Health messaging can be a successful tool in encouraging pro-social behavior, such as bystander intervention in sexual violence situations. This dissertation explored the development of a social media message to encourage bystander intervention among college students using multiple theoretical frameworks: social norms approach and bystander…

Challenging behavior in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can lead to decreased quality of life and social and community inclusion. Compared to research with children there is relatively limited research on effective behavior support interventions for adults with disabilities. The Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) program…

This study examines whether Positive Behavior Interventions can support student performance in schools in three Southern districts. Schools today seek opportunities for interventions to support student behaviors and increase engagement. Three school districts in the southeast of the United States have been trained to implement a schoolwide…

This dissertation is composed of three articles analyzing the use of sensory rooms in schools to support student need as well as its use in other settings. Sensory rooms are rooms equipped with a variety of resources, strategies, and equipment to support an individual in de-escalation. They have been implemented in various settings including…

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a reinforcement schedule that commonly includes the delivery of a reinforcer following an interval during which a target behavior did not occur and extinction (i.e., the reinforcer is withheld following any instances of the target behavior). Although interventions using DRO schedules can…

The present study examined the effects of a streamlined and virtual version of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) as implemented by trained school professionals (e.g., school psychologists, special education teachers). The effectiveness of CBC was examined using a multiple baseline across participants design among three students with or at…

Preventing and responding to student misbehavior is an integral part of classroom management and one of the most important skills an educator can have. Despite its importance, many educators receive inadequate training in this area. Many leave their pre-service training lacking confidence in addressing behavior and do not receive training once…

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe experiences of dialectical behavior therapy for special education teachers at a large, suburban school district in the Southeast United States. The theory guiding this study was Bandura's social cognitive theory (SCT), as it explains how new behaviors are learned and…

There is limited evidence on the imperative role that caregivers play in social-emotional learning development for effective social-emotional learning program implementation despite their crucial influence on childhood development. This doctoral project explored the effects of parent education for two school-based, social-emotional learning…

This research study investigated the impact of implementing a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) bus framework on student behavior. Pre and post-implementation data were collected from an elementary school (K-4) in a large suburban school district on Long Island. The school has been implementing PBIS school-wide but not a…

Community School 53 has seen a significant increase in suspension rates over the past five years. The suspension rate in 2018-2019 was 5.04%; during the 2019-2020 school year the rate was 8.11%. There is no data from the school year 2020-2021 due to COVID-19. The suspension rate rose drastically in 2021-2022 to 18.10%, and it was at 17.62% for the…

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an effective procedure for reducing disruptive classroom behavior. In this study, students in 3 fifth grade classes selected the rules of the GBG and then experienced the GBG with different forms of feedback delivery for rule violations (vocal and visual, vocal only, visual only, no feedback) on disruptive classroom…

School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) are an integral part of schools across the United States. When implementing SWPBIS, academic achievement, emotional regulation, prosocial behavior increases while behavioral problems, bullying, exclusionary discipline teacher stress and teacher burnout decrease. Despite the…

Teachers are expected to support all students that enter their classrooms including students with Emotional and Behavior Disorders, also known as EBD. The maladaptive behavior exhibited by students with EBD often prevents them from engaging successfully in learning and forging relationships, leading to them being disconnected from school (Sheaffer…

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have trouble in the classroom when it comes to social interactions, changes in routine, disordered environments, and intense sensory stimulation. In this study a workshop was designed to assist special education teachers and school administration to manage challenging behaviors of students with…