Trans-disciplinary School Strategies Enhance Inclusion

It is common for early education classes to include undiagnosed special needs students. While the students often eventually qualify for special education services their teachers need strategies to meet the immediate needs of these students within the regular classroom.

This is important for both the special needs students and the ability of all the other students to learn. Fortunately, trans-disciplinary use of positive behavioral support strategies improve behavior and learning in regular and special education students in a variety of settings.

Teachers are becoming overwhelmed with the demands of increasing academic standards and students with developmental, behavioral, and mental health challenges. Meanwhile, related services personnel are recognizing the importance of working in conjunction with classroom teachers to best serve students.

There has been much hostile criticism of related services staff by some early childhood faculty and organizations. Despite this teachers, parents, and students have increasingly recognized the contribution of related services staff including occupational, speech/language, physical, and mental health therapists (social workers, school psychologists, guidance counselors). Teachers and related services staff have particularly found value in teaming together in implementing evidence-based positive behavioral support interventions.

Teachers and related services staff learn from working together to more effectively educate students using positive behavioral support interventions.  In my over thirty years working as a school occupational therapist with regular and special education students I have learned from teachers and other special services school staff many strategies to improve student learning and behavior.

Particularly using positive behavioral support strategies we have effectively integrated special and regular education students in activities to improve their behavior and learning.

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Integrating Special Needs Adaptations

The following list of Evidence-Based Class Behavior Strategies has resulted from this collaboration.

1. A structured classroom environment with maximal open space, dividers, and minimal distractions. Cut out foot prints, stop signs, and masking tape can help students remember physical boundaries. Study carols and optimally stable sitting (symmetrical, neutral pelvis against seat back, ninety degree angle of thighs, calves, and supported feet) can promote attention. Children with good balance but difficulty remaining seated can benefit from Theraband tied on the legs or arms of their chair, disk-o-sit cushions, therapyball seats, or standing.

2. Maximizing students opportunities to respond in class with small erasable boards they hold up to answer questions, computer assignments, and peer tutoring.

3. Teach, review, and post a few major classroom procedures and expectations. Strategically place visual schedules, social stories, choices, self-control reminders; prepare before transitions; directions to choose 1 activity for a set period before cleaning up and choosing another task; and a designated sensory quiet area in the class room can promote direction following.

4. Teach feelings and social skills using positive behavioral support strategies. Basic positive behavioral support strategies (Turtle technique, Character comics; Play plan and review; Stretching exercises, Favorites toss, Focus on feet, Tense & relax muscles; Freeze dance) can be co- led with school related services mental health, occupational, speech-language and physical therapists. For challenging groups it is especially helpful to use co-leaders, one leads the group while the other supports students with direction following.

5. Sticker chart system rewarding specific desired behavior. Differential reinforcement can reward students for avoiding inappropriate, self-injurious, or aggressive behavior. Children who work with multiple staff can construct and use a Coping card- a laminated index card listing their behavior goal, reinforcement plan, and pictures of their preferred character and coping strategies.

6. Group reinforcement opportunities for the class to earn special privileges through appropriate behavior. Additional positive behavioral support activities, mindfulness games, exercise, movement, and music breaks (e.g., Giant steps, Simon says, Mindful clock, Lean on me song & dance, Hot cross buns activity, Pushups) can be earned by the class for safe behaviors during break activites and returning to class work immediately after breaks.

Recommended Reading

• Special Needs Behavior Plans
• 22 Reasons Why a Child Can’t Sit Still
• Sensory Strategies for the Elementary School Classroom
• Sensory Solutions in the Classroom for the Kid Who Cannot Sit Still
• The SPD Kid in School

This article is reprinted with permission by author John Pagano, Ph.D., OTR/L of Fab Strategies.

Reference: Riggs, N.R., Greenberg, M.T., Kusche, C.A., Pentz, M.A. (2006).  The mediational role of neurocognition in the behavioral outcomes of a social-emotional prevention program in elementary school students: Effects of the PATHS curriculum. Prevention Science, 7(1), 91-102.

Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008).  Evidence-based practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice.  Education and Treatment of Children, 31(3), 351-380.

Simonsen, B., Britton, L. & Young, D. (2010).  School-wide positive behavior support in an alternative school setting.  Journal of Positive Behavioral Intervention, 12(3), 180-191.

Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(3), 351-380.