Challenging Behaviour Exhibited by a Student

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Functional Assessment: Part A
Intervention Programme Part B

Introduction

One of the mounting crises in the educational system in the current world has been the problem behavior exhibited by certain students in the learning process. Student disruption, aggression, and academic failure due to specific behavioral characteristics, etc are issues that the educational systems of every nation face. Studies in the area suggest that the students with behavior problems encounter subsequent issues in academic, social, familial, and personal levels.

Such students with behavioral issues not only pose problems to themselves but the school administrators, teachers, fellow students, etc and they require modifications in the school environment and even curriculum. The traditional response to such problem behaviors, i.e. some type of punishment, has been found ineffective, though may serve the short-term solutions. It has been commonly accepted that some more effective strategies other than the reactive approach to behavioral management are indispensable to ensure the smooth functioning of educational activity.

As Deanne A. Crone and Robert H. Horner suggest, “multiple behavioural interventions other than detention and suspension can successfully reduce problem behaviour in children. In fact, schools currently have access to some of the most effective strategies for behaviour support ever available.” (p 4, Building Positive Behaviour Support Systems in Schools: Functional Behavioural Assessment, By Deanne A. Crone, Robert H. Horner, Guilford Press, 2003) In this paper, the emphasis has been on a detailed analysis of the problem behavior exhibited by a student as well as an investigation of the desirable intervention strategy about the theoretical framework.

Functional Assessment: Part A

The researches in the area of problem behavior and subsequent educational challenges have often indicated the usefulness of functional behavioral assessment. It is often remarked that the most effective intervention programme result only in an effective analysis and assessment of the disruptive behaviours. “Functional behavioural assessment (FBA),” as Heather E. Sterling-Turner et al remark, “is one method of assessing variables associated with the occurrence of disruptive behaviours.

FBA is a process of determining the function of the target behaviour through the use of a variety of procedures ranging from indirect (e.g., interviews, questionnaires) to direct (e.g., observation, experimental manipulations) methods that are designed to assess the impact of environmental variables maintaining target behaviour. The information derived from the assessment can then be used to develop effective, individualized interventions.” (“Functional Assessment of Distracting and Disruptive Behaviours in the School Setting” by Heather E. Sterling-Turner et al, Journal Title: School Psychology Review. Volume: 30. Issue: 2. Year: 2001. Page Number: 211.)

In this functional behaviour assessment, the data collected through direct observation, reported response, and functional assessment interview funnel to the preparation of the most effective assessment of the problem behaviour based on sound theories relating to the issue. Therefore, the purpose of this project has been to provide the opportunity to analyse functional assessment using appropriate methods and to design an intervention program. Besides, this also will describe the strategies which could be appropriate for the classroom as a whole linking these strategies to specific theory.

Description of the participant details

The functional behavioural assessment in the report has been performed using the individual variables of John, a thirteen year old student. The variables for the investigation were collected through the direct observation, reported responses, and functional assessment interview. Thus, it was concluded that John exhibited a challenging behaviour in the classroom by way of making noises and attention seeking behaviour. Throughout observation the boy expressed behaviours that were distracting and instructionally disruptive and the high frequency of the problem behaviour provoke difficult situations in the classroom.

Heather E. Sterling-Turner et al concluded that “More common than severe behaviours, distracting and instructionally disruptive behaviours frequently result in disciplinary decisions being made for the student who is exhibiting them. These behaviours are troublesome not because they threaten the physical or psychological safety of the student or those around him/her, but because they usually occur at a high frequency and make instruction difficult.” (“Functional Assessment of Distracting and Disruptive Behaviours in the School Setting” by Heather E. Sterling-Turner et al, Journal Title: School Psychology Review. Volume: 30. Issue: 2. Year: 2001. Page Number: 211.) This specific problem behaviour not only causes issues in the classroom but in the selection of the intervention programme as well.

