What are Effective Behavior Management Strategies for Disruptive Behavior?
November 5, 2021Disruptive behavior is one of the biggest challenges facing classroom teachers today. Many of the students with the most disruptive behavior are classified as having emotional and behavioral disorders or at risk of developing them. These students take up a disproportionate amount of classroom time, reducing time spent of instruction. Generally, these students have not been responsive to class-wide behavior management approaches and require more individualized and intensive intervention. This raises the question what are the effective practices that will benefit the student? A recent review by Riden and colleagues attempted to answer this question through a systematic review of the literature. They identified eight practices that met critieria to be considered evidence-based: (check in/check out (2) functional assessment-based intervention (3) group contingencies (4) peer- mediated interventions (5) self-management (6) self-regulated strategy development for writing (7) token economies (8) video modeling. Another eleven practices were identified as promising and include: (1) praise (2) opportunities to respond (3) behavior contracting (4) cooperative learning (5) goal setting (6) good behavior game (7) high probability requests (8) instructional choice (9) self-determination (10) social skills (11) time out. It is important to recognize that practices described as promising may well be effective but the empirical data base is not yet strong enough to warrant inclusion as evidence-based. These practices should be considered when selecting approaches for addressing significant behavior problems.
These data are important because they can guide educators about which practices to adopt when addressing the behavior problems posed by disruptive students.
Citation: Riden, B. S., Kumm, S., & Maggin, D. M. (2021). Evidence-Based Behavior Management Strategies for Students With or At Risk of EBD: A Mega Review of the Literature. Remedial and Special Education, 07419325211047947.