Nicole Hassan

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Positive Behavior Support Plan

Student (Intern) Name: Nicole Hassan
Student (Intern) Email: nhassa3@students.towson.edu
Date/Course: April 19th, 2016
SPED 498
I.

Student Background
Tom Regela was born on 4-19-04. His parents moved from Egypt. At home, the family

speaks Arabic, but they know some English. He also lives with his two older sisters, who are 15
and 18. Tom was referred to Special Education while in an unknown Baltimore City School on 831-07. He was assessed on 9-27-07 and evaluated on 11-15-07. It was found that Tom had
significant delays in many areas. His fine motor skills were equivalent to 18 months, his
expressive language was equivalent to 12 months, his receptive language was equivalent to 16
months, and his cognitive skills were equivalent 14 months. Tom had difficulty completing tasks
without one on one assistance, difficulty following simple directions in English or Arabic, and
was unable to dress and undress himself. Tom avoided eye contact, physical contact, and put
inedible objects in his mouth. The results based on the assessments and parent interviews were,
Tom qualifies for a disability of developmentally delayed. He is showing significant delays in
communication, socialization, self-help, and pre-academic skills.
Tom was diagnosed with Autism at age five. Tom went to Lois T. Murray and Carney
Elementary School before his current placement at Pine Grove Middle School. Tom is currently,
enrolled in a communication learning support program. He is a candidate for a high school
certificate. Tom does receive Extended School Year Services. Tom is below grade level in all
academic areas, including reading, mathematics, and physical education, on his current IEP. He

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is below age level in his daily living skills, including getting dressed and undressed and his fine
and large motor skills. His current reading goals are to be able to match the majority of letters to
letters, point or touch a requested picture in a book, turn the pages in a story, and identify letters
on an assistive technology device. According to his current IEP, Tom is, at times, uncooperative
and will not work and/or follow directions when directed. Tom must be monitored, at all times,
because he will destroy classroom materials and/or throw them, within the room. He does well
with transitions, given one on one support.
II.

Definition of Specific Behavior

Observable/Measurable Target Behavior:

If Tom is not physically guided, he elopes from the classroom, or his area. Tom elopes
during structured and non-structured activities, in the classroom. Tom will run from the
classroom/area to an open area or the hallway, about 20 feet away.
Negative Impact for the Student:
Average Frequency, Duration, Magnitude or Latency of the Behavior:
The behavior is more frequent when adults are not directly next to him or are not giving
him one on one guidance. It can happen anywhere from 0-5 times per hour, but does not last for
more than 5 minutes. If Tom elopes to a new area, he will usually wait until an adult finds him
and brings him back to class.
Is this behavior disruptive or dangerous to the student or others? Why or why not?
The behavior is disruptive to all individuals in the class. The behavior causes the adults in
the room to direct their attention towards Tom and away from the other students. The behavior

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causes instruction to stop in order to keep Tom in the desired area. The behavior is also
disruptive to other students because, at times, Tom will run into other classrooms if he has the
opportunity. This stops instruction for other students throughout the building, not just the 7 other
students in his classroom. The behavior is dangerous to Tom because he could run outside of the
school building and into the street. The behavior is not dangerous to the other students. If the
student leaves the room, the general education teacher usually leaves with him, while all other
students and adults stay in the area. This could be dangerous for the other students if there were
an emergency situation happening at the same time.

Part II:
Source 1
Prevalence and Correlates of Elopement in a Nationally Representative Sample of Children with
Developmental Disabilities in the United States
Kiely, B., Migdal, T. R., Vettam, S., & Adesman, A. (2016). Prevalence and Correlates of
Elopement in a Nationally Representative Sample of Children with Developmental Disabilities
in the United States. PLOS ONE PLoS ONE, 11(2). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148337
This study surveyed the families of 3,518 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, an
Intellectual Disability, a Developmental Delay, or a combination of two. The survey found that
26.7 percent of these students had eloped in the past year. Of those students who eloped, it was
found that students with ASD, (with or without DD or ID), were more likely to elope than
children with only ID or DD. It was also found that 62 percent of the families with children who