An Operational Definition of the Problem Behaviour

There is great relevance for an operational definition of the problem behaviour and it is primary to recognise that human behaviour can be affected through effective intervention programs. Problem behaviour causes serious challenges to the educational activity altogether and the attention seeking behaviour of John greatly troubled the class. The operational definition of the problem behaviour would suggest that the child exhibited exceptional disruptive behaviours which included attention seeking strategies, noise making characteristics, and class upsetting nature etc. In any given case, the child would interfere in every affair in the classroom situation and if somebody disregarded his presence or demanded his discipline, he would dare to make loud noises and the subsequent distractions in the classroom.

This problem behaviour ultimately causes various related issues. Remarkably, it affects not the physical and psychological condition of the child alone, but the learning environment of the entire class and the students. Certain hypothetical factors need to be taken into special consideration. That is to say, human behaviour is functional, predictable, and changeable. These characteristic features of the problem behaviour suggest there is great scope for intervention programmes in affecting the challenging behaviour of the student. Therefore, the concentration of the functional behavioural assessment has changed from renovating the child to affecting the environment.

This feature of the functional behavioural assessment effectively deals with the issue of challenging behaviour as exhibited by the student. As Deanne A. Crone and Robert H. Horner point out, “In a function-based approach, effective solutions to problem behaviours focus on environmental events that trigger and maintain problem behaviour. For many school personnel, this emphasis on changing the student’s environment rather than ‘fixing the person’ represents a dramatic shift in philosophy. Therefore, before implementing function-based behaviour support, it is important to appreciate three assumptions that serve as a foundation for FBA systems:

human behaviour is functional,
human behaviour is predictable,
human behaviour is changeable.” (p 11, Building Positive Behaviour Support Systems in Schools: Functional Behavioural Assessment, By Deanne A. Crone, Robert H. Horner, Guilford Press, 2003)

There is immense value for the intervention programmes which can be greatly useful in changing the challenging behaviour of the student. This operational definition of the problem behaviour, therefore, points out the characteristic features of the issues that the student encounters in the daily classroom situation. The attention seeking desire by the student as well as the various types of problem creating aspects in his character defines the problem behaviour under discussion. However, this operational definition of the problem behaviour attains great relevance as it opens the scope for functional behavioural assessment which assumes that the human behaviour is functional, predictable, and changeable.

Functional Assessment Observation

In the analysis of the problem behaviour the usefulness of functional behavioural assessment is irrefutable. Through the functional observation of the problem behaviour it is possible to relate the various background factors that affect the specific challenging behaviour of the student. An observation of the data which contribute to the disabilities of the affected student has relevance as it will also indicate the most applicable intervention strategy in the area. It is maintained that the functional assessment is the process of resolving the relationship between events in a person’s environment and the occurrence of challenging behaviours.

This process engrosses various factors and they are: identifying and defining the challenging behaviour, identifying the events and circumstances regularly associated with the occurrence and the non-occurrence of the challenging behaviour, determining the social function or the purpose of the challenging behaviour. There have been several methods for collecting functional assessment information. These functional assessment methods can be divided into three basic categories and they are indirect assessments, direct observation assessments, and environmental manipulation assessments.

Existing written documents, interviews, checklists, rating scales, and questionnaires are included in the indirect assessment and it is usually performed by acquiring information from individuals who are familiar with the child. It also needs to be maintained that the indirect assessments are intended to find information concerning the superficial function of a challenging behaviour, as well as the factors that envisage or preserve the behaviour. The next commonly used method of functional assessment, i.e. direct observation entails the observation of the child in the context of his or her natural environment and the recording of things observed.

The process of direct observation may include the following steps. They are the selection of the categories of antecedents, behaviours, and consequences to be recorded, development of an objective description of the behaviour(s) to be observed, and the design and implementation of a direct observation procedure. “There is an array of direct observation procedures available for use by an interventionist.

These procedures vary in the type of information that they provide and the extent to which the information assists the interventionist in developing hypotheses on the factors that predict and maintain behaviour. Some frequently used methods of direct observation, including the advantages and disadvantages of these methods in the functional assessment of challenging behaviour, will be discussed in the following sections.” (Functional Assessment).The direct observation strategies normally used within the functional assessment process include Scatter plot, Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence [A-B-C] Analysis, and the Functional Analysis Direct Observation.

