Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder known for deficits in language and social skills. It is often associated with maladaptive behaviors. Studies have indicated that these behaviors in children lead to increased stress, anxiety and depression in mothers. This study examines the effects of parent-implemented Positive Behavior Support (PBS) and behavioral activation (BA) on reducing problem behaviors and increasing maternal wellness. The single subject study was conducted with three mothers (between the ages of 30 and 45) and their three children (between the ages of 5 and 7) with autism spectrum disorder. The results of this study demonstrate that while PBS implementation does reduce problem behaviors, it does not significantly impact maternal well-being. Results indicated that two of the three mothers were able to implement PBS interventions and their children demonstrated significant behavioral improvements. These mothers also engaged in high levels of valued activities both at baseline and during intervention and showed few depression symptoms. The third mother was not able to implement the interventions and her child demonstrated little behavioral progress. This mother showed signs of depression and did not make gains in this area. Further research may want to examine the relationship between behavioral activation and respite care, as well as the role of socioeconomic status.

This study represents a quasi-replication of Lane et al. (2009) investigation into the psychometric properties of the Primary Intervention Rating Scale (PIRS). This rating scale was designed to assess the social validity of primary to high school level Positive Behavior Support intervention plans completed by academic staff. Lane's results indicated the PIRS was a one- factor measure with strong reliability and structural validity. To substantiate these findings an adapted version of the PIRS was distributed to teachers from one Utah school district.Quantitative data and additional comments were collected from elementary and middle school teachers. The results were computed using a series of statistical analyses including Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Cronbach's Alpha. Teacher comments were used to provide additional feedback and to examine trends. Results confirmed the Lane et al. findings that the PIRS is a one factor measure with strong internal consistency. Results also indicated that the school district's PBS prevention plan was socially valid from the teachers' perspective.

Challenging behavior in preschool is a serious concern for teachers. In recent years, positive behavior support (PBS) has been shown to be effective in reducing such behaviors. Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a specific program for implementing PBS principles in classroom settings. CW-FIT is a group contingency that utilizes social skills training, teacher praise, and positive reinforcement to improve student behavior. Students are taught specific social skills and then work in teams to earn a group reward based on the use of these skills. CW-FIT has been shown to be effective in elementary classrooms but has not yet been evaluated with other age groups. The present study examined the effects of CW-FIT implementation on teacher praise rates and student engagement in four preschool classrooms with 55 total students. A single-subject, multiple-baseline design with embedded reversals was used to evaluate impact. Results indicate that CW-FIT increased teacher praise rates and student engagement while reducing student disruptive behavior. Both teachers and students found CW-FIT to be socially valid. The present study indicates promising results for the implementation of CW-FIT in a preschool setting.

Challenging and disruptive student behavior is a major concern for all teachers, including those who teach art. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research and resources available for art teachers to manage student behavior. School-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) is a framework that has been shown to improve student behavior. Class-wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is an intervention that utilizes SWPBS principles including group contingency, social skills instruction, teacher praise, and positive reinforcement and has been shown to be effective in general education classrooms. This is the first study of CW-FIT in elementary art classrooms and examined the effects of the intervention on teacher praise-to-reprimand rates and student on-task behavior in three classrooms. The first classroom utilized an AB design while the other two used a reversal (ABAB) design to evaluate impact. The results indicated the teacher was able to implement CW-FIT with fidelity, increase praise-to-reprimand ratios, and increase group on-task behavior. Finally, both the teacher and students found it to be socially valid. Limitations and implications of this study for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Parents who have children with challenging behavior may feel stressed, overwhelmed and at a loss for solutions. Challenging behavior can cause problems with children’s relationships with others and their school success. There are many resources for schools and children with special needs; however, resources for parents for young children (ages 3 to 5) with challenging behavior are limited. This study examined the impact of a 6-week intervention to coach parents to use strategies that encouraged children to develop skills that helped them to express frustration and solve problems in positive ways. Parents were better able to understand what the children were communicating with their behaviors, and what supports they needed in order to get their needs met in an appropriate way. Challenging behavior decreased for the children who participated. They also were better able to communicate their needs and handle disappointment.

Being a teacher is not an easy job. There is an increased emphasis on evidence-based methods. Teacher praise is an effective classroom management tool. Behavior specific praise statements is a low intensity teacher delivered strategy where teachers say or write the precise behavior exhibited and how it met an expectation or affected academic/social achievement. This study aimed to increase Behavior Specific Praise Statements among three teachers in Mathematic, English and Social subject studies on student’s social behavior as a group. An intervention consisting of an hour of counseling, post-it notes, and self-registration was given. The teachers decided their own pre-set criteria. Two teachers sat a criterion of three and one teacher sat a criterion of six. The results showed that the intervention had an effect on the teachers use of BSPS. However, one teacher did not reach the pre-set criteria. Practical implications are discussed.

