Emotion, Coursework Example

The second step after the functional behavior assessment is the set of cognitive behavior interventions designed for specific cognitive behavioral disorders known. Some of the interventions observed in community schools were self-instructional training (teaching self-instruction included the problem definition, planning, cognitive modeling, and various types of self-instructions following), problem-solving strategies, anger-control training etc. However, there was no homogeneous strategy observed that would embody the cognitive behavior interventions into the students’ individual learning plans. The problem behavior was managed only in cases of occurrence, and no unified schedule for systemic intervention, let alone prevention measures, was recorded.

Meeting the social skills deficit of students was observed to a certain extent. Social skills assessment was widely applied in the scope of designing the social skills intervention, including social skills ratings, behavioral interviews, direct observations etc.

Collaboration and teaming are practiced in the school settings: interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams are an everyday reality; however, no interpersonal teaming principles were observed to be implemented in designing the educational process. Interagency teaming was practiced and established to a certain level, i.e. the teachers were observed to collaborate with behavior interventionists, but only to a certain level (not in the process of establishing the intervention program, but in cases of severe and persistent problem behaviors evident from the side of END students. Family and school collaboration was the strongest link observed: teachers were systematically engaged in discussions with parents of END students, they were well-informed about the medical issues that EBD students faced (whether they received medical intervention help), and consulted parents regarding some ways of intervention they were planning to use. Parents also contributed to the formation of correct intervention plans: they informed teachers on the individual characteristics of their children, provided thorough records of their behavior and responses to parents’ behavior, thus giving cues to the teacher on the most effective strategies to be chosen.

IDEA requirements are equally well faced by all community schools that have been observed; the strict compliance derives from the legal nature of obligations of the educational establishment regarding the provision of adequate learning facilities for EBD students. Evaluations schemes were individually tailored with the proper concern of the disability the EBD students have, and reflected their performance adequately. IEPs designed for EBD students were clearly fitting their unique needs and involved measurable goals fitting the measure of EBD severity of each separate student.

Classroom behavior management techniques observed included classroom settings (being respectful, learning responsibility, understanding the basics of safety and self-protection), non-classroom settings, and individual student support systems. However, the imposition of school settings behavior techniques did not involve the direct participation of students, but was imposed from the administration of the school. Behavior management techniques for preventing the problem behavior in the classroom mainly involved reactive ways. There was no evidence of teachers’ designing classroom settings in order to prevent the emergence of problem behaviors. Teachers were mainly noticed to wait for the problem to occur, and only then react to the occurrence with a solution.

Secondly, the application of cognitive behavior interventions has some minor pitfalls. It is clear that self-instructional training is a powerful tool for EBD students’ intervention and prevention measures. However, it is evident that no focus on self-management-based interventions is present. This field requires attention, since the indicated type of management techniques is fundamental to the introduction of any other intervention.

It is also clear that with enough focus on identifying the CBIs for EBD students, one should clearly understand its limitations. Unless the CBIs included in the students’ BIPs, the comprehensive approach to instruction is impossible.

Addressing the formation of social skills is on a high level nowadays, while the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach may enable the whole school administration and all individuals responsible for the provision of education for EBD students to respond to the complex challenges EBD poses for them. EBD is a disorder that requires attention in all domains of the student’s life – social, educational, functional, communicative, spiritual etc. Addressing one problem is highly ineffective; students may not respond to the unilateral, limited approach to problems singled out, while they are more likely to provide positive feedback on the issues concerning the whole image of their activities. Hence, the teaming schemes used in schools, and parents’ active involvement into the schooling process, provision of the most current information on the state of health of the EBD student, may serve as the facilitators of the EBD student’s accommodation and advancement in the process of studies.

Absence of interpersonal teaming is rather hard to explain, but it is surely evident in the modern-day schooling practices. It seems hard for the school administrators to find the proper combinations of teachers and special education specialists, which is a huge step back in the provision of education for EBD students.