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eloped avoided their childs favorite activities, such as attending activities outside the home or
anything outdoors, due to safety concerns.
Sensory experiences of children with autism spectrum disorder: In their own words
Kirby, A. V., Dickie, V. A., & Baranek, G. T. (2014). Sensory experiences of children with autism
spectrum disorder: In their own words. Autism, 19(3), 316-326. doi:10.1177/1362361314520756
Children (ages 4-14) with Autism Spectrum Disorder were interviewed and asked to
describe their sensory experiences. Some of the participants discussed their fear of loud noises,
blenders, air horns, buzzers during sports events, balloons, vacuums, whistles, and fire words.
The student who feared whistles said he conquered his fear by blowing the whistle himself. The
participants said some of their responses to the negative stimuli is to cover their eyes, be louder
than the noise, avoid areas that they see the object that could potentially make the noise, and
elope.
Teaching a Child With Autism to Request Breaks While Concurrently Increasing Task
Engagement
Kreibich, S. R., Chen, M., & Reichle, J. (2015). Teaching a Child With Autism to Request
Breaks While Concurrently Increasing Task Engagement. Language Speech and Hearing
Services in Schools Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch, 46(3), 256. doi:10.1044/2015_lshss-14-0081

This journal focused on intervention for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The
intervention was implemented on a 4 year old with ASD and taught him how to ask for breaks
from an adult. The child was taught to ask for breaks during engagement tasks and resulted in the
student having more engagement without off-task behavior. Some of the tasks he was engaged in

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throughout the intervention were matching shapes, lacing, stringing beads, matching, folding,
pegboard puzzle, coloring, and working with letters. To prevent the over request of breaks, the
student was given a timer and he could not ask for a break until he worked during the allotted
time.
Leave the Running Shoes at Home: Addressing Elopement in the Classroom.
Pennington, A., Strange, C., Stenhoff, D., Delano, M., & Ferguson, L. (2012). Leave the Running
Shoes at Home: Addressing Elopement in the Classroom. Beyond Behavior 21(3), 3-7.
The journal Leave the Running Shoes at Home: Addressing Elopement in the
Classroom focused on a 7 year old student with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He was placed in a
self-contained special education classroom for students with moderate to severe ASD. The
journal addressed the issue of elopement and ways to reduce the dangers of it, as well as, the act
of elopement, itself. The journal suggested finding the cause of the elopement by doing an ABC
chart. The reasons for the elopement can change day to day, setting to setting, and the best way to
prevent elopement is figuring out why it is happening. This study suggested finding ways to keep
the child safe without giving him the attention that he wanted.
Autonomic Dysregulation During Sensory Stimulation in Children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder
Schaaf, R. C., Benevides, T. W., Leiby, B. E., & Sendecki, J. A. (2013). Autonomic
Dysregulation During Sensory Stimulation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism
Dev Disord Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(2), 461-472.
doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1924-6

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Fifty nine children with Autism Spectrum Disorder were compared to 30 typically
developing children during sensory stimuli. Some of the sensory stimuli were an ambulance
siren, a strobe light, a dark room, emergency broadcast signal, feathers, essential oils, and sitting
on a tilted chair. This study suggests that children with ASD demonstrated different responsive
behaviors to stimuli. The children with ASD displayed signs of behavioral dysregulation and
avoidance during the SCP [Sensory Challenge Protocol] (e.g. placing hands over ears, rubbing
skin after touch, covering or averting eyes from visual stimuli).
IV.

Data Collection (Submit original data sheets for multiple days.)

Over the course of three days, the student was observed during Reading stations. Each

station is 10 minutes long and are with four different adults. Station one is with the special
educator, Mrs. Campbell or the student intern, Ms. Hassan. Station two is with Ms. Patti, a paraeducator. Station three is with Ms. Cindy, an additional assistant. Station four is with Ms. Paula
or Ms. Karen, an additional assistant.
Day One: 2/23/16
Station

Antecedent

Behavior

Consequence

Tom works with the

teacher and repeats the
letters in his name

Tom is positively
reinforced and told,
Good Job many times.

