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4 Proactive and Positive Approaches to Supporting Students with Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Challenges

Introduction

Supporting students and their families can be challenging, particularly when students face social, emotional, and behavioral obstacles that require tailored interventions. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team typically considers several factors while developing a suitable program that encompasses support for social and emotional areas, communication, and motivation, all of which affect learning. However, there are more effective strategies than responding to challenging behavior in a reactive and punitive manner, such as removal from the environment or providing severe consequences. This traditional approach assumes that students should know how to behave appropriately and that external controls are necessary to prevent problem behavior. Such models fail to teach students acceptable, expected, and appropriate behaviors and do not consider the impacts of trauma and cultural differences between students’ homes and educational environments. Additionally, relying on a reactive and punitive model can exacerbate challenging behavior in many students, particularly those with disabilities who require special consideration.

This chapter explores proactive and positive approaches to supporting students with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges that focus on teaching and reinforcing desirable behaviors and promoting a positive learning environment. This is accomplished by creating culturally and contextually relevant interventions that provide an alternative way to access the need defined in the function. This proactive and positive approach aims to create a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment that addresses the root causes of social, emotional, and behavioral challenges and promotes all students’ healthy development and academic success.

At the core of this approach is a grounding in Culturally Responsive PBIS. In short, students need to be supported in learning behavioral expectations in a way that values their culture and assets. You should not proceed with an intervention without this first step, sometimes called Tier 1. Much like Response to Intervention for reading and math. If a student has not received instruction in “addition,” you won’t jump to an intervention for “addition.” If you are unfamiliar with school and classroom-level supports around Culturally Responsive PBIS or would like a refresher, look at this document: PBIS Culturally Responsive Field Guide.

Before you get started, pause and go to the IRIS Center Module: Functional Behavioral Assessment: Identifying the Reasons for Problem Behavior and Developing a Behavior Plan (2024). Complete page 9, practice what we are learning through the application activities, and keep track of any questions, ideas, etc.

Step 5- Develop function-based interventions

Using FBA data, educators can teach replacement behaviors that provide alternative ways for student needs to be met using strategies such as training shaping social skills, targeted academic support, and school-based mental health service and other supports; educators can empower students to succeed academically and socially. These supports are documented in the BIP.

Social Skills

Teaching social and emotional skills is critical to the success and well-being of students, both in and outside of the classroom. These skills involve helping children develop effective communication, empathy, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills. It is crucial to start teaching social and emotional skills at a young age and continue building on them throughout the school years, with opportunities for practice and application.

In addition to teaching specific social skills, teaching different social relationships is equally important. How social interactions and relationships are identified directly impacts how a person engages with others. For example, a person would not tell a stranger where they live. Social interactions are different among strangers, acquaintances, friends, close/best friends, crushes, potential dating partners, dating partners, lovers, and intimate partners. Students can develop appropriate social skills and boundaries for each context by understanding these different types of relationships.

Unfortunately, youth with disabilities often have fewer opportunities for social interactions than their typically developing peers. Teachers play a vital role in shaping all aspects of development, including social skills. They must provide direct instruction in social skills to prepare students for the world of work and create opportunities for social activities in the classroom, school, and community. By increasing active participation in all aspects of a student’s life, teachers can help promote social development and positive student outcomes.

One way to provide opportunities for social skills practice is through interactive and engaging activities. For example, teachers can incorporate video modeling, where students watch videos of social interactions and practice appropriate responses or role-playing exercises, where students act out social scenarios and practice effective communication and problem-solving skills. Teachers can also organize cooperative learning activities and partner work, allowing students to work with peer mentors and models.

Additionally, reading and discussing books or stories that model good social skills, using reader’s theater, and linking older students or adults from the community as partners to at-risk students are all effective ways to teach social skills. By using a variety of approaches, teachers can ensure that students have ample opportunities to practice and apply social skills in different contexts, preparing them for success both in and outside of the classroom.

These resources, along with the social skills resources shared in Table 4.1, will help you create social skills lessons:

Table 4.1 “Social Skills Resources” – adapted from Functional Curriculum: for Elementary and Secondary Students with Special Needs
Title K-5 6-8 7-12+
Navigating the Social World X X X
The Ziggurat Model X X X
The Eclipse Model X X X
Social Skills Training X X
Do Watch, Listen, and Say X X X
Skillstreaming (elementary version) X
Skillstreaming X X
Social Skills for Teenagers with Developmental and Autism Disorders X X
Autism-A Social Skills Approach for Children and Adolescents X X X
Knowing Yourself and Knowing Others: A Workbook for Children with Asperger’s Disorders, Nonverbal Learning Disorder and Other Social Skills Problems X
Comic-Strip Conversations X X X
Super Skills: A Social Skills Group Program for Children With AS, HFA, and ASD-Related Challenges X
What Did You Say? What Do You Mean? X X X
Getting Along with Others X X X
Social Skills Lessons and Activities: For
Grades 1-3		 X
Life Skills Activities for Secondary Students with Special Needs X
Taming the Recess Jungle X
Social Skills Groups for Children and Adolescents with AS: A Step-by-Step Program X X X
Asperger’s What Does it Mean to Me? X X
Asperger Syndrome: An Owner’s Manual X
Asperger’s Syndrome: An Owner’s Manual 2: For Older Adolescents and Adults X
The Hidden Curriculum: Practical Solutions for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations X X X
Incredible 5-Point Scale Assisting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Understanding Social Interactions and Controlling Their Emotional Responses X X X
The PEERS Curriculum for School-Based Professionals X X
A Quest for Social Skills for Students with Autism or Asperger’s: Ready-to-Use Lessons with Games, Role-Play Activities, and More! X (upper) X
A 5 Is Against the Law: Social Boundaries Straight Up! An Honest Guide for Teens and Young Adults X X

Shaping

“Keeping your cool” can be a practical approach when dealing with disruptive or annoying student behavior. Behaviorist strategies, based on shaping, can be beneficial in such situations and are often used in tandem with social skills instruction. These strategies are often included in students’ functional behavioral assessments and

behavior intervention plans, as they are precise and clear, leaving little room for misunderstanding expectations. This clarity decreases the likelihood of projecting negative emotions onto students, which can exacerbate the situation.

