CFPC Guest Chat Transcript - December 13, 2007

 

Topic:  “Positive Behavior Supports” 

 

Guest Speaker: Meme Hieneman, Ph.D., Project Director

Positive Family Intervention Project, USF St. Petersburg

 

 

Moderator:  Our Guest Speaker is Meme Hieneman from the Positive Family Intervention Project.  Meme, if you'd like to start us off please by briefly explaining the concept of Positive Behavior Support, after which Meme will be accepting questions.  Welcome Meme!

 

 

Thank you.  Positive behavior support (or PBS) is a process for understanding and supporting people with difficult behavior.  It involves functional assessment to determine the purposes of the behavior and individualized strategies that are respectful and effective.

 

 

Q:  Who does the assessment?  If I want my child assessed who do I go to?

 

An informal assessment is a process a parent can and should be able to learn and use themselves.  If the problem is more complicated or it is difficult to be objective, a variety of professionals may be of assistance such and behavior analysts, school psychologists, etc.

 

 

Q:  How can I get the school, primarily the Inclusion teacher to buy into PBS?

 

That is a difficult question.  The first thing I would need to know is what are the barriers to acceptance.  Does she not believe in the principles of PBS.  Is she overwhelmed?  People resist PBS and other effective interventions for a variety of reasons.

 

We do have a tendency to get bought into strategies that we have been using for a long time, even if they are no longer effective.  Is the color card system working for your child?  If not, other alternatives should be considered.  The teacher may need some fresh ideas presented in a positive, supportive way.

 

 

Q:  Is a Functional Behavioral Assessment included in the PBS?  And if so, would it appear on the IEP as part of the FBA or as the Behavior Plan?

 

Yes, FBA is a foundation of PBS.  And positive supports and strategies developed based on FBAs should, when possible, be addressed on the IEP.  Effective behavior plans are based on FBAs and part of the overall IEP.

 

 

Q:  How does crisis management of a behavior affect PBS?

 

Crisis procedures should be seen simply as temporary measures to keep a child and others safe while more effective plans are being developed.  Even the best laid plans sometimes fall apart briefly.  Crisis plans provide a back-up for those times.

 

 

Q:  What approach should a parent use when speaking with the teacher?

 

I believe that the principles of PBS should be used in all interactions, including between adults.  If a teacher is resistant to an idea, there is some reason for that resistance.  It is important to first seek understanding, then work out ideas you can both fully support...

 

Unfortunately, information does not always get to teachers.  If there is a respectful way for you to share effective practices, teachers will appreciate it, especially if you understand the dynamics and needs of their programs.

 

 

Q:  Is there someone at the school district who can attend my child's IEP and explain PBS to the teachers there?

 

Probably, but you will need to get to know the people personally. Don't assume someone knows PBS simply because of their position.  Because PBS is so popular, people sometimes represent themselves as knowledgeable when they are not or implement particular practices without getting the overall principles of PBS.

 

 

Q:  My daughter has behaviors at home that the school personnel don't see.  Do you have a suggestion about what can be done about getting the school to address the behavior concerns that we have at home?

 

The school may be willing to work with you, but their primary focus is school.  If your daughter is having difficulty primarily at home, it is probably because the routines and expectations are entirely different.  I would suggest soliciting support where you can and conducting an informal FBA process (as described in my book) at home.

 

 

Q:  My son has many MANY behaviors!  Does PBS address them all at once, or one at a time?

 

We focus in on groupings of behaviors that serve the same purpose.  For example, many kids have "tantrums" that include lots of different behaviors all directed at the same goal.  The trick is teasing out the different purposes and responding to those.  But the answer is yes, PBS involves looking at multiple behaviors - although you may need to prioritize initially.

 

 

Q:  Could you give some ideas of positive supports for taking a child out that does not understand social correctness?

 

PBS strategies fall into 3 broad categories - prevention, teaching, and management.  Depending on the goal of the behaviors your child is having, you might prepare them for social interactions by rehearsing, teach them conversational skills, and provide rewards (including the ability to leave if uncomfortable) for appropriate behavior.

 

Social correctness is a complicated concept for me also.  It really needs to be defined and taught to children.

 

 

Q:  Someone told me that when they had a PBS plan their child got worse instead of better!  Are there different methods or different ways of implementing a PBS plan?  Is it hit & miss?  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't?

 

A PBS plan based on a thorough FBA is by definition effective.  In PBS we do not simply say "it didn't work."  You go back to the drawing board, figure out what you missed in the assessment and modify your strategies.

 

 

Q:  Could you explain what the "function" of a behavior means?

 

The function is the behavior's goal or purpose - what a child gets or avoids as a result.  This may include attention or reactions of other people, access to toys or activities, or the ability to escape something they find unpleasant.

 

 

Q:  Sometimes my son has a tantrum or throws things and I have no idea what the function might be...!  How would someone figure it out if I can't?

 

In my project, we teach parents strategies for observing behavior, gaining input from others, and teasing out the answer to that question.  The trick is being able to observe (without judgment) the events surrounding behavior.  There are tools in my book or available through my project.

 

 

Q:  Is there someplace that parents can get information about those strategies, a website, perhaps?

 

We are happy to share any information we have.  We do have a website for our project (I think it is accessible through this CFPC website).  You can also call us at 727-873-4814.  My book was written specifically for parents using PBS, so that might be a good resource for you.

 

From the moderator:  The Positive Family Intervention Project website is www.stpt.usf.edu/coas/pfi/index.htm

 

 

Q:  Have you heard of a student getting an FBA for off task Behaviors?

 

Off task is really absence of productive behavior, unless those behaviors are disruptive.  An FBA can be done for any behavioral concern and can be focused on increasing positive behavior, as well as addressing problems.

 

 

Q:  The law says behavior that interferes with learning?

 

I believe that what you are saying is that if a child's behavior is interfering with learning, an FBA is appropriate and desirable, right?  Unfortunately, schools are only required to do FBAs in more extreme situations (e.g., suspension), rather than as a proactive measure to improve performance.

 

 

Q:  If they are only required in extreme situations... the IEP team can say that an FBA is individually appropriate for ANY child though, right?

 

I believe that most educators believe that individualized planning and problem solving makes sense for any child having difficulty.  Some people view FBA as an elaborate process whereas the principles can be applied less formally.  Teachers may resist a process that is time consuming and difficult.

 

 

Moderator:  We are at the end of our hour session... at this time I would like to interrupt the Q&A to give the floor to Meme to go ahead and share whatever information she would like to close with today.  Thank you everyone for participating today and please click below this screen to fill out a chat evaluation for us!

 

I have enjoyed chatting with you.   You had excellent questions and are clearly knowledgeable advocates for your children.  As such, it is important to be as informed about effective strategies (like PBS) as possible.  PBS will be useful at all stages of your children's lives - as it has been with my own kids.

 

Moderator:  For information about Meme's book, there is a link on our page: www.CFLparents.org/information/guestchatspeakers.htm

 

 

Thank you so much, Meme!

 

 

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