1. E. Michael Loovis, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus Cleveland State University
Evidence-Based Practices in Physical Education for Students with Behavioral Challenges
E. Michael Loovis, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Cleveland State University

2. Overview Who are these students with behavioral challenges?
PBIS and the 3-tier model
Strategies for dealing with students who demonstrate at-risk or significant behavioral challenges
Evidence-based strategies and interventions
FBA
BIP

3. Who are These Students? Emotional Disturbance Conduct Disorder
IDEA
ALT. DEFINITION
Emotional Disturbance
Inability to learn
Inability to develop and maintain relationships
Inappropriate types of behavior/feeling
General pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
Develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Conduct Disorder
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Delinquency,
Substance abuse and promiscuous sexual behavior
Anxiety and related disorders,
Depression and suicidal behavior
Schizophrenia and other severe disorders.

4. Kauffman’s Classification of Conduct Disorder
Overt (undersocialized)
Covert (socialized)
Demandingness
Arguing
Cruelty
Fighting
Blaming others
Threatening and attacking others
Lying
Destructiveness
Stealing
Setting fires
Associating with bad companions
Belonging to a gang
Truancy
Alcohol/drug abuse

5. (Mayer & Sulzer-Azaroff, 1991)
What Do We Know?
Punishment is not a solution
Schools that use punishment alone as a primary tool have increased rates of
Aggression
Vandalism
Truancy
Dropout
(Mayer & Sulzer-Azaroff, 1991)

7. Three Levels of Implementation
A Continuum of Support for All
Behavioral Systems
Academic Systems
Tier Three
Individual Students
Assessment-based
High Intensity
Tier Three
Individual Students
Assessment-based
Intense, durable procedures
Tier Two
Some students (at-risk)
High efficiency
Rapid response
Tier Two
Some students (at-risk)
High efficiency
Rapid response
Tier One
All students
Preventive, proactive
Tier One
All settings, all students
Preventive, proactive

8. Primary Prevention
ALL students in a school with emphasis on general comportment and reduction of potential behavioral difficulties.
Interventions:
Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Supports (SWPBS)
Behavioral Expectations are:
Defined
Taught
Encouraged
Hellison’s Personal and Social Responsibility Model works well here.

9. Secondary Prevention
Targets those at-risk target problem behaviors demonstrated by a relatively small percentage of students (≈15%).
Interventions:
Check IN Check Out
First Step to Success
Activity Schedules
Group Contingencies
Social Skills Training

10. CHECK IN- CHECK OUT (CICO)
Check in with an adult at the start of school to get a goal sheet and encouragement
Teachers provide feedback on the sheet throughout the school day
Check out with adult at end of school day
Sheet taken home and signed by parents and returned the following day at Check in

11. Group Contingency
A group contingency is one in which a common consequence (usually a reward) is contingent upon the behavior of:
One person within the group
A part of the larger group
Or each member of the group meeting a performance criterion

12. How to Implement a G.C. Choose an effective reward
Determine the behavior to change and any collateral behaviors that might be affected
Set appropriate performance criterion
It is important that the goals are clearly identified
Combine with other procedures when appropriate
Select the most appropriate group contingency
Monitor individual and group performance

13. Tertiary Prevention
Targets students who demonstrate high-risk behaviors; intensive interventions designed to reduce the severity and intensity of current behavioral challenges on the part of few students (≈5%).
Interventions:
FBA
BIP
Behavior Management Strategies
Seclusion and Restraint

14. Facets of Adaptive Frustration Management

15. Conflict Cycle Understanding the Communicative Intent of Behavior and
How to Deal with Conflict inYour Gymnasium

16. Conflict Cycle Personality Structure
Individuals bring their temperaments to setting
Expect variability
Self-image
Individual’s perception of ability to respond
Stress Trigger(s)
Identifiable antecedent - it triggers a (-) response
Feelings
Negative perceptions that precipitate response

17. Conflict Cycle Cont’d Styles of Socialization Observable Behavior
Learned behaviors that are part of an individual’s response repertoire
Observable Behavior
Observable and measurable
Environmental Reactions
Responses of adults and peers in setting
Perceived Feedback
How person processes reactions of others
Outcome
Behavior (↑) or (↓) based on viable intervention

18. Behavior as Communication
Undesirable behavior satisfies a NEED!
Teachers need to determine:
What need is the student communicating?
Is there a more acceptable way to meet that need?

19. Determining the Communicative Function
Escape – from individuals, activities, or settings
Attention – wants attention or support from others
Sensory – desire to get or get away from a particular sensory experience
Tactile – desire for a particular items

20. Analyzing Behavior: ABC’s
Antecedent
Behavior
Consequences

21. AVOIDING POWER STRUGGLES WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
Strategies That Work

22. “Troubled youth often exhibit problem behavior when asked to comply with directives from adults.” Bullock and Menendez, 2001

23. Acting Out Behavior Cycle Source: Walker, Colvin & Ramsey, Page 81.

24. Escalation Continuum
Calm – student is on-task, following directions, behaving appropriately, self-directed;
Trigger – student becomes agitated due to provocations, change in routine, high demands, problems brought into school (e.g., lack of sleep, disruption at home, substance abuse);
Agitation – student becomes angry, upset, frustrated, may become more active (e.g., moving around, drumming fingers, tapping pencil) or less active (e.g., staring, sitting on hands, isolates him/herself);
Acceleration – student argues, questions, is noncompliant or openly defiant, provoking others, whines or cries, destroys property, threatens or uses profanity;

25. Escalation Continuum Cont’d
Peak – student hits or kicks, causes serious property damage, tantrums, is out-of-control;
De-escalation – student is calming down, may be confused or withdrawn, attempts to make amends, denies responsibility or blames others, responds to specific requests or directions; and,
Recovery – student is often subdued and will engage in simple busy-work, be reluctant to talk about the incident and even somewhat defensive.

