Geneva Woodruff, Ph.D.

Director, Project Mastery

25 Monmouth Court

Brookline, MA 02446

617.232.0600

Email: genevawoodruff@cs.com

Project Mastery

National Training Program for Early Childhood Administrators,

Teachers/Service providers and Related Staff who Work with Children Ages 2-8 with Challenging Behaviors and Their

Families

Mastery Replication Sites

Each year, Mastery chooses 5 school systems or agencies to serve as replication sites. Ongoing training and individual mentoring is provided for up to 25 teachers/service providers and their supervisors at each of these school systems.

Mastery Selection Process Commitment:

– Teachers/service providers participate in 5 days of training over the course of the school year

– Teachers participate in individual support sessions with the Mastery Staff

– Supervisors participate in 2 additional days of training– Each teacher/service provider, with supervisory support,

designs and implements an individualized behavior plan for 2 children with challenging behaviors and their families.

– Teachers submit pre and post child assessment findings Costs:

– Travel costs for the trainer(Ground and air transportation, hotel and meals)

Mastery Preliminary Findings

Over 90% of the children have demonstrated a reduction in their challenging behavior

Over 90% of the children have met their behavior goals at expected or greater than expected levels (exhibited positive behaviors)

Child Outcomes

For the first time the children:

– are making friends.

– are being invited to birthday parties, play dates, and sleepovers.

– are reporting that they like school

– Are being chosen to be on a team

Teacher Outcomes

Teachers report they feel more relaxed about teaching.

Teachers feel more competent in dealing with children with challenging behaviors.

Teachers feel they are more able to choose their battles, and lighten up.

Principals and Supervisors report: They are more able to offer support

that is helpful to their teachers. A great pride in their teachers’

professional knowledge and skills. Their pleasure in the gains made by

children who for years had been sent to them for behavior problems.

Parents report:

They are so pleased and thankful for the gains their child has made socially, emotionally, and academically.

Their relief in no longer feeling a sense of dread when they hear the principal or teacher voice on the phone or receive a note from school.

Behavior Characteristics

Hyperactivity Attention problems Pervasive developmental delays Atypicality Aggression Anxiety/Depression

Learning Problems

Listening Completing tasks Following directions Trying a new activity Complying with teacher requests Starting an activity without waiting

for instruction

Social Problems

Playing a game Turn-taking / sharing Touching other children

inappropriately Expressing feelings inappropriately Initiating interactions inappropriately

Classroom Disruptions

Wandering/not staying on task Making others wait Annoying others/whining/pouting Refusal / reluctance to move to

another activity Tantrums / throwing / hitting Physical aggression

Strategies Teacher’s and Families Tried Unsuccessful

Sticker program Catch the child doing something

right Set Clear rules Followed through on statements Called parents Time-out, loss of privileges

Strategies Aren’t Effective If:

Classroom setup and procedures don’t support children’s positive behavior

They are not provided often and consistently

Strategies aren’t implemented for a long enough period

Misbehavior results in immediate punishment (Mastery Plan)

Changes in Behavior Require: An intervention plan based upon:

– an assessment of the behavior – what it is like, when does it occurs, how often

– an analysis of the function of behavior (all behavior has meaning)

– An individualized plan that addresses the child’s interests, strengths and needs (emotional, social and academic)

– (Mastery Plan)

Changes in Behavior Require a Behavior Plan that: Builds the Child’s Self Esteem Provides Interventions to support the

child’s Positive Behaviors Provides Hands on Lessons that

TEACHES the Child the Skills you want him or her to Demonstrate (Mastery Plan)

Development of a Mastery Classroom Plan

Preventive Strategies

Classroom rules Placement/supervision Schedule/Models/Directions Activities related to child’s interests Social skills/positive and negative

words (page 3)

Development of a Plan to Build a Relationship

Building a Relationship

How could you make the child feel special at the -

Beginning of the day End of the day (page 4)

Building a Relationship

Child’s interests Child’s skills Child’s unique qualities Special favors/rewards Complements/making the child feel

special Child’s family, friends, pets

Building a Relationship

Putting yourself on the map Offering information about yourself to the

child: – Your hobbies interests outside of school– when you were a child what you did, your

family and pet, your interests, your thoughts,

Asking for the child’s opinion, advice

Building a Relationship -Validation

Sending Notes home – Happy grams, awards, notes of a pleasant occurrence

Sending the child to the principal, secretary, neighbor, family member for acknowledgement for good behavior

Posting the child’s accomplishments in a public place

Winning a reward for the class

Collection of Information on the Child’s Strengths and

Needs

Assessment Tools

Teacher BASC (Assessment of children’s social strengths and issues)

Parent BASC Family Interview Functional Assessment of function

of the Child’s Challenging Behavior

Assessment Tools BASC – Provides a system for the

classification of a variety of emotional and behavioral disorders of children and for designing a treatment plan – hyperactivity, aggression, anxiety, depression, somatization, atypicality, withdrawal, attention problems

Social adaptation and social skills

Assessment Tools- Continued Parent Interview – Provides information

about the child out of a school/clinical environment (interests, temperament)

Functional Assessment – Data to help understand the function of the child’s behavior – i.e. to avoid peers, teachers or a task, or to get something – i.e: attention of peers, teachers or obtain object.

