This qualitative interview study investigates the perceived barriers and enablers to implementing and sustaining individualized positive behavior supports (IPBS) by school-based team members across five stakeholder groups. The findings reveal specific factors across five broad themes: (a) school culture, (b) administrative leadership and support,…

This study investigated the effects of adding individualized, function-based support to the well-documented early intervention First Step to Success. A single-subject multiple-baseline design was applied across three K-1 students who did not respond to standard First Step to Success procedures. A functional behavioral assessment and individualized…

This evaluation report presents outcomes for the first cohort of 28 early childhood education programs and K-12 schools involved in implementing schoolwide positive behavior support as part of a statewide systems change initiative that began in New Hampshire in 2002. Results indicate that the overwhelming majority of schools were able to implement…

Positive behavior support (PBS) plans are required practice for students whose behaviors impede their learning or that of others. Educators of children and youth with autism and other developmental disorders represent a subgroup of special educators who are frequently involved in the development of PBS plans. The goal of this research was to…

Rates of problem behavior at urban elementary school playgrounds are of growing concern. The purpose of this study was to examine how the implementation of a recess intervention within the context of School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SwPBS), a systemwide, team-driven, data-based decision-making continuum of support, affected disruptive…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of computer-presented Social Stories and video models on the social communication skills of three children with High-Functioning Autism/Asperger's Syndrome (HFA/AS). Using a multiple-baseline across-participants design, computer-presented Social Stories and video models were implemented and…

Originally published in "Putnam's Monthly Magazine" in 1853, nearly a century before autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was formally recognized, Herman Melville's "Bartleby" is the naive tale of a nonconforming, socially awkward character. However, when placed into contemporary context, retrospective analysis indicates that Bartleby may in fact have…

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) experts were surveyed to examine their perceptions of treatment acceptability of commonly used decelerative consequence-based behavioral procedures and the factors that have influenced shifts in these perceptions over time. These results were then compared with the perceptions of positive behavior supports (PBS)…

Given the increased risk factors in the transition from middle school to high school, this study tracked academic and school discipline records for students receiving general and special education services as they transitioned from Grade 8 to Grade 9. The authors employed analysis of variance and structural equation modeling to determine the…

The authors investigated the effects of a theory-of-mind (ToM) and social skill training program on the ToM assessments and social interactions of a sixth-grade high-functioning student with autism. A multiple probe design across behaviors and settings was conducted to evaluate the training program on the participant's learning outcomes. The…

In recent years, a large number of schools around the country have implemented schoolwide positive behavior support (SWPBS; Sugai & Horner, 2006). Because of the increasing use of this model of support, research examining the factors associated with implementation is needed. The purpose of this investigation was to document and contextualize…

The authors describe a choice-making intervention with two children who had developmental disabilities and demonstrated public disrobing in school settings. The children also urinated in their clothing, apparently to gain access to new and more preferred apparel. The intervention gave the children a choice to change into high-preference clothes at…

This study produced a second replication of an investigation of the effects of a multicomponent cognitive-behavioral intervention on the challenging behavior of young children with growing behavioral concerns after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The participants were two young elementary-age children with escalating behavior problems after severe…

The purpose of this study was to replicate previous findings indicating a moderate association between teacher perceptions of behavior as measured by direct behavior ratings (DBRs) and systematic direct observation (SDO) conducted by an external observer. In this study, data regarding student on-task and disruptive behavior were collected via SDO…

There is growing interest in positive behavior supports among state departments of education and local school systems as an efficient and effective strategy for addressing students' increasing and intensifying discipline needs. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is one whole-school prevention strategy that alters the school…