School-wide PBIS: An Example of Applied Behavior Analysis Implemented at a Scale of Social Importance

Horner, Robert H.; Sugai, George

doi:10.1007/s40617-015-0045-4

Cited by 262 publications

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“…PBIS was not a movement by fringe behavioral scientists, but rather from pillars of the behavior analytic community welltrained in behavior analytic principles and their application (e.g., Horner, Carr). Horner and Sugai's (2015) paper suggests that many of these scientists still identify with applied behavior analysis (ABA)-this is a good thing. Variability is good for our science (Madden 2013), and our hope is that the orthodoxy among some applied behavior analysts does not damage this ongoing relationship.…”

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“…Horner and Sugai (2015) present a three-tiered model wherein all individuals receive a primary prevention package, individuals whom need greater support receive a secondary prevention package, and a small yet important set of individuals for whom even greater supports are needed receive an individualized behavior support plan developed by an interdisciplinary team of professionals. Tiers 1 and 2 entail packaged treatments delivered relatively unmodified to all individuals in the population.…”

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Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support as Behavior Analysis in Practice: Why Is This Even Controversial?

Jarmolowicz

Tetreault

2015

Behav Analysis Practice

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The inclusion of Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports as a type of applied behavior analysis has often spurred considerable controversy. This controversy seems related to at least three areas of contention: measurement issues, views on aversive control, and the overall target of treatment. The present paper discusses these three areas in light of Horner and Sugai's target article and the current state of the field of applied behavior analysis. In the end, the authors are left wondering why this is even an ongoing controversy.Keywords Prevention . Positive behavioral intervention . Punishment . Methodology Some time back, certain behavior analytic practices came to be known as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). These applied practices, which focused on the use of positive reinforcement to the exclusion of aversive control, often incorporated person-centered planning processes in the core conceptualization of individual treatment and often focused on the class-or school-wide supports (Carr et al. 2002). PBIS was not a movement by fringe behavioral scientists, but rather from pillars of the behavior analytic community welltrained in behavior analytic principles and their application (e.g., Horner, Carr). Horner and Sugai's (2015) paper suggests that many of these scientists still identify with applied behavior analysis (ABA)-this is a good thing. Variability is good for our science (Madden 2013), and our hope is that the orthodoxy among some applied behavior analysts does not damage this ongoing relationship. In our experience, there are at least three areas of controversy.Area one is methodological. Horner and Sugai note that much measurement in PBIS pulls directly from the behavior analytic tradition. Many applied behavior analysts, however, criticize the proxy measures used in PBIS research (e.g., office referrals). They argue that these measures run contrary to the tradition of direct observation cherished by many applied behavior analysts. Although direct observation often is preferred to proxy measurement for determining intervention effects, the sheer scale of measurement, the topographical variation in the functional response classes targeted, and the risk of reactivity in many PBIS programs make direct observation impractical. These factors leave the researcher with two options: (1) do not attempt to answer questions of such large scope or scale, or (2) find a reasonable yet imperfect way to measure the effects of the independent variable on a behavior of relevance to consumers. In PBIS, the consumer is often a school or school district for which the orderly management of a classroom or other school environment is of primary interest. Much like a clean urinalysis reading suggests the absence of drug use in a participant in an intervention using contingency management, the fewer office referrals suggest less challenging behavior. We have little to say in favor of Option 1 as it betrays Skinner's all-encompassing vision for his science of behavior (Skinner 1954;1948) and...

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Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support as Behavior Analysis in Practice: Why Is This Even Controversial?

Jarmolowicz

Tetreault

2015

Behav Analysis Practice

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“…Like the inclusion of ACT, the inclusion of PBIS might raise objections from some readers of The Behavior Analyst given the controversy on this topic outlined in the pages of this journal (see Carr and Sidener 2002;Johnston et al 2006). While the controversy still exists within the field of behavior analysis, the advances in data-based demonstrations of effectiveness and behavioral conceptualizations (e.g., Horner and Sugai 2015) have begun to dampen some of the initial outcries, leading some behavior analysts to question why PBIS remains a controversial subject (e.g., Critchfield 2015; Jarmolowicz and Tetreault 2015). Biglan's take on PBIS, as well as the Good Behavior Game and Positive Action is relatively agnostic and sticks with the empirical facts of these programs' successes-he avoids debate over how and whether these programs quality as Bbehavior analysis.^Rather, Biglan articulates the immense success of these programs in changing education policy.…”

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Applied Behavioral Science Goes to Scale: A Review of Biglan’s The Nurture Effect