In this paper, the Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence [A-B-C] Analysis and the Functional Analysis Direct Observation have been used for the functional assessment process. Through the functional analysis direct observation it was maintained that the student with particular behaviour problem was always uneasy in the classroom seeking attention of the peers as well as the teacher. John, the problem child, would engage in all sorts of activities that he attains notice of the people around him.

That is to say, throughout the observation period, John used to talk in loud voice, interfere in affairs that least concerned him, make remarks about any situation or event in the classroom, and come up with his observations and comments whenever others were asked something. To be specific, on the third day of observation, he made all sorts of distraction and loud noises in the classroom following the neglect of him in the classroom. In reality, there was no purposeful neglect of any student in the classroom activity.

It was just the way he felt and he would dare to make every situation that focused on his importance in the classroom. Similar attention seeking efforts by the child happened throughout observation and this is one characteristic feature of the problem behaviour of the child. In another circumstance, towards the middle of the observation period, John created a greatly disruptive behaviour which caused the interruption to the entire class. He would not allow the teacher to proceed in instruction without clarifying a silly doubt which had no relevance at all in the given context. It was clear that John wanted the entire attention of the teacher upon him and his activities which confronted with the interest of the other students and the teacher. He was so annoying in the class and the mood of the learning activity was also affected.

The Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence [A-B-C] Analysis of the problem behaviour would confirm that the student showed some pertinent characteristic features due mainly to the circumstances. In the classroom environment, John always had reasons to behave as a problem child. He was in quest for love and affection from the people around and he would not consider any other factors in this attempt. The antecedents and consequences associated with targeted behaviours in the child concluded that there is great relevance for the variables that affect the challenging behaviour.

Summary of the variables

The variables of the functional assessment were collected mainly through the indirect observation techniques such as functional interview and direct methods of Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence [A-B-C] Analysis and the Functional Analysis Direct Observation. The various aspects of the collection of the observational data have been specified by several studies. “The school-based consultant can collect direct descriptive data in a variety of ways, including

narrative recording,
event recording, or
observations based on time-sampling procedures (e.g., whole interval, partial interval, or momentary time sampling).

The key to conducting these analyses is not only observing the behavior of the target child, but addressing relevant environmental variables such as the reactions of teachers and peers to the target behavior, the class activity during the time in which the target behavior occurred (and did not occur), and so forth.” (“Functional Assessment of Distracting and Disruptive Behaviours in the School Setting” by Heather E. Sterling-Turner et al, Journal Title: School Psychology Review. Volume: 30. Issue: 2. Year: 2001. Page Number: 211.)

The collection of the variables depended mainly on the most exceptional methods of functional assessment and the variables suggested the great need for the development intervention strategies for the transformation of the problem behaviour. There have been several aspects in the behavioural environment which affected the issues. The variables found out suggested that the child with challenging behaviour exhibited high frequency attention seeking behaviour. The student was in search of care, affection and love from his environment. He had various needs of psychological level to be satisfied and he sought the conditions in the behavioural environment.

The observational data and the result of the interview suggested that the requirement of the student for special attention and care was great. An important conclusion of the functional assessment has been that the child exhibited the problem behaviour mainly as an alternative for the lack of care and attention he received at his home. The parents of John could not spend much time for the requirements of the child which almost left him deserted in his activities.

Reinforcer strategy

The validity of the reinforcement of the student behaviour for the attainment of target behaviour is often stressed by the researchers in the area. Due to this, various intervention plans make provisions for using rewards which will properly bring about the desired behaviour in the client. In this functional assessment strategy also the focus has been the provision of as many reinforcements as possible. The use of the rewards will help the teachers to relate the principle of positive reinforcement. And, the theories state that the presentation of a stimulus (i.e., the reward) can bring about a response.

By this means, the future probability of that response can be ensured. The delivery of a reward will be carefully done. As Kim Killu maintains, “Unless the future occurrence of the behaviour increases after the reward is presented, reinforcement has not occurred. A common programming strategy is using a reinforcement system or token system where a student receives a reward for desired behaviours. Rewards may not necessarily serve as reinforcers. As many intervention plans rely on this strategy for developing or increasing the occurrence of target behaviours, plans may be abandoned or may be seen as ineffective or unsuccessful when there is no resulting increase in behaviour.” (“Developing Effective Behavior Intervention Plans: Suggestions for School Personnel” Kim Killu – author. Journal Title: Intervention in School & Clinic. Volume: 43. Issue: 3. Publication Year: 2008. Page Number: 140+.)

