UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES ePORTFOLIO

GLORIA WILLIAMSBACHELORS of PSYCHOLOGY, 2011

PERSONAL STATEMENT

My name is Gloria Williams and I have worked within the Social Service field for over ten years. I first came into this field as an Administrative Assistant for the Foster Care program at the Boys and Girls Home of NC. Although my responsibilities were within the office I had opportunities to meet and interact with the children and foster parents that were associated with our agency. It was then I knew I wanted to get out of the office and work with these children. My husband and I became foster parents within the year and I transferred from the foster care program to working on campus with the children as a Teaching Parent. As a Teaching Parent I spent two weeks out of every month on campus with these children. I woke up with them, cooked for them, and assisted them with homework when they arrive home from school. I was the parent called when there was a problem in school and I was the parent who accompanied them to extracurricular activities. I saw to all of their needs, emotional, financial, medical, educational, and physical.

While working at The Boys and Girls Homes I was also raising four boys at home. To incorporate our personal lives with our professional we were allowed to have our families visit us on campus and have them interact with the children there since very few were allowed contact with their own families. This aspect of the job I really loved. It gave my children a chance to see the misfortunes of some children, to give a little something and to develop a sense of caring. My boys were great with the children and formed lasting connections with most of them. This way I could give to the children on campus and not neglect my own children by being absent due to my work.

After a year on campus the foster care agency I had joined with began placing children in my home. We had a brother and sister with several mental diagnosis placed in our home that I was able to help along the way that became part of our family. It was heart breaking when they had to move on. Then another boy was placed in our home. He had issues with attachment and he was very rebellious. However he also became a part of the family. We relocated to New Jersey after a year and because of his family ties he was not able to join us. However, we kept in touch and as soon as he was able he joined us in New Jersey and he is here with us in Pennsylvania now. My husband and I have unofficially raised several of our children’s friends as well. Everywhere we live we become the neighborhood mom and dad.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

When we came back to New Jersey I found another aspect of the Social Service/Mental Health field and another population that I decided to work with, the developmentally disabled. Again I started as Administrative Assistant at a local agency for the developmentally disabled and after just a little time decided I wanted to work first hand with the clients. I was hired as a Direct Care Assistant and in less than a year I was promoted to Manager of one of their groups homes. A year later I was employed as Manager of a Supported Living Program with the same agency.

Because of my caring nature I have always been the person that family members come to when they need to talk to someone about issues in their lives. Until now I never really gave it a second thought but recently I have been thinking about going into counseling. I love to help people in any way I can and if I can guide them in a way that is beneficial to them this is what I would like to do professionally. I look at my personal and professional experiences and I have always been concerned for the well-being of others. I have had strangers come up to me in my community and compliment me on the work I have done with other children in the community. My children are highly regarded in our community as well because as young men they have never been involved in the many negative issues that we have going on in our community but they are always around to lend a helping hand. I am proud of how my children have come to care for people.

I would like to go back to working with children within the system. It is my desire to start a transitional program for children who are being sent out of the social system because they have turned eighteen, this is called aging out. Many are not yet equipped with the necessary skills to make it on their own yet and I would like to give them a place to stay and opportunities such as resources for job training, education, in some cases parenting skills, or any other skills they need to obtain that will prepare them to becoming self sufficient. I do plan on continuing my education and obtaining my Master’s degree in order to accomplish this. In the meantime I would like to get back into this field in some capacity to network and remain a positive force for the children who I believe need a positive role model.

RESUMEGloria Williams

35 South 9th Street

Easton, PA 18042 (484) 546-9058

QUALIFICATIONS

I have over ten years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults and the elderly in the mental health and social service field and experience in

the Teaching Family Model Behavioral Modification Program.

EDUCATION

Argosy University, Bachelors Psychology

Ellis College Psychology

Kaplan University Crime Scene Technology

Warren County College Office Systems

Warren County Vocational Certified Nursing Assistant

EMPLOYMENT

2008-2010 Program Supervisor, LifePath, Inc. Management of group home, responsible for the financial, medical, emotional, and behavioral aspect of the lives of four females of varying ages. Diagnosis of individuals include but not limited to, ADHD, autistic tendencies, intermittent explosive disorder, anxiety disorder, FAS, bipolar disorder, moderate to severe MR, along with various medical diagnosis. Trained and supervised a staff of five in direct care and documentation of the progress of clients on a daily basis reviewed by state officials annually.

