Publication year
2010
Citation Title
Use of positive behavior support to address the challenging behavior of young children within a community early childhood program.
Journal Name
Topics in Early Childhood Special Education
Journal Volume
30
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
68-79
DOI
10.1177/0271121410372676
Summary
Child assessments were utilized to evaluated the effects of an individualized positive behavior support (PBS) process in an early childhood classroom. The classroom engagement and problem behaviors of three children with diagnosed developmental disabilities were assessed prior to and following the PBS intervention. The PBS intervention was associated with a reduction in problem behaviors and increased engagement.
Key Findings
During center activity times and transition times of the intervention phase, children demonstrated an increase in engagement and a decrease in problem behavior, which were maintained through seven week follow-up.
Teachers generalized the use of the PBS intervention strategies to activities/routines other than those specifically included in the training, with positive results (children showed increased engagement, decreased problem behavior).
Behavior changes were maintained for two of the children who were moved to new classrooms.
Implications for Military Professionals
Attend trainings regarding ways to implement PBS into military specific programming
Help develop modules regarding the importance of early intervention for problem behaviors among children to inform staff about early signs and resource available to military families
Implications for Program Leaders
Continue to offer evidence-based programming to military parents and children coping with behavioral issues
Educate military families about positive behavioral support and strategies to incorporate these skills into their own parenting practices
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend using PBS or other evidence-based interventions with children who exhibit problem behaviors, as these strategies have shown some positive results
Encourage training for service providers working with military families regarding the use of PBS prevention and teaching strategies
Methods
This was an intervention study using a concurrent, multiple-baseline design with three children to evaluate the effectiveness of individualized PBS procedures across different contexts within a community-based preschool program.
Children were selected based on their persistent challenging behaviors in the classroom; children had a formal diagnosis (e.g., language developmental delay, ADHD, and pervasive developmental disorder).
This study focused on civilian children.
Participants
Three male children were included in this study.
Two of the children were Black and one was Latino.
The children were between the ages of three and four years old.
Limitations
Without a comparison group, it is unclear whether the outcome is truly related to the intervention, or if other factors played a role.
Only three male children from one early childhood program were included; therefore, results may not generalize to other children with behavioral issues.
Constructs may have been confounded; for example, the interventions were implemented for each child while in the presence of the other children, it cannot be determined if one child’s behavior change was in response to his or her individualized intervention or in response to another child’s intervention.
Avenues for Future Research
Determine for whom, for which behavior problems, and in what context (e.g., military) PBS interventions are most effective and if the prevention and teaching strategies could be used to the benefit of all children
Assess the effectiveness of individualized PBS interventions, specifically, assessing both intraindividual change and interindividual differences across contexts, with different populations, and over time
Examine the generalizability of PBS intervention among children with different kinds of disabilities (e.g., developmental delay, ADHD, autism) as well as among children who display problem behaviors, but do not show a diagnosable disability
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
This study examined the effects yielded from the implementation of assessment-based behavior support plans on the engagement and problem behavior of three young children with behavioral challenges in a community early childhood program. A concurrent multiple-baseline design across children with generalization probes was used with data collected during targeted and nontargeted routines, in phases with different staff members, and in new classroom settings. The results indicated that implementation of the individualized behavior support plan by teaching staff resulted in higher levels of engagement and a reduction in challenging behavior. Teachers generalized the use of intervention strategies to nontrained routines resulting in improvements in the children’s target behaviors within those routines. Follow-up probes for two of the children indicated that changes in behavior were maintained in new classroom settings. These findings support the efficacy of the implementation of behavior support plans that are assessment based by early educators within a community-based preschool program.
Abstract Document
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