One antecedent-based intervention -- choice-making opportunities -- is an easy and effective way to motivate students with autism to stay on task, complete academic tasks, and engage in appropriate behavior during academic instruction. The purpose of this article is to discuss three main methods for incorporating choice-making opportunities and…

Classroom management systems (CMS) are class-wide strategies that teachers use to keep students on task, attentive, and academically engaged. This review provides teachers an overview of eight effective and socially valid CMSs that are aligned with school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS). The goal is to provide teachers…

The primary purpose of conducting a structured interview as part of a functional behavior assessment (FBA) is to assist teams in generating a hypothesis about the reason for a student's problem behavior based on specific information. Although the use of an interview can be beneficial in identifying the function of a student's behavior, it often…

ADHD's becoming more prevalent in classrooms speaks to how schools must train and support their teachers to stop and work with their "non-stop" students to build a strong relationship with them. This concept becomes challenging when behaviours get in the way of learning, and teachers lack confidence to teach and support students with…

Research has shown that students who are healthier and have access to opportunities for physical activity may achieve improved academic achievement. However, challenges with classroom and behavior management can be disruptive to learning opportunities in physical education classes. A combination of a comprehensive school physical activity program…

Instructional tasks and assignments can often generate severe and high rates of problem behaviors for some students in special and general education. These daily instructional assignments or tasks often pose an aversive condition, thus favoring behaviors that effectively escape such a condition as functional. The author asks the rhetorical…

This is the executive summary for the report, "Is California Doing Enough to Close the School Discipline Gap?" In California, a combination of statewide and local efforts has been implemented to reduce the use of punitive suspensions in public K-12 schools. Current state data trends reflect these efforts, showing that far fewer students…

At times, classroom management and guidance elude even the most seasoned teachers. Yet, students need guidance and practice in self-regulatory skills to assist in the learning that occurs in classrooms. Teachers need both practical and research-based classroom management strategies that benefit the environment and help create a space conducive to…

Teachers of students with chronic challenging behaviors need relief, and they need it quickly. While they may appreciate the sympathy of others, what they really need is some genuine help. Challenging children can make a teacher's day difficult. In this article, the authors share some strategies that can provide "emergency relief" to…

Easy-to-use progress-monitoring and intervention techniques are attractive because most teachers are crunched for time and teacher instructional time is often consumed with paperwork, especially for progress monitoring and discipline. Some studies indicate up to 50% of a special educator's time may be spent on paperwork. Methods that serve a dual…

Research has demonstrated a strong positive correlation between behavior problems and low academic achievement. Student success and/or failures are in large part determined by how well teachers provide effective instruction to their students. This article overviews key behavior-management approaches related to academic and behavioral success that…

This research brief report provides highlights from the full report (published separately). In 2009-2010, Positive Behavior Support (PBS) was implemented on 80 Austin Independent School District (AISD) campuses with support from the AISD PBS team. Through PBS, campuses develop a continuum of systemic and individualized strategies delivered within…

This case study describes an intervention to increase compliance with routine tasks in a 7-year-old boy with moderate mental retardation. Prior to intervention the boy was unable to complete a series of eight routine tasks associated with arriving at school and preparing for work. The highly structured intervention used picture prompts for each…

This article examines the benefits and disadvantages of participation in organized youth sports and describes a youth development approach to sports programming. The authors summarize what is known about the physical, socioemotional, and cognitive benefits of sports participation. These include health benefits (for example, a reduction in heart…

Early childhood neglect can limit a child's normal cognitive development and result in behavior problems in the classroom. When normal attachment is disrupted, learning difficulties can result in problems with time awareness. It has also been shown that an awareness of time is a key concept for the formation of organizational and math skills. This…