The ability of direct care staff members to carry out behavior programs, specific protocols written by a behavior analyst, or recommendations made after completion of a functional behavioral assessment is an essential tool needed for such documents to actually be meaningful to patients. Since direct care staff members spend the most time directly working with patients, it is imperative that they carry out intervention procedures with reliability and fidelity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of staff training procedures as well as organizational behavior management techniques used to ensure that staff members are equipped with the tools they need and are properly motivated to carry out the proposed intervention procedures. Staff members received training on the Tools for Positive Behavior Change curriculum developed by the Behavior Analysis Services Program at the University of South Florida using a myriad of training techniques. Then, organizational behavior management techniques were implemented in order to maintain tool implementation and positive interactions with patients over time. Effectiveness of these procedures was measured using a concurrent multiple baseline across participant research design. Results showed that participants did not increase, or only slightly increased, tool use and positive interactions after being trained. However, tool use and positive interactions showed a more substantial increase for most participants after the implementation of organizational behavior management procedures.

Disruptive behavior within classrooms is a major concern for teachers and parents. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) provides a multi-tiered framework for schools to provide supports to students, which are matched to each student's needs. Whereas most students are successful with the school-wide supports provided to all students, approximately 20% of students are likely to require additional supports. Group contingencies have an established basis of support as effective Tier 2 interventions; however, these contingencies vary in a variety of dimensions that may influence their efficacy and acceptability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative impact of four different group contingency types (independent, interdependent, dependent, and randomized) on class-wide appropriate and disruptive student behaviors as well as how implementation of a teacher's preferred contingency may enhance student behavioral outcomes. Three general education teachers and their students participated in the study. All four group contingency types resulted in reduced disruption and increased appropriate behavior across all three classrooms. No patterns of differentiation were observed in any classroom. Teacher preference was assessed with two teachers selecting independent and two teachers selecting dependent contingencies as their preferred reward system. Implementation of the preferred contingency resulted in further improvements in both class-wide behaviors. Some evidence of generalization and maintenance was noted in all three classrooms.

There was a problem regarding students' antisocial behavior in a small rural school district in Washington State. Public data within the district indicated increasing incidents of students' antisocial behaviors. However, perceptions of school leaders regarding this problem were not known. As a result, there was a need to gain an understanding about school leaders' perceptions of students' antisocial behaviors in order to suggest potential solutions to reduce students' antisocial behaviors, as these perceptions are closely associated with their intent to address the problem. Bandura's theory of self-regulation provided the conceptual framework for collecting and analyzing data. Using an instrumental case study, the research questions explored school leaders' experiences in working with students who failed to manage their behavior and who exhibited antisocial behavior. Semi structured interviews were conducted with 13 school leaders in the district, and an iterative, inductive process of data collection, open coding, and thematic analysis was used. The themes that emerged from analysis of the data indicated a gap in the school leaders' practice regarding participation in ongoing, job-embedded professional development and an absence of a systematic school-wide positive behavior support approach to prevention and intervention. The findings indicated the need for professional development training to address these issues related to school leaders' practice. The suggested training could create positive social change by reducing students' antisocial behaviors, thus leading to an improvement in academic achievement. The recommended job-embedded professional development training resulting from exploring school leaders' perceptions can increase the capacity of the school leaders to manage students' antisocial behaviors.

This study was a replication of a study by Hosp et al. (2003), which looked at items on behavior rating scales to determine if they can be used to plan and monitor positive behavior interventions. For this study, ten forms of commonly used behavior rating scales were selected, and the so what and dead man tests were applied on each scale. Each item on the scale was placed into one of four categories: positive action, negative action, lack of positive action, and lack of negative action. Then, these categories were used to rate each scale to determine which subscales survived, or were deemed useful for measuring increases in positive behavior. Eight of the ten scales were found to contain a majority of negative action items and some lack of action items, neither of which are useful in measuring positive behaviors. Only two scales, the parent and teacher versions of the BERS-2, were found to contain all positive action items, and therefore were the only scales to fully survive the dead man test. The results of this study show that the majority of commonly used behavior rating scales today still do not contain primarily positive action items, and therefore have not majorly improved in the last fifteen years, although all of the behavior rating scales contained subscales that could have potential to plan and monitor positive behavior interventions.