Sie sind auf Seite 1von 19

Running head: POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN

Positive Behavior Support Plan

Bethann Ilgenfritz

Towson University

Positive Behavior Support Plan


POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 2

Definition of Specific Behavior

I have decided to complete my behavior support plan on Jon (this is a made up

name to keep the real students name anonymous). He is a six-year-old student within

Mrs. M’s first grade general education classroom at ABC Elementary School. Jon is an

only child and lives at home with his mother and father. ABC Elementary School is

located in Carney, Maryland. This school has around 573 students. The school consists of

approximately 53% white students, 25% African American students and 13% Asian

students. There is a smaller demographic of students who fall under Hispanic and two or

more races. Within Mrs. M’s first grade class, there are 20 students total. There are 11

girls and 9 boys. Within the class, there are 3 students with IEP’s.

Jon has trouble focusing in school. When the teacher gives him a one step

direction, he will not follow it within the first time being asked. His behavior occurs

daily, multiple times a day. When given a specific direction, Jon will still do what he was

doing before the given direction. These behaviors often consist of talking to and at peers

at inappropriate times, fidgeting with objects, humming loudly, as well as getting out of

his seat and walking around consistently. The directions that should be followed that are

given to Jon are usually related to the lesson such as spelling words verbally, building

words with the magnetic tiles, or writing words with the whiteboards. The behaviors that

Jon displays keep him from successfully paying attention and following along in lessons.

His behaviors also distract the other students in the group who are unable to pay attention

because of his behaviors to avoid the work or directions he is given .


POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 3

Literature Review

Fefer, S., DeMagistris, J., & Shuttleton, C. (2016). Assessing adolescent praise and

reward preferences for academic behavior. Translational Issues In Psychological

Science, 2(2), 153-162. doi:10.1037/tps0000072

This article discussed the positive impact that something as simple as verbal

praise has on early childhood aged children all the way up to adolescence. I focused

mainly on the early childhood information from this article, but it was reassuring and

reaffirming to read of the benefits of verbal praise even as children get into middle and

high school years. I chose verbal praise as one of the supports that I included in Jon’s

plan. I found that he really responded well to the verbal praise, even if it wasn’t a praise

that was announced to the entire group. Before implementing this behavior plan, I knew

that verbal can positively affect students, but after reading this article and implementing it

myself with Jon, I really saw the positives from it first hand. From the research that the

authors of this article have done, they have found that, “verbal feedback from teachers is

a powerful agent to promote academic success. Praise from teachers can decrease

disruptive behaviors, increase on-task behavior, and enhance motivation, resilience, and

persistence on challenging tasks”. Fefer, Demagistris, and Shuttleton also make note in

their article about how verbal praise is especially beneficial because it is free and

appropriate for all schools regardless of income. As I did implement the verbal praise as a

support with Jon, I also focused the praise to be focused on him and his efforts rather than

how smart he was or how much he knew regarding the task given. I was happy to hear

that this strategy was validated with research found in this article as they state, “The

utility of different types of praise may change with development; older students respond
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 4

to effort-, process-, and product-related praise, whereas younger students respond to

person-focused praise”.

Hart, K. C., Fabiano, G. A., Vujnovic, R. K., Evans, S. W., Manos, M. J., & Hannah, J.

N. (2017). Elementary and Middle School Teachers’ Self-Reported Use of

Positive Behavioral Supports for Children With ADHD: A National

Survey. Journal Of Emotional & Behavioral Disorders, 25(4), 246-256.

doi:10.1177/1063426616681980

I came across this article while researching behavior supports for children who

have ADHD. I was interested in doing some research on the topic of ADHD in younger

children, as I know this played a large role in the behaviors that I saw in Jon. The article

highlighted the supports that teachers have been using that have shown positive results. It

honed in on the fact that elementary students report using much more targeted behavior

strategies, which is exactly what we were to do with our positive behavior support plan.

The results from this article proved that the more focused plans that target behaviors and

are specific to each child work significantly better than random strategies that are a

blanket recommendation.

Korinek, L. (2015). Promoting Self-Determination Throughout the FBA/BIP

Process. Preventing School Failure, 59(2), 98-108.

This article written by Korinek, provides us with research to the importance of

implementing functional behavior assessments and positive behavior interventions.

Through her research she writes about how this can positively affect children’s success

later on especially focusing on self-motivation and determination. This article really


POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 5

related to my focus student for this assignment because with Jon, I needed to find

reinforcements for positive behavior that I knew he was going to respond to and that

interested him. As this article explains, the more the child is interested in the reward

system set in place, the more they are willing to work and become self-determined.

Furthermore, when children are driven by their own interests and see the benefits for

them, the more likely they are going to succeed in the future as they develop that positive

work ethic.

