Having visited and/or provided consultation to many special education classrooms, I can say with sincerity that there are several components that are always evident in exemplary classrooms:
#1: a teacher who has a positive attitude about his/her program. Educators who are not "on-board" with teaching the students in their classrooms will not be as effective as those that are. Teachers who are excited to teach = students who are excited to learn.
#2: a properly staffed classroom. The number of children assigned to the room, the severity of their behaviors, whether or not they are independent in their daily routines, as well as the degree of the students' communication deficits should be the deciding factor as to how many adults should be servicing the classroom.
#3: the presence of technology for communication and learning. I-pads are wonderful assets to include in the classroom, but they should be used as teaching tools and not just for "games." Smart-boards, communciation devices, and other assistive technology are evident and integrated in exceptional special education classrooms.
#4: the presence of visual supports. Most children with disabilities require them. At some point, they will most likely demonstrate their need for them with disruptive behaviors.
#5: structure. Good special education classrooms have evidence of structure in the form of predictable routines and procedures for learning, "down time", and behavior interventions.
#6: reinforcers. Many children with disabilities require extrinsic motivation. Those who work with these students should be equally reinforcing and positive as well.
#7: active participation in their school's environment. Gone are the days when kids with special needs were housed in a basement classroom. Special education students should be readily included in typical classrooms, activities, and other aspects of the school day. And, they should be welcomed and supported by all staff in that building.
#8: evidenced-based programming. Teachers in special education classrooms should be able to present data with regards to progress on goals and make decisions about programming based on that data. For older students, data should govern transition plans as well.
#9: training. Most educators will require training and/or consultation to meet the needs of the most difficult students.
#10: supportive and involved administration. Principals and other administrators need to understand what is happening in the classroom, be supportive of the staff and students, and help to establish trusting relationships with parents. They should be "champions" for their inclusion in the building where they attend.
#11: good relationships with families. Kids with disabilities benefit immensely when school and home environments are "on the same page."
#12: flexibility. Teachers and staff who can react calmly in a crisis, distract and "re-group" escalated students, and develop trust with their students are worth their weight in gold!
#13: behavioral supports. Special education classrooms that utilize applied behavior analysis to complete functional behavior assessments and to develop positive behavior support plans will have children who are learning needed replacement skills for difficult behaviors.
#14: multi-sensory education. There should be plenty of evidence of visual, tactile and kinesthetic teaching experiences.
#15: appropriate work. Examples: Field trips are not just trips to "get out of the building", they are planful and supported by IEP goals. Tasks should not be too repetitive for students who have already demonstrated mastery. "Breaks" should be short in duration and not used to "take up time." Lesson plans are utilized and adaptations for individual children are evident.
Special education professionals can use the above checklist to self-evaluate their own special needs classrooms. Doing so can only result in positive outcomes and increased learning for children with disabilities.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Can I Punish Kids Who Have Disabilities?
As a consultant, one of the questions I get asked the most is, "Is this behavior because of his disability, or is it just bad behavior?"
My answer is usually the same, "Does it matter?" As a child with a disability, all problem behavior should be addressed through a positive behavior support plan. Such a plan will include consequences for when the child exhibits appropriate behavior, as well as consequences for when the child is inappropriate. Educators often worry about consequencing a child for "disability" behavior. They do not want to be blamed for "punishing" a behavior that is related to the child's disability. The process of developing a behavior plan must be a team effort -- all consequences should be decided by the team. If one consequence is not effective, others will need to be considered.
It is important to note that there are certain behaviors that should NEVER be tolerated in school by ANY child. Even children who are very disabled can learn that we don't hit, kick, punch, bite, or spit in school. Behavior interventionists who are trained in applied behavior analysis can and should write positive behavior plans to address these behaviors and teach new replacement skills.
In applied behavior analysis, there are two types of consequences. Consequences come AFTER the behavior occurs. These two types are reinforcers and punishers. Reinforcers, if they are truly reinforcing to the child, make the behavior of concern stay the same or increase in frequency. There are also two types of reinforcers: positive reinforcers (what I add to the environment after the behavior occurs that causes the frequency of that behavior to stay the same or increase) and negative reinforcers (what I take away from the environment after the behavior occurs that causes the frequency of that behavior to stay the same or increase). As an example, let's say on-task behavior is the behavior of concern. If I apply a sticker on the child's chart after he completes a task, and this causes him to increase his on-task behavior, this is a positive reinforcer. Or, if I take away recess because he has not completed his work, and this causes the on-task behavior to increase, I have applied a negative reinforcer. Any behavior that is reinforced is likely to continue, thus reinforcers are very powerful in changing behavior. A tip for you is that you always want to reinforce the good behavior!
