New Funding Will Evaluate Intervention Model for Severe Behavior Problems in School
The PTR Intervention Includes Three Essential Components:
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Preventing behavior problems from occurring by adjusting the student’s curriculum and social and physical environment;
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Teaching proactive communication skills to replace behavior problems; and,
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Reinforcing pro-social advancements in academic achievement.
Both USF and UCD have longstanding positive relationships with local schools and communities.
Florida’s Positive Behavior Support Project, funded by the Florida Department of Education, is the state identified provider of training and technical assistance for behavior support at the individual student, classroom, and school-wide levels. The PBS Project has trained over 160 schools across the State in the last two years and established capacity building relationships with 23 school districts including Hillsborough and Pinellas County Schools.
In addition, The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities located at USF has provided direct assistance and training to local school personnel and families for the past twelve years.
Likewise, the University of Colorado at Denver has had an impressive impact on the local community, training over 100 teams in behavior support strategies over the past three years.
Statistics show that three to eight percent of students in today’s classrooms have behavioral problems severe enough to be labeled as disruptive, noncompliant, aggressive, defiant or oppositional. These students, who predictably find their way to the top of the “most troubling” list, are of greatest concern to schools.
For schools in Tampa Bay, Florida and Denver, Colorado, help is now on the way. The Department of Child and Family Studies has received a four-year, $4,300,000 grant to evaluate a school-based intervention model used for students having severe behavior problems.
The evaluation, Evidence-based Intervention for Severe Behavior Problems: The Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) Model, is being funded through the US Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). OSEP provides leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts, including institutions of higher education and other non-profit organizations to support research, demonstrations, technical assistance and dissemination.
"A student with severe behavior problems is one whose behavior significantly impedes his or her own learning or the learning of others,” said Don Kincaid, Principal Investigator of the evaluation. “Because a number of events can influence the likelihood of problem behavior occurring, it is important that a behavior support plan intervention include strategies to prevent inappropriate behavior, as well as teach
and reinforce appropriate behavior.”
Two hundred students from kindergarten through eighth grade will be selected from the Hillsborough County (FL), Pinellas County (FL), and the Denver (CO) Public School systems. PTR teams will be developed for each student and will include the child’s teacher, a special educator or paraprofessional if the child receives part-time services in special education, and a behavior specialist. The teams will receive direct training and technical assistance from PTR project staff.
“ Results of the project will include the development of a manual providing implementation guidelines, training materials, and assessment and tracking forms that can be used to replicate PTR in schools across the nation,” added Kincaid. “Our goal is for the targeted children to successfully integrate into their communities and have positive outcomesin their lives.”
For additional information, contact the CFS Division of Applied Research and Educational Support at 813-974-6100.
The Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) is a department of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The faculty and staff of CFS are committed to enhancing the development, mental health and well-being of children and families through leadership in integrating research, theory & practice.