Description

Andrea Capizzi and Mary Crnobori

Secondary interventions are low-intensity interventions designed to reduce harm by addressing existing minor or early-stage problem behaviors exhibited by students who are non-responsive to sound regular school educational or disciplinary practices (Lane, Kalberg, & Menzies, 2007). Evidence-based strategies and supports are used to support students at the secondary level of prevention, such as class-wide, small-group, or individualized interventions which typically require minimal teacher time and effort. Behavior contracting and self-monitoring are two examples of secondary interventions that are feasible to implement. Each strategy is a versatile and potentially effective approach for supporting academic and behavioral performance for students of varying age groups, problem behaviors, and school settings. In self-monitoring, students are taught how to monitor, observe, and record their own behavior (Carr & Punzo, 1993; Lane, Menzies, Bruhn, & Crnobori, 2011; Menzies, Lane, & Lee, 2009; Mooney, Ryan, Uhing, Reid, & Epstein, 2005; Vanderbilt, 2005). A behavior contract is a written agreement specifying a contingency contract between at least two individuals (e.g., student and teacher), and used to specify the relationship between appropriate behavior and access to specific reinforcers. Behavior contracting has been shown to increase on-task behavior and work accuracy and productivity, and decrease disruptive behavior when used with elementary and secondary-age students (Allen, Howard, Sweeney,& McLaughlin, 1993; De-Martini-Scully, Bray, & Kehle, 2000; Kelly & Stokes, 1982; Miller & Kelley, 1994; White-Blackburn, Semb, & Semb, 1977).. In this session, we provide an overview of behavior contracting and self-monitoring; supporting research for effectiveness of each strategy with various student populations and school settings, including examples from the literature; and detailed explanations including step-by-step directions for implementing these strategies to address academic and behavioral issues with your students.

*CE credits for BCBAs and BcABAs are available for this session*

This annual series of workshops provides training for school teams that include both general and special educators. Workshops focus on innovative evidence-based practices to improve the quality of education for students with diverse learning needs. Founded in 1996, the Britt Henderson Training Series is made possible at no cost to participating educators through an endowment from the Robert and Carol Henderson family in memory of their son Brett.

Individuals and school teams are welcome.

For more information, contact Andrea Capizzi at (615) 473-8623 or andrea.capizzi@vanderbilt.edu.