Lessard, J., Normandeau, S., & Robaey, P. (2016). Effects of the Incredible Years

Program in Families of Children with ADHD. Journal Of Child & Family

Studies, 25(12), 3716-3727.

I chose to include this article into my literature review because it is an informative

article about the positive affects that a training/support group can have for parents and

ultimately the child who has ADHD. In my case, my mentor teacher and I really worked

with Mrs. M, Jon’s general educator as well as Jon’s parents to provide as many supports

as possible for the family when we would have regular IEP meetings. We wanted to

ensure that he was not only getting help at school, but that his parents were provided with

reinforcements at home. This article by Lessard, Normandeau, and Robaey, tested the

efficacy of two training programs for families that have children diagnosed with ADHD

and also how the programs help with the levels of necessary medication. They found that

there was a better balance of medication and behavior regulation strategies with the

presence of the program.

Nye, E., Gardner, F., Hansford, L., Edwards, V., Hayes, R., & Ford, T. (2016).

Classroom behaviour management strategies in response to problematic


POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 6

behaviours of primary school children with special educational needs: views of

special educational needs coordinators. Emotional & Behavioural

Difficulties, 21(1), 43-60. doi:10.1080/13632752.2015.1120048

This article talked about the studies that have been conducted across many states

and it looks specifically into the different approaches that special needs coordinators take

to target behaviors in the classroom. It walks the reader through many possible

problematic behaviors that have been exhibited through teacher observations and then

from there, they list possible approaches to classroom behavior management. I really

liked this article because it reinforced and affirmed my belief in positive reinforcements

and it actually referenced the incredible years program that I looked into for my other

resource. This article connects and validates the research that was done in that article by

Lessard, Normandeau, and Robaey. Finally, I connected with the section of the article

that talked about relationships and maintaining appropriate distance to the child, as I

chose to use proximity control with Jon. The article highlights real teacher comments that

report how important it is to develop a strong relationship with the child and to know

which level of proximity they are comfortable with or what works best for them. This

example from the teacher also demonstrates how children get their emotional cues from

the adults. I knew from previous weeks of working with him, that he responded to

proximity control and would realize he needed to focus if I were to walk closer to him. It

was an easy non-verbal cue that would tend to cue him in to focusing.
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 7

Baseline Data Collection

On February 6th, 8th and 9th, I observed Jon at the same time when he came to the

Fundations group with my mentor and I for a total of 30 minutes for each day. This time

that I was observing him to get my baseline data, he was part of a small group of students

all in his class that were participating in the Fundations program for extra support with

reading and writing skills. During this time, students are expected to follow along with

the directions given by the lead teacher, Ms. K, and to participate by raising their hand.

I chose to use a data table that clearly organized the behavior and frequency. The

three behaviors that I noticed to be prevalent with Jon was staying in his seat, not

following directions and calling out.

Overall, my data proved to me that Jon has difficulty following directions that are

given to him the first time. Once he displayed off-task behavior, it was hard to get him to

come back to the group and focus along with the other students. I found that he was

frequently fidgeting with other objects around him, blankly staring up at the ceiling or

around the classroom and coloring.

I was also able to get input from Jon’s general educator, Mrs. M. She reported that

she finds that Jon’s behavior is very disruptive to the class as a whole as he has trouble

following the directions that have been given to the rest of the class. She told me that she

worries about Jon because she sees that his inability to follow one-step directions is

greatly affecting his learning and is also disrupting the rest of the students and their

learning.

Mrs. M also informed me that she and Jon’s parents are in constant

communication with one another and they are in the process of figuring out the correct
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 8

dosage of medication that works best for Jon’s ADHD. His mom reports that she finds

the same behavior at home when she asks him to complete a task with a one-step

direction. She finds that it is nearly impossible to get Jon to listen to her when she asks

him to do something such as cleaning up a mess or helping her with something around

the house. They are hopeful that the more time he spends in the structured school setting;

the more Jon will learn to follow these one-step directions.

I spoke with Jon’s Library teacher who is right across the hall from the room

where we would teach Jon for our Fundations group. She reported similar behaviors that

both Mrs. M and my mentor have observed from Jon over the past months in first grade.

She said that Jon really loves to pick out books when he is at specials with her but just as

his general education teacher and I have noticed, when he is interested in a topic and

when there are topics that they cover that he likes, he is much less disruptive and off

track. She finds Jon to be a pleasure to have in class however, when she asks him to do

something or gives a direction to the class, she finds that it takes many times of reminders

to get Jon to finally focus and complete the task that is given to him.
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 9

Hypothesis of Functional Intention

Based on the data that I collected, I have determined that the function of Jon’s

behavior is work avoidance as well as the inability to focus on one thing at a time due to

his ADHD. I find that Jon is disinterested in the activities that are going on at the given

time of instruction and therefore he avoids the work that is expected of him. The function

of Jon’s behavior is not sensory because he is not stimulated by any sensory stimulation.