2006-2008 Assistant Manager, Arc of Hunterdon County Management for 3 supported living apartments housing 2 clients each and group home housing 3 clients with developmental disabilities. Supervising a staff of 6 while coordinating recreational activities, assisting with necessary activities of daily living, in charge of medical issues of clients, liaison between family members, medical professionals and case workers and documenting the ongoing progress of each client.

RESUME

EMPLOYMENT (continued)

2004-2005 Manager, Warren County Arc Managed supervised living apartments housing 6 clients with developmental disabilities. Supervised a staff of 5 employees while coordinating recreational activities, assisted with necessary activities of daily living, in charge of medical and financial issues of clients, liaison between family members, medical professionals and case workers.

5/2004 – 10/2004 Administrative Assistant, Arc/Morris Served as support person for Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director in a non-profit agency, coordinating fundraisers and volunteer programs, database administration as well as assisting payroll department when needed.

.

2002-2004 Teaching Parent, Boys & Girls Homes of NC, Inc. Used behavior modification program to teach positive behaviors while correcting negative behaviors of children ages 8-18 in a residential setting using Teaching Family Model behavioral modification program. Duties included cooking, tutoring, chaperoned community outings, appointment scheduling, medication administration, and the documentation of progress of each child in my care while acting as liaison between parents, staff and county case workers.

2000-2001 Administrative Assistant, Boys & Girls Homes of NC, Inc. Support person for Director and Assistant Director, duties included filing, typing, copying, answering phones, liaison between foster parents, social workers and staff. Experience working with local media for the purpose of advertising and planning community events and organizing fundraisers

REFLECTION

My tenure here at Argosy University has taught me dedication. Dedication to myself as well as my profession. I have become dedicated to my education and the mental health field I have chosen to work in. Argosy has also taught me that hard work pays off.

Math has always been intimidating to me but with the help of Argosy tutors I have overcome this intimidation with math and have actually learned to embrace these classes and have done well in them. Another weakness has been prioritizing my time which I am still working on.

I have enjoyed the classes and instructors here at Argosy because they have taken the time to work with me when it was needed to help me succeed here. I have enjoyed learning the different aspects of Psychology and have changed my concentration twice because Argosy’s Psychology program’s curriculum is so motivating. The way in which they put forth the information, reiterating the different theories, modalities, concepts, and different domains of psychology in each of their core classes helped me to understand so much more of the field, it opened up parts of the psychology field that I did not know of which made it more interesting and motivated me to learn as much as I can in order to continue on to a Master’s program.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• COGNITIVE ABILITIES• COMMUNICATION SKILLS• ETHICAL AND DIVERSITY AWARENESS• KNOWLEDGE OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY• KNOWLEDGE OF FOUNDATIONS IN THE FIELD• RESEARCH SKILLS

COGNITIVE ABILITIES

COGNITIVE ABILITIES

 

TO: State Senator

FROM: Gloria Williams

DATE: January 13, 2011

RE: Legalization Status of Drugs

 

In reviewing the following drugs the legalization or non-legalization of said drugs can be determined. Based on the benefits and adverse impacts of these drugs on individual health and society we can determine if their legalization status should be re-evaluated or if it should remain in their current status.

There have been significant therapeutic benefits of Cannabinoids such as nausea, vomiting, pain, muscle spasms, glaucoma, epilepsy and the stimulation of appetite for those suffering from eating disorders (Kalant, 2011). There has been no proven research that Cannabinoids cause societal issues as other illegal substances such as criminal activity in order to gain access to this substance or while on this substance. The effects of Cannabinoids are similar to those of alcohol and because of this re-evaluation for total legalization are recommended.

Depressants, such as alcohol have caused actual bodily harm to individuals personally and through such actions as vehicular homicide when driving under the influence. We deal with high incidences of drivers operating motor vehicles while under the influence. Alcohol has many health risks including damaging body organs such as the liver til the point of cirrhosis where the liver cannot be repaired and causing death to the individual (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008). Alcohol also can cause severe brain damage to an individual that has a long history of alcohol abuse.

COGNITIVE ABILITIES

Other societal issues that are influenced by the use and abuse of depressants such as alcohol include violence, sexual deviations, among other criminal activity. The benefits of alcohol are few and boil down to knowing your limits but because it seems to be such a hard thing for so many and the potential for abuse is there the re-evaluation in this case is for circumstantial legalization and not to continue with the total legalization of depressants.

Stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine cause no real harm to society however there are a few health risks, especially with the use of nicotine, and there are no societal issues linked to them. Again knowing your limits to these drugs is key and the continuation of total legalization of these drugs is recommended. Other harmful stimulants that should continue to be illegal in our society include ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, and methylphenidate (NIDA, 2011). Although all but cocaine and ecstasy are prescribed by a physician they are also found on the black market. Drugs that are out on the black market cause the most harm because they have the tendency to make people participate in criminal activity in order to obtain access to the drug. Benefits are found in the prescribed stimulants but longtime use can cause dependency and careful monitoring of these drugs is needed. Continuation of the illegal status of these drugs is recommended.

Hallucinogens and inhalants have found to have no physiological addicting properties such as tolerance and withdraw syndromes, however, they are found to have physiological dependency (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008). These drugs can distort a person’s ability to think and communicate rationally causing them to act in bizarre and dangerous ways (NIDA, 2011). Criminal activity among individuals who are under the influence of hallucinogens is high. Medically these drugs can cause psychotic episodes, respiratory depression, and heart rate abnormalities (NIDA, 2011). There are no benefits with these drugs and continued illegal status is recommended.

COGNITIVE ABILITIES

Opioids are used for the pain management with individuals suffering with arthritis. However there is a risk for dependency with long term use and they are also found on the black market. Although it has been found that dependency on opioids are higher with individuals that have a history of abuse with other substances the maladaptive behavior such as stealing and violence is very rare in these cases (Clark, 2011). In a study of 12,000 patients who are using opioids for medical reasons only 4 patients without a history of substance abuse actually became dependent on the drug. The chronic side effect listed is constipation so even health risks are slim. The recommendation is to re-evaluate for circumstantial legalization for opioids and continued monitoring by physicians with their patients.

References

 • Capuzzi, D., Stauffer, Mark, D., (2008). Foundations of Addiction Counseling, Pearson Education, Inc.• Clark, Michael, M. D., M. P. H., (2011). Benefits and Risks of Opiods in Arthritis Management, retrieved

from http://www.hopkins-arthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/opioids.html on January 14, 2011.• Kalant, Harold, M. D., Ph. D. (2011). Medicinal Use of Cannabis: History and Current Status, retrieved

from http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/presentation-e/kalant-e.htm on January 13, 2011.• NIDA (2011). Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs, National Institute on Drug Abuse, retrieved from

http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Hallucinogens/Hallucinogens.html on January 14, 2011.• NIDA (2011). Prescription Medications, National Institute on Drug Abuse, retrieved from

http://www.nida.nih.gov/drugpages/prescription.html January 14, 2011.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

 

What are the benefits of a behavioral modification program in schools and society?

Behavior modification programs are put into place to modify the negative personal, educational, and even emotional behaviors of children. Although found in some schools and group home settings not all have adopted the use of such programs.

I have worked within the social service field as an Administrative Assistant for a foster care program, Teaching Parent in a group home setting as well as a foster parent. I have worked with children with various types of behavioral issues in personal and educational aspects ad well as children that have no behavioral issues in these areas. I have used a behavioral modification program in one of the groups homes in which I was employed as well as working with these children without any specific program to modify behaviors. In the various settings I have worked in I have noticed that there are some children who thrive in such settings and others that do not. Some go on to college and lead very productive lives while others decide to take on employment and still live productive lives. However there are some children that have participated in these same programs that have decided to live on the wrong side of the law. They have decided to become a part of the world of drugs and other criminal activity when they have had every opportunity to become productive citizens. Why didn’t these behavioral modifications programs benefit them but benefited others?

I chose this topic because it is my desire to work with these children again. My plans are to open a transition program for children aging out of the system and put out on the streets with a couple dollars and the wish of good luck and sent on their own. I want to know if the use of a behavioral modification program would be beneficial in such a setting or is it basically something that is used primarily for schools and if those children are better equipped for success than those that were not a part of a behavioral modification program.

ETHICAL AND DIVERSITY AWARENESS

ETHICAL AND DIVERSITY AWARENESS

You are a substance abuse counseling intern. For a year, you have been assisting in providing individual counseling to 17-year-old Mary who is addicted to crack cocaine. Additionally, for the last three months, you have been providing family counseling to her and her family, which comprises her father, mother, and younger brother. The progress in both treatment modalities has been noticeable for Mary and her family. One day, Mary comes to your session almost in tears and tells you that her younger brother had heard their parents talking about their impending divorce.

Mary is depressed by the news. She tells you that she is going to stop her treatment and runs out of the office.

One of the ethical dilemmas is as a counselor you cannot talk to the parents about Mary’s concerns unless you get approval from Mary, this way you don’t break confidentiality (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008). It may be a good idea to use the indirect approach and get Mary to open up and express herself and her concerns about the divorce (Argosy, 2011). She may be feeling as if her substance abuse is what has torn the family apart. By having Mary do this you can come up with concerns to be discussed at the next family therapy session. Cognitive Behavioral Interventions should be put into place if they aren’t already such as emotional interventions so Mary will have the skills to deal with her emotions without danger of relapse (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008).

