Several schools for children with special needs are embracing a proactive practice through the application of Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports or PBIS. Based on the liberating notion that it is possible to teach all children appropriate behavior, PBIS focuses on prevention instead of punishment. Although one should not expect universal improvements for all children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, PBIS strategies can enhance behavior and social abilities in many.
At CASE, we are engaged in providing solutions, throughout the life cycle and across the spectrum, for all children with ASD.
Educators started working on creating a multi-tiered system in the 1980s for behavioral improvements in school-aged children. Prioritizing group-centric circumstances and inspired by the ethos of behavior support, special educational researchers came up with Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports or PBIS. Instead of addressing individual behavioral issues in isolation, this novel approach aims to foster a conducive environment for collective learning at the school level.
The primary objective of PBIS is to encourage school safety and nurture positive behavior at school. The PBIS framework is essentially well-structured and exhaustive guidance for schools and educators to effectively address disruptive and challenging behavioral issues in students with ASD.
Educators who employ PBIS believe that it is possible to teach every child how to behave properly as long as ample support is provided. Several studies have substantiated that proactive behavioral interventions are useful in preventing increasingly critical incidents of inappropriate behavior provided PBIS is utilized consistently. PBIS is formulated on the very idea that no two children can be the same and educators must offer numerous behavioral supports based on evidence.
PBIS helps schools implement scientific principles for behavioral management. Admittedly, tracking and monitoring the progress and behavior of all children is an issue of paramount concern. The PBIS data can be leveraged for not only assessing their efforts but also communicating the educator’s decisions on managing objectionable behavior.
The PBIS framework can be used in schools by introducing a tri-layered approach for behavior management. Educators create and retain individual, classroom, and school-wide support systems for improving student outcomes by promoting appropriate social abilities and discouraging ill-behavior.
The multi-faceted PBIS approach treats the student population as follows:
a) A triangle whose base is constituted by all students.
b) A secondary focus group.
c) A topmost, intensive level that covers only a handful of students requiring increased attention.
Primary Prevention Level
This level aims to reduce problematic behavior across the entire population of school students. Educators establish a constructive environment for collective learning at the school level. Administrators enforce procedures and policies for staff training, imparting lessons on positive behaviors to students, access the efficacy of interventions, and promote school-family alliances.
Secondary Prevention Level
The intermediate level focuses on employing behavioral management strategies across small groups or in the classroom. These tactics are utilized by teachers for intervention and deterrence of challenging behavior among those students unaffected by the strategies engaged at the primary level. The secondary prevention level relies on positive reinforcement, proactive behavioral interventions, and increased adult supervision.
Advanced Organizer or Tertiary Support Level
The topmost level involves educators prioritizing students in need of maximum support. Strategies implemented at this level are designed to reduce the severity and extent of challenging behaviors that remain unresolved by secondary and primary prevention tactics.
At CASE, we are passionately committed to empowering every child on the spectrum with our resources, timely interventions, support, care, and services.
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