Reed

2015

BEHAV ANALYST

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When the bright-eyed freshman-and sophomore-level undergraduate students at the University of Kansas (KU) decide to pursue a major in Applied Behavioral Science (ABS), they schedule an office-hour appointment with me to discuss the possible career options. Most of these students entered KU hoping to major in social welfare, psychology, or education, but discover ABS through our gateway course-typically taken as an elective by most students-and decide to change gears. The vast majority of these students had never heard of ABS before (let alone, applied behavior analysis [ABA]), so the change to this career path can seem a gamble.Inevitably, a substantial number of these students follow up with me because their parents are skeptical of this Bapplied behavioral science^major. These parents know about social welfare, psychology, or education, but ABS remains in the shadows of these larger disciplines. In this sense, their skepticism is justified. These eager students-in an attempt to appease their parents, if not themselves-ask for direction on what to tell their parents about this field (many of whom are funding their education; many of whom are also frustrated their child is switching majors from something Bmainstream^). BWhat can I do with this degree?,^they ask. Another typical question is, BIs there anything behavior analysis has done that my parents might recognize?^Up until this semester, I relied on various websites or peer-reviewed scientific publications as resources. I was never comfortable with doling out these resources, however, because they contain an overwhelming degree of jargon and can easily be misinterpreted as propaganda. Luckily, Anthony Biglan's new book, The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior can Improve our Lives and BEHAV ANALYST (2015) 38:309-320

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“…Acceptance . Mindfulness According to Horner and Sugai (2015), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a framework for delivering sociocultural and behavioral supports to improve a broad range of outcomes for students. PBIS includes a hierarchical threetiered system that differentiates students based on educational and behavioral support needs.…”

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A Critique of Sociocultural Values in PBIS

Wilson

2015

Behav Analysis Practice

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Horner and Sugai provide lessons learned from their work with disseminating the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) model. While PBIS represents an empirical school-wide approach for maladaptive student behaviors, the model appears to have limitations regarding sociocultural values and behavioral data collection practices. The current paper provides an overview of three identified areas for improvement and outlines how administrators using PBIS can incorporate acceptance and mindfulness-based intervention procedures to address the discussed limitations.Keywords Positive behavioral interventions and supports . Behavior analysis . Acceptance . Mindfulness According to Horner and Sugai (2015), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a framework for delivering sociocultural and behavioral supports to improve a broad range of outcomes for students. PBIS includes a hierarchical threetiered system that differentiates students based on educational and behavioral support needs. Since its development in the 1980s and 1990s, there has been significant controversy regarding the similarities and theoretical differences between PBIS and the supported underlying foundation of applied behavior analysis (e.g., Johnston et al. 2006;Tincani 2007;Weiss et al. 2010). On the surface, PBIS appears to be an effective evidence-based practice for schools and is currently being used in 21,000 schools across the USA. While there is no question that PBIS is a remarkable example of widespread dissemination, the extent to which the PBIS zeitgeist is successful at developing students' mental health repertories across tier's remains open for discussion. Further, critical inquiry exploring the sociocultural values and interests within the PBIS model are needed (e.g., Johnston et al. 2006). Therefore, the purpose of the current paper is to analyze the sociocultural aspects regarding mental health disparities and distinctions within the PBIS model.Upon examination of Horner and Sugai's Blessons learned, three broad concerns arise. First is the nature of a top-down systematic approach. Within PBIS, school administrators select and identify all cultural practices and behavioral expectations to be reinforced in school (e.g., be respectful, be responsible, be safe). Administrators also select behaviors to coincide with the broader culture of the school, which may or may not necessarily represent the culture of the student body. For instance, prevalence reports on race and ethnicity suggest that minority students attending public schools in the USA represent 34 % of the student body (15.4 % Hispanic American, 12 % African-American; Aud et al. 2010). However, minority public school teachers represent just 17 % of educators (8 % African-American, 6 % Hispanic American; Dee 2004).Similarly, school administrators may be more likely to select behaviors associated with their own Eurocentric culture. Horner and Sugai argue that tier 1 focuses on school-wide proactive supports that are independent from documented stud...

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School-wide PBIS: An Example of Applied Behavior Analysis Implemented at a Scale of Social Importance

Cited by 262 publications

References 42 publications

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support as Behavior Analysis in Practice: Why Is This Even Controversial?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support as Behavior Analysis in Practice: Why Is This Even Controversial?

Applied Behavioral Science Goes to Scale: A Review of Biglan’s The Nurture Effect

A Critique of Sociocultural Values in PBIS

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