Analyze Clinical Assessment Information (1)

Accommodations for High BASC scores

Hyperactive Aggression Anxiety Depression Atypicality Withdrawal Attention Problems

Accommodations

All BASC Scores in the at risk or significant level require that accommodations must be made in the classroom.

Accommodations for Hyperactivity

Set guideline – if the child’s movement is not preventing me from teaching, the other children from learning and the child from not learning, IGNOR.

Allow for movement within a space, something to hold and manipulate etc.

Analyze Functional Assessment Functional assessment provides

information about the behavior when it occurs – time of day, what happens before and after the behavior occurs - circumstances, how often the behavior occurs and the intensity of the behavior.

(Page 2) Realistic goal may not be extinction but

rather a reduction in the behavior.

Purpose of the Behavior

What are some of the reasons a child might scream out in class?

Responding to the Behavior

Physically Hurt – Scared – Frustrated – Tourettes – Avoiding a task – Attention – Getting something -

All Behavior is not Equal

Children use a behavior as a means to communicate, cope and release stress.

It is the underlying cause for the behavior rather than the behavior that should shape the intervention

In order for an intervention to be effective it must address the underlying reason for the behavior

Behavior

Get something – object, attention of an adult or a peer

Avoid something or someone – a task or an adult or a peer

Response to an Inappropriate Behavior Get Something – Teach the child how to get

an object or the attention of an adult or a peer appropriately

Avoid Something – find out why the child is avoiding the task or the adult or the peer and then make some accommodations. Teach the child how to express his displeasure appropriately.

Development of Goals

Selection of Goals

Choose goals which if attained would allow the child to have the greatest social and academic success

Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) The goal states what the behavior

will look like at the end of 3 months of intervention

A goal is a vision of what you want to happen/is stated in positive terms

A goal needs a number for the demonstration of the behavior and frequency of the behavior (competency) – John will cooperate for 5 minutes 3 times a day.

Goals in GAS Format

John will be able to cooperate with peers, for 10 minutes, in a group setting (share, take turns, ask permission, speak quietly) 4 times a day. (page 2)

When instructed, John will be able to start on a two step direction within 2 seconds, 3 times a day.

Strategies to teach a child to: Present skill to be taught and

definition (page 3) Discuss why skill is important Demonstrate skill with the children

(teach) Practice session for the skill Review skill Monitor use of skill

Negotiating an Incentive Plan

If you do this ------- then you get this --- (page 4)

When you do this ------ then you get --

Incentive Plan for Goals

John if you play nicely with the other children in the group for 5 minutes then you will get to stay on the computer for 5 extra minutes.

What is it that I want you to do? What will you get? I know you can play nicely. Let’s shake on it.

Praising Goal Behaviors

Statements related to the specific behavior

I like the way that you are sharing…….

You are really working on keeping your voice down …..

Look how nicely you asked ….

Discipline Hierarchy State goal clearly – Reward Praise the behavior Redirect, distract, reengage, complement Praise the behavior Reminders, warning of consequence Praise the behavior

If you – continue to push you will lose your computer time – there’s only a few more minutes you are almost there

Consequences – you have chosen to lose your extra time on the computer

New learning trial

Review Plan with Family

Reviewing Plan

Discuss child’s strengths and what you like about the child

Listen to whatever the parent has to say about the child

Discuss the child’s feelings about school Discuss Basc findings and similarities and

differences between school and home Discuss what the child likes to do at

home, who he has to play with, family interests etc

Reviewing the plan

Discuss functional assessment Discuss hypothesis for cause of behavior Discuss preventive strategies Discuss relationship building Discuss goals and strategies

teaching, incentive program,

rewards, public validation

Reviewing the plan

Decide upon home/school communication/review schedule

Identify home rewards for good behavior reports

Agree upon home response to difficulties at school

Discuss ways to carry out goals and strategies at home – supervised play dates , using same 3 strategies to express anger etc.

Implement Plan over Time

Analyze Impact of plan(Based on Daily Data)

- Supervisor- Colleagues- Family

- Supervisor- Colleagues- Family

Evaluate Goals Set and Met