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BrittanyLee Mobert
EEX 5248
25 July 2012
Positive Behavior Support Project
Description of the Student
Victor is a 4-year 3-month old child who has been diagnosed with Autism. He
was placed in my Pre-Kindergarten classroom on June 4, 2012. Victor arrived
showing delayed cognitive abilities and had no speech. He was capable of
producing simple unprompted vowel sounds, but was unable to make
consonant sounds. He was unable to repeat any words, either prompted or not
and did not seem to understand his name or any other simple commands.
However, he did respond to the tone of the teacher/paraprofessional’s voice.
For example, if the teacher says “No!” in a firm voice, Victor will usually stop
what he is doing and look at the teacher. Victor is not currently toilet trained.
He has good fine motor skills and has recently begun tearing paper
independently. Victor shows no interest in books, crayons, play dough, or any
other age appropriate toys. When allowed to select an independent activity, he
wanders to the indoor sensory swing and will remain there until prompted to
leave. Victor must be prompted to join free-choice stations and requires
frequent prompting to participate in the activity.
Target Behavior
Since his arrival in my classroom, Victor has been scratching other students,
teachers, and volunteers. He uses all four fingers and will often go out of his way
to scratch people around him, usually on their arms. Often times, the scratches
are so deep that blood is drawn and other students must be sent to the clinic.
Victor’s scratching also prompts negative behaviors from other students in the
classroom who do not enjoy being scratched. Victor’s behavior is most
prominent during free-choice play when approached by other students or
when the teacher/paraprofessional tries to include him in a structured activity.
Data Collection
Below is a frequency graph depicting Victor’s successful attempts at scratching
a peer or teacher over the course of five full school days.
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Date
Monday,
June 11, 2012
Tuesday,
June 12, 2012
Wednesday,
June 13, 2012
Thursday,
June 14, 2012
Friday,
June 15, 2012
8:30-9:30am
9:30-10:30am
1
10:30-11:30am
1
Daily Total
3
1
1
1
11:30-12:30pm
1 1
1
1
2
1
1
3
1
1
4
1
2
Frequency of Victor’s challenging behavior by school day
Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
Frequency of Victor's scratching
Tuesday
Monday
0
1
2
3
4
5
Frequency of Victor’s challenging behavior by time of day
2.5
2
Monday
Tuesday
1.5
Wednesday
1
Thursday
Friday
0.5
0
8:30-9:30am
9:30-10:30am
10:30-11:30am
11:30-12:30am
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FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW FORM
Student: Victor
Teacher: B. Mobert
Team members
B. Mobert
T. Goldston
N. Sierra
Team members’ position
Classroom Teacher
Classroom Paraprofessional
Behavior Specialist
A. Describe the Behavior
1. What is the behavior?
Victor scratches teachers, peers, and volunteers.
2. How is the behavior performed?
When approached by other students, teachers, or volunteers, Victor
reaches out and scratches the person with four fingers.
When Victor is physically prompted to follow a command (ie. Teacher
holds out hand to prompt to line up) Victor reaches out and scratches
the person with four fingers.
3.
How often does the behavior occur?
The behavior occurs each day that Victor attends Pre-Kindergarten (5
days per week), averaging just under 3 times per day.
4. How long does the behavior last when it occurs?
The behavior usually occurs in the span 5 seconds that it takes for Victor
to reach out and scratch the person.
5. What is the intensity of the behavior when it occurs?
The intensity of the behavior varies. At times, the scratches are deep and
the classroom is disrupted as the injured student becomes upset and
must be sent to the clinic. Other times, the scratches are relatively
shallow and results in a “tattle” from the other students, disrupting the
current activity.
B.
Define Setting Events and environmental Factors That Predict the Behavior
(describe the following variables):
1.
Classroom structure (physical)
The Pre-Kindergarten classroom is equipped with age appropriate
furniture and activities. The classroom has a dining table, small activity
tables, computer table, and carpet play area. The classroom also has a
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sensory swing, “hide-out” tent, and mats for resting. The students only
have assigned seating during meal times as most of the students require
special chairs.
2.
Class rules and procedural expectations
Our classroom currently has four rules and are displayed using picture
symbols.
* Nice eyes.
* Nice hands.
* Nice mouths.
* Nice friends.
During free-choice centers, students are usually given a choice of three
possible stations. The stations usually include a sensory station, a
computer station, and a teacher directed station. The students are not
allowed to spend more than 15 minutes at the computer station and
must move to a new station when their timer beeps. Students are
allowed to independently move from one station to another once their
area is clean.
3.
Instructional delivery (lecture, cooperative learning, labs, etc.)
Free-choice centers usually consists of a sensory exploration area, a
teacher directed activity, and a computer station. At the sensory
station, students are allowed to explore items such as sand, fabrics,
papers, etc. With the help of the paraprofessional, students sometimes
complete special projects and experiments. At the teacher directed
area, students usually work on their IEP goals. At this center, Victor usually
works on picture identification. For example, Victor is shown a picture of
a cat and a dog and is asked to point out the cat. At this station, Victor
also uses social stories to show the beginning steps of toilet training and
hand washing and is coached through them explicitly.
