Kathleen McConnell, Gail Ryser, and James R. Patton
Practical Ideas That Really Work for Students with Disruptive, Defiant, or Difficult Behaviors is just what many educators have been looking for:
· A product that provides teachers with practical and sensible solutions for students' behaviour problems.
· A resource for behaviour specialists, psychologists, counsellors, and administrators who must evaluate behaviour and document interventions.
· A tool for IEP committees who are charged with developing behavioural intervention plans.
· A sourcebook for pre-referral intervention teams, who plan strategies for students before their placement in specialized programs.
Practical Ideas That Really Work for Students with Disruptive, Defiant, or Difficult Behaviors includes two components:
· An easy to use evaluation form to rate a student's behaviour, select and plan for appropriate interventions, and document progress; and
· A book of practical ideas, containing suggestions for interventions, explanations of strategies, reproducible forms, and helpful illustrations and examples.
The materials are organized into two age-appropriate versions. One is designed for students in Preschool through Grade 4 and emphasizes visual communication strategies ideal for young students. The other version, appropriate for Grade 5 through Grade 12 students, focuses on interventions specially designed to meet the unique needs of older students. The behaviours addressed are organized into four categories, each focusing on an area of problematic behaviour commonly reported among school age students. Both the behaviours and their corresponding interventions have been well researched to ensure identification of high priority problems as well as maximally effective solutions.
The rating scale consists of 40 items measuring four areas: acting out behaviours/serious misconduct, non-compliance in the classroom, poor peer relationships, and emotional adjustment problems and is linked directly to the planning matrix, which allows for the selection of several appropriate interventions. It has been field-tested to ensure reliability and validity. Reliability coefficients range from .88 to .95. In addition the scale differentiates between students with serious emotional disturb-ance or behaviour disorders and students without serious emotional disturbance or behaviour disorders. Students with serious emotional disturbance or behaviour disorders were rated significantly higher on the scale than other students.
The authors, who have written two other Practical Ideas That Really Work materials, one for students with ADHD and one for students with autism spectrum disorders, remain focused on helping teachers and other educators design positive, practical, and effective methods of intervening with students. They are pleased to provide new ideas that can help students succeed both academically and socially.