1 Tom is asked to repeat

letters in his name by
the teacher.

Tom does not respond

and begins to hit the
desk and loudly make
noises

The teacher tells Tom

he is too loud and tells
him if he works hard he
will receive a break to
play with links. She
shows him the links.

1 Tom is asked to repeat

letters in his name by

Tom continues the first

behavior and works with

Tom is rewarded by
being given links to play

1-Tom stays at his seat Tom is asked to repeat

and begins a lesson
letters in his name by
with Ms. Campbell.
the teacher.

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Station

Antecedent

Behavior

Consequence

the teacher.

the teacher for about 5

minutes.

with for 1 minute.

1 The teacher asks for the Tom gives the links

links back.
back.

The teacher says,

Thank you

1 Tom is asked to repeat

letters in his name by
the teacher.

Tom works with the

teacher and repeats the
letters in his name until
the timer goes off.
(about 4 minutes)

Tom is told he did a

good job.

Tom is asked to repeat

colors by the teacher.

Tom works with the

teacher and repeats the
names of colors while
touching the visual of
the color. (This behavior
continues for about 6
minutes)

Tom is told, Good Job

by the teacher.

2 Tom is asked to repeat

colors by the teacher.

Tom does not respond

to the teacher. He gets
out of his seat, throws
the color cards and tries
to leave the room.

Tom is stopped by the

adult closest to the door.
Tom is walked back to
his area. Tom must then
pick up the color cards
before sitting back
down.

2 Tom has to pick up the

color cards off the floor.

Tom picks up the cards

and sits back down.

For the remainder of the

station, the teacher
must hold onto the color
cards/hid the cards that
are not in use.

2 Tom is asked to repeat

colors by the teacher.

Tom works with the

teacher and repeats the
names of colors while
touching the visual of
the color. (This behavior
continues for until the
timer is up. This is about
2 minutes)

Tom is reminded by the

teacher, We do not
throw things. We do not
run. Not a good choice.

2-Tom must transition

to Ms. Pattis station .

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Station

Antecedent

3-Tom must transition

to Ms. Cindys station

Tom is given a file folder Tom does not respond

with colors on them to
to the teacher.
complete. He is asked
to Find the same color
and velcro the color next
to its match.

Tom is shown by the

teacher what to do with
the file folder.

Tom is shown by the

teacher what to do with
the file folder.

Tom hits the desk and

makes a coughing
sound.

Tom is asked again to

find the same

Tom is asked again to

Find the same color
and velcro the color next
to its match.

Tom works on one color

before continuing to
make the coughing
sound and hit the desk.

Tom is asked again to

find the same

Tom is asked again to

Find the same color
and velcro the color next
to its match.

Tom throws the file

folder and the matching
pieces before trying to
run to the front of the
room towards Mr.
Savages door.

Tom is stopped by Mrs.

Campbell before he
enters the other room.

Tom is stopped by Mrs.

Campbell at the front of
the classroom.

Tom drops to the ground Tom is picked up by Ms.

and will not get up.
Cindy and Ms.
Campbell. He is walked
back to his station and
picks up the cards. It is
now time to switch
groups and Tom goes to
sensory with Ms. Karen.

Tom is walked to
sensory by Ms. Karen.

Tom bounces on the ball Tom does not elope,

for the full ten minutes.
yell, throw materials, or
drop to the ground.

4-Tom must transition

to Ms. Karens station

Day Two: 2/25/16

Behavior

Consequence

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Station

Antecedent

Behavior

1-Tom stays at his seat Tom is asked to repeat

Tom does not respond
and begins a lesson
letters in the alphabet by and begins to hit the
with Ms. Campbell.
the teacher.
desk and loudly make
noises

Consequence
The teacher tells Tom
that it is time to get to
work.

