Inclusive Intervention Strategies

Students With Emotionaland Behavioral DisordersCan Manage TheirOwn BehaviorBeverly Patton • KrisUne Jolivette • Michelle Ramsey

•5,

For the 5th day in a row, you arrive atschool only to find your third-grade stu-dent, Chris, in the principal's office.Tbday, the art teacher caught Chrispushing and shoving the studentsaround him in the breakfast line.

Three times this week, Alexa hasbeen sent to you, her case manager,because she refused lo begin her workin class. Today, the iOth grader arrivedduring third period witii a note from thegeneral education teacher stating shecrumpled up her quiz, threw It on thefloor, and refused to pick it up. You havetried everything you know to do. Whatnow? {See box, "What Does the Litera-ture Say About Managing Students WithEmotional and Behavioral Disorders?")

Connecflons Between SeK-Management cmd SfudentiWilh EmoMonal/BehcnrloralDtsonIeK (E/BD)

Students with E/BD often display one ormore of the following characteristics.These characteristics must be displayedover a long period of time, to a markeddegree, and adversely affect educationalperformance.

• An inability lo learn that cannot beexplained by intellectual, sensory, orhealth factors.

• An inability to build or maintain sat-isfactory interpersonal relationshipswith peers or teachers.

• Inappropriate types of behavior orfeelings under normal circum-stances.

• A general pervasive mood of unhap-piness or depression.

• A tendency to develop physicalsymptoms or fears associated withpersonal or schooi problems, tlndi-viduals with Disabilities EducationImprovement Act, IDEA, 2004, CFR300.7 (a) 9].

Teachers and service providersshould note that displaying one or moreof these characteristics could lead tofailure to achieve maximum academicand/or social potential.

This article illustrates how teacherscan Implement self-management in theclassroom. For illustration, we use twohypothetical case studies based onclassroom experiences: (a) A studentwith E/BD and academic challengesand (b) A student with E/BD with socialchallenges. When teachers implementself-management with fidelity, undesir-able student behaviors can be replacedwith more desirable student behaviors(McQuillan & DuPaul, 1996); thus, thisapproach may positively affect academ-ic and social student potential.

Chris: A Cose StuilyChris is a third-grade student with E/BDwho attends a small public school in asuburb of a large southeastern city.Chris's permanent records show that.since age 3. he has had a history ofbeing aggressive towards his peers andadulls. Chris is currently being served ina self-comained classroom alongsideother students with E/BD, leaving theclassroom only for physical education(RE.), lunch, and art (approximately 1hour/day). According to recent assess-ments, Chris has average to above-aver-age IQ and performs on grade level.Chris currently lives with both of hisparents and his older sister. He plays onthe community soccer team and isinvolved witli Cub Scouts.

Chris's Behavior

During transitions at school, Cliris oftenkicks his peers to get items he wants, isverbally aggressive, hits or pinchesthem if they approach, and pushes themwhen the teacher is not looking. Theparents of Chris's peers have called theschool complaining that Chris bulliestheir children, and they have demandedthat the school and his teacher do some-thing about him. Suppose you are hiscase manager. What can you do? Chriswill behave for a few minutes, but assoon as you turn your back, he is

14 • COUNCIL TOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILOREN

behaving inappropriately again. You areat the end of your rope. As you seekassistance from the other special educa-tion teachers at your school, a colleaguesuggests you try a self-tnanagementstrategy with Chris.

Self-managemeni is a practical andpowerful tool for changing behavior.

Procedures for ImplemenHng aSelf-Management Plan for Chris

Here are five steps we have found use-ful for implementing a successful self-management plan for a student likeChris (see box, "Steps for Implementinga Self-Management Plan"). You, alongwith other teachers who work withChris, can write a self-management planand teach Chris to implemem it, as fol-lows:

1. Identify and operationally define thebehavior to be changed. The targetbehavior is to decrease Chris's inap-propriate aggressive behaviors dur-ing transitions. We began by statingexactly what "inappropriate" aggres-sive behaviors for Chris looked like.Then, we described transition timesas times when the entire class is withChris in the hallway moving betweenthe classroom and P.E., lunch, andart. To make sure Chris understoodwhat the appropriate behaviorswere, we phrased them at his lan-guage level, as follows:

• Keep hands and feet to yourself.