The epoch of accountability and transparency for all educational institutions is clearly a sign of progress towards the clearer legal environment in such social domains as legislation, corporate business, healthcare, and education. Therefore, every educational institution is now doing its best to provide compliance with the adopted legal acts, e.g. IDEA. Under this act, every student, disregarding the type and severity of his disability, is entitled to receiving as many possibilities for education as possible. Hence, the provision of these conditions involves adequate schooling environment, accommodations, adapted schooling materials, as well as the provision of individual approach to his/her instruction with the proper regard of their disability. It is pleasant to see that at least the legal provisions imposed by the state find their adequate reflection and implementation on the school level.

Classroom behavior management techniques are also a weak point in the school settings. There is a clear understanding of what behavior management techniques are, and how important they may be in the classroom, as well as beyond its borders, but the reactive approach to management is shockingly spread. The teacher finds no time and applies no effort to managing the problem behavior until it emerges in the classroom. It is bad in terms of viewing the classroom climate disturbed by such occurrences, let alone the stressful consequences remaining upon settling the conflict.

The first recommendation deals with enhancing the effectiveness of functional behavior assessment schemes by applying the theoretical framework offered by Yell et al. (2009) on the recognition of the motive drives governing the emergence of problem behaviors. It is clear that there are both positive and negative reinforcement elements, and the purposes of getting involved in the problem behavior are also clear; most often the incentive is to attract more attention to oneself. Hence, the prevention and intervention strategies may be designed according to the estimates of reasons initiating problem behaviors – this would make classroom management techniques more proactive.  Interviews with EBD students may be of much help in estimating the reasons for the problem behavior; hence they should become an indispensible element of the functional behavior assessment.

Secondly, the recommendations voiced in the present work will pertain to the self-management-based interventions as a part of problem behavior management techniques. It is important to realize that self-management techniques involve teaching self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement that are clearly the powerful tools for initiating the change inside the EBD, not imposing it from the outside and above. It is also necessary to use the recommendation of Yell et al. (2009) and apply the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) to solving the issues of self-management training. This technique is called to help both students and teachers in managing problem behavior, thus it may add effectiveness to the behavior management process in any school.

The next recommendation refers to the introduction of social skills instruction for the EBD students in the school settings. It has been found out that social skills instruction is of little effect for EBD students for a set of reasons, so an educator should not heavily rely on the progress projected through that means of instruction. As Yell et al. (2009) note, one should think of alternative ways to improve social skills that are now the subject of intense research, and should think of the pre-social skills instruction that turns out of vital importance under the conditions of lack of social skills progress.

Ensuring commitment to the school-based problem behavior prevention and intervention issues is another priority that is absent in the majority of schools nowadays. It is clear that the reactive approach to managing problem behavior is out-of-date, so it is of help for neither students nor teachers. The necessity to transform the management techniques into proactive ones is an urgent necessity in the teaching practice. Some common ways to ensure that transmission are: to establish a school-based leadership team consisting of students, teachers and school administrators, and to ensure commitment to the classroom management techniques formulated. The performance of the newly established system should be monitored according to the formative data collection system requirements that have proven to be of substantial help in ensuring adequate and accurate data collection and analysis methods. Only by means of a progressive approach to classroom management, all stakeholders in the educational process will be able to benefit from the classroom management techniques. The teacher using a proactive approach does not wait until the problem behavior occurs; he or she arranges the instruction and the environment in order to minimize the risk of such behaviors’ occurrence, and provides a set of facilities for students to assist in the process as well.

Generally speaking, it is clear that the movement towards not only recognizing the needs of the EBD students, but responding to them adequately is the issue of research nowadays. Due to the intense attention from the side of lawmakers and administrators, EBD students and the techniques applied for their instruction are receiving more and more practical as well as theoretical attention. Much has been done already, but there is a great number of issues that still require attention and development.