1 Tom is asked to repeat

Tom works with the
letters in the alphabet by teacher and repeats the
the teacher.
letters A-F

Tom is positively
reinforced and told,
Good Job after each
letter he
repeats/touches for the
teacher.

1 Tom is asked to repeat

Tom begins to scream
letters in the alphabet by and make noises very
the teacher.
loudly.

Tom is shown a picture

that says, Please be
quiet and told, SHHH!
by the teacher.

1 The teacher tries to get Tom says the letters G-I

Tom to repeat the letters
again.

The teacher tells Tom

that he is doing a great
job.

1 The teacher asks Tom

to repeat the letters of
the alphabet again.

Tom tries to get out of

his seat.

The teacher stops him

by standing behind him
so he cannot move his
chair away from the
desk.

Tom cannot get out of

his seat.

Tom throws the foam

pieces and flips the
desk.

Mr. Savage comes in

the door. Ms. Campbell
and Mr. Savage get Tom
to pick up the desk.

Tom picks up the foam

alphabet pieces and the
desk.

Tom begins to cry and

scream.

Tom is taken out of the

room by Mr. Savage.

Tom is walked out of the

room.

Tom walks with Mr.

Savage for 15 minutes
around the building.

Tom does not elope,

yell, throw materials, or
drop to the ground.

2-Tom must transition

to Ms. Pattis station .

Tom walks around with

Mr. Savage during this
station.

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Station

Antecedent

Behavior

Consequence

3-Tom must transition

to Ms. Cindys station

Tom is walked back into

the room and sat down
4 minutes into Ms.
Cindys station.
Ms. Cindy gives Tom
small bits of play dough
to roll out.

Tom plays with the

playdough instead of
rolling it out.

Tom is not completing

his work and receives
no positive praise.

Ms. Cindy helps Tom by

showing him how to roll
it out, and by rolling it
out with him.

Tom rolls out the dough

with Ms. Cindys help.

Tom is ready to begin

working and is getting
some sensory play at
the same time.

Tom is asked to take the Tom says, Y and uses

letter Y and make a Y.
the Y to push down on
He is also asked to
the dough.
repeat, Y

Tom is told, Good job

by Ms. Cindy

Tom is asked to take the Tom says, O and uses

letter O and make an O. the O to push down on
He is also asked to
the dough.
repeat, O

Tom is told that he is

doing a good job.

Tom is asked to take the Tom says, U and uses

letter U and make an U. the U to push down on
He is also asked to
the dough.
repeat, U

Tom is given positive

reinforcement from Ms.
Cindy. She says, Good
Job

Tom is asked to take the Tom says, S and uses

letter S and make an S. the S to push down on
He is also asked to
the dough.
repeat, S

Tom is told , Good Job

Tom is asked to take the Tom says, U and uses

letter U and make an U. the U to push down on
He is also asked to
the dough.
repeat, U

Tom is told that he is

doing a good job.

Tom is asked to take the Tom says, F and uses

letter F and make an F.
the F to push down on
He is also asked to
the dough.
repeat, F

Tom is given positive

reinforcement from Ms.
Cindy. She tells him that
he did a great job and
finished his name.

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Station

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Antecedent

Behavior

Consequence

Tom is asked to touch

Tom touches each letter Tom is given praise for
each letter and repeat
and repeats the name of completing his work and
the letter after Ms. Cindy the letter
working hard.
4-Tom must transition
to Ms. Karens station

At this station, Tom is

Tom gets his jacket and
asked get his jacket to
works with Ms. Karen
practice putting it on and for four minutes.
zipping it.

Tom is given positive

reinforcement from Ms.
Karen. She says, Good
Job and encourages
him to Keep Going

Tom goes to zip up his

jacket for the third time.

Tom has stops

Tom is told he is too
responding to Ms. Karen loud by Ms. Karen. She
and begins to yell.
tells him to zip up his
jacket and he can take a
break.

Tom is told if he zips his

jacket one more time,
he can take a break

Tom struggles zipping

Tom zips the jacket and
his jacket for one minute is told Good Job. Time
and Ms. Karen gives
for a break
him more support. She
lines up the zipper so
Tom can zip it on his
own.