The function of Jon’s behavior is not to obtain tangibles because he does not receive

anything tangible for not following directions or being off task.

Replacement Behavior

The desired replacement behavior that we are looking for Jon to demonstrate is:

During small group instruction, Jon will follow one-step directions with two reminders or

less for at least 50 percent of the total directions given.


POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 10

I was sure to clearly explain what exactly it was that I was looking for from Jon.

On the day that I introduced the positive reinforcement concept to Jon (Friday, February

9th), I showed him the template we would use to monitor his behavior and to track how

often/well he was following the one-step directions I was giving. Once we had the chance

to discuss this individually, I also specifically told Jon directly what an example

instruction could be with an explanation of what it would look like to follow my

directions correctly the first time. I wanted to be sure these directions and explanations

were all very clear for him so that there was no confusion and he knew what he needed to

do to earn the rewards so I also met with him the morning of the first day of

implementation to go over again what supports he I was using and what behavior I was

looking for. I taught and implemented the behavior supports during our small group

phonics instruction each day.

Positive Behavior Supports

The first positive support that I used with Jon in my behavior plan was positive

reinforcement. Each time that Jon would follow a one-step direction from me with two

reminders or less, I would give him specific verbal praise. I would say things such as

“Thank you Jon for following my directions the first time they were given.” Or, “ Jon,

way to listen and follow directions the first or second time I asked you without hesitation.

I love to see you working hard”. Sometimes I would also give him a high five or a fist

bump for more encouragement.

Another positive support I used with Jon was a visual reminder of encouragement.

Each time he did follow my direction with two reminders or less, I would give him a

color chip. Each time Jon got a chip, I would also put a check in the box on my paper to
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 11

remind me that for that direction, Jon was able to complete the task with two reminders

or less. If Jon earns fifty percent or more of the opportunities for chips throughout the

duration of group, he would get a token for the day and would earn five minutes of free

time to play in our resource room before I took him back to Mrs. M’s class. Jon not only

had his daily incentives, but I know that Jon loves trinkets and little toys from

McDonalds or the dollar store so I decided that if Jon was able to earn a token for each

day of the week, or five tokens in total depending on absences or days off, that he was

able to choose a prize from the prize bin where I had collected little trinkets I knew he

would love and would want to work for. This tied each day into a weekly incentive as

well and held him accountable for each day to have multiple days of success rather than

just scattered days. Each day that he did earn 50 percent or more checks, he would get a

sticker on his weekly reinforcement paper.

The third support that I used with Jon was proximity control. With his constant

need for reminders, I thought that proximity control was a super helpful strategy that I

could use with him as a more non-verbal support. I knew that for Jon, this would be

something that would positively help him because when I would work with Jon’s class

prior to taking over fully as the lead teacher, I noticed that the closer I stood to his seat,

the more on task he was. I knew that if he felt like anyone wasn’t watching at any time,

that is when we would see more of the off-task behaviors. The proximity control along

with the verbal praise and the visual encouragement that he knew he was working for

something that he liked, all worked together to give Jon the supports that were helpful to

him.

Data Collection and Visual Support


POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 12

I began to implement my positive behavior plan February 12th and carried it out

the following days of the week, which was February 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th. The plan

was implemented again on Tuesday, February 20th because we did not have school

Monday, February 19th due to president’s day. February 21st, Jon was absent from group

due to a first grade field trip. The final day of implementation was on Thursday, February

22nd. There were a total of seven days that my behavior plan was implemented with Jon. I

had planned on implementing this prior to the start date of February 12th , but we had

snow days that affected this as well as the fact that Jon was absent for a few days in a row

because of an illness that pushed back the start date as well. When looking at the data of

how well he did on the two days of implementation the second week, his day absent due

to the field trip, and the day that we had off of school, could have easily impacted his

behavior for the second week of data, as he was thrown off from the normal routine. I

would also like to note that none of the days that I took official data on Jon were days

that he was removed from group for other outside supports. However, days where he was

missing parts of group because of required supports with other adults in the building, I

did find that he struggled more with staying focused on the tasks presented to him than

days where he was not missing the beginning of group.


POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 13

Week 1
18
16
14
12
10 Number of directions followed
8 Number of directions given
6
4
2
0
2/12/18 2/13/18 2/14/18 2/15/18 2/16/18

Week 2
20
18
16
14
12
10 Number of directions followed

8 Number of directions given

6
4
2
0
2/20/18 2/22/18
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 14

Percentages Each Day

2/12/18
2/13/18
2/14/18
2/15/18
2/16/18
2/20/18
2/22/18

Data Summary and Interpretation Add more detail

Overall, there was a lot that I learned after collecting data on Jon’s behavior for

the seven days that I was able to take official data on him. In the first week that I

implemented the three supports and Jon was working towards his break after group as

well as working toward his weekly goal, he did well with the supports and I noticed a

decrease in his off-task behavior and an increase in his ability to follow directions with

two prompts or less as the week went on. The first day that the plan was implemented,

February 12th, Jon did not earn his sticker for that day and I think that this was due to the

fact that it was the first day of implementation and he was still getting used to the

supports as well as remembering what he was working for. We had a discussion together

after the end of the group and we talked about why he did not earn the sticker for the day

and I showed him that I would write the percentage at the bottom of my paper each day

so he could see how close he was. I encouraged him that this was just motivation to work

harder the next day for a break and to get his sticker for the day. For the second day of
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 15

implementation, February 13th, I decided that when I picked he and the other students up

for group that day, that I would remind Jon again what his goal was for the day and what

I was looking for him to do rather than focusing on what he shouldn’t be doing. Although

it was not by much, I did notice a slight increase in Jon’s focus and a decrease in the

usual off-task behaviors he presented (fidgeting with pencils or papers on the desk,

wiggling in his seat or getting out of his seat and moving around, calling out etc.) As the

week went on, his off-task behaviors did decrease and his ability to follow directions with

two prompts or less did increase. By February 16th, he had increased the amount of

checks on his behavior chart to 76 percent. I noticed that after the consecutive good days,

he was willing to work harder because he was seeing positive results. The following

week of implementation on February 20th and February 22nd showed that Jon did not

receive 50 percent of the checks possible for those days.

After analyzing the data as well as knowing the weekly schedule and how it

looked in implementation, I think that although the days where Jon did have 50 percent of

checks or more, did have a lot to do with the supports I put into place, I also think that

because the weekly routine was consistent that entire week, it really helped Jon’s

behavior in a positive way and reflected on to his behavior. When Jon did not have

consecutive days where the routine was the same because of the weekend, and the day off

of school for president’s day, his behavior really showed that he was out of routine and

had a harder time following directions. I believe that Jon’s behavior was work avoidance

because with the positive behavior supports that were used, Jon had rewards for

completing directions given during class when there was something attached to it that he
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 16

was interested in or that he wanted to work for. By making the work meaningful to him,

he was willing to make an effort to follow more of the directions given.

Reflection

After completing this assignment, I have learned so much about behavior and how

to manage behavior in the classroom. I quickly realized the planning, time and effort that

goes into properly implementing a positive behavior support plan and I had no idea how

specific it really needs to be for each individual child for the plan to work to the fullest

potential. I was happy that I was able to implement this plan with the placement I was in,

having a small group pull out in a resource room. I felt that even though I had a small

group, it was hard at times to manage the group while appropriately implementing my

supports. I found it challenging to remember the content I was teaching, making sure

proper supports and attention are given to the rest of the students in the group, and

remembering to follow through with the correct supports with Jon. As the days went on,

it did become a bit easier to implement as I became more familiar with it as well, but I

definitely realized how much I needed to be ready to do my best teaching each day for

the plan and supports to be carried out to the fullest potential.

I felt as though my supports were successful to the best that they could be. We

had some days where Jon was absent or where we did not have school because of a

holiday. The second week of implementation was were these days occurred and I found

that his behavior really reflected the days off of the routine. I found that the days where

he was in group all five days in a row, that by the end of the week, his percentage of

following one step directions with two reminders or less was definitely higher. Knowing

that he is on medication for his ADHD and that the parents and pediatrician were
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 17

working to manage his dosing to see what works best, I had to remind myself at times

that the medication dosage might be the underlying factor aside from the supports I was

putting in place for him.

Being reflective and open with Jon about his behavior each day was very helpful

in the implementation of the supports and in the increase of his direction following. I

wanted Jon to feel as though I was there to help him and to encourage him to be

successful, rather than being an authoritative figure.

If I had to do this project over again, I would have had Jon receive a prize from

the bin after three days of following directions at least 50 percent of the total given

directions rather than five days. With his consistent absences and the fact that he does go

to see other school-based professionals, which can overlap into the time we have him for

group, it will be more frequent so that he does not get discouraged. Another change that I

would make would be to have the chart in front of Jon each day. I think that if he had this

visual in front of him he would have been able to monitor his behavior even more and be

more motivated to follow directions. Although I gave Jon chips to reinforce the

behaviors, he would have benefitted from seeing the chart as well which I could have

printed for him as well as one for my records.

Overall, this project taught me a lot about positive behavior supports and how to

use supports to help individual students as well as how it can help an entire small group

or class. I will definitely be sure to find ways to implement these new strategies into my

future classes as a teacher.


POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 18
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN 19

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen