Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Function-Driven Problem Solving: Tools & Process for Teachers to Address Emerging and Repeated Behavior Issues

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Function-Driven Problem Solving: Tools & Process for Teachers to Address Emerging

and Repeated Behavior Issues in the Classroom

NJ PBSIS is a collaboration between the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and The

Boggs Center, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. NJ PBSIS is funded through the I.D.E.A. 2004, Part B Funds.

NJ PBSISHelping Schools Build Systems of

Support

• PBSIS is a collaboration between the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and the Boggs Center, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Pediatrics.

State Training Team:

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• Sharon Lohrmann, Ph.D• Bill Davis, M.Ed• Scott McMahon, MSW

• Paula Raigoza, M.Ed• Blair Rosenthal, Ph.D

NJ DOE – OSEP Coordinator:


Support

Purpose

• The purpose of this session is to provide teachers with tools and a process for planning function-based supports at the classroom level for students engaging in patterns of problem behavior not responsive to classroom interventions. A case example and practice activities will illustrate application of the session content.

At the end of this session participants will…

1. …know how to operationally define a target behavior

2. …know the parts of a behavior pattern [setting events- antecedent-behavior-consequence]

3. …develop a When-What-In Order To-Because statement

4. …use the Intervention Planner to select function-driven interventions

Guiding Principle to this Session

• How can we use function driven problem solving to select interventions that have the greatest possibility of success?

– Using a systematic process to gather information– Applying a behavior pattern framework to interpret the

information collected– Selecting interventions based on a hypothesis that

explains why behavior is occurring

Beyond Class Management Strategies

• When a student is engaging in behavior over time and inconsistently responding to typical class level strategies:

1. Define the behavior operationally 2. Document a baseline3. Reflect on recent occurrences to identify the variables most

typically associated

4. Construct a hypothesis statement to explain function 5. Select interventions based on function

6. Implement interventions7. Document response to intervention8. Adjust intervention strategies as needed

Behavior Pattern

VocabularyExplanation

Setting Event (Before, During &

After)

A broad range of environmental and personal circumstances that undermine our ability to cope and self manage emotional responses by altering reinforcement value

Antecedent(Before)

Events that immediately precede an occurrence of behavior (referred to as a trigger)

Behavior What the student says and does (Verbs)

Consequence(During & After)

What adults say & do:•Immediate responses•Delayed responses

Reinforcement The effect the consequence has on future occurrences of behavior by getting the student something they want or getting out of something unpleasant. Often referred to as the ‘payoff’ for the behavior

Hypothesis or Function

Statement

A succinct ‘when’ ‘what’ ‘in order’ statement that explains the behavior pattern in context

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Antecedent Trigger

What happensright before the

behavior

Behavior

What the student

says & does

Verbs notadjectives

Immediate Response

What adults & peers say & do in the moment in response to the student’s

behavior

Setting Events: A broad range of environmental and personal circumstances that undermine our ability to cope and self manage emotional responses by altering reinforcement value

•Reinforcement history with people or settings•Medical-physiological Issues•Structure & organization of the environment•Relationships & social support with adults•Peer networks•Social & cultural influences

Delayed Response

What adults & peers say & do as a result of

the behavior at a temporally delayed time

Function: what the student is trying to ‘get’ or ‘get out of’ and explains why that outcome is important or relevant to the student

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Operationally Define the Target Behavior


Support

• The first and most important step to intervention planning is to have an operational definition of behavior:

– Allows you to more accurately document baseline and progress

– Allows you to convey concerns using precise and judgment free language

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Operational Define the Target Behavior

1111


• What does the student say & do that is a concern?

• Characteristics of a measurable target behavior definition:

– Verb-driven– Smallest possible action – Quantifiable

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• It often helps to write out one or two recent occurrences of behavior using a ‘step by step’ approach to flush out the nuances of what is happening.

• Think through step by step what happened. – What was the context?– What did the student do – how did you respond– What did the student do next – how did you respond– Continue until the incident reaches a conclusion

Context What Jason did How people responded

The bell rang

I was instructing the class to take out their notebooks when Jason walked into class

1. As he entered class he yelled “Yo! What’s up?” to another student

2. Jason did not acknowledge my instructions and continued walking to his seat

3. When he arrived at his seat, he dropped his bag on the floor and leaned over and said something to the girl next to him.

4. Jason made a noise, rolled his eyes, and shook his head.

5. Jason did not begin working, he was looking around and periodically made comments to other students. He looked my way several times.

6. Jason began arguing with me, commenting that the work was a waste of time, he made several rude comments

7. He said ‘You be quiet’, rolled his eyes, folded his arms, kicked the desk in front of him

1. The student smiled and nodded an acknowledgement to Jason

2. I asked Jason why he was late and told him to take off his hat and put in on his desk

3a. The girl rolled her eyes and turned away

3b. I started the class on an assignment and walked over to Jason. I told him to put his hat away and instructed him to begin the assignment.

4. I prompted again to get started and walked away checking on other students.

5. I returned to Jason and once again prompted him to begin working

6. Other students stopped working and were looking over. I instructed Jason to make a “good choice” about participating and that if he wasn’t going to work he needed to sit quietly.