There are also two types of punishers. Punishers, if they are truly punishing for a child, make the frequency of the behavior go down. Positive punishers are what I add to the environment after the behavior occurs that causes the frequency of that behavior to decrease. Negative punishers are what I subtract from the environment after the behavior occurs that causes the frequency of that behavior to decrease. Let's say the behavior of concern is a child who touches electrical sockets. If my toddler is about to stick his fingers in an electrical socket and I yell, "Don't touch that!" and he stops, I have used a positive punisher (the addition of my loud voice command caused him to stop the behavior). If, however, I take away his favorite toy because he touched the socket, and this causes him to stop touching the socket, then I have used a negative punisher because I removed something from the environment that caused the frequency of the behavior to go down.
In conclusion, the process of finding reinforcers and consequences that work may be trial and error. As educators, you may feel that a child should receive a certain consequence for problem behavior, but the point is, if the behavior decreases with another type of consequence in place, you have achieved the same outcome! And, there will be some children where reinforcing only appropriate behavior will serve to be so effective that a punishing-type consequence will not be needed. Be flexible; try to get past the idea that all children should receive the same reinforcers and punishers. If you hang on to that belief, you will always have difficulty with kids who don't 'fit the mold.' Kids with special needs are just like kids who are typical -- what works for some does not work for others. Allowing for individualization when dealing with problem behavior, is crucial.
My answer is usually the same, "Does it matter?" As a child with a disability, all problem behavior should be addressed through a positive behavior support plan. Such a plan will include consequences for when the child exhibits appropriate behavior, as well as consequences for when the child is inappropriate. Educators often worry about consequencing a child for "disability" behavior. They do not want to be blamed for "punishing" a behavior that is related to the child's disability. The process of developing a behavior plan must be a team effort -- all consequences should be decided by the team. If one consequence is not effective, others will need to be considered.
It is important to note that there are certain behaviors that should NEVER be tolerated in school by ANY child. Even children who are very disabled can learn that we don't hit, kick, punch, bite, or spit in school. Behavior interventionists who are trained in applied behavior analysis can and should write positive behavior plans to address these behaviors and teach new replacement skills.
In applied behavior analysis, there are two types of consequences. Consequences come AFTER the behavior occurs. These two types are reinforcers and punishers. Reinforcers, if they are truly reinforcing to the child, make the behavior of concern stay the same or increase in frequency. There are also two types of reinforcers: positive reinforcers (what I add to the environment after the behavior occurs that causes the frequency of that behavior to stay the same or increase) and negative reinforcers (what I take away from the environment after the behavior occurs that causes the frequency of that behavior to stay the same or increase). As an example, let's say on-task behavior is the behavior of concern. If I apply a sticker on the child's chart after he completes a task, and this causes him to increase his on-task behavior, this is a positive reinforcer. Or, if I take away recess because he has not completed his work, and this causes the on-task behavior to increase, I have applied a negative reinforcer. Any behavior that is reinforced is likely to continue, thus reinforcers are very powerful in changing behavior. A tip for you is that you always want to reinforce the good behavior!
There are also two types of punishers. Punishers, if they are truly punishing for a child, make the frequency of the behavior go down. Positive punishers are what I add to the environment after the behavior occurs that causes the frequency of that behavior to decrease. Negative punishers are what I subtract from the environment after the behavior occurs that causes the frequency of that behavior to decrease. Let's say the behavior of concern is a child who touches electrical sockets. If my toddler is about to stick his fingers in an electrical socket and I yell, "Don't touch that!" and he stops, I have used a positive punisher (the addition of my loud voice command caused him to stop the behavior). If, however, I take away his favorite toy because he touched the socket, and this causes him to stop touching the socket, then I have used a negative punisher because I removed something from the environment that caused the frequency of the behavior to go down.
In conclusion, the process of finding reinforcers and consequences that work may be trial and error. As educators, you may feel that a child should receive a certain consequence for problem behavior, but the point is, if the behavior decreases with another type of consequence in place, you have achieved the same outcome! And, there will be some children where reinforcing only appropriate behavior will serve to be so effective that a punishing-type consequence will not be needed. Be flexible; try to get past the idea that all children should receive the same reinforcers and punishers. If you hang on to that belief, you will always have difficulty with kids who don't 'fit the mold.' Kids with special needs are just like kids who are typical -- what works for some does not work for others. Allowing for individualization when dealing with problem behavior, is crucial.
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