Positively ABA:
The Relationship Between Positive Behavior Interventions and
Supports and Applied Behavior Analysis
Jennifer Rodecki, M.Ed.
Over the
last two decades, research on positive behavior interventions and supports
(PBIS) has exploded. Schools across the nation are implementing school-wide
PBIS programs, and the results indicate a drastic decrease in problem behaviors
in students with and without disabilities (Cheney, et al., 2010; Sherrod,
Getch, & Ziomek-Daigle, 2009; Warren, et al., 2006). A school-wide PBIS
program is a three-tiered intervention that takes a proactive, systematic approach
to decreasing problem behaviors. PBIS focuses on determining the cause of the
behavior, teaching new behaviors, and positively reinforcing desired behaviors.
This makes PBIS similar to ABA, which also focuses to assess, change, respond
to, and monitor behaviors (Weiss, DelPizzo-Cheng, LaRue, & Sloman, 2009).
According
to Weiss et al. (2009), PBIS takes the principles of ABA and applies them to a
three-tiered program in which all students participate. Typically, ABA is
implemented to change the behavior of one individual. In a PBIS program, all
students participate in some interventions (tier-one), small groups of students
participate in more direct interventions (tier-two), and individual students
participate in personalized behavior modification programs (tier-three).
In
addition to having a school-wide PBIS program, teachers can implement a PBIS
approach into their classrooms to manipulate antecedents and consequences to
increase desired behaviors (Rodecki & Witzel, 2011). To do this, teachers must rely heavily
on the principles of behaviorism. Components of ABA such as stimulus control,
positive reinforcement, self-monitoring, and direct instruction are tools that
teachers can incorporate within their classroom to modify student behaviors.
Baer,
Wolf, and Risley (1968) defined the characteristics of ABA as applied,
behavioral, analytic, technological, systematic, effective, and having
generality. This means that implemented evidence-based interventions have a
direct, positive impact on the lives of the participants, which can be
generalized across contexts. PBIS uses a compilation of research-based
behavioral strategies to directly affect behaviors in all students, and
ultimately enhances educational opportunities (Rodecki & Witzel, 2011).
In
order for students with ASD and other disabilities to experience success in
inclusive classrooms, ABA and PBIS approaches must be implemented by the
classroom teacher. According to Leach (2010), students with ASD benefit from
receiving explicit instruction on rules and procedures, reinforcement when
engaging in expected behaviors, and positive redirection when not meeting those
expectations. These systematic procedures for behavioral interventions branch
from the foundations of ABA, and therefore, PBIS cannot sustain without the
principles of ABA. For effective inclusion, there must be a collaborative
approach among practitioners.
References
Picture: © Buzya_kalapkina | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos
Baer, D. M., Wolf, M.
M., & Risley, T. (1968). Current dimensions of applied behavior analysis.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1, 91 – 97.
Cheney, D., Lynass, L.,
Flower, A., Waugh, M., Iwaszuk, W., Mielenz, C., & Hawken, L. (2010). The
check, connect, and expect program: A targeted, tier 2 intervention in the
schoolwide positive behavior support model. Preventing School Failure, 54(3),
152-158.
Leach, D. (2010).
Brining ABA into your inclusive classroom: A guide to improving outcomes for
students with autism spectrum disorders. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brooks
Publishing Co.
Rodecki, J. N., & Witzel, B. S. (2011).
Positively decreasing disruption and discipline referrals. Focus on MiddleSchool, 42(2), 1-4. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from http://www.acei.org/images/stories/MiddleWinter11.pdf
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