help the child deal with or avoid behavior triggers?

• Offering choices using pictures or actual objects.
• Safety signal providing a timeline (“5 minutes till cleanup”), use timer
• Modify task length – shorten group time.
• Select reinforcer prior to activity (“when you put the toy away, you can go outside”).

• Read paragraph 4 of the Amy scenario.
• What prevention strategies were included in Amy’s plan?
• List them under “Preventing” on the worksheet.

• Teach alternatives to challenging behavior
• Replacement skills must be efficient and effective (work quickly for the child)
• Consider skills the child already has
• Make sure the reward for appropriate behavior is consistent

• Ask for break
• Say “all done”
• Ask for help
• Ask for a turn
• Ask for a hug
• Use a schedule
• ID feeling & express
• Ask for adult intervention
• Use supports to follow rule
• Anticipate transition
• Say “no”
• Take turns

• Read paragraph 5 of Amy
• What new skills did Amy need to learn?

• What adults will do when the challenging behavior occurs to ensure that the challenging behavior is not reinforced and the new skill is learned.
• A good basic strategy is to redirect the child to use an alternative skill or a new skill.
• Make sure rewards for appropriate behavior equal or exceed the rewards for challenging behavior.

• Redirect child to use replacement skill.
• Praise/reinforce when replacement skill is used.
• State exactly what is expected.
• Cue with appropriate preventions strategy

• Read the last paragraph of Amy
• How were the adults changing the way they responded to Amy’s challenging behavior?

• Research has shown this approach can produce rapid changes in behavior if used consistently .
• All three pieces (prevention, new skills, responses) must be implemented.
• Dependent on “buy-in” from the team.