26. “Counter-control often develops into a cycle where one individual – and then another – increases the averseness of the social interaction.” Bullock and Menendez, 2001

27. Counter-Control
Occurs when the intensity of acting-out behavior increases
As a result of a series of negative interactions with adults
When the conflict cycle is not interrupted with a viable intervention

28. Example of Counter-Control
Adult
“Please take your seat.”
“I believe you know the rules.”
“How many times do I have to deal with your attitude? And watch you language!”
“Pull it together NOW, or get out!”
Child/Youth
“Don’t start bossin’ me around!”
“I never heard of this damn rule before.”
“I don’t have an attitude. You are the problem. I didn’t ask for nothin’.”
“Fine, Bitch! I didn’t want to be here anyway.”

29. Things “Not to Do”
Do not make promises or threats that you cannot keep (e.g., “I’ll make you…”)
Do not ask rhetorical questions (e.g., “How many times do I have to deal with your attitude?”)
Avoid displaying personal anger or frustration with the individual [Remember we communicate with body language, facial gestures, word choices and tone of voice].

30. Examples of Things “To Do”
Adult
“Please take your seat.”
“I can tell you’re upset about something, but for right now, please be seated.”
(Adult walks away from child/youth)
Child/Youth
“Don’t start bossin’ me around!”
“The kids in this school are all stupid, and I’ve had it with Randall.”
(Student moves toward his seat, then sits.)

31. Meeting the Needs of Children and Youth with Challenging Behaviors

32. Best Practices to Reduce the Occurrence of Power Struggles
Monitor your body language
Avoid appearance of being upset
Approach student in a positive manner
Give student adequate personal space
Match body language and your words
Monitor the tone of your voice and your verbal activity
Utilize a positive voice tone
Remember that fewer words are best
Plan your words wisely and in advance

33. Best Practices Cont’d
Provide appropriate options
If person is too upset to generate an appropriate option, assist them with an options, (e.g., “write your journal entry with a pen or on the computer.”)
Repeat what you want
Stay calm and consistently repeat what the person is supposed to do.
Ensure they understand and can do what is expected
Allow time to comply
Consistently use the same verbiage with positive tone

34. More Strategies That Work
Walk away after making a request
Make an empathy statement coupled with a behavioral request
“You must be really angry to say things like that…right now a good choice would be to _____.”
Allow extra time
It takes time to process information
Only work with individuals after they calm down
Do not take a situation personally!
Do not respond emotionally!
Does this remind you of a TV character?

35. Difficult under stressful situations!
The Spock Effect
Difficult under stressful situations!

36. Instructional and Management Considerations
Differentiated instruction
Praise
Precision requests
Active listening
Verbal mediation
Conflict resolution
Behavior contracts
Physical restraint and Seclusion

37. Differentiated Instruction
“Planning of curriculum and instruction using strategies that address student strengths, interests, skills, and readiness in flexible learning environments.”
(Gartin et al. 2002)

38. Block’s Curricular Modifications [with emphasis on inclusion]
Multilevel (mild disability)
Entry point
Step size
Prompts and Aids
Indicator behavior
Criterion
Overlapping (more severe disability)- focus on unique activities within general physical education class
Alternative Activities (severe)- IEP objectives difficult to achieve through overlapping
Work on specific goals separately [peer assistance can help)

39. Praise
Has been documented to have a positive effect on both academic and behavioral outcomes with students with behavioral challenges.
80% compliance
2% provided

40. Choice-Making
Students determine for themselves the order in which instructional tasks will be completed.

41. High Probability Requests
A sequence of high-p requests (3 to 5 ) that a student is willing to complete followed by a request to engage in a task that typically results in challenging behavior

42. PRECISION REQUEST STEP 1: “PLEASE” IF COMPLIANCE, THEN REINFORCE. OR →
STEP 2: “YOU NEED TO _____ .” IF COMPLIANCE, THEN REINFORCE.
STEP 3: NONCOMPLIANCE CAUSES THE USE OF REDUCTIVE TECHNIQUES SUCH AS TIME OUT.

43. Confrontation vs. Conflict Resolution

44. Conflict Resolution I-message Active Listening
“Robert, your disruptive behavior during class is causing me a problem. When you argue and fight with the other students in class, I have to stop teaching. It’s distracting to me, and I’m frustrated.”
Active Listening
Attending
Listening (decoding)
Responding
Verbal Mediation – verbal association between behavior and its consequence

45. Functional Behavioral Assessment

47. Behavior Intervention Plan

49. Physical Restraint and Seclusion
“Restraint and seclusion should not be used as routine school safety measures; that is, they should not be implemented except in situations where a child’s behavior poses imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others and not as a routine strategy implemented to address instructional problems or inappropriate behavior (e.g., disrespect, noncompliance, insubordination, out of seat), as a means of coercion or retaliation, or as a convenience.” (p. 3) U.S. Department of Education, 2012

50. Take Away Continuum of behavioral challenges is wide-ranging.
Physical educators must work collaboratively with special education (IEP team).
Understand responsibilities in the 3-tier model.
Recognize how your behavior can provoke or minimize confrontational situations. [Spock Effect]
Use evidence-based interventions or strategies to prevent challenging behavior from occurring or to reduce their severity if they do occur.
Emphasis should always be on the individual’s behavior not the person.