Making it Work at School and Home: A Need Based Collaborative, Across Settings, Behavioral Intervention

Abstract

Children who need behavioral support benefit from programs that offer structure and consistency across settings. This paper examines the behavioral effects of a consistent and collaborative positive behavior support plan between a family and home and school support personnel. In a joint effort, two doctoral students in Special Education developed a comprehensive positive behavior support plan. This plan focused on the individual needs of a 10-year-old boy presenting behavioral problems and diagnosed with mild mental retardation associated with a seizure disorder. One author was the child’s school psychologist while the other author was the child’s behavior analyst working in the home setting. The case study incorporates needs assessment, functional assessment, and self-management. Implications of an across-settings, collaborative behavioral support program, particularly as they pertain to implementing a similar arrangement in other schools, are discussed.