7. I told him to gather up his things and sent him to the VP’s office

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Definition for Jason

Signals that there may be a problem

Has a look of disquiet on his face Fidgets with objects Arrives late to class Does not follow prompts or directions to the class

Initial occurrence looks like:

Stops working Puts head down Does not initiate following a personalized prompt Makes comments during instruction Blames others

Peak occurrence looks like

Cursing or rude comments Continually calling out Making noises with mouth or objects Persistent with trying to have the last word Leaves assigned area/wander Confrontational when actions are addressed

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Self Check: Critique the Definition for Jason

• Review the definition for Jason:

• Are you able to get a mental picture of what Jason is doing?

• Did we use verbs?– If not, make a suggestion

• Did we use the smallest possible action? – If not, make a suggestion

• Could we keep a tally of these behaviors?

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Strategies for Documenting a Baseline


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Document a Baseline

• Document baseline over a two week period (minimum)

• Representative Sample: Vary when data is collected to sample across routines, activities, locations, time of day, and days of the week, etc.

• Use peer comparisons: what is the frequency of this behavior in comparison to other students in the class

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Recording Baseline

Type Characteristics Example

• Event Recording

How many times does

the behavior occur?

• You can count the number of times• Has a distinguishable start and end• Smallest possible action

• Michael called out comments 6 times during a 15 minute whole group instruction lesson

Considerations for Use:•Use rubber bands, paperclips, post it notes, white board tally mark during instruction•Focus on 1 behavior (or behavior group) at a time•Keep length of ‘recording time’ balanced across days (e.g., 20 minutes of math, 20 minutes of language arts, etc.)•Summarize with an average

• On average out of seat occurred 3 times per class (range of 0-5)

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Monday3/31

Tuesday4/1

Wednesday 4/2

Thursday4/3

Friday4/4

///*R NDC 0 NDC //

Monday4/7

Tuesday4/8

Wednesday 4/9

Thursday4/10

Friday4/11

NDC // NDC // //

Student: Jason

Instructions: Please use the calendar below to record the number of times the target behavior occurred in your class. The behavior definition and clarifications for recording an occurrence are on the reverse of this form.

Teacher Tally Recording Example

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Looking for Patterns

• Scatterplots, tables, graphs and charts are great ways to look for patterns in collected data.

• Scatterplots can make sense of data collected over time by matrixing occurrence, date and routine

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Sample Data Form for Jason’s Teacher

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Date: Wed 4/2

Class Routine Number of times the behavior occurred during the routine

Arrival to class / 1Do Now 0

HW submission /// 3Whole group // 2

Indep. Task // 2 R (sent to office)Group work

RDebrief R

Wrap Up 0 Daily Total 8 R

Scatterplot Example for a Class Routine

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Mon 3/31 Wed 4/2 Fri 4/4 Tue 4/8 Wed 4/9 Totals Arrival to

class0

10

1

02

Do Now 1 0 1 01

3

HW submission

1 11 1 1 5

Whole group 22

3R1

2 312R1

Indep. Task 3 2R1 R

3 2 10 R1

Group work

1 R R 0 0 1

Debrief

0R R 0 0

0Wrap Up

0R R 0 0

0Daily Total 8 6

R5R

7 7 35R2

Yellow: 0 occurrence Green: 1 Occurrence Blue: 2 or more occurrences

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Example Baseline Statements

• A total of 35 occurrences of behavior were recorded for 5 class periods over 8 school days. On average Jason engaged in 7 occurrences of behavior per class period (r=5-8)

• On two occasions Jason was sent to the office.

• Target behaviors, most often occurred during the homework submission, whole group and independent work routines.– Homework submission: 5 occurrences total; 1x per class period – Whole group:12 occurrences total; Removed 1x; Average 2x per class

period (r=2-3)– Independent work: 10 occurrences total; Removed 1x; Average 2x per

class period (r=2-3)23

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Reflecting on Recent Occurrences of Behavior


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Function Based Information Tool (FBIT)

• Helps us to reflect on the most typical setting events, antecedents and consequences that are occurring

• Organizes our thinking into a succinct WHEN WHAT IN ORDER TO statement that provides a working frame for selecting strategies

• Take out the sample F-BIT for Jason. Let’s review the different sections and how a teacher would use this tool

Practice Activity

• Review the antecedent triggers section of Jason’s F-BIT

• Based on this teacher’s completion pattern, make a list of the antecedent conditions she identified a commonly problematic for Jason

• Next make a list of the most typical responses the teacher is using

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Construct a Hypothesis


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Most often, Problem Behaviors Occur Because:1. The expectations or routines are unclear or inconsistent “I

don’t know what to do or how to do it”; “It doesn’t matter, you don’t get in trouble if you…”

2. There is a mismatch between the student’s academic level and the material/tasks presented “I’m frustrated and embarrassed”

3. The student has an unmet social-emotional need “I’m lonely”; “Nobody likes me”

4. The students lack the skills necessary to meet the expectations “I don’t know how to do it”; “I don’t know how to express it”

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At this point you should have:

• An operational definition of the behavior

• A baseline summarized into the ‘average’ occurrence (frequency, duration, etc.)