• Talk softly or not at all.

• Walk.

• Stay in line with at least onearms-length from the person infront of you.

• Speak appropriately.

This step is linked to the componentsof self-evaluation.

2. Determine the criteria for mastery,using baseline data. To determinecriteria for Chris's behavioralchange, we gathered baseline data.We collected these observationaldata before introducing the self-man-

What Does the Literature Soy About Managing Students With Emotionaland Behavioral Disorders?

New special education teachers often cite managing student behavior as the mostproblematic issue, especially for teachers of students with emotional and behavioraldisorders (E/BD), Students with E/BD usually have difficulty managing their behav-ior within the context of the classroom, as well as during routine transitions. Thesestudents may display aggression, impulsivjty, noncompliance, and distractibilitythat results in poor academic achievement (Carr & Punzo, 1993) and a disruptivelearning environment.

An inexperienced teacher often spends much time focused on managing behav-ior of the students, rather than focused on academic instruction if effective behav-ior management practices are not implemented. Student self-management is a tech-nique that has been proven effective in transferring responsibility of a student'sbehavior from the teacher to the student (Carr & Punzo. 1993J. Likewise, researchhas also suggested that self-management strategies can produce improvement.̂ inacademic productivity and on-task behavior, as well as a reduction of inappropriatebehavior (Reid. TVout. & Schariz. 2005).

Self-management includes three components: self-monitoring, self-evaluation,and self-reinforcement (Allinder, Boiling, Oats, & Gagnon. 2000; Carr & Punzo.1993).

• Self-monitoring refers to the process of self-observation and self-recording.

• Self-evaluation is the process of comparing the self-monitoring data to the indi-viduals' standards for behavior.

• Self-reinforcement is the act of delivering a consequence that has reinforcingqualities.

For example, McQuillan and DuPaul (1996) found that 66% of students withE/BD in their study responded more favorably to self-managemenl strategies thanto interventions imposed and controlled by teachers. According to Schloss andSmith (1998), self-management is (a) a practical and powerful tool for changingbehavior; (b) a tool that frees the teacher from primarily reacting to inappropriatestudent behavior to actually teaching; (c) a cost-effective tool that requires minimalenergy to teach and implement; and (d) a tool that students with different abilities,grades, and disabilities can use. Because self-management techniques have beenvalidated and have systematic implementation procedures, results from Reid et al.(2005) suggested that teachers can use self-management techniques as part of a suc-cessful behavior managemeni plan.

agement plan to Chris. Chris's teach-ers monitored him during all hallwaytransitions for 3 days and noted howfrequently he displayed inappropri-ate aggressive behaviors. On average.Chris displayed 52% inappropriateaggressive behaviors.

Self-management includes threecomponents: self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement

3. Discusii appropriate and inappropri-ate behaviors with the student and

reasons for the self-managementplan. Chris's appropriate and inap-propriate behaviors are discussedindividually with him. The baselinedata that were collected are dis-cussed with Chris and together wedeveloped his goal (criteria for mas-tery). He is shown pictures of stu-dents behaving in appropriate waysand in inappropriate ways. Figure 1provides examples of pictures shownlo Chris as a reminder of appropriateversus inappropriate behaviors. Thisstep is linked to the components ofself-evaluation.

