Introduction to Systems Change in Positive Behavior Support

Rachel FreemanUniversity of Kansas

KIPBS Mission• Train professionals who will facilitate PBS

plans • Create team of professionals that support

each other• Provide access to free training materials on

PBS• Facilitate state-wide and organization-wide

systems change

KIPBS Values• No one is considered an “expert” or

“consultant”• We are all learning how to support children

more effectively• Our job is to share our knowledge of PBS

to build strong teams • When we finish facilitating PBS, we leave

with team members continuing the PBS process

Being Sensitive to Our Diversity

• Ask questions • Don’t be afraid to ask about jargon • Instructors: Prompt full description of acronyms• Instructors: Be aware of the differences in

perspectives and how this may relate to the way in which people respond– Person-centered planning is mandated in DD services

but not in other services– Wraparound is the term preferred when working in

mental health

Examples of Professionals Participating in KIPBS

• Education• Special education • Adult services• Case managers• Independent contractors• Child welfare• Mental health

Organization-wide PBS Planning and

School-wide Positive Behavior Support

School-wide PBS and Universal Systems Change Strategies

• Preventing a child or adult’s problem behavior means that everyone must change their behavior

• Waiting until problem behaviors occur before acting increases the likelihood that crises will occur

• Relying on one person to become an expert and solve complex problems is illogical

• To create a prevention-focused environment, organizations must…– Include everyone in the problem-solving process– Create an ongoing problem-solving process– Consider how policies, training systems,

management, and funds need to change– Use data for decision making

Reasons for Organization-wide Planning

• Organizations need to support their KIPBS Facilitators • Data on KIPBS Facilitator billing patterns show…

– It is harder for KIPBS Facilitators when this type of position has not previously existed within an organization

– Staff turnover makes it difficult for some organizations to maintain KIPBS Facilitators

– Policies, procedures and other issues can make it difficult to facilitate PBS planning

• KIPBS Facilitators are not usually directly involved in submission of billing– KIPBS Facilitators who are new to billing and reimbursement do

not always know how to answer difficult billing questions– Staff submitting billing should receive instructions and have a

chance to ask questions

What We Are Learning• Our KIPBS Facilitators are leading our policy

and procedures development efforts• The knowledge and wisdom of our billing

organizations should be shared • Committing time for networking increases our

community of practice by…– Improving our efforts to impact SRS policy– Collecting our wisdom and sharing it systematically

with the state of Kansas– Increasing communication which will improve

outcomes for children

Positive Behavior Support – Valued outcomes by the child, family and

team– Science of behavior and bio-medical issues

(physiological issues, mental health issues)– Empirically validated procedures– Systems change

….in order to enhance quality of life and prevent problem behavior in the future

Valued Outcomes• Well-developed PBS plans are a good fit for

caregivers supporting a child or adult, given their…– Values– Skills– Resources

• Interventions selected are considered culturally important

• Plans build on child’s/adult’s strengths and increase/improve quality of life (vs. merely maintaining QOL)

Science of Behavior and Biomedical Issues

• Based on applied behavior analysis– Long history of effective interventions– Clear research documenting why individuals

behave the way they do in different settings• Consideration of biomedical issues

– Physiological issues underlying behavior– Mental health issues– Medications – Classical conditioning

Empirically Valid Procedures• Strategies used have been proven effective in research

literature• PBS is collaborative, assessment-based, emphasizes

proactive, educative, and reinforcement-based strategies • Promotes environments in which positive behavior is

more effective than problem behavior• Emphasizes using applied behavior analysis to….

– Teach new skills that will replace problem behavior – Reinforce positive social skills and decrease reinforcement for

problem behavior– Redesign the environment in order to prevent the likelihood that

problem behavior will occur

Systems Change

• Training one person to become an expert is not an effective approach

• Teams supporting children will learn how to identify new strategies

• Organizations can change policies, training systems, and management strategies to create environments that prevent problem behavior

Exs. of Systems Change Activities

– Offer trainings about PBS with a focus on prevention– Focus on person-centered approaches – Directly involve all staff/adults in creating new

strategies• Identify the most import social/communication skills to teach• Create a systematic way to reinforce children/adults

– Teach social and functional communication skills– Engage in ongoing data-based decision making

• What types of behavioral incidents are most common?• How are proactive, prevention-focused interventions

working? What intervention(s) are most effective?• What would be the most efficient intervention(s), given

limited resources?

