Adult attention

Escape/avoidance

Power/control

Peer affiliation

Justice/revenge

Teacher:

Strategies to promote desired alternative behavior

And/or

Strategies to reduce the target behavior

[Note:  when alternate behavior is incompatible with target behavior, the same strategy may work both to promote & to reduce]

-          Give praise and attention for positive behavior

-          Determine if the behavior is learned helplessness – provide support and then fade it away

-          Call on the student if he/she knows the answer

-          Allow opportunities for the student to show skill, ability, competence

-          Use pre-compliance (ask the student to do something he/she is likely to do and then move to the more difficult task)

-          Ask for student input

-          Behavior contract

-          Seating in proximity to teacher

-          Ignore if behavior is minor & won’t escalate

-          Assess if the work is too hard, too easy, too redundant

-          Give choices – how else could the student demonstrate mastery?

-          Teach student ways to be more efficient and/or organized

-          Provide opportunities for the student to respond correctly (75-80% correction level)

-          Prompt/cue the student

-          Focus on effort and improvement

-          Create a supportive atmosphere (it’s okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them)

-          Set reasonable goals with  student input

-          Provide for immediate success

-          Break down tasks into manageable steps

-          Behavior contract

-          Movement breaks

-          Make accommodations for messy work (computer, print instead of cursive, etc.)

-          Talk with student about the real life effects of the behavior

-          What does the student think of his/her abilities?  Give him/her a better understanding – you may know he/she can do it, but does the student know that?

-          Reinforce the process, not just the product

-          Be creative about how to involve the student in drill-practice and demonstrating mastery

-          Redirect the student

-          Reward timeliness

-          Discuss with the student why the appropriate behavior or activity is important & useful

-          Have clear expectations

-          Give the student opportunities for leadership

-          Give the student choices & help them identify alternatives

-          Use intermittent rewards (mystery rewards) so student doesn’t know when one might happen & so may maintain effort

-          Use pre-compliance (ask the student to do a task they are likely to do, and then move to the difficult task)

-          Be open to ways to involve the student in drill-practice and in demonstrating mastery

-         Spotlight a strength of the target student

-         Give responsibility

-         Use small groups

-         Connect the student with the school through an activity, recognition, etc.

-         Involve the student in class in ways that publicly demonstrate competence

-          Use hurdle help to get the student past/through difficult situations or times

-          Use pre-compliance (ask the student to do a task they are likely to do, and then move to the difficult task)

-         Proximity to teacher

Student:

Consequences for alternative appropriate behavior

And/or

Consequences for inappropriate target behavior

-          Positive attention; extra time with key adult

-          Be a peer tutor or model for others

-          Positive notes home and/or to other key adults

-          Token economy

-          Teach social skills of how to ask for help, problem solving, etc.

-          Have student identify appropriate ways to get adult attention

-          Consider process, not product

-          Compliance with a request reduces the amount to be done (acknowledge student’s difficulty with the task)

-         Give the student choices

-          Work through problem solving model

-         Have student identify appropriate ways to escape

-         Group reward/hero system

-         Allow student to mentor or tutor another student

-          Use vignettes, video clips to teach perspective taking

-          Have the student identify appropriate ways to get power/control

-          Reinforce strengths and accomplishment

-          Use group contingencies

-          Give the student a leadership role

-          Extra time with a chosen peer

-          Mentor a younger student

-          Teach social skills for peer interactions, problem solving

-          Have the student develop materials to teach younger children the skill

-         Have the student identify appropriate ways to get peer attention

Avoid the use of

-          Allowing the student too many excuses or engaging in lengthy discussions

-          Power struggles

-          Public confrontations

-          Pushing the student away, disconnecting the student from the class or school

-          Power struggles

-          Public confrontations

-          Allowing student to “escape” from the task or activity completely

-         Trying to force compliance with a public question or reprimand

-         Giving orders, commands, ultimatums

-         Public confrontation

-         Allowing peer reinforcement

Special considerations

Does the student know what to do?  Can he/she follow multi-step directions?  Is the work at a reasonable level for the student?  What is motivating for the student?  Is “I don’t care” sour grapes or has the student really given up?  Is there family support for education – is it realistic for this student to do homework, for example?  Does the student have a place to do homework?  Is there an expectation that the student will care for younger siblings or have other tasks that are given priority in the home?  Are the student’s basic needs met – is the student hungry?  Does he/she feel safe, etc.?