Presentation Abstract
Youth with challenging behaviors such as noncompliance, aggression, self-injury, and deficits in academic engagement are at-risk for future school failure, including suspension and expulsion, mental health challenges, and incarceration (Alberto and Troutman, 2022; Kauffman, 2016). Low academic achievement, behavioral excesses and social skills deficits are predictive of each other (Gresham, 2016), and may create an escalating cycle leading to further antisocial responses (Kaufman, 2016). The literature provides considerable research on evidence-based strategies that have been associated with positive academic (on-task, task completion) and behavioral (increase in prosocial skills with decreasing challenging behavior) outcomes, among which include (1) self-directed interventions, or self-management, (2) prosocial skills instruction, and (3) differential reinforcement of appropriate behavior that is incompatible with, or alternative to, externalizing problem behavior and academic deficits. This presentation will summarize and exemplify these evidence-based intervention strategies, including methods, materials and evaluation of treatment effectiveness for each strategy. For self-directed behavior management, a step-by-step process for teaching learners to self-record their own academic engagement and success, as well as their prosocial skills (e.g., giving compliments, asking for help) will be described. For prosocial skills instruction, a step-by-step social skills instructional model will be described. For differential reinforcement, procedures for implementing reinforcement of appropriate behaviors that compete with inappropriate behaviors (e.g., reinforcing academic engagement to decrease off-task, or reinforcing prosocial verbal behavior to decrease noncompliance) will be described. Attendees’ experiences will be solicited to exemplify the application of the strategies.
Conference Program Description
This presentation summarizes evidence-based intervention strategies for establishing/improving the prosocial and academic skills of students with varying disabilities, while decreasing their challenging behavior. The highlighted strategies include self-directed behavior management, prosocial skills instruction, and differential reinforcement. Methods, materials and evaluation of treatment effectiveness will be described for each strategy.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Clees, Tom, "Improving Prosocial and Academic Skills While Decreasing Challenging Behavior" (2023). Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference. 31.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gapbs/2023/2023/31
Improving Prosocial and Academic Skills While Decreasing Challenging Behavior
Youth with challenging behaviors such as noncompliance, aggression, self-injury, and deficits in academic engagement are at-risk for future school failure, including suspension and expulsion, mental health challenges, and incarceration (Alberto and Troutman, 2022; Kauffman, 2016). Low academic achievement, behavioral excesses and social skills deficits are predictive of each other (Gresham, 2016), and may create an escalating cycle leading to further antisocial responses (Kaufman, 2016). The literature provides considerable research on evidence-based strategies that have been associated with positive academic (on-task, task completion) and behavioral (increase in prosocial skills with decreasing challenging behavior) outcomes, among which include (1) self-directed interventions, or self-management, (2) prosocial skills instruction, and (3) differential reinforcement of appropriate behavior that is incompatible with, or alternative to, externalizing problem behavior and academic deficits. This presentation will summarize and exemplify these evidence-based intervention strategies, including methods, materials and evaluation of treatment effectiveness for each strategy. For self-directed behavior management, a step-by-step process for teaching learners to self-record their own academic engagement and success, as well as their prosocial skills (e.g., giving compliments, asking for help) will be described. For prosocial skills instruction, a step-by-step social skills instructional model will be described. For differential reinforcement, procedures for implementing reinforcement of appropriate behaviors that compete with inappropriate behaviors (e.g., reinforcing academic engagement to decrease off-task, or reinforcing prosocial verbal behavior to decrease noncompliance) will be described. Attendees’ experiences will be solicited to exemplify the application of the strategies.
