12 Levels of
Behavior Intervention
for Implementing
Positive Child Guidance
Dr. Will Mosier
Professor
Wright State University
Director of Research
Center for the Study of
Child Development
How to use the 12 levels of
intervention
1.
2.
3.
4.
Always start with the beginning intervention first
When the desired change is not achieved at a lower level of
intervention, add-on the next level of intervention while continuing
the previous strategies
Never go backwards! Do not remain using only a level of intervention
previously used, without adding-on a higher level of intervention, if a
specific undesired behavior continues. (If an undesired behavior
continues from one day to the next, even if days are not consecutive,
add the next higher level of intervention while continuing with the
previously utilized lower levels of intervention.) This is key to
reinforcing self-control! If you revert to the same level of intervention
that didn’t work yesterday, don’t be surprised if the behavior
continues. YOU are reinforcing the behavior if the child is receiving
the same attention he/she received yesterday with no evidence of
diminished unacceptable behavior.
Do not skip levels of intervention! Increase the levels of intervention,
in order, as needed.
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
12 steps toward positive child guidance
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
“Ignore” unwanted behavior (Any attention will tend to reinforce
reoccurrence of the behavior)
Arrange environment to minimize disruptive behavior
(Rearrange room to avoid repeat of disruptive behavior)
Use “neutral time” to discuss alternative behavior (circle time,
story time)
Verbally commend the child when he is doing something
acceptable (Draw attention to other children when they are displaying
acceptable behavior) Reinforce acceptable behavior
Approximate the child (Start walking toward the child)
Stand next to the child
Stay with the child for an extended period of time
Apply gentle appropriate touch (Place your hand on child’s
shoulder)
Verbally cue expected behavior while touching the child (You
must apply gentle tactile stimulation before providing verbal cue)
Undo/Redo (manually facilitate guiding the child’s actions)
Keep the child with you for one transition
Keep the child with you through as many transitions as
necessary to extinguish the disruptive behavior
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 1: Avoid giving attention to
unwanted behavior (ignore)
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The first time you notice a
child doing an unacceptable
behavior, the behavior
should be ignored
The child may stop the
unwanted behavior without
any an additional steps
Do not give attention to
unwanted behavior
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 2: Arrange the environment
to avoid disruptive behavior
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See what changes to
the environment can
be made to help limit
unwanted behavior
If the way the
environment is
arranged is not
helping to discourage
disruptive behavior,
rearrange it
Plan ahead to
minimize the risk for
repeat disruptions
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Examples:
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drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Move student’s desk
closer to you
Take down distractions
hanging from the ceiling
that may cause student to
loose focus
Bring the child closer to
you
You stay closer to the
child
Level 3: Discuss the behavior at a
“neutral time”
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Use a neutral time to
discuss unwanted
behavior that is
occurring in your class
“Circle time” is a
great opportunity to
address unwanted
behavior
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Reading books about the
behavior can lead to
great problem-solving
discussions
After reading a book you
can talk with the children
about the behavior and
find child-centered
solutions to the problem
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 3: Address the problem
during a “neutral time” (continued)
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It is important to discuss the behavior only at a neutral
time, such as circle time – Not at the time of the behavior
During a neutral time you can read a book about the
problem behavior
Example:
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If a child hits someone, later in the day read a book about hitting
Use a “Neutral Time” to sing a song about being kind to others
The students could watch a video that deals with socially
competent ways of resolving conflict
The students could role-play what to do in similar situations
You could use puppets to talk about the problem behavior
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 3: Discuss the problem during
a “neutral time” (continued)
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When addressing a problem behavior
during circle time it is important to
reference the specific child who displayed
the unacceptable behavior
However, this must be done in a nonblaming manner: “ Since Billy hit Sara
today, we are going to talk about hitting,
sing a song about not hurting others and
read a book about how to solve problems
without hurting others.”
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 4: Catch the child being
“good”!
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This level of intervention is the most important for
prevention
Comment on individual children demonstrating
acceptable behavior
If the child continues unacceptable behavior, continue
commenting on other individual children doing
something acceptable without drawing attention to the
child who is displaying the unacceptable behavior
Even if the child only does something acceptable for
“one second”, take the time to notice and comment on it
– at that moment
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 4: Watch for positive
behavior in other children (continued)
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Catch the student who
typically is displaying
unwanted behavior acting
appropriately, even if it only
lasts a brief moment
While you ignore the
unwanted behavior, draw
attention to acceptable
behavior being modeled by
some other student in the
classroom (or the disruptive
child at a moment when he
is not being disruptive)
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Use a three-part “I”
message for reinforcement
Examples:
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Wow ____(child’s name)!
