2018 TASH Conference

There are over 25,000 schools that implement School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (SWPBIS), a multi-tiered behavioral framework that seeks to provide a continuum of supports that benefit all students (Carr et al.., 2002). However, there remain concerns about the accessibility of SWPBIS for students with severe disabilities (e.g., Kurth & Enyart, 2016; Landers, Courtade, & Ryndak, 2012). Teachers have reported that they lack knowledge of fundamental principles of SWPBIS and how to support students with more intensive needs in their classrooms (Chitiyo & Wheeler, 2009). Loman, Strickland-Cohen, and Walker (2018) applied adapted lesson plans to make SWPBIS accessible for students with severe disabilities that resulted in decreased problem behavior. This presentation will share practice guides that outline practices, tools, and examples of how schools and teachers can effectively use the principles of Universal Design for Learning and Evidence-Based Practices (Browder et al., 2014) to promote the accessibility of SWPBIS for students with severe disabilities in inclusive settings. The tools that will be presented are based on research that reflects student performance and can be used to inform, create, or modify a teacher's instructional techniques. Examples that will be presented include, but are not limited to: social narratives, video modeling, task analysis, prompting, visual supports, and systematic instruction to teach school-wide positive behavioral expectations in general education settings. Additionally, we will provide planning tools that help school teams develop their capacity to design and implement school-wide supports that seek to effectively include all students. This presentation aligns with the theme of "Be Creative: Innovative Solutions for an Inclusive Life" by providing general education teachers with practical and effective tools that align with Universal Design for Learning principles to teach all students positive behavioral expectations in inclusive settings.