Home » 2007 Fifth Annual Conference on Health, Disability, and the Law

Cindy Jackson

Cynthia Jackson. Ed.D.
Behavioral Specialist
Indianapolis Public Schools

Practical Strategies for Behavioral Management and Compliance

Dr. Jackson began the presentation with an allegorical quotation from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland in which Alice asks the White Rabbit, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”, to which the rabbit replies, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” Writing a behavior management plan is best approached in the same manner – if we remember that the plan is designed for the child to begin managing his or her own behavior as much as possible, then the path is more clear. We need to understand the context of the learning environment or learning community, i.e., the whole school, in order to successfully problem solve how the child’s behavior relates to his or her learning and academic achievement.
First, Dr. Jackson considered a negative paradigm from the standpoint of schools that are least supportive of children with challenging behaviors, typical reactive strategies used to address behavior problems, and the problems with typical reactive strategies. (cf. Dr. Jackson's powerpoint presentation for specific points)
Dr. Jackson noted that, since unsuccessful patterns are deriving from the adult, it is the adult who needs to change his or her unsuccessful behavior patterns. Once the adult’s behavior patterns are successful, the child’s behavior will change.
Dr. Jackson countered this negative paradigm with a positive paradigm of the components of effective learning communities. (cf. Dr. Jackson's powerpoint presentation for specific points)

Dr. Jackson discussed the “behavioral triangle” metaphor that is often used to show that a system-wide program must have a strong base, meeting the needs of the 80% of students with low support needs, in order to support the moderate and high intensity needs of the other 20% of students. The 5-10% of individual student interventions (high intensity) is directly related to the effectiveness of the larger system.

