Learner Objectives

• In this workshop, you will learn to:
• Identify strategies that may be used to facilitate effective collaborative team meetings
• Identify strategies that may be used to guide a team in the development of a behavior support plan
• Develop a behavior support plan for a case study child
• Develop easy measurement tools to monitor outcomes
• Identify key questions to ask if a child returns to using challenging behavior and identify strategies to address the problem

Process of Positive Behavior Support

Step 1: Establishing a collaborative team and identifying goals

Step 2: Gathering information (functional assessment)

Step 3: Developing hypotheses (best guess)

Step 4: Designing behavior support plans

Step 5: Implementing, monitoring, evaluating outcomes and refining plan in natural environments

Team Meeting Basics

• Meet in a comfortable location
• Meet at times convenient for the family
• De-jargon the process
• Use room arrangement to facilitate equal exchange
• Be clear about starting and ending times
• State goals and agenda for the meeting at the beginning

Roles

• Facilitator – person who guides group in stating agenda, work goals, time allocation
• Recorder – person who writes down the discussion
• Time Keeper – Person who tracks time and warns when agenda item is ending
• Encourager – person who provides feedback to group members
• Jargon-buster – person who asks the question “what do you mean when you say ‘gobbley-gook’” and helps the group with communicating clearly

Building a Family-Centered Team

• Use facilitation techniques to promote active participation (e.g., round robin, group graphics)
• Ask family and other team members to identify routines and activities that are problematic

Support Plan Development

• Use chart paper to analyze challenging behavior in routines, activities, or interactions
  • Identify the basic equation (trigger, behavior, maintaining consequence) of the challenging behavior and write equation on the chart paper

Support Planning Chart

Trigger:

• Asked to sit:
  • at table
  • to eat
  • in circle

Setting Events (if applicable):

Behavior:

• Pulls away, cries, hits

Functions:

Maintaining Consequences:

• Adults leave him alone

Preventions:

New Skills:

New Responses:

Support Plan Development (cont.)

• Identify the Function of the Challenging Behavior and Write on Chart Paper

Support Planning Chart

Trigger:

• Asked to sit:
  • at table
  • to eat
  • in circle

Setting Events (if applicable):

Behavior:

• Pulls away, cries, hits

Functions:
Gets out of sitting

Maintaining Consequences:

• Adults leave him alone

Preventions:

New Skills:

New Responses:

Support Plan Development (cont.)

• Brainstorm Prevention Strategies
  • Strategies to make routines or activities easier for the child
  • Strategies to soften the triggers

Support Planning Chart

Trigger:

• Asked to sit:
  • at table
  • to eat
  • in circle

Setting Events (if applicable):

Behavior:

• Pulls away, cries, hits

Functions:
Gets out of sitting

Maintaining Consequences:

• Adults leave him alone

Preventions:

• “Big Bird” choices
• Placemats/Dishes
• Photo schedule (with “Big Bird” stickers)
• First/Then
• 1st half of circle more “hands on”
• Warning/Safety signal
• Choices
• Supported Seating

New Skills:

New Responses:

Support Plan Development (cont.)

• Brainstorm ideas about what new skills should be taught to replace problem behavior; write new skills on chart

Support Planning Chart

Trigger:

• Asked to sit:
  • at table
  • to eat
  • in circle

Setting Events (if applicable):

Behavior:

• Pulls away, cries, hits

Functions:
Gets out of sitting

Maintaining Consequences:

• Adults leave him alone

Preventions:

• “Big Bird” choices
• Placemats/Dishes
• Photo schedule (with “Big Bird” stickers)
• First/Then
• 1st half of circle more “hands on”
• Warning/Safety signal
• Choices
• Supported Seating

New Skills:

• Say “all done” (gesture or verbal), begin with hand-over-hand prompt with verbal prompt
• Sits longer (once he is saying “all done” consistently)

New Responses:

Support Plan Development (cont.)

