Responding to Student Behavior

Differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviors: reinforcing an appropriate behavior that is incompatible with another undesirable behavior in order to increase the positive behavior

Extinction: strategy for decreasing negative behavior by no longer reinforcing it

Negative reinforcement: a potential negative consequence to a behavior that causes the behavior to increase

Presentation punishment: presenting negative consequences as a strategy for decreasing behavior.

Behavior contracts: agreement between a teacher (or other adult) and student that clearly specifies student performance expectations, rewards for meeting expectations, consequences of not meeting expectations, and the timeframe for which the agreement is valid

Functional behavior assessment (FBA): the process of gathering detailed data on a student’s behavior and the context in which it occurs for the purpose of determining the reasons for it and creating a behavior intervention plan.

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS): strategies for preventing behavior challenges as well as techniques for addressing common and intensive behavior problems

Positive reinforcement: a consequence to a behavior that causes it to increase; also called an award

Behavior intervention plan (BIP): a detailed strategy, developed on the basis of a functional behavior assessment, to address significant behavior problems being experienced by a student with a disability.

Discipline: term to describe the set of classroom expectations, including rules for behavior, that serves as a means for facilitating student learning

Cognitive behavior management (CBM): behavior management strategy in which students learn to monitor and change their own behavior

Removal punishment: taking away from a student something that is desired as a strategy for decreasing inappropriate behavior

Response cost: type of removal punishment in which a student loses privileges or other rewards as a consequence of inappropriate behavior

Surface behaviors: initial student behaviors that teachers could interpret as misbehavior

Time-out: type of removal punishment in which a student is removed from opportunities for reward

Token economy: system of contingency management based on the systematic reinforcement of target behavior