What Is Positive Behavior Support?

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a systematic method of intervening individual behaviors. It uses educational methods to develop individual positive behaviors and adjusts the environment with a systematic change to prevent and reduce individual problem behavior 2. The purpose of changing the individual's lifestyle, and finally achieve the goal of improving their quality of life. Since the creation of this method by Horner et al. In 1990, positive behavior support has not only expanded the theoretical perspective, but also integrated the methods of different disciplines, and has been studied in depth in home, school, and community situations. In the past ten years, it has formed a problem-solving model of systematic preventive intervention in its application in schools.

Positive Behavior Support

The positive behavior support currently applied within the school can best embody the core idea of positive behavior support. In essence, it is a problem-solving model of systematic preventive intervention. In other words, it is based on evidence-based methods through development. Strategies for positive behaviors and methods for systematic changes, adjusting the interaction between individuals and the environment to achieve behavioral intervention models that prevent and reduce problem behaviors and improve quality of life.

First, "developing positive behaviors" means not using punishment as the primary measure for responding to individual problem behaviors, but adopting strategies that actively teach individuals alternative behaviors that have the same function. Traditionally, the resultive punishment strategy used to deal with problematic behaviors will not only cause demonstration of bad behaviors to individuals, but may also cause problematic behaviors to be temporarily suppressed, and when they reappear, they will have more frequent or severe negative effects. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt active behavior teaching to cultivate individual adaptive behavior.

Second, "systemic change" refers to the systematic analysis of the function of problem behaviors and the adjustment of adverse factors in the environment. On the other hand, it focuses on the organizational and cultural system factors that provide support for individuals, and adopts a continuous three-level prevention system. Method, redesigning and changing problematic system environmental factors, such as the class and campus environment and culture, so that the environment supports the behavioral development of individuals.

Third, "prevention and reduction of problematic behaviors" refers to increasing the positive behaviors of individuals through the two methods of active behavioral teaching and arranging the environment, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the frequency of problematic behaviors or reducing the severity of problematic behaviors. Risk prevention and early intervention for problematic behavior.

Fourth, "improving the quality of life" refers to teaching individuals to adapt to behaviors (that is, positive behaviors) through active behavior teaching, so that individuals develop good behavior habits and lifestyles. The purpose of doing this is to prepare individuals for increasing their satisfaction and sense of achievement in future life, and to lay a solid foundation for their full integration into society. It can be seen that positive behavior support is to associate "positive behavior" with "quality of life". The ultimate goal of behavioral support is to improve the quality of life, which makes positive behavioral support a higher perspective on the relationship between behavior and life.

Finally, the "evidence-based approach" refers to the conduct of behavioral intervention through the evaluation and monitoring of individual behavioral performance processes, decision-making, design and adjustment strategies based on data.

As mentioned above, the positive behavior support model is essentially a problem-solving model for tertiary prevention and systematic intervention. In the three-level prevention intervention continuum, as the severity of problem behaviors of students deepens, the degree and complexity of behavioral support also increase accordingly. It reflects the systematization at different levels according to the educational needs of the intervention targets. Problem solving ideas. Among them, the first-level intervention is for all students, by setting behavior expectations, teaching adaptive behaviors, actively strengthening and adjusting the teaching environment to prevent the occurrence of problem behaviors and reduce the factors that cause and maintain problem behaviors. The second-level intervention is aimed at students whose first-level intervention is not effective. Through group support strategies, it can reduce and prevent the factors that cause problem behaviors, and increase the support factors for positive behaviors. The third-level intervention is aimed at students whose second-level intervention is ineffective, using a function-based individualized intervention strategy to prevent the current problem behavior from continuing to deteriorate, reduce its degree and frequency, and guide students to develop adaptive behaviors. Sugai et al. Point out that first-order interventions work for about 80-90% of students in the class; second-order interventions work for about 5-15% of students; and third-order interventions work for about 1-7% Students make a difference.

Positive behavior support originated in the United States, and it was driven by the dual forces of social demand and technological progress.