Tom finished zipping his

jacket and is told to sit
down. Tom is given a
two minute break to play
with a sensory/ stress
ball

Tom plays with the ball

for the full two minutes
and is noisy, but not
loud.

Tom is asked to give the Tom works with Ms.

ball back and to work on Karen for the remainder
his jacket again.
of the class, about two
minutes, to practice
putting on and zipping
his jacket.

Summary of Data Submitted:

Summary of Records Review and Analysis of all Information Collected::

He is left alone to play,

and not reminded to be
quiet.

Tom is told that he is

doing a good job
periodically.

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According to Toms previous records, Tom has never had a behavior plan of any sort.
This is his first year at Pine Grove Middle School and the special education teacher wanted to
create a FBA based on his files and her observations of him in the first half of the school year.
Tom has been known to elope from the classroom when not given one on one attention from
adults. He also throws materials, yells, flips furniture, and laying on the floor. Toms files and
interviews with current teachers were helpful to me to choose him for a PBSP. According to his
current IEP, Tom is, at times, uncooperative and will not work and/or follow directions when
directed. Tom must be monitored, at all times, because he will destroy classroom materials
and/or throw them, within the room. He does well with transitions, given one on one support.
According to the observations over two days, in a total of 80 minutes, he eloped or tried
to elope three times. Based on the data, Tom did not elope when he was given sensory breaks.
Tom did not elope when he was with Ms. Cindy working with play dough or when he was given
walks as a break. Tom did not elope when he was in the sensory room, given a break with his
links, or immediately after any of these sensory breaks.
V.

Hypothesis of Functional Intention

What is the hypothesized function of the target behavior? How does the data support this
hypothesis?
The target behavior is due to sensory needs of the student. The data shows that when the student
is given pressure," in the sensory room, or given sensory activities, the elopement does not
happen. However, when the student has not been given a sensory break for 10-20 minutes, the
elopement or another type of undesired behavior occurs.
VI.

Replacement Behavior

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Replacement Behavior (which addresses above mentioned function): Tom will replace his
elopement behavior with asking an adult for pressure. Tom will learn to put his hand on his chin
and say, Pressure when he wants pressure from an adult. If Tom grabs an adults hand to put on
his chin, he will be re-taught to say, Pressure before the adult gives him pressure.
When will the replacement behavior be taught?
The behavior will be taught on a Monday morning as soon as Tom gets to school. He will not
complete his morning work or AM Station that day, unless there is time. Tom will learn to put his
hand on his chin and say, Pressure when he wants pressure from an adult. This will continue to
be taught throughout his day and for the following weeks. If Tom grabs an adults hand to put on
his chin, he will be re-taught to say, Pressure before the adult gives him pressure.
How will the replacement behavior be taught?
Tom will be told to touch his chin, when he does this, the teacher will give him pressure
by allowing Tom to push his chin against the palm of the adult. This will allow Tom to get the
desired amount of pressure. We will do this a few times until he understands when he touches his
chin or says, Pressure," our response is to give him pressure. Once we are confident in this, we
will do it every time Tom touches his chin or says, Pressure for the entire day. We will also
teach him throughout the day/week about going to the sensory room. Whenever it seems like he
had been overworked or is close to his limit on the amount of work he has completed, we will
say, Walk. We will get Tom to repeat the word. When he does, one person will walk him to the
sensory room or talk a walk through the commons. Both Tom and the adult will continue to say,
Walk as he is walking to the room or through the commons. Once he learns the word, he will
be able to ask to go on a walk on his own. This will be a process that will continue until Tom is

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independent enough to ask for the sensory room, a walk, or the applied pressure. This may take
more than one week and it is something the teachers will continue to teach him.
VII. Positive Behavior Supports
List 3 appropriate positive behavioral supports/interventions (describe in detail and write in
positive terms).
1. Tom will be allowed one minute breaks with his favorite activities in the classroom when he
has worked for 7 minutes without eloping. These activities include playing with bubble wrap,
links, or play dough.
2. Tom will be given a smiley face on his daily schedule and behavior sheet. When Tom returns
from class, he will see a smiley face sign, the teacher will smile and say, Good Job!, and
Tom will repeat, Good Job!.
3. The student will be allowed to visit with his favorite staff member, Mr. Savage. Mr. Savage is
the behavior interventionist at the school and has a close bond with Tom. Tom will be able to
go on a walk or to the sensory room with Mr. Savage instead of an adult from the classroom.
VIII.

