Prevent-Teach-Reinforce: The School-Based Model of Individualized Positive Behavior Support

Solve serious behavior challenges in K–8 classrooms with this easy-to-use book, the first practical guide to the research-proven Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model. Developed by some of the most respected authorities on positive behavior support, this innovative model gives school-based teams a five-step plan for reducing problems unresolved by typical behavior management strategies.

With this thorough blueprint for PTR, education professionals will learn how to prevent behavior problems by adjusting the curriculum and environment; teach proactive communication skills; and reinforce prosocial behavior and academic achievement. This highly successful model is

• proven effective by research and field testing in real classrooms—PTR was shown to reduce behavior problems and increase evidence of social skills and academic engagement
• detailed and explicit, with five systematic steps that take educators beyond tips and strategies (see below)
• consistent with the popular positive behavior support approach and derived from the principles and many procedures of applied behavior analysis
• easily adaptable to the needs and goals of each individual student
• effective for a wide variety of students: typically developing students and those who have autism, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, and other challenges

On the included CD-ROM are all the printable forms and tools needed to implement PTR, such as Behavior Support Plan templates and a Functional Behavioral Assessment. With this comprehensive model, education professionals will resolve even the toughest classroom behavior challenges—and remove a significant barrier to effective teaching and student achievement.

The PTR model—5 steps to better behavior!

(1) Team building among teachers, administrators, behavior experts, parents, and other members of the student's education team

(2) Goal setting and data collection to evaluate the status of the student's behavior and ensure shared priorities

(3) PTR assessment to understand the student's behavior problems and any influencing factors

(4) PTR intervention strategies—effective individualized plans

(5) Evaluation of the effects of PTR intervention

Glen Dunlap, Ph.D., Research Professor, Division of Applied Research and Educational Support (DARES), Department of Child & Family Studies, Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612-3899

Dr. Dunlap is a research professor at the University of South Florida, where he works on several research, training, and demonstration projects in the areas of positive behavior support, child protection, early intervention, developmental disabilities, and family support. He has been involved with individuals with disabilities for more than 35 years and has served as a teacher, administrator, researcher, and university faculty member. Dr. Dunlap has directed numerous research and training projects and has been awarded dozens of federal and state grants to pursue this work. He has authored more than 185 articles and book chapters, coedited four books, and served on 15 editorial boards. Dr. Dunlap was a founding editor of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions and is the current editor of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. He moved to Reno, Nevada, in 2005, where he continues to work on research and training projects as a member of the faculty at the University of South Florida.

Rose Iovannone, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Applied Research and Educational Support (DARES), Department of Child & Family Studies, Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, MHC 2113A, Tampa, Florida 33612-3899

Dr. Iovannone is currently the director of the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) Project. She has also served as the co-principal investigator on a University of South Florida (USF) subcontract for the Professional Development in Autism Project funded by Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and Assistant Director for the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at USF. She has published several journal articles and book chapters in the areas of functional assessment, function-based support plans, and positive behavior support and is currently working on numerous manuscripts related to preliminary outcomes of the PTR project. She teaches graduate-level courses on behavioral interventions. As an expert in providing support at the tertiary level, Dr. Iovannone is also a well-respected trainer and consultant. She has extensive experience in working with individuals with autism, learning disabilities, and emotional disabilities. Her principal activities and research interests have been in the areas of functional behavior assessment and positive behavior support, augmentative and alternative communication, and assessment and evaluation.

Donald Kincaid, Ed.D., Assistant Program Director and Professor, Division of Applied Research and Educational Support (DARES), Department of Child & Family Studies, Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, MHC 2113A, Tampa, Florida 33612-3899

Dr. Kincaid is the director of the Florida Positive Behavior Support Project and the Principal Investigator of the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce model. He is also a collaborator and principal investigator for the University of South Florida's subcontract with the Technical Assistance Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. He also serves as the co-principal investigator on Florida's Center for Inclusive Communities, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. His primary interests are in applying positive behavior support approaches for individual students, classrooms, and entire schools. Much of his professional activity involves coordinating systems change efforts at a local, state, and national level to support the implementation of evidence-based practices. Dr. Kincaid also teaches at the university level and serves on a number of editorial and advisory boards in the area of positive behavior support.

Kelly Wilson, Professional Research Assistant, Center for Positive Early Learning Experiences, Center for Collaborative Educational Leadership, School of Education and Human Development, University of Colorado at Denver, 1380 Lawrence Street, Suite 600, Denver, Colorado 80204

Ms. Wilson is a research assistant/consultant for the Center for Positive Early Learning Experiences at the University of Colorado at Denver. She is currently working on the PTR (Prevent-Teach- Reinforce) grant and the Learning Experiences: An Alternative Program for Preschoolers and Parents (LEAP) Outreach Project, providing consultation and training to elementary schools and preschools serving children with autism and challenging behaviors. Over the last 13 years, Ms. Wilson has been involved in almost every aspect of early intervention, general education, and special education. She has extensive experience as a trainer for children with special needs and challenging behavior in inclusive settings.

Kathy Christiansen joined Florida’s Positive Behavior Support Project in 2008 as a Technical Assistant Specialist. She provides consultation, training and technical assistance to school districts throughout the state of Florida on positive behavior supports across all three tiers. Prior to joining the project, Kathy served as a Behavior Research Specialist with the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce research project, a school-based model of individualized positive behavior support, funded through the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education.

Phillip Strain, Ph.D., Professor, School of Education and Human Development, University of Colorado at Denver, 1380 Lawrence Street, Suite 650, Denver, Colorado 80204-2076

Dr. Strain is a professor of Educational Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Colorado at Denver. He is the author of more than 250 scientific papers and he serves on the editorial boards of more than a dozen professional journals. Dr. Strain has worked in the field of early intervention since 1974, and he serves as a science advisor to the Institute of Medicine, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the U.S. Department of Education. His primary research interests include intervention for young children with early-onset conduct disorders; remediation of social behavior deficits in young children with autism; design and delivery of community-based, comprehensive early intervention for children with autism; and analysis of individual and systemic variables affecting the adoption and sustained use of evidence-based practices for children with severe behavior disorders.

Carie English, Ph.D., 3315 West Pearl Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33611

Dr. English consults with and provides training to individuals and schools to develop and implement function-based interventions at all tiers of the behavioral triangle. As a research assistant professor of Child & Family Studies at the University of South Florida, she served as a behavior consultant with the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce Project and with the Florida Positive Behavior Support Project. Dr. English specializes in training and consultation with students with severe problem behavior. She has published in the area of functional assessment, functionally derived interventions, and positive behavior support and has taught courses at the university level on behavioral interventions.