Therefore, the reinforcement aiming at the behavioural modification will supplement the challenging behaviour with the alternative and more respectable behaviour characteristics. The student will be given more scope in the attainment of care and attention in the co-curricular activities. Also, he will be made an integral part of the classroom activities, entrusting him with more responsible and important roles in the classroom.

Intervention Programme Part B

Section 1: Individual

The utility of functional assessment strategies in the evaluation and treatment of rigorous behaviour problems such as self-injurious behaviours and persistent aggression in developmentally disabled populations is often maintained. However, it is also a fact that such behaviours which cause a serious damage to the physical and psychological safety of students are comparatively less. It is a fact that often behaviours that distract or disrupt teachers and other students in the classroom situations are more common.

Heather E. Sterling-Turner et al were mentioning this factor when they maintained that “The majority of school-based discipline referrals are for disruptive and other behaviours that are aversive to the classroom teacher (e.g., talking out, off-task). These behaviours often interrupt the educational environment and may result in decreased opportunities for learning for the target student and other students in the classroom.

Recurrent disruptive and distracting behaviour may result in unnecessary referrals for special education services.” (Heather E. Sterling-Turner et al, 2001) They also uphold that school personnel rarely include the students in the general education classroom when such problem behaviours are demonstrated by students with disabilities, and this will result in a student’s placement in a more restrictive setting. In this background, the utility of functional behaviour assessment and intervention programmes which aim at the treatment of problem behaviour is immense. Through various types of behavioural intervention plans, the teachers, counsellors, and school psychologists seek to affect the problem behaviour of the students and it is a minimum requirement for the smooth function of classroom learning.

Behaviour intervention plans which are systematically arranged can lessen problem behaviours or amplify the desired behaviours of the student. The intervention programmes can be effective in the well being of the individuals as well as groups in classroom setting. As the problem behaviour can be dealt with only though affecting the environment or the specific situations which contribute to the specific character in an individual, there is great scope for the intervention strategies aiming at individual as well as group. The intervention programme to deal with the challenging behaviour exhibited by the student needs to include various positive strategies, complementary aids, programme or curricular amendments, and other support systems.

In the case presented in this paper, John has been found exhibiting a disruptive behaviour which includes attention seeking strategy, making of loud noise in the classroom, distracting the classroom activity for personal purposes. Thus, the intervention programme which aims at reducing this challenging strategy will include strategies to make the student aware of the classroom interruption he is causing and to assist him recover from the specific characteristics of the behaviour.

The utility of functional behaviour assessment in the adoption of the most effective strategy to look into such behavioural deficiencies is often emphasised in research findings. Through the functional assessment in the case of the disruptive behaviour of John data relating to the student’s problem behaviour have been gathered and the information suggest the most appropriate strategies to affect the problem behaviour.

Thus, the intervention plan aiming at the individual includes various ways in which the student problem will be dealt with. According to Fitzsimmons, “The student’s behaviour intervention plan should include positive strategies, programs or curricular modifications, and supplementary aids and supports required to address the behaviours of concern. It is helpful to use the data collected during the FBA to develop the plan and to determine the discrepancy between the child’s actual and expected behaviour.” (Fitzsimmons, Mary K. Functional Behaviour Assessment and Behaviour Intervention Plans.)

The intervention plan emphasises on positive steps to look into the problems of the child as well as assist him in amending the disruptive behaviour. It has been maintained by various experts in the field that a more effective intervention plans will be one which emphasized various skills that help the student to act more properly. Such a plan also offers apposite impetus for the student to control the disruptive behaviour.

These are greatly effective compared with strategies to control behaviour and such intervention plans many often does nothing more than repressing the problem behaviour which causes the child to exhibit unaddressed needs in substitute and inappropriate means. Conversely, positive plans for behavioural intervention, such as the one put forward in this case, can effectively deal with the source of the problem as well as foster the problem itself.