First, the popularization of humanistic values, the movement for normalization, and the integration of ideas laid the social foundation for the birth of positive behavior support. In the 1970s and 1980s, the trend of humanistic thoughts in the United States achieved unprecedented development, and the rights of people with disabilities gradually gained attention from society. A de-institutionalization movement was promulgated, a law on education for people with disabilities was promulgated, and an education association for people with severe disabilities was established. The idea of normalization and integration has also been widely publicized. It is advocated that individuals with disabilities live in the same environment as normal individuals and have the same opportunities to participate in social life as others; children with disabilities need to learn and live in a general education environment. In this context. Punitive behavior correction techniques (such as aversive therapies) used in institutions for people with severe disabilities are considered inhumane methods that contradict humanistic values that respect individual values and dignity and are not recognized by social ethics It is also difficult to adapt to the requirements implemented in the general community and school environment. As a result, the limitations of traditional aversion therapy in technical and ethical values have clashed with growing social needs.

Secondly, the rapid development of the discipline of applied behavior analysis has become the technical background for positive behavior support. In the mid 1970s, research conducted by Risley and Wolf in the natural environment began to emphasize the ecological validity of methods and have a meaningful impact on individuals. In the 1980s, Carr and Durand's research on communicative alternative behavior methods, Meyer Both Evans and Evans' research on non-disgusting behavioral function-based educational interventions and Carr's research on functional equivalence of different behaviors have played an important role in the early budding of positive behavior support technology for behavior change.

The era of positive behavior support is the prosperous period of European postmodernism in the United States. Its values and philosophical ideas bear a clear postmodern imprint and are the embodiment of humanism and neo-pragmatism.

Positive behavior supports individual-centered values

Positive behavior support combines the spirit of science and humanities. Its philosophy is to use humanistic values to guide and influence empiricism. The criterion for judging whether intervention is meaningful is individual-centered values. The implication of the individual center has two aspects. One is to respect the dignity and value of the individual and focus on the quality of life. By adjusting the environment and developing individual skills, the individual becomes the subject of behavior and the motivation for changing life. As a result, the individual's lifestyle and quality of life are improved in terms of self-satisfaction, friendship, and social relationships. Second, corresponding to the organization as the center, respect the expression of the individual. It emphasizes the standpoint of the individual receiving the intervention and provides it with an opportunity to express preferences and choices in order to assess the meaning and effect of the intervention. Individual-centered values give behavior change meaning and value, and it is the embodiment of humanistic values that gives empirical methods a soul and spirit.

Positive behavior supports fusion concepts

Positive behavior supports the practice of merging ideas in different ways at different stages of development. Early positive behavior support responds to de-institutionalized advocacy, enabling individuals with disabilities to live in the same environment as normal individuals and gain the same opportunities to participate in social life as others. Positive behavior support in schools focuses on helping students with serious behavior problems to increase positive social interaction and integrate into the general education environment. With the postmodern transformation of American society, active behavior support seeks to achieve a systematic change in the system and integrates the support provided by special education into the school's general education curriculum by integrating resources. In recent years, Sailor and others have advocated positive behaviors to support "serving all students with special education differentiation methods", reflecting the integration concept of integrating all support service resources at the level of school organization and function, and issued a general education and special The voice of criticism of the binary separation model of education; it is aimed at all students in the system, and it can take into account the general needs of the good behavior habits of most students in the class, and can provide all students with special needs in behavior development to varying degrees. Behavioral support. From this perspective, it no longer stops at the traditional distinction between special education and general education, but uses different levels of support methods to conduct behavioral teaching and behavioral support for students in the class, reflecting the concept of integration.

Positive behavior supports neo-pragmatism

Neo-pragmatism distinguishes methods and paradigms. Its representative Rorty advocates the emphasis on the practical application of knowledge and the harmonization of social practices and human systems through social moral ideals and values. This perspective avoids the problem that knowledge comes from the interpretation of objective reality or subjective experience, and focuses on whether the result of the role of knowledge can achieve human needs and social moral ideals and values. Therefore, although quantitative research and qualitative research methods originate from different philosophical ideas and epistemologies, they are both means and ways of exploring the laws of knowledge. Positive behavior support is a manifestation of neo-pragmatism. First, functional assessment emphasizes the characteristics of contextual differences. In addition to ecological validity, it also highlights social validity, with the characteristics of multiple participation of students, teachers, managers, parents and experts. Second, the intervention methods are multidimensional. It not only meets the requirements of practical effectiveness of the analysis, but also meets the requirements of the causal mechanism and basic procedures of the analysis. Third, the research methods are flexible and diverse. The diversity of participants requires the collection of narrative data from multiple perspectives. In addition to direct observation and single-subject experimental research methods, it also absorbs the elements of subjectivism and adopts methods that can be applied in natural social situations to collect different types of qualitative research, evaluation, interviews, diaries, self-reports Data, comprehensive use of correlation analysis, natural observation, case studies and other methods.