Principals and teachers consider student tardiness to be a serious problem. Some have argued that tardiness is a widespread problem with serious effects, particularly for younger students who must depend on their parents to get them to school on time. Students who are frequently tardy may miss important opening announcements or academic…

Teachers of students with chronic challenging behaviors need relief, and they need it quickly. While they may appreciate the sympathy of others, what they really need is some genuine help. Challenging children can make a teacher's day difficult. In this article, the authors share some strategies that can provide "emergency relief" to…

Students learn or progress at their own paces. Each needs different amounts of support, at different points in a school career and at different times of the school year. Some need very little help to stay on track, while others are facing serious challenges in learning, in their behavior, or at home, and need significant interventions. It would…

Routine life stressors can trigger anger and violence with children who have poor emotional regulation. This article describes "Response Ability Pathways" (RAP) strategies that equip youth in managing these daily challenges. The strategies require establishing steps to gain the young persons trust and providing alternative methods to…

Each year, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) releases its annual list of scientific advances that represent significant progress in the field. The 20 studies selected have given new insight into the underlying biology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and potential risk factors, examined the state of the science in early…

This brief describes how to use a free online behavior screener to identify student support needs in middle and high schools. Inclusive Behavior Instruction utilizes data to identify appropriate social-emotional supports for all students. The Lane et al. (2016) study demonstrated system-wide use of a free online behavior screener at the middle and…

The number of students identified under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with an emotional disturbance (ED) has remained remarkably stable over the last 30 years. During this time, approximately 1% of the school-aged population has been identified as disabled under the criteria set forth in IDEA (Kim, Forness, & Walker,…

Training for special education teachers rarely addresses how to work with students who are in crisis or who are displaying aggression. Often teachers are instructed that disruptive students should be punished or excluded from the classroom. The behavior management style becomes one of authority, power, and control rather than problem solving.…

Teacher-student relationship has been shown to be a powerful predictor of students' classroom and school adjustment. Beyond the characteristics of warmth, trust, and bond that define an emotional connection, a positive working relationship also includes a sense of collaboration and partnership shared between the teacher and the student. Classroom…

Many fingers are pointed at today's youth who are maligned for problems of bullying, school dropout, teen violence, suicide, and sexual encounters at ever younger ages. But these are symptoms of the culture of discord adults have created for youth. Too many youth lack positive adult and peer relationships, a loving and caring community, and a…

"Preventing Challenging Behavior in Your Classroom: Positive Behavior Support and Effective Classroom Management" focuses on practical strategies to prevent and reduce behavior problems and enhance student learning, particularly Positive Behavior Support (PBS). This book discusses the myths and facts of effective classroom management,…

In this article, the authors present a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework that both special and general education teachers can use in evaluating existing class structures and developing comprehensive classroom management plans for the purpose of managing challenging behaviors. They applied the concept of a three-tiered model of support at…

The conceptual foundation for Direct Behavior Rating as a behavior assessment method is reviewed. A contemporary definition of Direct Behavior Rating is framed as combining strengths of systematic direct observation and behavior rating scales, which may result in a usable and defensible assessment tool for educators engaged in formative purposes.…

A task force authorized by the Executive Council of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) generated the statement below concerning the techniques called "restraint" and "seclusion." Members of the task force independently reviewed the scientific literature concerning restraint and seclusion and agreed unanimously to the…

Due to federal mandates, physical educators are now expected to teach a wide range of students, spanning the entirety of the learning continuum, in their classes. These mandates support and encourage students with disabilities to learn and grow in inclusive settings alongside their general education peers. Students diagnosed with Attention-Deficit…