Problematic Classroom Behaviors Research Articles

Using a Daily Report Card to Reduce Off-Task Behaviors for a Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Daily behavior report cards (DBRCs) have shown promise in reducing problematic classroom behaviors. The effectiveness of DBRCs has been used widely examined with respect to students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, specific learning disabilities, and other high incidence disabilities. Past research has primarily focused on students in primary grades, with a limited number of studies examining students in secondary grades, in particular students in high school. Even fewer studies have examined the effectiveness of DBRCs implemented by novice special educators. The purpose of the current study was twofold: (1) to examine the effectiveness of a DBRC in reducing off-task classroom behavior for a high school student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and (2) to evaluate the delivery of an intensive intervention by a novice special education teacher. A preservice special education teacher implemented the intervention. A changing criterion design was used to examine the effectiveness of the intervention. We analyzed the data using visual analysis and calculated effect sizes using Tau-U. The results suggested that DBRCs are an acceptable and effective treatment for reducing off-task behavior with a student with ASD when implemented by a novice special education teacher. Data were collected to measure the novice teacher’s implementation fidelity. Additionally, the results showed that a novice special education teacher can be trained to implement a behavior management program for a student presenting inappropriate classroom behaviors with high fidelity.

Effectiveness of Group Play Therapy on Problematic Behaviors and Symptoms of Anxiety of Preschool Children

ABSTRACTThe current study explored the effects of child-centered group play therapy (CCGPT) on anxiety symptoms and problematic classroom behaviors of preschool children. Using a single case design, 4 preschool children with clinical levels of anxiety problems as rated by parents or teachers on the Child Behavior Checklist/Caregiver-Teacher Report Form, participated in 10 sessions of CCGPT. Participants’ problematic classroom behaviors were examined prior to and during participation in CCGPT. After participation in group play therapy, all 4 children exhibited decreased anxiety symptoms and fewer problematic classroom behaviors. A discussion of limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

You Can Help Every Provider Have a Better Understanding of Functional Behavior Assessment! A Review of the Website: Basic FBA to BSP

Managing problematic classroom behavior is a challenge for many teachers, regardless of population. The website, www.basicfba.com , designed by researchers at Portland State University, offers teachers and practitioners a wealth of materials to assist them in conducting and maintaining a functional behavior assessment and behavior support plan. Tools are also provided to allow participants to graph and analyze data. This article gives an overview of the resources available and how they may be used.

Screening for Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems at Kindergarten Entry: The Utility of Two Teacher Rating Scales

We examined (a) the utility of teacher ratings on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman in J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:1337–1345, 2001. doi: 10.1097/00004583-200111000-00015 ) and BASC-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS; Kamphaus and Reynolds in Behavior assessment system for children-second edition: behavioral and emotional screening system. Pearson, Bloomington, 2007), completed at kindergarten entry, in identifying risk status as defined by important criterion variables (teacher ratings of impairment, daily behavioral performance, and quarterly grades in kindergarten and first grade), and (b) the incremental validity of scores on each of these rating scales in predicting criterion variables beyond that predicted by the school district’s academic screening tool. The participants were 248 kindergarten students (91 % response rate) from one school district. Receiver operating characteristic analyses and area under the curve values indicate that both measures have moderate to high utility (AUCs ≥ .78) in identifying children demonstrating at-risk academic performance, problematic classroom behavior, and impairment in social and emotional functioning. Regression analyses indicate that both measures account for incremental variance (between 6.69 and 45.84 %) in kindergarten outcomes beyond that accounted for by the school district’s academic screening tool. The BESS was a slightly stronger predictor of academic outcomes, and the SDQ was a slightly stronger predictor of peer outcomes. Implications for selecting a teacher measure for universal screening of social, emotional, and behavioral problems at kindergarten entry are discussed.

Group Adlerian Play Therapy With Children With Off-Task Behaviors

Children who are off-task in schools struggle with completing their work and engage in disruptive behaviors. Without intervention, these behaviors tend to worsen, putting them at risk for more serious, ongoing problems throughout life. Group counseling provides opportunities for people to practice socially useful behaviors. Using a single case design, we investigated the effectiveness of Adlerian group play therapy with children identified by teachers as having problematic classroom behaviors. Results suggest that students’ on-task behaviors improve during the Adlerian group play therapy intervention. The results revealed mixed findings for the follow-up period.

Effectiveness of Play Therapy on Problematic Behaviors of Preschool Children With Somatization

Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is an evidence-based intervention for children with a variety of presenting problems and diagnoses. However, the effectiveness of CCPT for young children with somatization has not been explored. Thus, in this study, two preschool children with clinical levels of somatization, as rated by parents or teachers on the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2), participated in 14 sessions of CCPT. The participants’ problematic classroom behaviors were monitored prior to and during participation in play therapy. After participation in play therapy, both children displayed decreased symptoms of somatization and decreased problematic classroom behaviors. The results of this single-case research design are reviewed and implications for counselors are discussed.

