Building the Capacity of Programs to Meet the

Needs of Young Children with Challenging

Behavior

Lise Fox, Ph.D.University of South Florida

www.csefel.uiuc.eduwww.challengingbehavior.org

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Overall Purpose of the Center

To improve the lives and futures of young children and their families by: (1) building a more unified and

widespread awareness of positive, evidence-based practices,

(2) enhancing the capacity of families, educators, and other professionals to implement evidence-based practices, and

(3) adding to the data base of evidence-based practices that are incorporated in the comprehensive service delivery system.

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CEBP Resources

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Research Syntheses

Pathways to Service Utilization

Research Synthesis on Effective Intervention Procedures

Systems of Service Delivery

All available on www.challenginbehavior.org

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CSEFEL Resources

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CSEFEL - What Works Briefs

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Training Modules• Module 1- Promoting Children’s Success: Building

Relationships and Creating Supportive Environments

• Module 2 - Social-Emotional Teaching Strategies• Module 3a- Individualized Intensive Interventions: Determining the Meaning of Challenging Behavior• Module 3b - Individualized Intensive Interventions: Developing a Behavior Support Plan• Module 4 - Leadership Strategies for Supporting Children’s Social and Emotional

Development and Addressing Challenging Behavior

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Promoting Children’s Social and Emotional Development and Addressing Challenging

Behavior

1-10%Children with

Persistent Challenges

FocusedInterventions

5-15%Children at-RiskIntervention and

Support

All ChildrenUniversal Interventions

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

Promoting Social and Emotional Competence within Early Education and

Care Environments

Creating Supportive Environments

Building Positive RelationshipsBuilding Positive Relationshipswith Children and Familieswith Children and Families

Social and Emotional Social and Emotional Teaching StrategiesTeaching Strategies

Intensive Intensive IndividualizeIndividualize

d d InterventionIntervention

ss

Children At-Risk

Children with persistent challenges

High quality early education

Social Skills Curricula

Positive Behavior Support

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

All Children

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Universal Level

High quality early childhood environments are related to positive outcomes in children’s social social emotional development and reductions in challenging behaviorSupportive, responsive relationships are a key component to promoting children’s social emotional developmentProviding training and support to parents can impact both social development and problem behavior

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

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Secondary Level

A systematic approach to teaching social skills and promoting children’s emotional development can have both preventive and remedial effects.There are data to support the use of specific social skills curricula.Effective approaches to teaching social skills involve multiple teaching strategies including direct teaching of the skill, opportunities for practice and feedback, and support for the skill in context.Social skills programs that include a parent training and education component are most effective.

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

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Tertiary Level

Assessment based interventions developed through a process of Positive Behavior Supports have been shown to be effective Across a variety of populations Only evidence-based comprehensive approach for

intervening with children with challenging behavior

Key Elements of Approach Team based Family involvement Based on knowledge of the function of the child’s

behavior Strength based Development and implementation of a behavior

support plan across environments

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

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The Promise, The Challenge

We have evidence- based practices Earlier is better Support for parents matters High quality environments are key A comprehensive approach is necessary for

addressing the range of needs

Data are mostly confined to research demonstrations or model programs Limited data on community based implementation

There are very few programs that have the resources (e.g., personnel, funding, policies) to implement the comprehensive approach that is needed

Center for Evidence Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior www.challengingbehavior.org

Bradford

PBS Application in a Community Preschool

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2 years, 7 monthsPart C services of speech/language therapyDiagnoses of Expressive/Receptive Language Delay, Behavioral DisorderLives with parents, one brother (age 3 1/2 years)Strengths - social, likes music, good fine motor skills, strong family support systemProblem Behaviors - Aggression, Noncompliance, Property Destruction, Self-Injurious Behavior, ElopementSignificant risk of Preschool Expulsion

About Bradford

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Process of Positive Behavior Support

Step 1: Identify Goals

Step 2: Gather Information/ Functional Assessment

Step 3: Develop Hypotheses

Step 4: Design Behavior Support Plan

Step 5: Implement intervention

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Hypotheses

Bradford engaged in challenging behavior:

1. in an attempt to escape from activities that were unpredictable or had unclear expectations

2. In an attempt to escape from activities that were nonpreferred (difficult, boring)

3. In an attempt to escape from activities associated with high levels of noise or people

4. In an attempt to gain peer or teacher attention

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Prevention Strategies

Visual cues/photo schedule/stop signsSocial stories for routinesFirst/Then boardsChoice chartPreferred itemsManipulativesModified materials Remove distractionsAdd quiet area in roomAdd breaksPeer buddy

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Replacement Skills

Teach how to verbally initiate/terminate interactions

Teach how to initiate appropriate physical affection

Teach how to appropriately ask for “break” or “help”

Teach how to respond to loud or overstimulating situations

Teach how to make and express choice

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Teacher Responses

Clear instructions

Redirect and ignore

Specific praise

Provide choice

Provide consistent verbal “All done”, countdowns

Promote active participation with modeling

Encourage verbal communication

Monitor and anticipate difficult play activities provide option to leave area

Challenging Behavior

Replacement Skills

Social Initiations

Creating Supportive EnvironmentsCreating Supportive Environments

Positive Relationships with Children, Families, Positive Relationships with Children, Families, and Colleaguesand Colleagues

Social Emotional Social Emotional Teaching StrategiesTeaching Strategies

Individualized Individualized InterventionsInterventions

Promoting Social Emotional Competence

Teacher Training/Implementation

Administrative Supports

Program Philosophy Well defined procedures

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Critical Elements of a Program Wide Model in EC Programs

• Administrative buy-in and commitment• Buy-in from staff• Family involvement and buy-in• Developmentally appropriate and clearly

articulated expectations for children’s social behavior

Intentional strategies for teaching social skills, supporting emotional competence, and acknowledging children’s behavior

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Critical Elements of a Program Wide Model in EC Programs

Strategies for addressing problem behavior

Team based, individualized approach for addressing ongoing problem behavior

Ongoing professional development

Strategies for supporting teachers

Process for monitoring outcomes

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Program Wide Models

Florida; Palma Ceia Presbyterian Preschool

Kansas; SEK-CAP Head Start Illinois; Valeska-Hinton Early

Childhood Education Center

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Outcomes Across Programs

Reduction of child problem behaviorImproved staff satisfactionDecreased turnoverIncrease in overall program qualityClearly articulated and implemented policies and proceduresMore intentional teaching and purposeful in supporting children’s emotional developmentElimination of “time-out”Less reliance on “outside”expertsStronger collaboration with mental health providers