When I see you ______
(identify acceptable
behavior), it makes me so
____ (identify your feelings
about the behavior) that I
want to ______(identify
what it makes you want to
do)
“Oh Hayden! When I see
you sitting there with your
pencil in your hand I feel so
happy I just want to say
hurray for Hayden!”
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 5: Approximate
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“Approximate” means to start
walking in the general
direction of the child
Approximate the child, still
giving no attention to the
unwanted behavior, while
pointing-out the acceptable
behavior modeled by another
student using a three-part “I”
message
Do not look directly at the
student, just be within eye
shot of him/her
If the child sees you he may
stop the disruptive behavior
Example:
 Slowly start walking in the
direction of the disruptive child
 It may not be necessary to go
all the way to the child
 Stop moving towards the child
when you notice the behavior
stop
 Continue with positive threepart “I” messages as
reinforcement for acceptable
behavior that you see in the
room
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 6: Stand by the child
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If unwanted behavior
still persists
approximate the child,
still ignoring unwanted
behavior and using
positive three-part “I”
messages to reinforce
acceptable behavior,
when you reach the
child stay by the child
until unwanted
behavior stops
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If after the teacher leaves
the unwanted behavior
starts up again,
approximate next to child
for a longer period of time
while continuing with
positive three-part “I”
message
Walk to the student and
stop
Continue teaching or
directing the rest of the
class from that position
The child will notice you
standing next to her and
this may motivate the child
to discontinue
unacceptable behavior
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 7: Stay by the child
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When the child does not initially respond
to you standing next to her, stay there for
an extended period of time
The child may need time to get the
message that you are there to stay until
the behavior stops
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 8: Apply Gentle,
Appropriate Touch
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Sometimes children do not respond to the simple presence
of an adult
So, the next step is to use physical stimulation in the form
of gentle touch to communicate your expectation
Just lay your hand gently on the child’s shoulder
It is important to continue positive verbal interaction with
other students using three-part “I” messages while touching
the child who is doing the inappropriate behavior
Example:
 If unwanted behavior persists, rest your hand on the disruptive
child’s shoulder while providing positive verbal attention to children
displaying acceptable behavior
 Positive reinforcement must be done using three-part “I” messages
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 8: What Can I Do if the Child
Does Not Want to be Touched? (continued)
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Some children become defensive when a teacher
touches them, even when this is done gently
Simply remain at Level: 7 occasionally patting
the child on the shoulder until they are
desensitized to the “fear of being touched”
You are still touching the child, only in a less
threatening way for that child
This is still effective and the child will eventually
become responsive to gentle, appropriate touch
as a tool to facilitate redirecting of behavior
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 9: Verbal Cueing (while
applying gentle touch)
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State direction in first-person
singular while touching the
child
Each time the directive is
repeated it must be in firstperson singular while gently
touching the child (Never
initiate verbal cue prior to
touching the child when you
are at intervention Level 9)
First: Gently touch the child
Second: Verbally cue the desired
behavior
Example:
If the child is to put his
name on his paper and
is not following the
directive, physically
touch the child gently
on the shoulder and
restate the directive in
first-person singular
“I am going to pick-up my
pencil and write my name on
my paper, now.”
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 10: Undo Redo
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Hand-over-hand
reinforcement
Undo/Redo means to
physically assist the child
to undo their
unacceptable act and
replace it with the
acceptable act
This requires using firstperson singular to model
positive self-talk for the
child

Example:
If the directions are for
the child to write his or
her name on the top of
the paper, a teacher
would say, “ I will write
my name on my paper
now” )while guiding the
child’s hand to complete
the task)
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 10: Examples of undo/redo
(continued)
Examples:
 If a child hit another child, to undo the act the teacher will
gently take the child’s hand and facilitate it moving toward
the other child’s arm modeling how to use gentle touch
 The adult will say “ It’s not like me to hurt my friend, I
touch my friend gently.”
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If a child is distracted from the task of writing her name on
her paper take the child’s hand and physically facilitate her
writing her name on the paper while stating: “ I’m going to
write my name at the top of my paper, now.”