Data Collection and Visual Representation

On separate document

IX.

Data Summary and Interpretation

Interpretation/Summary of Implementation Data (1-3 pages):

Over fifteen days, Tom was taught to ask for pressure, walks, breaks, etc. from adults on
13 separate occasions. Each time, Tom was taught to touch his chin, when he does this, the

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teacher gave him pressure by allowing Tom to push his chin against the palm of the adult. This
allowed Tom to get the desired amount of pressure. We did this a few times until he understood
when he touches his chin or says, Pressure," our response is to give him pressure. We also
taught him about going to the sensory room and going on walks. He was taught 5 times over the
course of the 1st week, but he was taught for close to 5 minutes each time. During the second
week, he was taught six times for less than one minute each time. The final week, he was taught
two times. The times he was taught during the last week were very brief. Tom would try to
receive pressure from someone and he would have to repeat pressure before he received the
pressure. He was not taught as in depth as the previous two weeks.
The amount of times that Tom eloped went down and is still going down after
implementation. Tom eloped a total of 25 times during the three weeks. He eloped 13 times the
first week, 10 times during the second week, and only 2 times during the final week. The times
that Tom does elope, it is usually in times that he is in the hallway, lunch, or P.E. This data
enforces the idea that Tom elopes when he is not receiving one on one attention. Tom also eloped
during classroom instruction when he did not get pressure from himself or others or take a
walk/go to the sensory room for 10 minutes.
During the three weeks, Tom asked for more walks and asked for pressure more than he
used to before the implementation. He began to ask Mr. Savage or a male teacher, without any
prompting, to go for walks. However, during the last week, Tom learned that he could give
himself pressure. Although he did still ask for pressure and walks during the last week, he asked
for the pressure less from others.
X.

Reflection

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How did you grow in your knowledge and skills in classroom management?
In the future, I will be creating and implementing behavior plans. These plans may be
PBSPs, FBAs, BIPs, etc. This project helped me realize a lot of things about behavior that I
plan on using in the future. For example, I have always been told to treat the students as
individuals and get to know them. While getting to know them, I can begin to understand what
works for some students and not for others. I have never had a student with sensory needs as
great as Tom. I appreciate why I have been taught by so many people to know my students. If I
had never allowed myself to get to know Tom, this plan may not have worked out, the positive
behavior supports wouldnt be relevant to him, and he would not have been successful. Some of
the things that motivated Tom were things that I have never seen before used in the classroom to
motivate students.
This project also helped me continue to work on my skills as a teacher. This project
forced me to reflect on the plan, implementation, and my own skills. As a teacher, I must always
reflect on the things I choose to do or not to do. This is something I am continuously working on.
Specifically, I have done a lot of reflection on the plan itself. I have found that some of the things
I chose to do, like the behavior supports and hypothesis of functional behavior, have worked very
well for Tom and everyone else involved in the plan. However, I have realized that some of the
things I did/did not do would help everyone, especially Tom. If I did make the picture cards for
Tom, it would be easier for Tom to communicate his specific needs to others. This would have
helped Tom and the adults to understand each other better and what is needed/expected from one
another. It would help Tom be less frustrated and have a positive impact on his academics. If
Tom could get the breaks/supports he needed when they were needed, he could spend less time
trying to get those things, and more time focusing on his academics.