We also explained the benefits ofself-management to Chris and asked

TEACHING ExcETOONAL CHILDREN • NOV/DEC 2006 • 15

FIgur* 1. Chart of Illustrated! Appropriate and Inappropriate Behaviors

Behaviors Appropriate Inappropriate

Keep your hands and feet toyourself

Talk softly or not at all

Walk

Stay in line with at least onearms length from the personin front of you

rsil

speak appropriately

16 • COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

that he commit to the procedure.Teachers know the reasons iheybelieve their students can benefitfrom self-management, but theyneed to consider reasons studentswill perceive as beneficial (King-Sears & Bonfils. 1999). First, if Chrisspends less time engaging in theseinappropriate behaviors, he wouldbe sent to the office less. If he is inclass more, he may receive bettergrades. Second, each time Chrisengages in inappropriate behavior,the line is stopped and his peers losetime from the activities they enjoy(e.g., art, lunch, P,E.). Reducingthese behaviors would decrease theteasing from his classmates. Wehoped thai Chris would come upwith these reasons himself, but hecould not, so we explained them tohim. During this step, Chris signed acontract stating that he was interest-ed in pariicipating in a self-manage-ment plan. Figure 2 is a sample con-tract Chris signed.

4. Introduce the system for self-manage-ment.

5. Provide guided practice. Steps 4 and 5occurred together, The teachershowed Chris all components of theself-management plan; self-monitor-ing, self-evaluation, and self-rein-forcement. Chris's teacher explainedto him that at the end of each transi-tion (class to art, an to class, class tolunch, etc.), Chris would be given

Steps for ImplemenHng aSelf-Management Plan

1. Identify and operationally definethe behavior to be changed.

2. Determine the criteria formastery, using baseline data.

3. Discuss appropriate andinappropriate behaviors withthe student and reasons for theself-management plan.

4. Introduce ihe system for self-management.

5. Provide guided practice.

Figure 3. CotiffracI te Leam and U«e SeH-Monageraent(ilementary Student)

Directions: Circle your answer.

1. 1 think I need to have better behavior in the haJIs.

2. I want to have better behavior.

3. 1 wish I got in trouble less.

4. I want to learn the self-management plan.

If you circled No to anything, write one sentence why:

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

I agree that I want to try the self-management plan.

Your signature: .

Teacher signature:

his self-monitoring sheet. The sheethad a space for him to circle whetheror not he displayed the five appropri-ate behaviors. If an appropriatebehavior matched with what theteacher scored, Chris would earn apoint. Even if Chris marked that heengaged in an inappropriate behav-ior and the teacher marked it asappropriate. Chris would not earn apoint. Even though the teacher mightfeel Chris engaged in an appropriatebehavior, we wanted to teach Christo be aware of his own behavior andto know the difference betweenappropriate and inappropriate. IfChris marked that he engaged in anappropriate behavior, but the teachermarked it as inappropriate, Chriswould lose a point. If Chris engagedin an inappropriate behavior andmarked it correctly, his data were notchanged. Figure 3 shows Chris's self-monitoring sheet for his transitionfrom class to art.

At the end of each transition, Chriswas asked to self-evaluate. He wasgiven a sheet identical lo this one, withteacher-recorded behaviors. He com-

pared his answers to his teacher's andawarded himself points based on thecriteria.

If Chris earned at least four pointsfor the transition, he could reinforcehimself by selecting from a set of rein-forcers he had agreed to: (a) eating withthe teacher at lunch, (b) being the lineleader, (c) being able to use the specialpaint in art, and (d) being first in linefor lunch. The teacher also closely mon-itored the self-reinforcement plan toensure that Chris was appropriatelyreinforcing himself. We decided thatthis reinforcement should be immediatefor Chris so that he could make the con-nection between appropriate behaviorand positive reinforcement.

As time went by and Chris becamemore effective al using the self-manage-ment plan, Chris's teacher allowed himto use the plan independently with peri-odic teacher monitoring. This self-man-agement plan allowed Chris to takeresponsibility for his behavior in hopethat he would become completely inde-pendent in managing his own behaviorusing the components of self-monitor-ing, self-evaluation, and self-reinforce-ment.

TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN • NOV/DEC 2006 • 17

3. SaH-Montterlng Form lor Chris

Self-monitoring form for; Chris Date:

Class to Art

Didl. . .

