Transcript Using First Step To Success to divert at

Implementing
First Step To Success
to divert at-risk first
graders
from an antisocial path
Problem Statement
Children who come from at-risk
backgrounds, approach the school
setting not ready to learn. These
children do not have the skills
and attributes for school
success.
Research/Support
At-Risk Children:
Are those “exposed
to a host of risk factors during their
development (e.g., child neglect/abuse,
poverty, family stress and conflict, drug and
alcohol involvement, weak parenting practices,
and so forth); (these risk factors provide a
fertile breeding ground for the development
of antisocial behavior patterns.” (Walker and
Sprague, 1988, p. 260)
Attributes
these attributes are NOT seen in at-risk
children: “the willingness and eagerness to
learn, empathy, having consideration of peers,
listens and follows directions, concentrates
long enough to complete one task, works
independently, and is responsible with ones
property.” (Loman, Rodriguez, & Horner,
1998, p. 5)
Anti Social Behavior
“Sprague (2005) suggests, “what
distinguishes antisocial behavior patterns
from the norm is the extent to which the
pattern generalizes across persons, setting,
or contexts. It is distinguished by its
frequency (how often), intensity (how
damaging or disruptive), duration (how long)
and versatility (number of different forms)
of the antisocial behavior.” (Patterson et al.,
1992; Walker, 1995).
Risk Factors
of Anti Social Behavior
Research and practice suggest risk factors include
“defiance of adults, restlessness and over activity,
aggression, disruptive classroom behavior, lack of
self-regulation, and poor school readiness.”
“short-term outcomes resulting from these behavioral
manifestations over time can include truancy, teacher
rejection, lack of friends and peer rejection, low
academic achievement, numerous school discipline
contacts, fighting, association with deviant peers, and
a larger than normal number of elementary schools
attended.” (Walker, Severson, Feil, Stiller, & Golly,
1998, p. 260)
EBS (Effective Positive
Behavior Support System)
Approach to discipline
school-wide reinforcement to better recognize the
majority of students who follow school rules. It is
also a prevention to ensure school success and help to
divert at-risk children from anti social behaviors.
Positive Behavior
positive decision making, responsive
(answering, replying, reacting to
suggestions of teacher), staying
engaged (having an awareness of ones
environment, ones own thoughts and
actions, productive classroom behavior
(efficiency, output of what is required
by teacher).
Preventive
Students use the tools taught from
(EBS & FSTS) to deter aggression by
hostile peers in order to maintain
engagement and achievement, and
acknowledging the importance of
making attendance a priority without
being tardy.
Literature Review
Hill M. Walker, PhD, co-director of the
Institute on Violence & destructive
Behavior, University of Oregon, 1998
Kate Kavanagh, PhD, research associate
Oregon Social Learning Center
Bruce Stiller, PhD, school psychologist &
Behavior consultant with Eugene School
District 4J
Literature Review
Annemieke Golly, PhD, special education
teacher, K-5, and coordinator and
trainer for the First Step to Success
Intervention
Herbert H. Severson, PhD, associate
professor of counseling psychology,
University of Oregon Research
Institute
Edward G. Feil, PhD, adjunct prof, UofO
Participants
in
Study
• Twin Oaks Elementary School-1st grade
classroom, 28 students; 17 female & 11
male
• Two groups in study: child A and the 27
remaining students
• Teacher, one-on-one aide with student
A, principal
Twin Oaks School Vision
• learning something new everyday
• reaching success in all school settings
• growing as a contributing member of
our classroom
• helping all students development life
skills to promote success outside of
school.
District-wide
Behavior Program
• Effective Behavior Support (EBS)-developed
1990 at U of O, Twin Oaks adopted 1994
their belief: all children need support, not
just those who present behavior challenges.
• Adults recognize positive behavioral skills in
order to maintain positive classroom climate.
• Taught clearly defined behavioral
expectations in all school settings, along with
predictable responses to their behavior.
EBS research findings
• When taught clearly defined positive
behavioral expectations, students selfconcept increased along with their intrinsic
motivation.
• Students experienced high rates of academic
success when acknowledged regularly with
positive reinforcement.
• Students stayed engaged in their learning
when quietly noticed with an AH-HA.