Next followed an introduction to Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA), in which Dr. Jackson cited 511 IAC 7, also known as Article 7 of the Indiana Code regarding Special Education, “A behavior intervention plan shall be linked to information gathered through a functional behavioral assessment”, with special emphasis on the word, ‘linked’.
Dr. Jackson then shared a humorous, yet poignant view of the value of a proper functional behavioral assessment:
“Punitively removing the WHO (student) from the WHERE (classroom) for the WHAT (behavior) is useless without knowing WHY (function) the WHAT occurred in the first place. Thus, armed with the WHY, an effective teacher can take steps to avoid the WHEN that is triggering the WHAT so that the WHO can remain in the WHERE and learn HOW to behave appropriately.”
Dr. Jackson also went over critical vocabulary related to FBAs, circumstances under which an FBA is developed, and assumptions regarding behavior.
Behavior is:
  • related to and governed by context;
  • functional, communicative, and purposeful to individual;
  • affected by internal events;
  • influenced by factors outside the immediate context (relationships, setting events, history, culture); and
  • changeable.
Dr. Jackson noted the importance of questioning why a student exhibits certain behaviors under certain conditions or at certain times and presented a four-step FBA process to determine if there is a problem and to help with development of a behavioral intervention plan, if needed. She involved the audience in the FBA process with an imaginary case conference model. Participants each received a card containing some information about the student, which they then used to add knowledge to the group process.
Step 1. Define problem – understand the behavior.
  • What does the behavior look like? Frequency? Duration? Intensity? Location? When? Antecedents? Consequences? Unique or typical response?
  • Most importantly, is the behavior: Harmful to the student or others? Against the rules? Does it disrupt learning by taking the teacher away from class?
Step 2. Collect data
  • be sure to interview student with behavior problem, peers, parents, teachers, siblings;
  • repeated observation using running record, time sampling, and event sampling to obtain a comprehensive observation;
  • motivation analysis;
  • strength identification;
  • task analysis;
  • records & intervention review; and systematic manipulation of variables – one at a time.
Dr. Jackson encouraged variant thinking about behavior: What if we view the behavior through the lens of the student’s un-met needs, instead of the lens of the adults’ or the environments’ needs?
Step 3. Data Analysis & Hypothesis Development
  • What variables could be influencing the behavior?
  • What behavior patterns are observed?
  • What is the functional/ communicative intent of the behavior?
  • What motivates the behavior?
Dr. Jackson encouraged participants to, “Gaze at strengths...glance at weaknesses.”
Step 4. Design Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP)
  • be sure to develop a plan that is manageable for everyone and consider self-monitoring for the student to help him or her learn to manage his or her own behavior;
  • determine needs-based replacement behavior;
  • identify triggers;
  • determine skill training needed for student;
  • determine reinforcement and behavioral reduction strategies;
  • develop crisis management plan, if needed;
  • identify support services, including family;and
  • develop an evaluation plan to ensure that the plan is working or reassess and re-visit the plan, if it is not working.
Dr. Jackson noted that success comes with taking everyone’s ideas and working together.
Dr. Jackson shared a set of check sheets and information guidelines used by IPS.
Dr. Jackson noted that effective interventions respond to the student’s needs, are targeted and are based upon thorough assessment of the student and the context of instructions.
Dr. Jackson then noted that “We have a great behavioral intervention plan (BIP). Now what?”
In response to the question that she posed, Dr. Jackson identified the following steps for carrying out the BIP:
  • teach the student your expectations;
  • provide prompting and guidance;
  • set reasonable and measurable goals;
  • give immediate and frequent reinforcement to the student for engaging in the replacement behavior;
  • set up schedules that are specific to each setting;
  • consider daily activities and routines of individuals who are available to administer the intervention strategies.
  • alter the context, including instructional activities and environmental variables;
  • provide a systematic evaluation plan and monitor success using data;
  • determine time and effort to implement and monitor plan;
  • consider staff expertise and training required to administer intervention strategies;
  • think about safety;
  • review research - use evidenced-based interventions; and
  • communicate, communicate, communicate!
Dr. Jackson reiterated the importance of considering behavior in context, especially in terms of:
  • relationships between student and teacher, student and other students, school and family;
  • meeting the needs of the student;
  • diversity issues;
  • school-wide behavioral expectations;
  • classroom management - degree of student engagement and on-task behavior by the teacher;
  • evidence of use of research-based instructional strategies; and
  • skill-based education to encourage independence and self-direction in learners.
Dr. Jackson shared a valuable statement about responsibility:
“Responsibility = the capacity to reflect on actions + the capacity to weigh choices + the capacity to make sen-sible judgements + the capacity to act accordingly and with intention.”
She concluded with a quotation from The Medicine Bag by Virginia “Driving Hawk” Snede:
“The circle is a sacred symbol of life…Individual parts within the circle connect with every other; and what happens to one, or what one part does, affects all within the circle.” - creating an effective learning environment improves the circle of learning for everyone.
 
Recommended resources:
http://www.pbis.org (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)
http://www.interventioncentral.org (Classroom management support site for teachers.)
http://www.behavioradvisor.com (Behavior discussion forum for teachers.)
http://www.cecp.air.org (Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice)
http://www.nasponline.org (National Association of School Psychologists)

Words of Wisdom:
Train teachers and parents.
Make sure that rules are reasonable.
Get everyone on the same page.
Sharing information helps everyone, withholding information hurts everyone.

Recommended reading about diversity:
Courageous Conversations about Race by Glenn Singleton
 
Biography of Dr. Jackson:
 
Cynthia Jackson, Ph.D.
Indianapolis Public Schools
 
Dr. Jackson currently works as a behavioral specialist with Indianapolis Public Schools. She has worked with IPS Special Education Department for 14 years. In her position, she provides professional development regarding practices for supporting students with disabilities, including issues of compliance, and provides programmatic support for teachers, students, and parents. She has also served as a special education consultant with the Indiana Department of Education, has taught at IUPUI and Ball State, and has participated on the Board of Directors of the Peace Learning Center, MCCOY, and the Marion County Mental Health Association. During her professional career, she has focused upon creating opportunities for children, especially those with emotional and behavioral challenges, to receive the supports that they need to achieve academically and socially.