. . . keep my hands and feet to myself? Yes No

stay quiet? Yes No

walk? Yes No

. . . stay in line? Yes No

speak appropriately? Yes No

Number Yes (matches teacher)

Number No [matches teacher)

Number Yes that teacher marked No

Number No that teacher marked Yes

.(one point earned)

_ (no points earned)

(minus one point)

(no points earned)

Total Points:

: A Cose Stuiiy

Alexa is a lOth-grade student at a largeinner-city high school. She receivesE/BD-related services and spends themajority of her day in the general edu-cation setting. Alexa spends time in theE/BD classroom only when the generaleducation teachers observe inappropri-ate behavior. Alexa lives with her moth-er and her mother's boyfriend. Alexa'sbiological father passed away 3 yearsago. Recent test scores show that Alexais performing at grade level.

Alexa's Behavior

Alexa has difficulties completing workin her generai education math ciass. Ifshe comes to a problem that is difficultfor her, she will put her pencil downand either put her head on her desk ortalk to a fellow student. When givendirections by the teacher, she often isnoncompiiant, resulting in being sent tosee her case manager or to the office.Alexa could benefit from a seif-manage-ment plan centering on academicbehavior to keep her on task. Her teach-ers hoped that the self-managementplan would assist her with her on-taskbehaviors, mcrease her compliance dur-ing math class, and allow her to com-plete more assignments.

Procedures for implementing aSelf-Management Plan for Alexa

The procedures for implementing a self-management plan for an academicbehavior for a high school student issimilar to implementing the social self-management plan for an elementarystudent (as was the case of Chris). Thefive steps remain the same, and Alexa'sself-management plan follows:

1. Identify and operationally define thebehavior to be changed. In Alexa'ssituation, the target behavior was toincrease her on-task behavior inmath class. The following aredescriptions of on-task behavior forAlexa:

• Working quietly, independently,and consistently on assignments.

• Participating in class discussionsby contributing relevant (e.g.,about the content) information.

• Staying in her seat.

18 • COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

• Following directions within 5 s ofthe direction given (King-Sears &Bonfils, 1999).

• This step is linked to the compo-nents of self-evaluation.

2. Determine the criteria for mastery.using baseline data. The criteria forAlexa's mastery were determined inthe same manner in which the crite-ria for mastery were determined forChris. The teacher recorded baselineobservational data during math classfor 3 days. During the period, at 10-min intervals, the teacher recorded ifAlexa was engaged in the targetbehaviors. The teacher calculatedthe percentage of time that Alexawas engaged in the appropriate tar-get behavior. Figure 4 shows Alexa'sbaseline data and the appropriategoals set for her.

3. Discuss appropriate and inappropri-ate behaviors with the student andreasons for the self-managementplan. Next, the teacher conferencedwith Alexa to discuss her appropriateand inappropriate behaviors. Shealso discussed the data collected andpotential goals. Alexa was an integralpart of the goal-setting process; sheand the teacher set a realistic yetchallenging goal for the targetedbehavior. The teacher showed Alexavideos of students engaging inappropriate and inappropriatebehaviors related to being on task.The teacher asked Alexa to verbalizethe differences between the targetbehaviors and inappropriate behav-iors. Alexa also observed her peers(guided by the teacher) and identi-fied differences between appropriaieand inappropriate peer behavior.This step is linked to the componentsof self-evaluation.

The teacher elicited Alexa's moti-vation to learn about self-manage-ment by identifying benefits shecould expect if she increased her on-task behaviors. One benefit Alexaidentified was being able to finishmore work in class and thereforehaving less homework. If she spentmore time during class being ontask, her classwork would improve,

Figure 4. Baseline Data and Goals for Alexa

Behavior Average Goal

Working on assignment

Participating in class discussion

Staying seated

Following directions

more learning would occur, and hergrades would improve. Alexa consid-ered other benefits, such as bettergrades leading to more reinforcementat home, being allowed to obtain adriver's license, and having opportu-nities to participate in school activi-ties.

