Saturday, April 23, 2011
Craig is a sixth grade student at Johnson Middle School in Faribault, MN. He started the school year in mid-October after being home schooled for the previous two years. Prior to being home schooled he attended elementary school in the same district. He lives with his parents and two siblings, one who is younger and one who is older. In the past, attendance has been an issue for Craig and letters have gone home each year for truancy. Since returning to school, he has been in the office many times for disruptive classroom behavior. The operational definition of the classroom disruption is blurting out, talking to other students while the teacher is talking or during quiet work time, or touching/poking students to get their attention during class time. The function of this behavior is attention from peers and/or escape from work. Craig has the ability to do more than passing work in all of his classes, but chooses to work in those classes that he likes or where he likes the teacher. When he is frustrated with something he will often stay home from school to avoid work or a confrontation.
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Using differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) may be a effective intervention as described in the IRIS modules. Meet with Craig prior to class, and determine a schedule of how long he can go without interupting the class, with simple praise such as a smile or nod of the head when the point is reached. If he can meet this goal in a pre-determined amount of occurrences, award him with free time at the end of class or a agreed upon reward.
ReplyDeleteAn antecedent intervention could also be providing multiple choices for assignments or assignments that incorporate his own personal interests.
Kristen ,
ReplyDeleteI agree that DRO will be effective. I also think that setting up a reward system for a object or trip he is highly intrested in would work. Maybe if he likes tractors when he comes to school then he can recieve a tractor notebook or some form of reinforcement. When he collects enough maybe go vist a tractor store. I think a large trip/ object in this scenario would work best with small reinfocers such as notebooks and stickers that if he earns enough then he can turn in for a larger reward.
Since Craig has specific classes that he doesn't like, the teachers in those classes could try giving him some responsibility at the beginning of the class (high-p request) to get him into the flow. Then he might be ready to go to work. I like the idea of giving him rewards for good behavior. Also let him monitor how long he can go without being distracted by giving him a stopwatch and having him record how many minutes he is able to concentrate on work without disruption.
ReplyDeleteBecause Craig can so easily avoid the situation by staying home, I agree that it would be best to offer rewards for good behavior. Kids his age seem to have a special affinity for food-- maybe he could get a bottle of soda for each day that is outburst-free? It might be a good plan to get some assessments done to see if the classes he "doesn't like" also have to do with a subject or skill he does not have the confidence to perform.
ReplyDeleteAsking Craig to be responsible for certain things in the classroom might help his need for attention.
Ya, maybe if he has a task where he had to manage himself he would be more interested and focused. I also think giving him a lot of options on assignments, what to do during work time, options on helping out the teacher, would really benefit him.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of attendance is not just a student issue. I am sure the parents are aware he is not getting to school. I think the home life and the behavior could possibly be connected and the first step should be to connect to the parent(s).
ReplyDeleteIndependence might work for Craig, if he could have some choices in the assignments, maybe it would help him to feel motivated by giving him options.
I feel that Craig could is really looking to fit in and to feel accepted; academically and socially. Craig is attempting to gain attention from his peers by blurting out and getting their attention negatively. Craig would benefit from being successful and being recognized for his positive qualities. I would agree with Roger that using (high-p-request) would benefit him. Giving Craig that opportunity to be successful and with easy tasks with help with his compliance. It would also be beneficial for Craig to be given options or choices.
ReplyDelete