Since the reopening of schools after COVID-19, students and staff have been required to wear face masks. Some students, including those with extensive support needs (ESN), may have difficulty in wearing these novel protective garments. Fortunately, researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of several procedures for supporting the wearing of…

Research and practice in applied behavior analysis (ABA) have contributed to the education of students with autism and other intellectual or developmental disabilities in school settings across a wide variety of efforts, including but not limited to, academic instruction (Delano, 2007), addressing behaviors restricting a student's environments and…

When a student exhibits challenging classroom behaviors that are resistant to traditional classroom management systems, his/her individualized education program (IEP) team conducts a functional behavior assessment (FBA). The FBA process is a series of assessments designed to identify the function of the student's behavior. This is done by…

Elopement occurs when an individual runs away from or leaves a supervised area. Elopement is a dangerous behavior that requires diligence from school personnel in order to effectively reduce its occurrence. Using a step-by-step process to identify the reasons goal-directed elopement occurs and then implementing an intervention to effectively teach…

Students who misbehave represent a range of backgrounds, and behavior problems are likely to be present in both general and special education classrooms. To this end, thousands of schools across the country have adopted positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) as a way to prevent and respond to challenging behavior. PBIS is a federally…

There is substantial empirical evidence that the Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) process is an effective means to reduce student problem behavior and increase desirable behaviors (e.g., What Works Clearinghouse, 2016). The use of an FBA as the basis for a behavior intervention plan (BIP) has been a requirement for certain disciplinary…

Research has demonstrated that people with significant intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities can indicate clear preferences through methodologically rigorous assessments. Once preferred items have been identified, they can be used to reinforce new behaviors, which can assist in the development of a meaningful learning experience.…

When teachers consider behavior management issues in the classroom, they often focus primarily on student behavior. Nevertheless, managing inappropriate student behavior can often be improved by altering teacher behavior. Discussed in the present article are four components of teacher behavior that can lead to more effective management of student…

Special educators frequently provide consultation for parents and general education teachers who are struggling to manage student behavior. One intervention often discussed is the use of rewards to increase student motivation. While research has shown that well-designed incentive systems can provide an effective intervention, poorly designed…

The article defines punishment; describes types of punishers used with handicapped students (response cost, time out, overcorrection, contingent exercise, aversive conditioning); discusses the role of punishers; outlines policies and procedures; and gives guidelines for establishing priority levels of target behaviors and hierarchical levels of…

Reported was a project in which emotionally disturbed, educable mentally retarded, and physically handicapped children were taught behavior modification skills to enable them to change their own behavior, and the behavior of teachers, fellow students, co-workers, and employers. (GW)