The teacher and Alexa developeda contract indicating Alexa's interestin learning and participation withthe self-management plan. The con-tract is similar to the contract usedfor Chris, but was written in moremature language for Aiexa. Figure 5is an example of Alexa's contract.

30%

20%

40%

20%

50%

40%

60%

50%

4. Introduce the system for self-manage-ment.

5. Provide guided practire. Again, Steps4 and 5 were concurrent. The systemof self-management for a high schoolstudent was somewhat differenlfrom the self-management system foran elementary-age student. For theself-monitoring aspect of self-man-agement during math class, Alexahad an index card on her desk. Shealso had a small timer set at 10-minintervals. She was instructed thateach time the timer reached zero,she was to self-monitor and recordon her card whether she was

Figure 5. Contract to Loam and Use SeH-Management(Secondary Student)

Directions: Circle your answer.

1, I want to make better grades in math class. Yes No

2, I understand what on-task behavior is. Yes No

3. I understand that my on-task behavior influencesmy grades. Yes No

4. 1 will try the self-management plan to the bestof my ability. Yes No

Write one sentence telling why you want to change your behavior:

If you answered no to any of the questions, write one sentence telling why:

I agree to implement the self-management as described to me.

Student signature: _ ,

Teacher signature:

TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN • NOV/DEC 2006 • 19

Figure 6. 5c If-Monitoring Chart lor Aloxa

Behavior 1st 10 min 2nd 10 min 3rd 10 min 4lh 10 min Sth 10 min 6th 10 min

Work quietlyon assignments

Participate in

class discussion

Stay seated

Followdirections

Place a check mark ( • ) in the box if you are on task when the timer reaches zero. Place an X in the box if you are noton task when the timer reaches zero.

•Don't forget to reset the timer!!** DO YOUR BEST!!**'

engaged in appropriate behavior or

not. The general education teacher

covertly monitored this self-monitor-

ing skill using proximity and eye-

gaze. On Alexa's index card, she

made a check mark in the appropri- recorded it on her self-evaluation chartate box (see Figure 6).

For the self-evaluation component of

self-management, Alexa calculated the

percentage of time she was on task and

(see Figure 7). This not only gave her

practice in managing her own behavior,

it also gave her an opportunity to prac-

tice basic math skills.

Figure 7. SoH-lvaluatlon Chart for Alexa

Behavior Monday luesd.iv Woinesday Thiirsd.iv rrid.i>

Work quietlyon assignments

Participate inclass discussion

Stay seated

Followdirections

I met masterytoday

yesno

yesno

yesno

yesno

yesno

Determine the percentage you were on task for each behavior for each day of the week and record it in thecorresponding box. Circle "yes" if you met mastery for the day and "no" if you did not.

MasteryWork quietly on assignments: 50%Participate in class discussion: 40%Stay seated: 60%Follow directions: 50%

20 • COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

Last, the self-reinforcement compo-nent of Alexa's self-management planinvolved her being able to positivelyreinforce herself. At the end of the day,when Alexa met with her special educa-tion teacher, if she had met the criteriafor mastery, she chose a previouslyagreed-on reinforcer from a list.

ImpllcoHon for PrcKHceAs is seen here, teachers can use self-management pians with students of allages and for both social and academicbehaviors. When considering using self-management techniques within theclassroom, a teacher should considerthe following factors:

• Start small and think simple.Choose a behavior that can be oper-ationalized and easily definable bythe student. The age, developmen-tal, and maturity level of the studentis an important factor when consid-ering what behaviors can bechanged with self-managementtechniques. Regardless, only a fewbehaviors should be targeted forchange at a time.

• Expect students to inaccurately reporttheir appropriate or inappropriatebehaviors at first. The teacher willneed to covertly monitor students asthey reward their behaviors at thebeginning of the self-managementprogram. Students should not bereprimanded for incorrectly report-ing their behaviors, but teachers canview such incidents as "teachablemoments" to discuss and clarifywhat constitutes an appropriatebehavior, the reason it is importantto display appropriate behaviors,and the reasons it is important tomonitor and report behaviors accu-rately.

