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UCSB Koegel Autism Center

Journal of

Positive Behavior Interventions

Volume 11, Number 1, January 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS AND ABSTRACTS

Articles

Using Functional Behavior Assessment to Develop Behavior Interventions for Students in Head Start.
Elizabeth M. McLaren and C. Michael Nelson

A withdrawal design repeated across three children enrolled in two Head Start classrooms was used to investigate the effectiveness of functional assessment-based interventions to decrease inappropriate behavior. The two questions addressed in the study were (a) Will a behavior intervention plan based on functional behavior assessment conducted in the natural setting be effective in reducing inappropriate classroom behavior for young children? and (b) Will teachers perceive assessment-based interventions to be acceptable and feasible? Results indicated that the procedure yielded effective behavior interventions and teachers found the interventions socially valid. The use of functional assessment as a preventive and proactive strategy is discussed.

Adding Function-Based Behavioral Support to First Step to Success: Integrating Individualized and Manualized Practices.
Deborah Russell Carter and Robert H. Horner

This study investigated the effects of adding individualized, funtion-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 function-based support plan were added to the First Step protocol. The multiple-baseline analysis documented an effect between adding individualized, function-based supports to the standard First Step program and both (a) a decrease in problem behavior and (b) an increase in academic engagement. Implications of the results are provided for the design of school-based behavior support, implementation of First Step to Success, and applications of manualized interventions.

Effective Behavior and Instructional Support: A District Model for Early Identification and Prevention of Reading and Behavior Problems.
Carol Sadler and George Sugai

The purpose of this article is to describe the development and 10-year implementation of the effective behavior and instructional support model in a midsized northwestern Oregon school district. The district experienced a sustained reduction in students' discipline referral rates, an increase in the percentage of students on track for early reading benchmarks, and an improvement in special education evaluation of learning disabilities. These important outcomes were associated with the systematic integration of effective practices, including capacity building professional development, schoolwide positive behavior support, early literacy, early intervention, and special education evaluation and identification using student responsiveness to intervention. At school and district levels, a continuum of behavior and academic supports was established for all students, and specialized interventions were implemented for students struggling with behavior and/ or academic challenges.

A Family-Centered Positive Behavior Support Approach to the Amelioration of Food Refusal Behavior: An Empirical Case Study.
Lauren Binnendyk and Joseph M. Lucyshyn

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a family-centered positive behavior support approach to the amelioration of food refusal behavior in a child with autism. The study was conducted with the child and his family in their home. It employed an empirical case study design with one meal routine: snack time. Following training and support with the child's mother, results show high levels of child food acceptance, successful child participation in observed snack routines, and high parental ratings of social validity and contextual fit. Improvements maintained up to 26 months postintervention. Implementation also was associated with generalization of the child's eating behavior to new foods and to his father's supporting him during snack time. Results are discussed in terms of implications for practitioners and researchers involved in behavioral feeding interventions.