Diagnostic Tools for Academic Performance and Social Behavior

(Chapter 3)

Name HereInstitutional Affiliation Here

Today’s Objectives

• Provide a purpose, rationale, and description of what constitutes a diagnostic tool for academic performance and social behavior

• Discuss how diagnostic tools may differ as a function of the problem area and/or level of service delivery (i.e., tier)

• Describe how to make data-based decisions with diagnostic tools to identify specific deficiencies to target with intervention

• Provide examples of working with a diagnostic tool for both academic and behavior problems

3 Purposes of Diagnostic Tools

Follow up with any student identified on the USM as potentially needing additional support

Identify a specific skill or subset of skills for which students need additional instructional support

Assist in linking students with skill deficits to empirically supported intervention

Rationale for Diagnostic Tools Measures

Rule out any previous concerns flagged by a universal screening measure

Find an appropriate diagnosis

Identify an effective treatment

Characteristics of Diagnostic Tools

Might be administered in a one-to-one format

Require more time to administer than a USM

Generally contain a larger sample of items than a USM

Generally have a wider variety of items than a USM

Examples of Diagnostic Tools for Academic Skills (DT-A) at Tier II

Standard Protocol

Diagnostic Tools Chosen

[Note to presenter: fill in your own info on this slide]

• [Provide examples of suggestions/ alternatives/adopted diagnostic tools to be used in your building and/or district at the Tier II level.]

• [Point out how this fills a gap in your curriculum and/or why these diagnostic tools were chosen.]

Examples of Diagnostic Tools for Academic Skills (DT-A) at Tier III and

Special Education

Curriculum Based Evaluation

Curriculum-Based Evaluation1. Answer this: What does the student need in

addition to what is already being provided (i.e., intensification of service)?

2. Conduct an analysis of student responding– Record review: Work samples– Observation: Independent work time– Interview: Ask the student why he or she struggles

3. Develop a hypothesis based on the above4. Formulate a “test” of this hypothesis

Data-Based Decision Making with DT-A

Example of CBE: Tammy

• Fourth-grade student• Did not make adequate progress with the Tier II

standard protocol intervention in winter• School psychologist administered an individual probe

(i.e., diagnostic tool) and observed Tammy’s completion of this probe

• An analysis of responding yielded a diagnosis of the problem

• This diagnosis of the problem informs intervention selection

1. What seems to bethe problem?

2. What should theintervention target?

3. Describe something ateacher could do to target this problem.

4. Do you have to buyan expensive program just for Tammy?

Revisiting the 3 Purposes of Diagnostic Tools: Tammy

Follow up with any student identified on the USM as potentially needing additional support

Identify a specific skill or subset of skills for which students need additional instructional support

Assist in linking students with skill deficits to empirically supported intervention

Revisiting the Characteristics of Diagnostic Tools: Tammy

Might be administered in a one-to-one format

Require more time to administer than a USM

Generally contain a larger sample of items than a USM

Generally have a wider variety of items than a USM

Data-Based Decision Making with Diagnostic Tools for Social

Behavior (DT-B)

Office Discipline Referrals

• Good as a stand-alone screening tool for externalizing behavior problems

• Also good for analyzing schoolwide data– Discussed later

• See example teacher nomination form – Chapter 2 of book and on CD

Teacher Nomination

• Teachers are generally good judges• Nominate three students as externalizers• Nominate three students as internalizers• Trust your instincts and make decision

– There will be more sophisticated process to confirm your choices

Confirming Teacher Nominations with Other Data

• Teacher, Parent, and Student Rating Scales– BASC– CBCL (Achenbach)

Example: Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD)

• Critical Events Inventory:– 33 severe behaviors (e.g., physical assault, stealing) in

checklist format– Room for other behaviors not listed

• Adaptive Scale: Assesses socially appropriate functional skills (e.g., following teacher directions)

• Maladaptive Scale: Assesses risk for developing antisocial behavior (e.g., testing teacher limits)

Functional Assessment and/or Experimental Functional Analysis

• Set of procedures that requires extensive training

• Functional Assessment: Results in a testable hypothesis about reason for behaviors (e.g., social attention, escape, tangible reinforcement, sensory reinforcement)

• Functional Analysis: Results in empirical support for the tested hypothesis

Functional Assessment:Remember to RIOT

• Record review– ODRs, antecedent-behavior-consequence (A-B-C) logs,

teacher narratives

• Interview– Teacher, child, parent, key personnel

• Observation– A-B-C logs, frequency counts– Classroom observations

• Test (not done): This is what the experimental functional analysis is all about

Data-Based Decision Making Using DT-B:Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence Logs

Behavior Recording LOG Directions: Please be as specific as possible. Child’s Name: Karyn E._______________________ Date: _4/30_________ Grade: 2nd Teacher: Mrs. Becker Setting: School: Library, classroom, recess Observer: Ryan M.____________________ Date Time Setting

Where did the behavior take place?