Therefore, the intervention plan to address the problem behaviour John incorporates strategies to channelise the unwanted impulses in the boy to the more attractive behaviour specialities. The behaviour support plan as given in this paper will demonstrate the different steps to address the requirements of the student with challenging behaviour.

In the case of John, the problem behaviour includes various types of attention seeking strategies through which he disturbs the flow of the good atmosphere of the classroom. The functional assessment of his problem behaviour concluded that the child needs extra care and affection from people around him. The root cause for his disruptive behaviour has been the lack of care and attention he received from his parents and the feeling of being a problem child.

In some cases, such students can become hopeless cases wherein they never care for any intervention strategies and go on with their specific behaviour. However, the effectiveness of the most systematic intervention programme is not challenged and therefore careful steps have been taken to address the problem behaviour of the child. Through the descriptive data of the child, it is clear that the focal point of the intervention plan needs to be the provision of a feeling of belonging and care to the child. The child should be able to recognise the warmth of being loved and cared. This is a positive strategy to guide the child to the essential mending of his behavioural issues in the classroom situation. Therefore, the behavioural support plan as suggested in this paper undertakes a positive step towards dealing with the issue of the child with challenging behaviour.

Design specifics of the Behavioural Support Plan

The data collected through the functional assessment provided with the most advantageous information for the formulation of an effective strategy for the behavioural support plan. Accordingly, it was clear that the student needs in attaining the attention and care of the people should be satisfied and a positive programme environment must be created. The reliability and the appropriate awareness of the intervention plan is a requirement for the effective implementation of the behavioural support plan. The effectiveness of the intervention plan depends on the degree to which it is reliably implemented.

For the successful implementation of the plan, a profound awareness of the strategies and steps in the plan is required. As Kim Killu would argue, “if a plan is poorly understood, difficult to implement, or inefficient, and thus poorly implemented, it is unlikely that appropriate decisions regarding the plan and a student’s progress can be made. Just as data should be taken on student performance, data on program implementation provides team members with a measure of accountability.

With increased emphasis on accountable systems, it would behoove educators and researchers to develop more practical and direct methods of ensuring and monitoring treatment integrity.” (“Developing Effective Behavior Intervention Plans: Suggestions for School Personnel” Kim Killu – author. Journal Title: Intervention in School & Clinic. Volume: 43. Issue: 3. Publication Year: 2008. Page Number: 140+.) Therefore, the various aspects of the intervention plan and the design of the programme will be provided here.

Student Inclusion Steps

The foremost precondition of the behavioural support plan is the creation of the situation wherein the child understands the special care and attention offered to him. The student will effectively participate in the programme, only in identifying the positive situation in the classroom. Therefore, it is primary that John recognises the care and attention he attains in the classroom from his peers as well as the teacher. To ensure this, the programme will incorporate the other students and make the necessary preconditions for his inclusion in various activities and programmes. He will also be given opportunities to play responsible roles in the classroom activities as team leader, volunteer etc.

Student Awareness Step

Once the boy recognises his increased role in the effective functioning of the various classroom activities, the student will be guided to a valuable understanding of his disruptive behaviour in the classroom activities. The strategies to make the student aware of his disruptive behaviour will include positive guidelines, provision for self reflection, indirect recommendations, and instructions.

Counselling

The provision of counselling will be done with utmost attention through which the child will perfectly confirm his self awareness regarding problem behaviour. Also, this step will focus on creating in the child a feeling of behaviour modification.

Modification Stage

The focus of this stage will be the modification of the issues of identified disruptive behaviour of the child. Through the various intervention strategies in the classroom, the child will be assisted to maintain the desirable behaviour in the class. The child will be directed towards the most effective implementation of the target behaviour.

Assessment Stage

The behaviour modification through the behavioural support plan will be assessed thoroughly through the evaluation of the student behaviour. The assistance of teachers and the students will be availed in this process.

Reinforcement Stage

Through the assessment of the student behaviour, the areas which need specific attention will be concluded. Based on this information, more effective strategies to ensure the success of the intervention programme will be fixed and implemented.

Through all these steps the behavioural modification of the child will be ensured. The effective implementation of this behavioural modification plan is considered more important.

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