Promoting healthy and safe learning environments where students can receive the instruction and other supports they need to learn and achieve at high levels is one of the primary responsibilities of each school. Research suggests that teachers and other school personnel often receive inadequate training in the understanding and management of problematic student behavior. This circumstance has often made both teachers and clinicians alike feel helpless in the development of successful responses to these behaviors. It is therefore important for educators to take advantage of the use of researched based behavioral science approaches. Figuring out the reasons behind a behavior is critical for the development of an appropriate response or intervention. By understanding that behavior is a form of student communication that is purposeful, interactive, predictable, and learned through the visual representation of a behavior chain or pathway, teachers and clinicians can become better equipped with the skills necessary to manage behavior effectively and efficiently.

Participants will learn how to independently develop behavior interventions through a process that determines why a student engages in behaviors that impede learning and that are related to the classroom environment. Thinking about the circumstances and factors surrounding a behavior in a systematic manner will help teachers set up and manage their classrooms in a proactive and positive way. Teachers and related services providers will develop confidence in their approach to behavior intervention, while clinicians will become more versed in curricular and instructional interventions, better equipped to help teachers develop independence in proactive responses to behavior as well as maintain compliance with NYSED regulations related to behavior intervention