Developmental links between disobedient behavior and social classroom relationships in boys with psychiatric disorders in special education.

In mainstream education, positive relationships with teachers and peers have been found to positively influence children's behavioral development. However, high levels of classroom behavior problems may hinder the formation of such positive relationships. Therefore, findings from mainstream education cannot be generalized to special education. The present study investigated the developmental links between disobedience and positive as well as negative relationships with teachers and peers among boys in restrictive special educational settings. At three assessment waves across one school year, teacher-reports of teacher-child closeness and conflict, and peer-reports of peer acceptance, rejection and disobedience were collected among 340 boys (mean age = 10.1years, SD = 1.58, range = 5-13) with psychiatric disorders receiving special education. Autoregressive cross-lagged models were fitted to explore the nature of these developmental links. The impact of boys' age was examined using multiple group analyses. Findings supported the importance of teacher-child conflict, but not closeness, and positive and negative peer relationships for the development of boys' disobedience, with a stronger effect of negative than positive relationships. However, teacher-child and peer relationships were not longitudinally related and the effect of boys' age was minimal. This study extends prior research by suggesting that, despite differences in educational setting and severity of behavior problems between children in mainstream and special education, reducing negative classroom interactional patterns is most important in preventing the development of problematic classroom behavior in boys with severe social-emotional and behavioral difficulties.

The influence of student characteristics on the dependability of behavioral observation data.

Although generalizability theory has been used increasingly in recent years to investigate the dependability of behavioral estimates, many of these studies have relied on use of general education populations as opposed to those students who are most likely to be referred for assessment due to problematic classroom behavior (e.g., inattention, disruption). The current study investigated the degree to which differences exist in terms of the magnitude of both variance component estimates and dependability coefficients between students nominated by their teachers for Tier 2 interventions due to classroom behavior problems and a general classroom sample (i.e., including both nominated and non-nominated students). The academic engagement levels of 16 (8 nominated, 8 non-nominated) middle school students were measured by 4 trained observers using momentary time-sampling procedures. A series of G and D studies were then conducted to determine whether the 2 groups were similar in terms of the (a) distribution of rating variance and (b) number of observations needed to achieve an adequate level of dependability. Results suggested that the behavior of students in the teacher-nominated group fluctuated more across time and that roughly twice as many observations would therefore be required to yield similar levels of dependability compared with the combined group. These findings highlight the importance of constructing samples of students that are comparable to those students with whom the measurement method is likely to be applied when conducting psychometric investigations of behavioral assessment tools.

Creating Positive Learning Environments: Antecedent Strategies for Managing the Classroom Environment & Student Behavior

Teacher conceptualization of behavior problems is important in determining what strategies are used to prevent problematic classroom behavior. If teachers view a student’s behavior as symptomatic of a poorly organized classroom, they may seek ways of reorganizing the environment to maximize occasions for occurrence of appropriate behavior and the prevention of behavior problems. That is, teachers consider antecedent approaches and attempt to set the occasion for appropriate behavior to occur. This article will describe approaches for setting up antecedent classroom strategies designed to prevent problematic behavior and subsequently enhance classroom management plans.

Behavior Change and Perceptions of Change: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Token Economy

ABSTRACT Token economies often reduce problematic classroom behavior in preschool settings. In the present study, direct observation and teacher ratings of child behavior and treatment acceptability were utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of a token economy in a Head Start classroom. Because many teachers express concerns about the effort required to implement and maintain token systems, this study compared the relative efficacies of group and individualized contingency management programs. Direct observation data for three children revealed that both the individual and group contingency were superior to a baseline condition in which no systematic behavior management program was utilized. In addition, the whole group contingency was generally as effective as the individual contingency. However, despite reductions in classroom rule violations for the three target children, the acceptability of the token program was variable and little change was observed in the teacher's ratings of their behavior. The results suggest the ongoing need for multiple measures of treatment outcome (e.g., teacher and student ratings of acceptability and effectiveness, direct observation) even for empirically supported school-based interventions.

“My theory is intact; however”: Reflections on Teaching Spanish to Fifth Graders

ABSTRACT: In this article, an experienced foreign language methods instructor presents his “private story” about teaching Spanish to fifth‐graders as part of an elementary school's afternoon enrichment program. For the author, this one‐semester experience was transformative, causing him to reconsider the nature of what he now considers to be the rather sanitized foreign language methods courses in undergraduate teacher‐preparation programs. He discusses some ways he intends to alter his approach to the foreign language methods course, at the same time raising questions and making observations about classroom practices. For example, how can teachers acknowledge and explore the “messiness” of classroom life to their students' benefit? What does the odd and sometimes exasperating way that students “play” with language suggest in terms of classroom teaching approach? Professionally made foreign language training videos can lead to false expectations, even frustration. Visuals, hands‐on objects, and realia, although important, can lead to problematic classroom behaviors if teachers are not prepared to react to them. Student verbal and nonverbal reactions to what teachers do need to be understood (is it Simply that they don't want to learn?). Moreover, teachers need other teachers with whom they can express their frustrations and work collaboratively on language‐learning issues.