Task What should student be doing?

Behavior What did student do?

Consequences How did you and/or students react?

Effect What happened after these reactions?

10/14 10/16 10/17 10/18 10/19

9:15 10:05 9:45 9:00 10:45

Library Small group art project Recess Classroom Classroom

Picking out a book Working with peers Free play Transitioning between reading and specials (today was computer skills) Working with peers on piñata

Pushed a peer Threw glue bottle at peer Hit peer in face with small pebble Did not transition quietly Pushed peer’s work materials on the floor

I sent him to the office Given a time-out in the hall Stood him against wall. Peer cried Reminded him he must transition quietly Sent him to the office and called mother

Came back and was polite Came back in calm Went to class with bad attitude He continued singing “don’t you wish you girlfriend was hot like me” and asking a peer about American idol – He even asked if I watched it. His mother picked him up and took him home

Comments: As you can see he is often rude, does not respond well to traditional discipline, and is aggressive towards peers.

1. What patterns do you see here? 2. What is the likely function of behavior?

Data-Based Decision Making Using DT-B:Frequency Counts

1. What day does the behavior most often occur? What day is it least likely to occur?

2. What time of day does the behavior most often occur? Least often?

3. When should someone come to visit if they wanted to witness the behavior?

Note: It is just as important to lookat when the behavior occursas it is to look at when it doesn’t.

Data-Based Decision Making Using DT-B:Direct Behavioral Observations

Behavioral Observation Form Target Student Name:_Larry F.__________________ Birth date: 4/1/1998____ School: Metcalf__________________________________ Teacher: Havey_____ Observer: _Blake M.__________________________ Date: ___5/30/________

Behavior(s) Definitions Behavior 1: Aggression (A) Physical or verbal actions toward another person that has

potential for harm Behavior 2: Talk-outs (TO) Verbalizations without permission Behavior 3: On-task (OT) Oriented to academic task or appropriate engagement with

materials Behavior 4: Behavior 5:

Target Child Behavior 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1 A X X 2 TO X X X X X X 3 OT X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 4 5

Behavior 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 1 A X X 2 TO X X X X X X 3 OT X X X X X 4 5

Composite Child Behavior 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1 A X 2 TO X X X 3 OT X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 4 5

Behavior 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 1 A 2 TO X X 3 OT X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 4 5

TCB1 _4/40_ TCB2 __12/40 TCB3 22/40_ TCB4 ______ TCB5 ______ CCB1 _1/40_ CCB2 _5/40_ CCB3 _35/40 CCB4 ______ CCB5 ______ (#Occurrences/#Observations) X 100

1. What can you get from this?

2. Are all of these behaviors severe enough to warrant individualized intervention?

Experimental Functional Analysis• Experimentally testing a hypothesis about why a

behavior occurs:– Social attention– Escape– Tangible reinforcement– Sensory reinforcement

• Requires expertise, cooperation, and time• Strongest empirically supported method available

today for identifying cause(s) of behavior

Example of Experimental Functional Analysis: Talking Out in Class

Potential Function Test ConditionTangible reinforcement Contingent access to

reinforcement

Attention Contingent reprimand

Escape Contingent break upon talkingout after demand

Sensory stimulation Leave isolated in room

Control condition Free time with attention andno demands

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SESSIONS

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Attention

Tangible R+ Escape

Toy Play

What is the primary function of behavior?

Review of Important Points• Three Purposes for Diagnostic Tools

– As a follow-up to USM– To identify a specific skill that needs additional support– To assist in linking students to intervention

• Four Characteristics of Diagnostic Tools– Might be administered in a one-to-one format– Require more time to administer than a USM– Generally contain a larger sample of items than a USM– Generally have a wider variety of items than a USM

Review of Important Points

• DT-A procedures may differ at Tiers II and III

• DT-B procedures may differ at Tiers II and III

• DT data are not the only data to consider when developing an intervention

Questions