Early childhood education teachers often feel underprepared for addressing behavior challenges in the classroom. This can limit a teacher's ability to teach academic and social skills and lead to interruptions in their educational experience such as suspensions or expulsions. Effective planning can help teachers create and manage positive learning…

Many young children engage in challenging behaviors that could have short- and long-term negative effects for both the children and their families. Challenging behaviors refer to "any repeated pattern of behavior, or perception of behavior, that interferes with or is at risk of interfering with optimal learning or engagement in prosocial…

The persistence of challenging behaviors for some children highlights a need and an opportunity to explore several key principles of behavioral intervention that are necessary for effective decision- making when more personalized interventions must be layered on top of high-quality universal supports. In the absence of expert support,…

An increased emphasis on collecting and using data in schools has occurred, in part, because of the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). Commonly referred to as response to intervention in the academic domain and school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports in the behavioral domain, these initiatives have a…

This article discusses an approach to assessment and intervention of challenging behavior in early education settings that integrates a focus on instructional conditions and early academic skill development. The authors suggest this approach allows for a better understanding of the relationship between social behavior and child performance with…

The Functional Behavioural Assessment (FBA) is an investigative process that examines the context of challenging behaviours in the classroom. Information gleaned from the FBA process is used to develop a behaviour intervention plan to address the challenging behaviour and teach a socially acceptable replacement behaviour. However, the FBA has…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders are at great risk for long-term negative outcomes. Researchers and practitioners alike acknowledge the need for evidence-based, preventive, and early intervention strategies. Accordingly, in this chapter an expanded view of prevention is presented as a series of data driven decisions to guide…

Recent trends toward the inclusion of students with disabilities mean that a majority of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) now spend at least 40% of their day in general education settings. With this change in location, teachers in general education settings are now asked to perform tasks that were not given much emphasis…

Some students exhibit behavioral issues as early as preschool and kindergarten. Conventional wisdom suggests waiting to see whether students outgrow these difficulties. However, there is extensive evidence that early detection and intervention is preferred to the wait-and-see approach because it is more likely to result in better academic and…

Outcome research has shown that early and intensive behavioural intervention (ABA) may improve intellectual, language and adaptive functioning in children with autism. However, research has also indicated that not all ABA provisions are equally effective. Therefore, it may be beneficial to describe the key variables that are common to programmes…

In more districts than ever, Response-to-Intervention programs are gaining ground, nipping learning problems in the bud and keeping more students out of unnecessary special education classes, which is the goal. RTI, a multi-tier intervention used to diagnose and address potential learning or behavioral problem early, is also increasing in…

Middle and high school students subjected to harsh school discipline policies and practices such as suspensions and expulsions are more likely to disengage from the classroom and course work, and increases their chances of dropping out, according to this new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education. The report recommends implementing…

This article focuses on recent developments to find strategic solutions to the problem of truancy. It considers issues related to defining truancy and why reducing truancy matters before considering what causes truancy. The article concentrates upon seven areas where further work is needed: the role of parents (and carers); early intervention,…

The Illinois State Board of Education launched a special education pilot project using a concept called Response to Intervention (RtI) that some experts believe could lead to a sea change in the way special education is provided. RtI places greater emphasis on early intervention and a reduced emphasis on psychological testing and other traditional…

School systems face the challenge of effectively and efficiently addressing the disciplinary needs of their students and providing a safe environment conducive to learning. The 1997 and 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates the use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) for students who, because…