• Brainstorm ideas about how to respond to challenging behavior when it occurs; write new responses on chart

Support Planning Chart

Trigger:

• Asked to sit:
  • at table
  • to eat
  • in circle

Setting Events (if applicable):

Behavior:

• Pulls away, cries, hits

Functions:
Gets out of sitting

Maintaining Consequences:

• Adults leave him alone

Preventions:

• “Big Bird” choices
• Placemats/Dishes
• Photo schedule (with “Big Bird” stickers)
• First/Then
• 1st half of circle more “hands on”
• Warning/Safety signal
• Choices
• Supported Seating

New Skills:

• Say “all done” (gesture or verbal), begin with hand-over-hand prompt with verbal prompt
• Sits longer (once he is saying “all done” consistently)

New Responses:
To Challenging Behavior:

• Anticipate & cue “all done”
• Redirect to say/gesture “all done”, then let out

To Use of New Skill:

• When gestures/says “all done”, let out
• Increase time sitting when learns skill
• Praise 

Support Plan Development (cont.)

• Review plan ideas; eliminate pieces that don’t fit or are too difficult for team to do
• Review entire plan; emphasize that each column is necessary
• Repeat process for other routines, settings, or behavior functions

Behavior Support Plan Development

• Develop plan using plain language
• Develop mini-plans for difficult routines
• Make sure plan will fit with routines/activities/values of family and teaching staff
• Develop action plan of who will produce what components needed to implement the plan
• Design components that are easy to use, easy to remember
• Plan must accommodate competing demands on teaching staff and family

Action Planning Form

Child Name: Derick

Program: Village Pre-K

Date: 10/11

Team members: Dave (father), Tanisha (mother), Lisa (speech therapist), Rochelle (teacher)

Planning Objectives: Develop behavior support plan materials to assist Derick at home and in preschool

Need:
1. Develop photograph schedule for home and preschool

Action Steps:
A. Take pictures
B. Develop film
C. Write label of each routine
D. Laminate, Velcro, Post or put in portable binder

Person Responsible/Date:
A. Take pictures: Rochelle, Tanisha, and Dave by 10/24
C. Write label of each routine: By 10/28
D. Laminate, Velcro, Post or put in portable binder: By 10/28

Follow up:
Share Derick’s progress via phone 2 weeks after use, or earlier if questions arise

Action Planning Form(continued)

Child Name: Derick

Program: Village Pre-K

Date: 10/11

Team members: Dave (father), Tanisha (mother), Lisa (speech therapist), Rochelle (teacher)

Planning Objectives: Develop behavior support plan materials to assist Derick at home and in preschool

Need:
2. Supported seating at home and preschool

Action Steps:
A. Get booster chair for home use at table
B. Move “cube chair” to table

Person Responsible/Date:
A. Get booster chair for home use at table: Dave by 10/24
B. Move “cube chair” to table: Rochelle by 10/24

Follow up:
Discuss via phone 2 weeks after use, or earlier if questions arise

Support Plan

• Behavior Hypotheses - Purpose of the behavior, your best guess about why the behavior occurs
• Prevention Strategies - Ways to make events and interactions that predict challenging behavior easier for the child to manage
• Replacement Skills - Skills to teach throughout the day to replace the challenging behavior
• Responses - What adults will do when the challenging behavior occurs

Working as a Collaborative Team

• Assign roles
• Determine agenda and time for meetings
• Ensure group participation through facilitation and participatory processes

Roles

• Facilitator – person who guides group in stating agenda, work goals, time allocation
• Recorder – person who writes down the discussion
• Time Keeper – person who tracks time and warns when agenda item is ending
• Reporter – person who shares group information, makes presentation
• Encourager – person who provides feedback to group members
• Jargon-buster – person who asks the question “what do you mean when you say ‘gobbley-gook’” and helps the group with communicating clearly

First Case Study:Developing the Plan

• Assign roles
• Review child description
• Review hypotheses
• Review observations
• Review interview
• Develop a support plan for one hypothesis statement
• Report to group