Organization-wide Planning• In the past, a systems change project was:

– Introduced at the end of the training year (Module 9)– Introduced at the celebration and included in class expectations

at the beginning of the training year• Now….it is referenced & included throughout the training

but field-based activities start at Module 9 – Organizations can choose to set up an organization-wide

planning event after the training year is completed• Field-based activities in previous systems change

projects have included:– Designing a plan for in-service training at student’s agency– Identifying colleagues to mentor using materials included in

online KIPBS modules– Participating in organization-wide planning meetings on PBS– Conducting PBS marketing and awareness presentations

New Organization-wide Planning Approach in Field-based Activities

• Learn about the organization-wide PBS planning process throughout the training year

• Assess extent to which PC-PBS processes and practices have been developed & implemented in your organization, as you learn more about PBS

• Talk with your managers/supervisors about whether there is interest in doing organization-wide PBS planning with KIPBS staff helping to facilitate, after the class is completed

Characteristics of Learning Organizations

• Build on strengths• Work smarter, not harder• Focus on increasing communication• Use data for decision-making• Open to change• Do not assume that things:

– “are already in place”– “we already provide that type of training”

First Example of Systems Change: School-wide Positive Behavior

Support

•Wait! I don’t work in a school setting!

•Why do I need to know about School-wide PBS

(SWPBS)?

Why it is important to learn about systems change in other organizations….

• Schools implementing PBS are interested in interagency collaboration

• The systems change process is similar and organizations can learn from each other

• Regional and community action planning is the key to effective service coordination

Primary Prevention:Organization-wideWide Systems for

All Children/Adults,Staff, & Settings

Secondary Prevention:Specialized Group

Systems for Children/Adults with At-

Risk Behavior

Tertiary Prevention:Specialized

IndividualizedSystems for

Children/Adults with High-Risk Behavior

~80% of Children/Adults

~15%

~5%

CONTINUUM OFINSTRUCTIONAL &

POSITIVE BEHAVIORSUPPORT

School-wide Positive Behavior SupportSystems Change

• The number of districts implementing school-wide PBS is growing fast

• The best way to expand PBS is to create an infrastructure for moving forward

• Each level of system has a planning team–Statewide planning team –District-wide planning team–School-wide planning team

Districts and Schools Implementing SWPBS That We Know About:

• El Dorado• Salina• Shawnee Mission• Topeka• Haysville • Parsons

– Lincoln Elementary• Blue Valley and Olathe?

Leadership Team

FundingVisibility Political

Support

Training Coaching Evaluation

Active Coordination

Local School Teams/Demonstrations

PBS Systems Implementation Logic

SYST

EMS

PRACTICES

InformationSupporting

Staff Behavior

SupportingDecisionMaking

Supporting Student Behavior

PositiveBehaviorSupport OUTCOMES

Social Competence, Self DeterminationAcademic Achievement, and Safety

Center for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (2002)

School Implementation Levels Example: Changing Contexts at all Levels

Student

Classroom

School

State

District

Levels of Community: Organization

Organization

Neighborhood

State

City

Nation

“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.”

“If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.”

“If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.”

“If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.”

“If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we……..... ……….teach? ………punish?”