4.
Instructional materials (textbooks, worksheets, hands-on activities)
Most activities involve hands-on-materials and manipulatives. At times,
laminated social stories are used to map out steps to a new activity.
3.
How are directions presented?
Directions in the classroom are usually given verbally and paired with a
picture sign. Every activity during the day is paired with a picture symbol
on the schedule. Picture symbols, paired with verbal cues, are also used
to coach students to move to a new activity or command. For instance,
when it is time for a diaper change, Victor is show a picture of a child
getting a diaper change and is told “time for diaper change.”
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5.
Assessment techniques (multiple-choice tests, essay tests, rubrics,
authentic assessment)
Most assessment in the classroom is done through informal observations
from the teacher, paraprofessional, and other support staff.
C. Define Specific Immediate Antecedent Events That Predict When The
Behaviors Are Most Likely To Occur:
1.
When are the behaviors most likely to occur?
The behavior is generally most prominent during free-choice activities.
2.
When are the behaviors least likely to occur?
The behaviors occur least when Victor is preoccupied in an activity such
as mealtimes or when left alone to swing on the sensory swing.
3.
Where are the behaviors most likely to occur?
The behavior occurs most at the carpet area or the sensory table, the
primary locations for free-choice centers.
4.
Where are the behaviors least likely to occur?
The behaviors are least likely to occur when the class is on the
playground.
5.
During what activities are the behaviors most likely to occur?
The behaviors occur most frequently during free-choice centers. The
behavior occurs frequently when Victor is playing at the carpet area
and at the sensory table.
6.
During what activities are the behaviors least likely to occur?
The behaviors occur least during free-playground time.
Identify Specific Consequences That Follow the Behavior
1.
What specific consequence is most likely to immediately follow the
behavior?
Immediately after the behavior occurs, Victor usually receives peer and
teacher attention.
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2.
What seems to be the effect of the consequence on the student’s
behavior?
The effect seems to be positive in that Victor continues the problem
behavior.
3.
Does the consequence remove the student from an uncomfortable
situation?
Yes, Victor is temporarily provided with attention from teachers and/or
peers.
4.
Is there consistency between the consequences given by the classroom
teacher and the consequences given by the administrators?
Yes.
5.
Is there consistent follow-through with all consequences both in the
classroom and in the school office?
Yes.
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Behavior Intervention Plan
Student: Victor
School: Public, Lee County, Florida
Date developed: July 25, 2012
Date implemented: July 30, 2012
Grade: Pre-Kindergarten
Baseline data results:
Victor scratched peers and/or teachers on 5 out of 5 observation days.
Hypothesis statement:
Victor’s behavior is related to his need for attention and lack of communication
skills. Much of Victor’s behavior is related to his lack of communication skills and
his inability to communicate with teachers and peers who approach him.
Type of intervention plan:
Educational ______
Behavioral __X___
Person(s) responsible for implementing plan:
General Education Teacher
Classroom Paraprofessional
DESCRIPTION OF THE BEHAVIOR
BEHAVIOR
Victor exhibits challenging behavior
during free-choice, unstructured
activities and when approached by
another student or teacher.
BEHAVIOR DEFINED
Victor seeks out attention and
communication by reaching out and
scratching teacher/student with four
fingers, usually on the arm.
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INTERVENTION GOAL:
To decrease the number of occurrences that Victor scratches teachers/students
for attention to 0 times per week.
INTERVENTION PLAN
1. Implement an “If…Then...” picture board. If Victor can sit with no
scratching, then he can use the sensory swing. This message will be
displayed using pictures. This will then be explained to Victor in
developmentally appropriate language such as “No scratching…then
swing.” A sample of the If…Then… board can be seen in Appendix A.
2. Implement a coaching, modeling, and behavioral rehearsal strategy. In
this intervention, the teacher and paraprofessional will explain the
importance of not scratching using gestures and facial expressions. They
will then model how to appropriately gain the attention of a teacher or
peer using a hand wave. Victor will then practice this skill repeatedly. First
with hand over hand reinforcement and then with gradually decreased
prompts.
3. Use social story books to outline the steps of the correct methods to gain
attention from an adult or peer. Use pictures of Victor correctly
completing the activity without scratching and bind into a picture book.
Review this book daily or multiple times per day with Victor, pairing the
social story with developmentally appropriate language.
4. Provide verbal and visual positive reinforcement when Victor is
approached by a peer and does not scratch them. Visual reinforcement
can be simple smiley face pictures handed to him or placed next to his
name on the check-in board.
WHEN AND WHERE THE PLAN WILL BE IMPLEMENTED
The plan will be implemented in Victor’s full day Pre-Kindergarten classroom for
eight consecutive weeks beginning July 30, 2012.
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Appendix A
A sample of the If…Then… board used in the classroom. The frame is printed on
tag board and pictures are exchanged using Velcro.
If…
Then…