• A list of the most typical antecedent/setting events

• A list of positives/strengths/what works

The next step:

• Pull the information together to develop a hypothesis that is organized into a succinct statement explaining why behavior is occurring:

– WHEN:– WHAT:– In ORDER TO:– BECAUSE:

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Understanding Behavior Patterns

Most behaviors serve one of two functions:

– To get something (obtain) • Such as: attention, objects, sensory regulation

– To get out/ away from something (escape)• Such as: tasks, embarrassment, people

• Once we understand the function….we can come up with interventions

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Most Typical Ant. Triggers

Whole group listening Whole group Q & APrompt to follow a directionReading tasksWriting tasksChallenging tasksPrompt to start or keep workingPrompt to turn in workAsked to account for behaviorAsked to comply with school rule

BehaviorsNot initiating after personal prompts;Stopped working;Put head down;Commenting during instruction; Talking during work routine;Cursing/Rude Comments;Calling out;Trying to have the last word, Arguing or debating;Left assigned area;Made noises with mouth or objects

Immediate Response

RedirectionsReprimandsAssistanceWork ModificationRemoval from area

Delayed Response

Meets with VPDetention

OSS

Function What is Jason trying to tell us?

Setting Events Large settings, unstructured settings

Transitions that require moving from one location to another

Appears unmotivated for academics; not internalizing the benefits of learning;

Learning is a struggle– academics are hard for him

Hard time letting go after incidents (let’s things brew/stew). The effects of an incident will linger in his disposition all day

Difficulty managing tasks, projects and assignments

Self-conscious about what other people think of him

Tips for Writing a Function Statement:

• The function statement provides a working explanation for why the student is having problems

• Look for persistently re-occurring information or themes

• Consider how pieces of information fit together to explain what is happening

• Consider what might be the underlying reasons to explain the function

• Draft the function statement like you are writing a story

Function Statement Should Include

• When [antecedent triggers]:

• What: [student behavior]

• In order to: [consequences + function]

• Because: [setting event explanation]

Explanations with Meaning

• OK:– The function is to escape work

• Better:– The function is to escape work that is challenging

and frustrates her• Now we’re talking:

– The function is to escape work that is challenging because vision impairments makes it difficult to see text, adults hovering makes her feel pressured, and work routines don’t take into consideration her need for intermittent movement

Let’s Practice: Function Statement for Jason

• Because: Jason (a) is experience home life instability, (b) has difficulty managing tasks and materials, (c) is a struggling reader and (d) is self conscious of his social image

• When this happens….

• What: he…..

• In order to…

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Linking Function to Interventions


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Approaching the Intervention Selection Process

• Once a function statement if formulated, we can begin the process of selecting interventions

• Interventions should be thought of as a ‘package of strategies’ that complement each facet of the behavior pattern

MODIFY Antecedent

Triggers

•Modification of antecedent triggers we know are a problem for Jason

TEACH Replacement Skills to:

•Handle stressful situations

•Enhance academic performance

•Help Jason be prepared for class

REINFORCEDesired

Behaviors

•Increase social praise ratio

•Develop an incentive system to increase motivation

Setting Event Interventions :

•What to do when it is obvious Jason is having a difficult day?•What academic interventions are needed to address missing skills – foundation knowledge?•How can we increase the adult social support he receives?

Use CONSISTENT

Responses

•Implement a consistent redirection protocol across staff

•What is said

•How it is said

Using the Intervention Planner

• Build plans based on combinations of strategies to address the student’s needs

• Where appropriate, consider using strategies class-wide

• Use the Intervention Planner to select strategies that:– Pass the function test– Use what you already know works– Are linked to variables in each feature of the behavior patter

Let’s Practice Using the Intervention Planner

• The complete Intervention Planner is available on the flash drive you received with your registration materials.

• Today we will practice how to select strategies to use during whole group instruction:– Strategies to prevent behavior: if we can predict it, we

can prevent it• What should we modify• What scaffolds should we add• What skill can we teach

Using the Intervention PlannerIntervention Planning: The most effective interventions are those that match the function (reason) why the student is engaging in problem behavior. Use the PBSIS Intervention Planning Tool to select strategies matched (1) specific items you generated in the planning worksheet (i.e., antecedent and consequences) and (2) your working function statement. Consider the student’s strengths and preferences in your decision to select specific strategies

Prevent Behavior By:

Modify:

Scaffold:

Teach:

Reinforce Positive Behaviors

Praise

Incentive:

Redirect Unwanted behavior by:

Take Away Points

1.Be Solution-focused – focus on those things you can influence

2. Invest in the information gathering process so that you are able to understand why the behavior is occurring and how best to support the student

3.Consistently use the behavior mapping framework to guide information gathering, discussion, and intervention development

4.Let function drive the selection of intervention strategies

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www.njpbs.orgVisit the planning resources tab

for all our function-based problem solving tools


Support

http://www.njpbs.org/

Documents

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Function-Driven Problem Solving: Tools & Process for Teachers to Address Emerging and Repeated Behavior Issues