• Remember tliat the goal of self-man-agement is to encourage students tobecome more intrinsically motivated,as opposed to extrinsically motivat-ed. Therefore, it is important thatteachers encourage students in thebeginning of self-managementimplementation and then fade thisencouragement as the students

become more successful with theirindividual self-management plans.

FinalSelf-management can be a successfulbehavior management strategy whenused individually for students withE/BD (Carr & Punzo, 1993; McQuillan &DuPaul. 1996). Self-management strate-gies can be used with a variety ofbehaviors: writing quality and quantity,math fluency, engaged time, on-taskbehavior, aggressive behaviors, andsocial behaviors (Schoiss & Smith,1998). Self-management strategiesallow students to take ownership oftheir behavior, involve them in theprocess of determining whether they aredisplaying appropriate behaviors, com-pare their behaviors to the preset crite-ria, and reinforce themselves appropri-ately.

The constant feedback enables acomparison between what the studentis doing and what he or she should bedoing. This, in turn, serves as a cue tomaintain or increase appropriatebehavior as well as change or decreaseinappropriate behavior (Reid et al..2005). As such, self-management is aviable strategy to embed within thepositive behavioral support frameworkand coiUd be tised at the schoolwide,classroom, or individual level as ameans to increase student ownership oftheir behavior. In addition, self-man-agement can be interfaced within a stu-dent's behavior inten^ention plan (BIP)as the self-reinforcement can be linkeddirectly to the function of the student'sbehavior.

The goal of a self-managementplan is lo encourage studentindependence in behaving

more appropriately andsucceeding in school.

Self-management can increase thelikelihood that students will engage inmore appropriate behaviors than inap-propriate behaviors [Carr & Punzo,

1993). Finally, self-management is apositive and proactive strategy that canbe used with students with E/BD.

RoforencesAllinder. R. M.. Boiling, R. M.. Oats. R. G.. &

Gdgnon, W. A. (2000J. Effects of teacher

se!f-monitoring on implementation of cur-

ricu111m-based measurement and mathe-

matics computation achievemeni of stu-

dents with disabilities. Remedial and

Special Ecliication, 21{4). 219-226.

Carr, S. C, & Punzo, R. P. [1993). The effects

of self-monitoring of academic accuracy

and productivity on the performance of

students with behavioral disorders.

Behavioral Disorders, 1B[4), 241-251.

Individuals With Disabilities Education

improvement Acl Amendments of 2004.

PL. 108-446. 105th Congress, 1st Session.

King-Sears, M. E., & Bonfils, K. A. (1999).

Self-management for middle school stu-

dents with LD and ED. Intewentton in

School and Clink, S5(l], 96-107.

McQuillan, K.. & DuPaul. G. J. (1996). Class-

room performance of students with seri-

ous emotional disturbance: A comparative

study of evaluation methods for behavior

management. Journal of Emotional &

Behavioral Disorders. 4[3). 162-170.

Reid. R.. TVout, A. L.. & Schartz. M. (2005).

Self-regulation interventions for children

with attention deficit/hyperactivity disor-

der. Fjxeptional Children, 71. 361-377.

Schloss, P. J.. & Smith, M. A. (1998). Applied

behavior analysis in the classroom [2nd

ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Atiyn &

Bacon.

Beverly Patlon (CEC GA Federation) Clinical

Instructor/Doctoral Student: Kristine Jolivette

fCEC GA Federation). Assistant Professor:

and Michelle Ramsey (CEC GA Federation),

Doctoral Student Department of Educational

Psychology and Special Education, Georgia

State University. Atlanta.

Address correspondence to Beverly Ritton,

Department of Educational Psychology and

Special Education, Georgia State University.

P.O. Box 3979, Atlanta, GA 30302-3979

(e-mail: bpatton@gsu.^u).

TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vol. 39.

No. 2, pp. 14-21.

Copyright 2006 CEC.

TEACHING ExcEPTiONAt. CHILDREN • NOV/DKC 2006 • 21