Behavior Supports in

the Classroom

Disruptive Behavior
Evidence:
Off-task talking, out-of-seat, competitive activities

Culprits:
Classroom management, curriculum, teaching strategies
Deficits in skills
Attention seeking (given more attention for disruptive
behavior than appropriate behavior)

Solutions
Understand the function
Often it is attention seekingso give them attention for
appropriate behavior . . . often!

School-wide and classroom interventions

Well-written, and enforced, class rules (clear
expectations)
Well-planned systematic response (consistency)

Self-discipline and self-management

Noncompliant Behavior
(e.g. Oppositional Defiant DisorderODD)

Evidence
Passive noncompliance, direct defiance, simple
refusal, and constant negotiation.

Culprits
Attention as correction-only/power-struggles
Indiscriminant attention (lack of clear
expectations, consistency and follow-through)
Preference of being seen as bad rather than
dumb
Promotes escape-type behaviors

Solutions
Say what you mean, mean what you say
(consistency and follow-through)

Reinforce compliant behavior

Research suggests that the most effective
intervention for non-compliance is providing
positive consequences for appropriate behavior as
well as reprimands for non-compliant behavior.
So extinction is not effective!
Since escape is a primary suspectsuspension in not
effective either.

Impulsivity
Evidence
Erratic and poorly controlled behavior
Acts without all information, often calls out in class,
difficulty organizing materials
Difficulty reflecting on inappropriate actions (including
academic work)

May also have disruptive and noncompliant behaviors

Culprits
Attention-seeking
Self-gratification (including hitting to stop someone from
bothering them)

Biology

Solutions
Teach skills
Waiting behaviors
Self-control and relaxation

Deliver smaller, shorter tasks

Check for accuracy often
Provide more feedback

Do not rely on medication!

Attention
(e.g. ADHD)

Evidence
Difficulty starting and finishing tasks
Distractibility
Not paying attention vs. paying attention to everything!

Decision-making
Can also occur with hyperactivity and impulsivity

Culprits

Boredom
Skill deficits
Self gratification
Escape and/or attention seeking

Solutions
Teaching skills

Motivating curriculum
Appropriate pacing
Teach skills that demonstrate attention (sit and listen).
Smaller, shorter tasks with more feedback

Understand the function. If it is skill deficitsteach

the skills!
Reinforcement systems work well for this behavior-particularly preferred activities (kinesthetic)

Self-monitoring at timed intervals

Hyperactivity
Evidence
Often associated with inattention and impulsivitybut is
not exclusive to it!
Immature behavior
Disruptiveness/aggressiveness
Seems unable to connect with peersmay look to adults
for friendships

Culprits

Self-gratification
Attention seeking
Biological and environmental
Family schedules and interactions

Solutions
Consistency
Deliver reinforcement and consequences

Social skills training

Cognitive behavior management
Teach academic skills where there are deficit areas

Aggressiveness
Evidence
Hostile: Intent to harm
Instrumental: Intent to gain something
Physical or verbal

Culprits
Power, control, affiliation
Skill deficits
Escape, attention-seeking, and/or selfgratification
The behavior has been trained or is being
modeled by someone
The media

Solutions
Understand the pattern of aggression
Over-aroused (excitability), impulsive (blow-ups),
affective (rageful), predatory (vengeful), and
instrumental (intimidation)

Understand the stages (p. 442) so intervention can

take place before dangerous behavior

Social skills training

Proactive vs. reactive
Empathy (e.g. role-playing)
Peer acceptance

Tantrums
Evidence
Aggressive, non-compliant behavior
Acting out behaviors (crying, screaming, jumping up and
down)
Common in young children

Culprits
The behavior gets them what they want!
Mostly connected to parents and other caregivers
(including teachers) giving in.
Attention seeking

Solutions
Extinction is highly effective with this
behavior.
Say what you mean, mean what you say!

Routines
Transition warnings

Stereotypy
Evidence
Self-stimulation (e.g. flapping)
Self-inflicted injury (e.g. SIB)
Repetitive behaviors (e.g. OCD)

Culprits
Deficits in communication skills (speech and language)
Attention-seeking /escape

Solutions
Increase ability to communicate
Social skills training
Sign language

Decrease gains from behavior (e.g. attention, tangibles,

escape, etc)
This does not necessarily mean extinction!

Very responsive to behavior management-based

interventions

Depression
Evidence

Low energy or fatigue

Concentration /decision-making issues
Sleeping /eating issues
Social skills issues
Sadness and/or aggression

Culprits
Biological or environmental
Short- or long-term

Solution
Know when to seek additional information and refer to
professionals!

Combination of professions
Medication, behavioral, and psychological

Skills training
Social skills
Cognitive behavior management

Something to Think About

Utah has highest rate of mental illness and depression in
the US
In Utah, 14% of adults and adolescents reported experiencing
severe psychological distress, and 10% said theyd had a major
depressive episode in the past year. Bad mental health days come
three times a month for those living in Utah.

The states found to have the highest suicide rates had fewer
resources for mental health care, and barriers such as cost made
it harder for people in those states to access what resources were
available.

Researchers also found that the more highly educated a states

population is, the lower its rate of depression.

Depression and ADHD

18% of children diagnosed with ADHD suffer from
depression as teens
10 times higher rate than peers
5 times more likely to consider suicide (not attempt it)

Those with combined types evident between ages

4-6 were at greatest risk for depression and
suicidal thoughts
Includes depression, ODD, conduct disorder

Although boys have higher rates of diagnosed

ADHD, girls have the greater risk for depression
Having a mother with depression increases the risk
*The study appears in the October 2010 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry

Functional Behavior
Assessment
And Behavior Intervention Plans

Rationale
Behaviors never occur in isolation!

Historically

Problems occur in people

Lead to trying to change the person
Present-Day

Problem-behavior occur in contexts

Leads to trying to change the context

Steps for Conducting a FUBA

from the U.S. Department of Education

1. Define the behavior

2. Gather information
3. Hypothesize the function
4. Develop a plan
5. Monitor behavior

Step 1: Define the Behavior

Concrete definition
Observable
Measurable
Objective

Conditions under which it occurs

Step 2: Gather Information

Interviews

Questionnaires
Record Reviews
Direct Observations

Step 3: Hypothesize the

Function
Use data

Question: When are the behaviors

most/least likely to occur (a.k.a. setting
events)?

Think of ways the behavior is serving the

student

Step 4: Develop a plan (BIP)

Determine the appropriate behavior that
would serve the same function

Arrange the environment to prompt

desired behavior

Develop plans for reward and

consequence systems

Step 5: Monitor behavior

Verify hypothesis

Validate intervention
If successful, the assessment is complete
If unsuccessful, return to step 2 (gather
information)