A Statewide Initiative Designed to Increase Capacity of School Teams to Reduce Challenging Behavior in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Problem behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders are among the most challenging issues faced by school personnel and parents in their efforts to provide appropriate educational programs.

According to the National Research Council (2001), problem behaviors are major barriers to effective social and educational development and put children at risk for exclusion and isolation from social, educational, family, and community activities. Concerns about behavior problems led to new standards in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). Specifically, the regulations include provisions for the use of functional behavioral assessments and positive behavioral interventions and supports.

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) involves changing the situations and events that people with problem behaviors experience in order to reduce the likelihood that problem behaviors will occur and increase social, personal, and professional quality in their lives. It is an approach that blends values concerning the rights of people with disabilities with a practical science about how learning and behavior change occur.