EBS Philosophy
• Prevention: move away from blaming,
physically turn away from aggressive
behaviors
• AH-HA: received for staying engaged in any
school setting= class basket, Friday drawing
(helping teacher, line up first, read to entire
class, prize treasure box)
• UH-OH: received for aggression, hostility,
defiance, destructiveness=call home, 3 in one
day=call home and principals office
Problem Statement
• Student A did not grasp EBS expectations
and my efforts of re-teaching Student A the
school expectations was unsuccessful. Plus,
reaffirming only her positive efforts was not
effective.
• She had chronic problem behaviors with
repeat referrals from every school setting.
• This student did not respond to primary
prevention (EBS), she needed individualized
secondary prevention efforts (behavioral &
academic support, mentoring, social-skill
lessons, behavioral contracting, counseling)
Research Question
• Student A was raised in a family with
continual conflict along with poor parenting
practices. Will implementing First Step To
Success over a 12 week period be an affective
positive behavior support to insure her school
and home success?
• This question gave me the opportunity to learn how a child’s
family affects their school experience and if I could improve my
classroom community by specifically targeting student A.
Methods-FSTS components
• Universal screening and early detection
Coordinated by First Step Consultant: Direct
Observations of teacher practices as well as
nominated child in the class whose
characteristic behavior patterns correspond
most closely to a standard definition of
antisocial behavior=4 weeks
• Enlisting parents as partners is a key
protective factor in diverting child from an
antisocial path in their subsequent school
careers.
FSTS
Timelines
Modular Components
weeks
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Delivery Agents Screening
FS Consultant teacher &
students
observation
Target Child
School Intervention
Teacher
Peers
Parent
Target Child
Teacher
Home Base Parent Training
Shared Goal FSTS & Home
• Build a strong, positive link between home and
school.
• Designed to strengthen parenting skills in
developing competence related to school
success.
• Goal- educators and parent-caregivers on the
same side in helping vulnerable children
experience early school success.
• Most importantly-need consent of parent
Home-base module
• Includes 6 lessons, instructional guidelines,
and parent-child games and activities for
directly teaching these skills-each lesson
requires 10-15 minutes daily along with
practice=7 weeks which begins after the child
has completed 1 week of the school
intervention.
• Target skills: communication & sharing,
cooperation, limits-setting, problem-solving,
friendship-making, & developing confidence.
School Intervention
• School Intervention includes: teacher praise,
monitoring of performance, points, group and
individual privileges, home rewards=8 weeks
Uses group-dependent contingency procedure
in which target child earns daily & ultimately
weekly school privileges for self and
classmates=8 weeks
• Teacher’s role is to support, praise, and
recognize the home skills when they are
displayed by the child and to prompt the skills
as appropriate.
SPECIFIC Procedures
• Educate Target child privately in every school
setting, how points are earned, and determine
individual and whole class free time activities.
• Teach remaining class population.
• Teacher close proximity to target child, 6 x 4
two sided card, green/red-1 point awarded
every 30 seconds.
Teacher Procedure also includes
• Operating the program daily with two, 20 minute
sessions-at school start & prior to lunch, 80% green
points=brief free time activity immediately following
the 20-min period. If reward criterion for both
sessions met, child also earns a home privilege
prearranged with parent.
• points are awarded contingent upon target child’s
performance-green or red
• Supervising delivery of group activity and individual
rewards
• Communicating with parents on a regular basis
regarding the target child’s performance.
Conclusion Thoughts
• Negative: Will the delivery and implementation guidelines of
the home lessons meet the family’s existing skill level in order to
teach them?
• “The case for prevention programs can often be a difficult sell
with most school systems.” (Walker, Severson, et al., 1998;
Webster-Stratton, 1997)
• Teachers time & energy necessary to implement secondary
prevention, along with manage a wide variety of responsibilities,
large class size, unique student characteristics and behaviors.
• Will the intervention only make a difference in the behavior of
one child or the entire population?
• Positive: Teacher will see positive effects occur throughout the
whole classroom- including peer academic and social behaviors
positively increased.
• Teacher skills learned to help target student with antisocial
problems generalized to the interactions with all students in
every setting.