John Herner, Counterpoint John Herner, Counterpoint (1998, p.2)(1998, p.2)

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems

1-5% 1-5%

5-10% 5-10%

80-90% 80-90%

Intensive, Individual Interventions•Individual Students•Assessment-based•High Intensity

Intensive, Individual Interventions•Individual Students•Assessment-based•Intense, durable procedures

Targeted Group Interventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Targeted Group Interventions•Some students (at-risk)•High efficiency•Rapid response

Universal Interventions•All students•Preventive, proactive

Universal Interventions•All settings, all students•Preventive, proactive

Designing School-Wide Systems for Student Success: Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

Halls Ferry Elem entary SchoolYEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 YEAR 5

High Fiv e Approach - school wide social skill lessonsCentra l Data SystemProduced school-wide expectations v ideoCafeteria routine and lessons

Playground routine and lessonsProduced bathroom expectations & routines videoProduced indoor recess expectation & routines video

New comer's ClubStudy Skills - Homew ork Support

Social Skills ClubFBA T rainingCoaches T raining

MentoringChamps Theater

Function-BasedStudent SupportT eam

ClassroomBus expectations

Present to Board

District w ide w eb based data systemDistrict level leadership teamDistrict level collaborative teamDistrict w ide netw orking system

Universal School-w ide Systems

Secondary / T argeted Group

T ertiary / Individual Student

District Level Systems

Strategies District Teams Are Now Using to Access Resources

• Finding PBS Facilitators in their region• Sending school coaches/trainers to participate in

KIPBS training program• Identifying and recruiting professionals in community

– Invite mental health, child welfare, developmental disability or other professionals providing community support

– Introduce KIPBS training opportunities and provide materials about the training and Medicaid reimbursement

– Actively recruit professionals who will link with district team

Levels of Community: Family

Family

Neighborhood

State

City

Nation

Using the School-wide PBS Model: The Triangle of Prevention

   Intensive, Individual Interventions* Children with intense needs* Assessment-based* High Intensity

Targeted Group Interventions* Some children (at risk) * High efficiency

System-wide Interventions* All children* Preventive, proactive*Broad community focus

Adapted from Sugai, 2002

Community-wide Behavior Support Systems

80-90%

School-wideBehavior Systems

5-10%

1-5%

Planning Team Characteristics

• Administrator(s) or manager(s)• Individual who can make decisions about

use of funds• Individuals who manage training systems• Representatives of the individuals served

(older children, family members, adults with disabilities)

• Direct service staff members• Community members/volunteers

Big Ideas

• 3-5 year process• Organizational framework• Critical features the same across

schools—yet uniquely individualized to culture of the school

• Invest in “trainer of trainers” approach

Elements of Organization-wide Planning

• Establish team & get staff buy-in• Establish data-based decision-making system • Modify incident reporting process• Establish ways to teach important social and

communication skills• Develop plans for teaching skills systematically• Create ways to recognize individuals

– 8 positive statements for every corrective statement• Refine how to respond to problem behavior• Monitor, evaluate, and modify what staff do

Identify Team Roles and Responsibilities

• PBS Facilitator- facilitates meetings, reviews past meeting minutes, keeps group focused on meeting agenda

• Record Keeper- writes down actions and activities • Timekeeper- before meeting, gets consensus on time to

spend on each topic; monitors time for each topic; gives warnings when time is running out (e.g., “5 minutes left”)

• Data Entry Person- trained to enter and access office referral data, brings data to meetings

• Behavioral Expertise- a person who has received training in individual positive behavior support

• Coordinator- lead person who coordinates organization-wide planning efforts

Primary Prevention in Schools

• Teach all children social skills• Work directly with all faculty to identify 3-5

expectations that will be systematically taught• Systematically reinforce positive behaviors

observed• Create consistent responses to the occurrence

of problem behavior• Establish a way to graph problem behaviors that

is easy to use for school teams

Primary Prevention: Business Strategies

Toyota Service Department• We will treat you with respect• We will be responsible for ourselves

& you• We will do our best• Safety is our primary goal

Primary Prevention: Native Alaskan Community Values

Example of Cup’ik Values• Help other people• Respect other people’s belongings• Respect the animals you catch for food• Remember what you are taught and told

Saint Lawrence Island Yup’ik Values• Give service to others• Gather wisdom and knowledge

Oleksa, M. (2005). Another culture/ Another world. Association of Alaska School Boards

Primary Prevention: Native Alaskan Community Values

Aleut Values• Take care of the land• Take care of the sea/ocean• Take care of the water• Be kind to other people

