Prior research indicates that reinforcement of an appropriate response (e.g., compliance) can produce concomitant reductions in problem behavior reinforced by escape when problem behavior continues to produce negative reinforcement (e.g., Lalli et al., 1999). These effects may be due to a preference for positive over negative reinforcement or to…

This ethnographic study of language shows the importance of educators' appropriate use of linguistic, nonlinguistic, and paralinguistic communication techniques when working with elementary students within two classrooms who have behavioral and emotional disorders. This study focused on communication techniques used by teachers and…

The alarming rise of office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions among students in public schools, have been a major concern for stakeholders in learning communities throughout the country. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (2001) and The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) mandated state and local educational agencies to implement scientific…

This study investigated the knowledge and skills of undergraduate and graduate practicum and student teaching students with positive behavior supports (PBS). Participants for this study consisted of a population of one hundred students from a southwestern university's College of Education teacher preparation program. Students completed an adapted…

Over the last several years, educational policy has advocated for a preventive approach to keep problem behaviors from escalating and interfering with student achievement. Proactive methodologies such as school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) and response to intervention (RTI) have become common practice in school districts across the…

This paper presents a description of ongoing work of an Alberta school district that is working to support and enhance effective inclusive practices that reach and teach every student. The district is implementing a Pyramid of Supports model that is built upon four critical elements: a belief in social justice and the value of every child, a…

Special education continues to document the poor within and post-school outcomes among children and youth with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (EBD). While the poor outcomes are due to a myriad of causes, three issues routinely emerge as problematic in the field. First, the need for early intervention and prevention has been well documented, and…

Three formats for assessing preferences were examined, tangible, pictorial with access, and pictorial without access. Reinforcer assessments were conducted to verify reinforcer effects. Phase 1 examined the assessment formats in alternating blocks of trials. Phase 2 examined results of the entire pictorial without access condition administered…

Check In/Check Out (CICO) is a secondary tier intervention for those students who are not responsive to universal tier, school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports. The present study extended the implementation of CICO to six students with emotional and behavioral disorders in a residential facility whose behaviors were maintained…

This paper presents the results from a series of surveys distributed to school personnel from three different schools throughout the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) implementation process. The surveys used in this study were designed to measure the team members' acceptability of PBS, amount of support received, and satisfaction with training as…

This study investigated the effect School-Wide Positive Behavior Support had on special education students' achievement and office discipline referrals. Sixty-nine special education students from eight elementary schools participated in this study. Thirty-four participants were in the group with School-Wide Positive Behavior Support, and 35…

Students who display the most challenging behaviors are more likely to be excluded from the general education learning environment and placed in more restrictive environments such as residential or juvenile justice (JJ) settings. Historically, the approaches used to address the needs of these students have been rooted in reactionary and punitive…

This paper reports an action research project in a school in the UK designed to investigate the impact of a brief Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) intervention in promoting skills of non-teaching staff in positive behaviour management. A summary of the literature in relation to VIG is provided before describing the project and data collected. Ten…

This investigation examined the effects of a classroom-based intervention, Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Training: Competent Learners Achieving School Success (BEST in CLASS), on teacher behaviors and child outcomes in early childhood classrooms. First, we examined the effects of professional development training and practice-based coaching…

Over the past several years, allegations of abuse and death related to seclusion and restraint, media coverage of these events, subsequent federal investigations, and Congressional hearings about this topic have resulted in increased pressure on Congress to pass legislation to address the use of seclusion and restraint in the school setting.…