Positive Environments, Network of Trainers
Diagnostic Center, South
State Special Schools
Positive Environments and Supports
Individual Support
Individual support requires staff to:- understand the function of behavior,
- develop a replacement behavior,
- respond to problem behavior,
- reinforce replacement and other positive behaviors, and
- communicate response to interventions with all the important people in the student's life.
This website has multiple sections dealing with individual behavioral support. See also Behavior Planning section of this website.
Training components, links, and documents for individual support include:
- Behavior Plan Practicum: Developing and Scoring High Quality Behavior Plans
- Behavior Plans That Work
- Bridging the Linguistic Cultural Socioeconomic Gaps in Behavior Support Planning by Dr. Valerie Samuel
- Individual Work Jobs for Young Children or Students with Severe Disabilities
- Social Stories and Social Scripts - Initial Contributions by Linda Spaw
- Strategies to Achieve Success with Difficult Learners
Information PENT member groups have also found to be helpful for individual support include:
Debriefing: When students have misbehaved, staff may wish to have a formal debriefing session. The staff member asks the student, "Would you like to be the secretary, or would you like me to be the secretary?" The staff can then guide the student in a debriefing procedure. See: Thinking About My Inappropriate Behavior
Redirection: Sometimes a student needs to be redirected to use the appropriate behavior, using a "reinforcement sandwich" approach---reinforce, correction, reinforce described in the Four-Step Procedure which has a demonstration video tape available through Sopris West.
Communication: Ongoing communcation with family and agencies can be critical, and daily report cards, may be a key component of individual support. Peer support should be utilized, such as a Pit Crew program and careful consideration of all intervention areas considered.
Disability and Charactetistics: If the student has a disability or particular characteristics, interventions should match known features.
Website Resources:
- Teaching Children with ADHD: Instructional Strategies and Practices - a good new publication from OSEP (Office of Special Education Programs). Includes suggestions regarding research-based academic instruction, behavioral interventions and classroom accommodations. Thanks to PENT Cadre member Judy Burkhartsmeyer for this valuable link.
- The Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior (CEBPYCCB) - Its mission is to promote the use of evidence-based practice to meet the needs of young children who have, or are at risk for, problem behavior. Its website will provide you with research syntheses on effective intervention procedures, presentation and workshop materials, training opportunities, and a wide variety of useful links.
- Training modules - available in English and in Spanish on classroom preventive practices, social-emotional teaching strategies, individualized intensive interventions (determining the meaning of challenging behavior and developing a behavior suport plan), and leadership strategies.
- What Works Briefs - offered by The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning offers. Summarizes effective practices for supporting children's social-emotional development and preventing challenging behaviors.
