"The PTR Assessment and Intervention process is based on a scientific understanding of how problem behavior is related to and influenced by events and circumstances in the environment."
-PTR Team Manual, USF & UCD (2006)
Overview
Developed by the University of South Florida and the University of Colorado in 2006, this model is designed to guide school-based teams through the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) process for supporting students, K through 8th grade, with problem behaviors. With a focus on creating positive behavior supports, this model is heavily aligned on the principals and procedures of applied behavior analysis (ABA). By using functional behavior assessment procedures, reinforcement of desired behaviors, shaping of new behaviors, fading of prompts and reinforcement, and contingency management approaches, this model is applicable to students at all levels of functioning whose behavior problems have presented a significant barrier to instruction for the student and his or her classmates. The PTR consists of five steps including team building, goal setting, assessments, intervention, and evaluation. We will being with the first step--Team Building.
Step One: Team Building
A school-based team should be comprised of individuals who will meet regularly, that will be responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating the intervention. These teams should include anyone who knows the student or works with them on a consistent basis, including members of his or her family. It is critical for team members to share responsibilities and are held accountable for the plan's implementation allowing for consistency and generalization.
Step Two: Goal Setting
Goal setting is the second step in the PTR intervention model for school-aged classroom behavior management. Once a team is established, the next step is to agree upon the team's vision regarding the broad, future outcomes they want to see for the student. Once a vision is created, short-term goals can be developed. These goals can be similar to the annual goals established in the student's Individual Education Plan. It is important to keep in mind that goals should be able to transfer to multiple environments, with multiple people, and lead to a higher quality of life. Four areas that should be examined include the educational or community setting in which the student will be included, the social relationships of that student, curriculum or academic success, and his or her behavioral outcomes. Once short term goals are determined, baseline data should be taken, using a behavior rating scale, to make sure each goal is observable, measurable and significant impact on the student's life.
Step Three: PTR Assessment
PTR Assessment--The third step in this process takes a closer look at the specific information regarding the student's problem behavior(s). Two major principals underlying this step is first understanding that problem behavior often has a functional and communicative purpose and second, understanding that behavior can be influenced by the events and context in which it occurs that, in turn, trigger the behavior. In order to assess a student's behavior your team must take an individualized look at the prevent component, teach component, and reinforce component as outlined below:
- Prevent Component:
- Determine the times of the school day or specific circumstances when problem behavior is most likely and or least likely to occur.
- Determine if there are specific activities when problem behavior is very likely to occur.
- Determine the specific activities that cooperative and prosocial behavior is most likely to occur.
- Determine if there are specific classmates, adults whose proximity or physical environments are associated with a high likelihood of problem behavior.
- Determine if there are circumstances unrelated to the school setting that occur on some days and not on others that make problem behavior more likely.
- Teach Component:
- Determine if the problem behavior gains attention from others.
- Determine if the problem behavior is often exhibited to gain access to preferred items or to delay a non-preferred task, person or transition.
- Determine what social, problem solving, and communication skills could the student learn in order to reduce the likelihood of the problem behavior occurring in the future.
- Reinforce Component:
- Determine what consequences usually follow the student's problem behavior.
- Determine if the student enjoys praise and what school-related activities are most enjoyable to the student.
Step Four: Intervention Plan
The next step is to develop an intervention plan. Your team's plan should include at least one Prevent Component, Teach Component, and Reinforce Component in the student's plan.
- Prevent Teach Interventions
- Provide choices
- Transition supports
- Environmental supports
- Curricular modifications
- Frequent adult verbal positive attention
- Classroom management
- Setting event modifications
- Opportunity for pro-social behavior and peer support
- Peer modeling and reinforcement
- Teach Intervention
- Replacement behaviors functional or equivalent
- Replacement behaviors desired or prosocial
- Specific academic skills
- Problem solving strategies
- General coping skills
- Specific social skills
- Teacher pleasing behaviors
- Learning strategies
- Self-management
- Delayed gratification
- Independent responding
- Increased engagement time
Example Teach Intervention: Prior to intervention, the student calls out repeatedly to get the teacher's attention. The functional replacement behavior would be to teach the student to raise his or her hand to get assistance from the teacher.
- Reinforce Intervention
- Reinforce replacement behavior
- Reinforce replacement behavior non-functional or desired, pro-social
- Increase non-contingent reinforcement
- Discontinue reinforcement of problem behavior
- Group contingencies
- Increase ratio of positive to negative responses
- Home-school reinforcement system
- Crisis intervention plan
Example Reinforce Intervention: Prior to intervention, the student kicks the desk each time he or she is asked to complete an independent reading assignment. As a result, the student is sent the the principal's office thus escaping the task and getting attention. After intervention, the student is no longer sent out of the classroom when presenting problem behaviors. However, they will be allowed out of the classroom when he or she completes at least ten minutes of independent reading.
Coaching and implementation of the PTR Intervention Plan should take place after your team has selected the specific PTR interventions. There should be a training session that takes place in the classroom without the student present, when the student is present, and a final coaching session in the classroom with all students present two weeks after the final observation.
Final Step: Evaluation
Once your team has selected interventions to decrease problem behavior and increase prosocial behavior, it is important to continue to collect outcome data that will let your team know if the intervention is effective. Your team should observe the classroom interventions, continue to train staff and follow-up with all members to discuss the outcomes and make adjustments to the intervention plan as needed.
The contents of this manual were developed by the University of South Florida and the University of Colorado at Denver under the Department of Education in 2006.
Until next time, BLOSSOM!
Lauren Thome, M.A.
