Positive Behavior Support in the Early Childhood Classroom

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Positive Behavior Supportin the Early Childhood
Classroom
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Purpose

• Examine the need for early intervention.
• Address how PBS key features can be applied at
  the early childhood level.
• Provide examples of PBS tools used in early
  childhood programs.

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Challenging Behaviors
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How do these behaviors make us feel?
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The Bigger Picture

• Children with early behavior problems are
  at-risk for peer rejection, teacher rejection,
  limited opportunities for learning appropriate
  behavior in school, and continued problems in
  these areas as they get older (Stormont, Lewis
  Beckner).

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The Bigger Picture

• Research indicates that if at-risk children have
  not learned more adaptive behavior patterns by
  the end of the third grade, it is highly unlikely
  that they will ever be successful in the absence
  of continuing and comprehensive external
  supports
• (Stormont, Lewis Beckner).

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Risk Factors

• Young children who are at risk due to factors
  such as poverty, neglect, violence in the home,
  or other types of family adversity are also more
  vulnerable for developing problem behavior
  patterns
• (Stormont, Espinosa, Knipping McCathren, 2003).

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How can we intervene ?

• Implement Positive Behavior Support!
• Partner with early childhood special education,
  Title One, Head Start programs and community
  preschool programs to provide systematic early
  intervention.
• (Stormont, Lewis Beckner)

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Tertiary Prevention Specialized
Individualized Systems for Students with
High-Risk Behavior
CONTINUUM OF SCHOOL-WIDE INSTRUCTIONAL
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT
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Secondary Prevention Specialized Group Systems
for Students with At-Risk Behavior
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Primary Prevention School-/Classroom- Wide
Systems for All Students, Staff, Settings
80 of Students
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Concepts unique to Early Childhood PBS

• Program-wide positive behavior support vs.
  school-wide
• Focus on developmental appropriateness rather
  than copying elementary building programming.
• Learning occurs through play and trial and error
  actions.
• Social instruction goes beyond rules and
  routines, to include how to make friends, how to
  express emotions, and general school behavior.
• Blending of constructivist educational approach
  and PBS methodology.
• Data collection classroom vs. use of principals
  office or buddy room.
• Beckner, Rebecca, (July 2004). Early Childhood
  Positive Behavior Support Supplemental Materials
  for the Missouri PBS Institute Model, p. 2 3.

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Program-Wide PBS

• Classrooms may be located in different buildings.
• Still form one PBS teamrepresentative of each of
  the programs and the various professionals.

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Developmental Appropriateness

• Behavior Expectations
• Limit to 2 or 3
• Align with elementary building PBS expectations

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EXPECTATION MATRIX
Expectations

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Preschool Learning and Social Skill Instruction

• May be childrens first experience with organized
  schooling.
• Developmentally appropriate social skill
  instruction that uses puppets, storybooks, finger
  plays, social stories, songs, group games and art
  activities.
• Beckner, Rebecca, (July 2004). Early Childhood
  Positive Behavior Support Supplemental Materials
  for the Missouri PBS Institute Model, p. 2.

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Blending of Constructivism and PBS

• Development of lesson plans
• Tangible rewards and/or praise
• Example Tim, you are using your walking feet.
  You are being safe.
• Example Group beehive incentive
• Beckner, Rebecca, (July 2004). Early Childhood
  Positive Behavior Support Supplemental Materials
  for the Missouri PBS Institute Model, p. 3.

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Data Collection

• Analysis of data important to development of
  action plan.
• Method of gathering information on behavior
  incidents will have to be decided.
• Example Incident Report
• Beckner, Rebecca, (July 2004). Early Childhood
  Positive Behavior Support Supplemental Materials
  for the Missouri PBS Institute Model, p. 3.

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More on Meaningful Differences . . .
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Meaningful Differences in the Everyday
Experiences of Young American Children

• Betty Hart Todd Risley, published 1995
• Research done in Kansas City, Kansas
• Observed 42 families for more than 2 years, 1 and
  2 year olds.
• Overall thought Everything we do is mediated by
  language.

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• Children who live in poverty hear 250,000 words
  per year.
• Children who live in professional homes hear 4
  million words per year.

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• Affirmative Statements
• Professional homes 30 affirmative statements
  per hour
• Working class homes 15 affirmative statements
  per hour.
• Poverty homes average of 6 affirmative
  statements per hour. Twice as many prohibitive
  statements per hour.

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• Hart and Risleys advice
• Children of poverty would need 26 hours per week
  of affirmatives to catch them up with the type of
  positive language used in classrooms.

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Supports for Children At-Risk for Chronic
Behavior Concerns
Use data to determine which classrooms and
children need extra support. The BUZ Team
(Buddy Up Zone) Met on children who had more
than three incident reports during a
month. Behavior improvement plans Crisis
Plan De-escalate the behavior Focus remains on
developing appropriate social skills (Stormon
t, Lewis Beckner)
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The results . . . now
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The results . . . later
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Internet Resources

• The Center on the Social and Emotional
  Foundations for Early Learning
• www.csefel.uiuc.edu
• University of Southern Florida http//flpbs.fmhi.u
  sf.edu/
• Teaching Tools Easing Transitions for Young
  Children with Challenging Behavior
  http//www.challengingbehavior.org

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Programs Implementing Positive Behavior Support

• Columbia Public School District
• Early Childhood Special Education
• Contact person Becky Beckner
• 555 Vandiver
• Columbia, MO 65202
• [phone]
• Rockwood School District
• Early Childhood Center at Clarkson Valley
• Early Childhood Center at Vandover
• Coordinator for Early Childhood
  EducationLouise NelsonPhone 636.207.2600 ext.
  271  
•       Coordinator for Early Childhood Special
  EducationMarie WohlertPhone 636.207.2600 ext.
  276        

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Presenter Contact Information

• Susan Cook
• Regional Positive Behavior Support Coach
• Heart of Missouri-RPDC
• 108 Townsend Hall
• Columbia, MO 65211
• cooksm_at_missouri.edu
• [phone]
• [phone] (fax)