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However, the failures I have encountered have helped me find new ways to help him and
other students I may encounter in the future. This project has taught me to constantly try new
things when something else doesnt seem to be working. I also learned during the reflection of
this that the positive supports can be changed based on the students interests. Although all the
supports were satisfying for Tom, he began to eat the play dough and rip the bubble wrap. We
used the links more than play dough and bubble wrap for these reasons. We also found a large
and thick rubber band that Tom enjoyed playing with. We began to incorporate that into his
breaks after the other supports were becoming messy/dangerous for Tom.
Plan for communication and transition:
This plan, and the edits, would help Tom focus in reading and increase his attention and
participation. This will allow him to have more success in all aspects of academics where he may
struggle with in the future. The most important people in this plan are Toms teachers. The
teachers are key players in this plan because they will continue to teach the replacement
behavior, giving the positive behavior supports, and changing the plan as needed. The teachers
will monitor behavior and makes changes as necessary. The plan should be discussed at IEP
meetings so everyone can be on the same page.
The parents and teachers should be in constant communication. All participants should
discuss what works and does not work for Tom on any given day. One person may find a part of
the plan is not working the way it was planned, or it used to work but no longer does. If
something like this happens, the parties should discuss why this is happening and possibly
change the plan. The parties should also note when they are trying new things that are working
well so the other person may use this strategy or technique. This can be done through phone

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calls, email, meetings, or a communication log that Tom takes to and from school. Some of these
strategies will be daily communication, (communication log), while others are once a month or
less, (meetings).
The teachers should continue to take data in order to tell the parents and other teachers of
their findings. The plan may be constantly changing so data is key. The teachers can do
observations of him during reading and other areas. These can be done with any type of chart and
should mention what is happening in the room when the behavior takes place.
The family and teachers should also discuss when the plan is no longer needed. Through
time and hard work, Tom will no longer need the plan because the replacement behavior is habit.
Tom will want to stay in class and complete his work because he knows it will get him breaks
using sensory links, walks, attention from his favorite adults, and more.
What are two things you might do differently if you were to repeat this project?
One thing that I learned from this experience is how things turn out differently than
expected. If I were to repeat this project, I would have tried to use a communication board or
picture board for Tom. Throughout this experience, I learned that Tom adapted and started to use
the word help to ask for pressure. He also began to use help for everything. He generalized
the word and used it when he needed help with his jacket, when he wanted to go on a walk, when
he wanted a drink, when he needed to use the bathroom, and for pressure. Everyone involved
tried to teach Tom to identify the item or specific thing he wanted, but he continued to use the
words, Help please for almost everything he needed. I could have made a picture for help in
general, pressure, walks, the sensory room, food/drink, the bathroom, and anything else we
encountered a need for.

Nicole Hassan

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Another thing I would do is try harder to get in touch with his guardians. Unfortunately,
the students parents are not easy to get in contact with. Although I tried, and throughout the
semester the special educator tried to contact his parents, it is unlikely that they respond. When
they do respond, it may not answer the question we are asking. If there is any response, it tends
to be from his sister who is in high school. If I would have been able to get more information and
background about Tom, this may have been a better plan and would have worked better for him.
Also, it may have helped for the parents to try something similar to the plan at home. The plan
could be modified to incorporate the things he likes to do at home as positive behavior supports.
These things could replace going to the sensory room and walks with Mr. Savage. The plan could
be taken even further by the parents if they incorporate it into after school activities such as
softball. It would be helpful for Tom to have more consistency, and may positively affect his
behaviors throughout his life, not just at school. I would have liked to know if Tom was applying
pressure to himself in other settings besides school, or if the plan was negatively effecting his
behavior at home without someone helping him take care of his sensory needs.
If I repeated this project in the future, I would incorporate more behaviors besides the
elopement. Tom has many behaviors that may be caused by his sensory needs. Tom will may
some noises or be very loud when he does not receive the sensory breaks he needs. Tom may
also flip a nearby desk, stool, or chair without the breaks. Tom also tries to hurt his teachers or
throw materials when he needs to sensory breaks. I would take more of a challenge and focus
Toms behavior of throwing things or him yelling during instruction.