I can’t tell you how excited I am to reach our final segment of this series. It has been an extraordinary experience for our family. Using the positive behavior support process, we have watched Richie’s transformation from being someone who only knew to express himself with aggressive fits of anger to someone who controls that urge and replaced it with other ways to communicate his frustration.
Managing the positive behavior support plan is a crucial component for it to continue to work successfully. From the beginning, all team members agreed to commit to fulfilling the expectations of the PBS process.
Managing the positive behavior support plan is a crucial component for it to continue to work successfully. From the beginning, all team members agreed to commit to fulfilling the expectations of the PBS process.
The team agrees to:
Taking a team-based approach allows each member of the positive behavior support team to contribute ideas and strategies that help Richie’s daily routines and activities to be more successful. I will confess that I did experience challenges along the way. I started off with a strong team, but as time passed some circumstances changed. My daughter Samantha and her husband Phil moved out and started working long hours. They were a strong source of support at home for me. My husband was required to work more hours during the week as well, leaving me with even less support than I started with. Ultimately, all the strategies and ideas discussed for putting the plan in place was left up to me to complete. This made the plan take significantly longer time to put in place. I did have to deal with slight spikes in Richie’s violent behavior. I continued to document and keep track of Richie’s behavior. There were times where I had to revisit the plan and when needed, I tried different suggestions and strategies noted. I also continue to receive help and guidance from my behavioral consultant.
It didn’t take long for me see improvements in Richie’s behavior. Just a few changes made a big difference in how Richie started to respond to certain situations. As illustrated in the graph below, I started to see a decline in Richie’s aggressive behaviors.
Clowning around with a red nose we found in a costume box!
This was so encouraging for me, because I was so stressed out about having to implement most everything on my own. I realized that if I wanted to keep this momentum moving in a positive direction, I needed others to be on board with these changes. Part of managing the plan means that I needed to:
- Continue to collect data – I keep a diary of Richie’s daily behavior. If I see him expanding on a skill he’s learned, or trying something new successfully, I document it. If there is a hiccup in his routine and we see any of the old behaviors come back, I document it. If the school sends home a positive note, I document it. This helps me to create a timeline of progress for Richie. It also makes it easier for me to identify any possible reasons for decline in his behavior or progress. I use this form for tracking behavior.
- Review the plan often – I look at the plan often. Especially if Richie is learning new skills that we want to keep track of, or if he’s exhibiting different patterns of behavior. If I feel any changes need to be made, I email other team members to discuss my ideas and ask for their opinions.
- Ensure team members feel supported - I made a lot of useful communication pictures, a conversation book, and other schedule boards that makes Richie’s day-to-day routine easier for him. I shared all this information with his father and the IEP (Individual Education Plan) team. All team members need to know about what’s working for us at home and with others in different settings. We keep the lines of communication open for sharing information and resources. We want to make sure there is consistency in all settings.
Richie was the Green Hornet this year for Halloween. We went trick-or-treating for over an hour - longest time ever!
Richie’s behavior changed dramatically. I started to see him smile and laugh more often. He seemed jovial and happy. I here him sing all the time! It’s the best sound in the world. This is very different because I was used to seeing Richie so serious all the time. He seems to enjoy doing more around the house. Before we started the PBS process, we thought making Richie do chores or things around the house would upset him, so we didn’t teach him to do new things. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Richie does more and more each week. And I believe he truly enjoys contributing to household activities. Other people noticed the change in him too.
Richie was awarded for “Student of the Month” twice within just a few months of starting the positive behavior support process. He became a classroom helper for his teachers. He was recently awarded "Student of the Month" - again!
I’m excited to share that our story was featured in the July/August edition of the Parenting Special Needs magazine for our successful implementation of the positive behavior support process at home! Please read about our story:
The school year started in August and I’m proud to say that Richie has been doing great. I absolutely adore my son, but I’ve never been prouder of Richie than I am now. I know he works hard to learn, to communication, and to participate in things we do. I believe as we move forward with the positive behavior support process, we will continue to work on improving Richie's behavior, as well as increasing Richie’s independent living, vocabulary and language skills. We have all started thinking about chores he can do and learn. We are also requesting him to say more (especially words we know he can say). I believe one day my son will speak to me and tell me everything he’s wanted me to know for years. Until then, we will monitor his positive behavior support plan, keep track of his behavior, and work on strengthening his skills. Richie's quality of life has improved. Our life as a family is happier because we see him making great progress and it's because we all played an important role in his improvement. My son is happy and learning, and I couldn't be happier.
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