Process of Positive Behavior Support

Step 1: Establishing a collaborative team and identifying goals

Step 2: Gathering information (functional assessment)

Step 3: Developing hypotheses (best guess)

Step 4: Designing behavior support plans

Step 5: Implementing, monitoring, evaluating outcomes and refining plan in natural environments

Plan Implementation

• Make sure everyone on the team understands the plan
• Design supports that help the adults remember the plan (posted mini-plan, reminder signs, checklists)
• Begin plan implementation when all pieces have been developed (behavior support plan, materials, activity/routine matrix, instructional procedures, and outcome monitoring form)

Monitoring Outcomes

• Identify outcomes valued by the team
• “KIS it” (Keep It Simple) Create simple, user-friendly forms to monitor outcomes (e.g., rating scales, check sheets)
• Schedule dates for check-ins

Working as a Collaborative Team

• Assign roles
• Determine agenda and time for meetings
• Ensure group participation through facilitation and participatory processes

Roles

• Facilitator – person who guides group in stating agenda, work goals, time allocation
• Recorder – person who writes down the discussion
• Time Keeper – person who tracks time and warns when agenda item is ending
• Reporter – person who shares group information, makes presentation
• Encourager – person who provides feedback to group members
• Jargon-buster – person who asks the question “what do you mean when you say ‘gobbley-gook’” and helps the group with communicating clearly

Second Case Study: Implementation and Monitoring Outcomes

• Assign roles
• Review support plan developed in group
• Develop a monitoring form for 2 outcomes
• Replacement skill acquisition and reduction in challenging behavior
• Review process as a whole group

If Challenging Behavior Returns

• First,
  • Review plan and make sure it is being implemented as planned
  • Review evaluation data to determine if the pattern is an extinction burst (worse before it gets better)
  • Examine events to see if there are new triggers for behavior

Example of Support Plan Checklist

Brendan's Support Plan Implementation 1/7

• Skills to be taught during circle time activities:
  • Brendan will be taught to sit on his picture.
  • Brendan will learn to follow directions and circle time rules.
  • Brendan will learn to participate in circle time activities.

Example of Support Plan Checklist
Brenden's Support Plan Implementation 1/7 (continued)

In Circle Time Activitites

In circle time activities, educational staff has the “sit picture” available on the floor in front of Brendan’s spot for Brendan to refer to so that he can self-monitor sitting on his picture during circle time.

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

Educational staff and family reads Brendan’s social story on What Do We Do In Circle?

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

Educational staff refers to Brendan’s social story, What Do We Do In Circle?, to remind him of circle time rules and expectations.

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

Example of Support Plan Checklist
Brenden's Support Plan Implementation 1/7 (continued)

In Circle Time Activitites (continued)

Educational staff uses visual cues on mini-schedule to cue Brendan of transitions.

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

Educational staff uses “sit” picture cue to remind Brendan to sit on his picture during circle.

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

Educational staff praises Brendan intermittently for “good sitting” during circle time activities.

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

Example of Support Plan Checklist
Brenden's Support Plan Implementation 1/7 (continued)

When the problem behavior happens:

If Brendan begins to get up, educational staff taps or shows him his visual picture cue to “sit.”

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

Educational staff praises children who are sitting nicely on their pictures.

• Yes
• No
• Sometimes

Comments:

Date of Observation:

Observer:

If Challenging Behavior Returns (cont.)

Then,

• Restore support plan and implement with fidelity; or
• Continue plan through extinction burst; or
• Add components to plan to address new triggers; or
• Conduct a new functional assessment and develop new support strategies

Major Messages

1. Collaboration as a team can lead to the development of and implementation of behavior support plans
2. Data collection needs to be easy to collect on simple forms: “KIS” it (Keep It Simple)
3. It is important to develop an action plan to ensure the pieces of the plan are developed by the team
4. Teaming should occur after plan development to ensure plan implementation and review outcomes