Many teachers and parents of young children with disabilities, particularly autism spectrum disorder (ASD), are familiar with young children who engage in repetitive and restrictive behaviors such as flapping, spinning, and rocking. This type of restrictive and repetitive behavior, or stereotypy, can be common, over time it can become problematic…

We developed this special issue, "Effective Low-Intensity Strategies to Enhance School Success: What Every Educator Needs to Know," for "Beyond Behavior" as a resource for educators and parents. Each article provides easy-to-access resources for readers to learn about effective, efficient, low-intensity strategies to support…

There are an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 million children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the United States. These children make up about 3-5 percent of a school's student population. Boys are diagnosed almost ten times more often than girls. Girls tend to be more inattentive and their symptoms are dismissed as those of a day…

In this guide, the authors provide 5 key practices for teachers and families to support all students, including students with disabilities, at school and home. The authors identified a small number of practices that have a big impact on student learning and social-emotional-behavioral growth. These five key practices include: (1) Develop, teach,…

Naturalistic intervention (NI) originates from applied behavior analysis, which is the use of behavioral techniques to teach learners specific skills. Naturalistic intervention (NI) integrates the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) into the natural environment, or into a learner's everyday routines and activities so that the acquired…

Many learners with autism display inappropriate, maladaptive, and even aggressive behaviors towards others and themselves. Often, these behaviors stem from difficulties with communication, leading to unexpected and often undesirable methods to obtain certain wants, needs, and interests. Functional communication training addresses these interfering…

Exercise usually refers to the physical activity in which one engages in order to achieve a healthier level of physical fitness. The integration of daily opportunities for physical activity for learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is important for improving their basic physical fitness. In addition to physical fitness, exercise also can be…

Based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), discrete trial training (DTT) is used to develop a new response to a stimulus. DTT is based upon the principle of breaking down behavior into discrete steps called a "single teaching unit" or learning trials. Trials are repeated several times with the learner receiving…

At times, all children and youth can struggle with challenging behavior. If a challenging behavior interferes with the learner's ability to learn, then a functional behavior assessment (FBA) is needed. FBA can be used when the intensity, duration, or type of interfering behavior creates safety concerns or impacts a child's development. An FBA…

Modeling (MD) can be used to increase a learner's ability to perform a target behavior. Modeling involves the learner observing someone correctly performing a target behavior. The demonstration of the behavior "before" the learner is expected to demonstrate the behavior serves as a primer for the behavior. In addition, modeling can be…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Redefining Discipline." Contents include: (1) Stop the Bad; Do the Good --…

Reinforcement (R+) is used to teach target skills and increase desired behaviors. Other evidence-based practices (for example, prompting, pivotal responses training) draw upon components of reinforcement. Reinforcement describes the relationship between learner behavior and a consequence that follows the behavior. The relationship between the…

Based on a practical, six-part framework for reducing peer cruelty and increasing positive behavior support, "End Peer Cruelty, Build Empathy" utilizes the strongest pieces of best practices and current research for ways to stop bullying. The book includes guidelines for implementing strategies, collecting data, training staff,…

Social skills training (SST) refers to any adult-directed instruction in which social skills are targeted for improvement. SST typically occurs in either a group or individual format, and may also include facilitated practice in classroom settings. SST sometimes may co-occur with peer-mediated instruction and intervention (PMII) or some related…

Are students coming to your class lacking focus, having difficulty connecting with you and their peers, falling behind, or acting out when you instinctively feel they could do better? Do you sometimes feel like you don't have the capacity as a teacher or school leader to give students the support they need to learn and thrive? This book makes the…