Southeast Traditional Tribal Values• Hold each other up• Live in peace and harmony• Respect for nature and propertyOleksa, M. (2005). Another culture/ Another world. Association of Alaska School Boards

Primary Prevention:Supporting Adults with Disabilities

• Adults identify the important social expectations within their homes

• Emphasis is placed on prompting self determination (making meaningful decisions in life independently)

• Prompting and teaching key social and communication skills

Primary Prevention: Family Support Organizations

• Provide training to families that will prevent problem behavior

• Create opportunities for family members to meet together to share and brainstorm

• Teach case managers how to identify children at risk for problem behaviors

Secondary Prevention• Identify children and adults who need support early--

before challenging situations arise• One or more office referrals/incident reports create an

automatic referral to behavior support team• Targeted small group interventions with individualized

features (as needed)– Base interventions on functional behavioral assessment

information– Provide additional targeted social skills teaching and positive

feedback – Teach self-management strategies and increase supports to

promote greater success– Provide multiple opportunities for high rates of academic

success and/or social success across settings

Tertiary Prevention• KIPBS Facilitators help teams problem solve when

serious problem behaviors occur• Focus is on individualized, intensive function-based

interventions & supports for children/youth engaging in serious problem behaviors

• Create a team with the child as focus person– Person-centered or wraparound plan– Functional behavioral assessment– Positive behavior support plan– Interagency collaboration

Organization-wide Planning Using PATH

• Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH) is a way for diverse people who share a common need to align their…– Organization’s vision, purposes, and goals– Understanding of an organizational situation and its

possibilities for hopeful action– Actions for change, mutual support, personal and team

development, and learning• Completed PATH for elementary school follows…

First Steps *Form committee *Schedule training *Today’s sharing *Same process/ feedback to staff *Grace tracks down and posts rules *Talk about lunch schedule *Playground interventions *Friday training rules for assistants *ID students *Feedback from last year

SCHOOL’S DREAM *Pride Safe *Respectful students, teachers and staff *Consistency *Greater self –esteem *Community of Learners *Self-respect *Positive focus *Motivated students *Fun!!! *Good manners *Increase parent involvement *Enjoy learning *Climate of caring *Cooperation *Community respect *Strength-based Tolerance *High Expectations

HISTORY NOW!! STRENGTHS BARRIERS Tough kids Tolerance Reputation for SED Population Cultural diversity Service oriented Expanding to prove Itself Location Supportive administration Strong curriculum base Cooperative Discipline inconsistent with behavior plan

Most requested school Discipline plan in place 8 rules-refine!!! No consistency Negative behaviors are being reinforced Good crisis system in place Resources & Training Parent Ed.- Good link for school Kids like being at school Tough population Access to guidance is limited Slow referral process

Cooperation Commitment Good reputation in the community Talented staff Invested in children Dedicated Fun place for kids Staff has a positive attitude Supportive of each other Strong academic focus Supportive resources, Parent Ed., Life skills Counselor Specials program are well recognized in the county Motivated Great after school program

Parent involvement Language/ communication Time for meetings, trainings, etc. Funding Class size Turn over in assistants Access to guidance counselor Getting out of crisis mode

1. D

iscipline comm

ittee meet m

onthly, and develop a plan.

2. D

ata system in place, report back to staff

3.

Teachers share effective classroom m

anagement techniques.

4.

Clear referral process, com

munication, consistency

, feed back. 5.

School wide rules im

plemented.

6. Plan for playground supervision.

7. 20%

decrease of total number of referrals.

8.

Support staff are trained and participating.

9. Increase instructional tim

e. 10. Effective set of consequences w

hen dealing with challenging

behaviors 11. System

of rewards in place for positive behavior.

GOALS

Organization-wide Planning Using PATH

(Preview of Module 9 Activities)

Opportunity for Organization-wide Planning

• KIPBS professionals interested in starting systems change in a more formal manner can:– Learn about systems change in this class– Bring information to supervisors/

administrators– Ask for a KIPBS staff member to come visit

after the training and facilitate a PATH