Early lead exposure produces lasting changes in sustained attention, response initiation, and reactivity to errors

The present study tested the hypothesis that early lead (Pb) exposure causes lasting attentional dysfunction. Long–Evans dams were fed Pb-adulterated water during gestation and/or lactation; the offspring were tested as adults. The results of a visual discrimination task revealed no Pb effects on learning rate or information-processing speed. However, lasting effects of the early Pb exposure were seen in the subsequent vigilance tasks, particularly in the final task in which onset of the visual cue and cue duration varied randomly across trials. Exposure during both gestation and lactation impaired response initiation. In addition, animals exposed to Pb during lactation only or lactation+gestation committed significantly more omission errors than controls under two specific conditions: (1) trials in which a delay was imposed prior to cue presentation and (2) trials that followed an incorrect response. The pattern of treatment differences indicated that early Pb exposure produced lasting impairment of sustained attention and increased reactivity to errors. Both effects may contribute to the cognitive impairment, problematic classroom behaviors, and increased delinquency associated with early Pb exposure in children. These findings also demonstrate that the developmental timing of the exposure determines the pattern of effects. Thus, conclusions regarding whether or not a particular cognitive or affective function is impaired or spared by early Pb exposure must be limited to the specific timing and intensity of exposure.

Evaluating Assessment-Based Intervention Strategies for Students with ADHD and Comorbid Disorders within the Natural Classroom Context

The authors provide three case examples of the evaluation of assessment-based intervention strategies within the natural classroom context for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid disorders. For each of the participants, several hypotheses were generated concerning potential environmental correlates of undesirable behavior based on information obtained during student and teacher interviews as well as descriptive observations. The utility of these assessment-based, nonintrusive intervention strategies was evaluated within the natural context and ongoing routine of the classroom using an alternating-treatments design. For each participant, results demonstrated that assessment-based environmental modifications can decrease problematic classroom behaviors. In addition, results of the hypothesis testing suggested feasible and effective classroom intervention strategies.

Prenatal exposure to alcohol and school problems in late childhood: A longitudinal prospective study

AbstractThe population-based Seattle Longitudinal Prospective Study on Alcohol and Pregnancy unites the fields of developmental psychopathology and behavioral teratology. Examining prenatal biological influences on childhood learning problems, this report is the first to extend earlier findings of alcohol-related deficits into late childhood. This follow-up study of 458 singletons assesses the degree to which children's classroom behavior and achievement difficulties at age 11 are predicted by prenatal alcohol exposure across the full spectrum of maternal use. Partial least squares statistical techniques are used to summarize complex multiple measures of exposure and outcome as latent variables. Accounting for many factors potentially important in development, analyses reveal a significant and subtle dose-response relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure and children's school performance a decade later. Maternal binge drinking (five or more drinks per occasion) and drinking during very early pregnancy are particularly salient for children's poorer school performance. A wide variety of problematic classroom behaviors, including attentional, activity, information-processing, and academic difficulties, are salient for prenatal alcohol exposure. Considered within the body of data on alcohol teratogenesis, these findings suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure has an enduring and predictable relationship with developmental difficulties through late childhood. Clinical, research, and public health implications are discussed.

Psychosocial adjustment and craniofacial malformations in childhood.

Forty-three children between the ages of 6 and 13 years with congenital facial anomalies underwent psychosocial evaluation prior to surgery. Also evaluated were healthy children matched to the craniofacial subjects by sex, age, intelligence, and economic background. Relative to this comparison group, the craniofacial children were found to have poorer self-concept, greater anxiety at the time of evaluation, and more introversion. Parents of the craniofacial children noted more frequent negative social encounters for their children and more hyperactive behavior at home. Teachers reported more problematic classroom behavior. Examination of these results revealed craniofacial malformations to be associated with psychosocial limitations rather than marked deficits. These children tended to function less well than the comparison children, but with few exceptions, they were not functioning in a psychosocially deviant range. Explanations for the observed circumscribed impact of facial deformity include the use of denial as a coping mechanism, possible diminished significance of appearance for younger children, and the restricted environment experienced by most of the subjects. It can be predicted that time would render these protective influences ineffective, so that adolescent and young adult patients could be at far greater psychosocial risk.