Behaviorist techniques include positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, extinction, and generalization. Positive reinforcement involves providing a reward or something pleasant to increase the probability of a behavior occurring. Negative reinforcement involves removing something unpleasant to increase the likelihood of a behavior happening. Extinction refers to withholding something pleasant to decrease the likelihood of a behavior occurring in the future. For example, a teacher might ignore a student who tells inappropriate jokes instead of laughing or commenting.

Generalization means a student can transfer learned skills to new settings, with different people, and in varying contexts. Training should be provided in various locations, with multiple people and contexts using the same antecedents and consequences to promote generalization. This helps to reinforce the desired behavior and make it more likely to occur in different situations. Behaviorist strategies are particularly effective for students who need to practice social skills they have recently learned and may feel self-conscious about using. By providing clear and consistent expectations and consequences, teachers can help students develop positive behaviors and habits that will serve them well in various settings (IRIS Center, 2024).

To learn more about designing and using shaping with students, check out these resources:

School-Based Mental Health Support

Schools must provide appropriate mental health services to students with behavioral challenges as part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP). These services, which include psychological and counseling services, are considered essential related services under IDEA and must be provided by qualified personnel such as social workers, psychologists, or guidance counselors. The services are tailored to individual needs, and coordination between home, school, and community is crucial.

Communication channels should be kept open between all parties involved in the student’s education or care. For example, a special educator may provide social skills intervention to a small group of students. In contrast, a licensed mental health professional in the school may provide individual skills or psychotherapy to the student. School-based mental health services aim to strengthen students and their families through prevention and intervention within the school setting. Eligible students undergo a diagnostic assessment with a mental health professional, and goals are formulated based on feedback from school professionals. Students may receive individual, family, and group skills training and psychotherapy to reduce symptoms of mental health conditions and improve their functioning at home, school, and the community (CPIR, 2020).

Day Treatment is an intensive and comprehensive program designed to provide therapeutic services to children and families struggling with significant emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties. Community-based mental health providers offer day treatment programs with local school districts. Day Treatment provides an alternative, therapeutic school environment for children with limited success in their previous academic settings due to their emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges. The program is designed to strengthen individual and family functioning by providing a range of therapeutic services tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and family.

Targeted Academic Support

Students with social, emotional, and behavioral needs often struggle academically across content areas. This is due to missing class for disciplinary consequences, appointments, choosing not to come to school, and being present but not in a place to learn (e.g., zoned out or otherwise distracted). This group tends to struggle more with mathematics than other subjects because it requires persistence, concentration, and the ability to work organizationally. All of which also have implications for writing, reading, and study skills. Academic interventions like those provided by a special educator to students with SLD can also benefit students with behavioral challenges. Further, inclusive teaching arrangements, such as co-teaching, support students academically and behaviorally, where special educators and general educators work together in the general education setting (Vaughn & Bos, 2021).

A Few More Thoughts

Still, students with challenging behaviors may sometimes make it tempting to use more substantial or sweeping punishments rather than follow the FBA/BIP. This is especially true in school environments with the regular presence of law enforcement, as students with IEPs are more likely to receive harsher discipline in schools with police presence than those without. As I have shared throughout this text, this tightly intersects with race and the school-to-prison pipeline, as police presence in schools impacts students of color the most negatively. Instead, remember that every IEP guarantees the student and the student’s family due process before an IEP can be changed.

In practice, this means consulting with everyone involved in the case—especially parents, other specialists, and the student—and reaching an agreement before adopting new strategies that differ significantly from the past. Instead of punishment, a better approach is to keep careful records of the student’s behavior and your responses to it, documenting the effectiveness of the function-based intervention, and the student’s responses to any significant disruptions. By having the records, collaboration with caregivers and other professionals can be more productive and objective and increase others’ confidence in your judgments about what the student needs to succeed. In the long term, more effective collaboration leads to better support and more learning for the student (as well as better support for educators).

Summary

In conclusion, supporting students and their families with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges requires a proactive and positive approach that promotes a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment. It is essential to move away from traditional models of behavior management that focus on punishment and instead prioritize teaching and reinforcing appropriate behaviors. This is accomplished by creating culturally and contextually relevant interventions that provide an alternative way to access the need defined in the function. By incorporating strategies such as social skills training, shaping, and targeted academic support, along with school-based mental health services and other supports, educators can empower students to succeed academically and socially. Through a collaborative effort between educators, families, and community resources, we can provide the individualized support and interventions necessary to ensure all students thrive in their academic pursuits and beyond.

Reflect, Apply, & Connect

  • What support did Ed receive?
  • How were his strengths/interests used to support him? Explain.
  • Based on the information in this section, how might the existing supports be improved, and what additional supports should be added? Provide a rationale for your recommendations.
  • What cultural and contextual assets could be leveraged to support Ed?
  • What other questions or concerns do you have?

Deeper Dive

Below are additional positive behavioral interventions/supports beyond what was shared in this chapter that could be used with all students who might have social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.

Note: The need/appropriateness of the intervention should be based on FBA data with a specific focus on matching the function of the target behavior with a replacement behavior that serves a similar function/need for a student.

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Nurturing Potential: An Equity-Minded Approach to Functional Behavioral Assessment Copyright © by Amanda Zbacnik and Staci Gilpin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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