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 11: Keep the child with you
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If unacceptable behavior
persists, keep child with
you for one transition
Use three-part “I”
message to explain why
the child must stay with
you
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When keeping child with
you for one transition you
should state:
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“When I see you hit Mary
(child’s behavior), I feel
scared (Your feeling). So, I
am going to keep you with
me (what you are going to
do) until I feel safe that
you understand that I
touch other people gently
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 11: Keeping the child with you
(continued)
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If the child’s behavior continues after
Undo/Redo, keep the child with you for one
transition
This requires the student to sit next to you
during an activity, or go wherever you go in the
classroom
When there is a change in activity, the child is
allowed to leave your side
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 11: What to say to the child when
he asks to leave your side prior to the
next transition (continued)
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When you have the child with you for a transition,
the child will inevitably ask to be allowed to do
something else. You say:
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“ You really want to play with the blocks , when I feel
safe that you understand I touch my friends gently,
then you can play with the blocks – maybe later.”
“ You really want to go outside now but remember
when you pulled Sara’s hair, when I feel safe that you
know that I touch my friends gently, then you can go
outside – maybe later.”
“ You want to work in the art area, but remember when
to threw the chair. When I feel safe that you
understand that I sit on my chair then you can work in
the art area – maybe later.”
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 12: Keeping the child with
you over multiple transitions
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If after one transition the
unwanted behavior is still
going on you will keep the
child with you for more than
one transition
Use empathic understanding
and three-part “I” messages
to address the child wanting
to do something other than
stay with you
This is the most appropriate
way to address the child’s
behavior without damaging
self esteem
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Example:
If the consequence is for the
child to stay with you until the
next transition - be empathic but
don’t break the rule
To a request for being allowed to
not remain with you say:
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“You would really like to play
outside with your friends, but do
you remember earlier when you
hit Susie? Until I feel safe that
you understand that I touch
Susie gently you will have to
stay with me for the rest of
recess, maybe after recess is
over you can do something
else.”
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 12: Keeping the child with
you for a longer period of time
(continued)
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If the child has been with you for multiple
transitions and the unacceptable behavior
continues, keep the child with you permitting
intermittent trials of independence
Tell the child that he has to stay with you for
another transition until you feel safe that the
disruptive behavior will stop
Use empathic responses and three-part “I”
messages with the child throughout the duration
of the “time-out” period of being with you
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Level 12: Keeping the child with
you for a longer period of time
(continued)
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Hopefully by now the child will realize that if he
does not want to be with the teacher all the time
he needs to discontinue the unacceptable
behavior
However, some children will continue with
disruptive behavior for a protracted period of time
This does not mean that this step will not
eventually work – it only means that the child has
a greater problem with impulse control
This method will eventually work – if you are
consistently persistent
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Two points to remember
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The two skills that are most useful for
facilitating behavior change without
damaging a child cognitively,
emotionally or socially are:
Communicating empathic
understanding
 Using three-part “I” messages

drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Communicate empathic
understanding
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When a child comes to you with a problem
use empathic understanding to touch the
child’s feelings so they may become
independent in their thinking
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Child: Teacher what do you think of my
picture?
Teacher: Wow, you are really excited about
your picture, you must really like it.
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Three-part “I” message
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To reinforce positive
behavior
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“When I see you… (child’s
action)”
“It makes me feel… (your
positive feeling)”
“I just want to say hurray
for you.” (your action)
“When I see you writing
with you pencil it makes
me so happy I just want
to say hurray for you!”
To discourage negative
behavior
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“When I see you…
(child’s action)”
“It makes me feel…
(your feeling)”
“I just want to cry.”
(your action)
“When I see you hit
Sally, it makes me so
sad I just want to cry.”
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
3-part “I” messages
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(continued)
The Three Part “ I” Message is a
statement about the child’s behavior but it
focuses on the feelings of the teacher
about the behavior and what the teacher
wants to do because of her feelings
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Examples of What to Say Using the
Three-Part “I” Message for positive
reinforcement (Three-part “I” messages-continued)
 “ When I see you coloring with that crayon, I
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feel so happy, I want to say “Yahoo!”
“When I see you reading the directions on your
paper, I feel proud, and it makes me want to
smile.”
“ When I see you putting away your papers, it
makes me feel so excited that I want to do a
dance.”
“When I see you sharing your markers with
Sara, I feel so happy. It makes me want to jump
up and down.”
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
3-part “I” messages
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(continued)
When a child is doing an unacceptable
behavior repeatedly, it is important to “
Catch him being good.”
Comment on anything the child is doing
right
It may seem small, but giving the child
recognition for that will help him focus on
positive change
drwillmosier@yahoo.com
Conclusion
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These steps are developmentally appropriate
ways of behavior modification
These steps do not damage the self esteem of a
child or degrade the child in any way
Following these steps will lead to a more
peaceful classroom
drwillmosier@yahoo.com