ETHICAL AND DIVERSITY AWARENESS

As Mary’s counselor you may want to find if there is an opportunity for group counseling among other teenagers whose parents are divorced or going through a divorce. You can bring this up to Mary and explain to her the reason for this suggestion and what she can expect to get from the group. In this group she may find that she isn’t the only one going through such a situation and

she may be able to find new coping skills that will not only help her to cope with the impending divorce of her parents it may also prove to be helpful with coping skills as far as her addiction.

At this time Mary needs to know that both her parents love and support her and them being in counseling and sharing that information will give Mary hope (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008). Other ethical dilemmas that we need to be aware of as Mary’s counselor is if finding a new group therapy for Mary to take part in we have to make sure the leader is competent in their position and their knowledge of the situations these children are going through (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008). Mary must be aware of the confidentiality policies as well as informed consent and her right to choose if she wants to take part in any new therapy (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008). Mary has the right to not participate and just observe or to participate when she feels comfortable to do so, she should not be forced to participate and it should not be mandatory to do so in order to be a member of the group (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008).

 References:

Argosy University (2011). Individual Counseling, retrieved from http://myeclassonline.com on

February 8, 2011.

Capuzzi, David & Stauffer, Mark D. (2008). Foundations of Addictions Counseling, Pearson

Education, Inc.

 

KNOWLEDGE OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGYKNOWLEDGE OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

IDENTIFYING TREATMENT NEEDS

CASE 1 – Sue - A cognitive-behavioral approach should be taken in this case. Sue could be using to escape the pressures of single parenting and financial issues that she may be facing, in other words to escape. Sue could benefit from contingency management (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008) to assist her with some of the pressure she is feeling. Group counseling would help Sue as far as talking about these responsibilities that she may be overwhelmed with as a single parent and hearing what others in her situation are doing to cope. Knowing that others are in the same situation and being able to share with them and even learn new coping skills from them will help Sue as far as her self-esteem and seeing other progressing in their treatment could be a great motivator.

CASE 2 - John - works long hours as an accountant and the stresses of dealing with money combined can be very frustrating and if John has a low tolerance for frustration this could be the reason for him to deal with this by drinking heavily. The psychodynamic model, specifically the personality theory states that certain personality traits predisposes a person to substance use and with such stress and not being able to cope with this frustration John falls into this category (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008). I believe John would benefit from the individual counseling and family counseling to deal with the issues within the family.

CASE 3 – Cho- The cognitive-behavioral approach in this situation is recommended due to the fact that Cho’s substance abuse has been influenced by external factors such as the need to prostitute and cope with it through the learned behavior (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2008) of many prostitutes, who she may possibly befriend. Cho comes from a very traditional family and has only been in the US for five years. She undoubtedly has learned these behaviors since coming to the states. Individual counseling would be best due to the fact her family isn’t in the states and most traditional Asian families are very private about their family life.

References

Capuzzi , David & Stauffer, Mark D. (2008). Foundations of Addictions Counseling, Pearson Education, Inc

KNOWLEDGE OF FOUNDATIONS IN THIS FIELD

KNOWLEDGE OF FOUNDATION IN THE FIELD• In Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development the most important aspect of this theory as to what stage a child is operating at as

a parent would be the “Preoperational stage” (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009). In this stage the child’s thought is marked by egocentrism and centration (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009). In the “concrete” stage the child achieves understanding of conservation and can reason with respect to concrete, physical object (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009). I believe the teacher would fall under this category. The next stage we find the juvenile delinquency judge which is the fundamental stage and this states the child develops the capacity for abstract reasoning and hypothetical (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009) things which honestly the teacher and parent have these characteristics.

• We can go further and classify these three under the “Intelligence” under the Cognitive Development in Adulthood and put the juvenile delinquency judge would best fall under “Rich factual Knowledge” which is general and specific knowledge about the conditions of life and its variations (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009). The parent would fall under the “Life Span Contextualism’ which is the knowledge about the contexts of life and their developmental relationships (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009). The parent would best fall under the “Rich Procedural Knowledge” because of knowing or having knowledge of strategies of judgment and advice concerning life matters (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009).

• Kohlberg’s Stage’s of Moral Reasoning looks at moral development is stages. In regards to the most important aspect of this theory as to the child operating as a parent, teacher or juvenile delinquency judge we look at level I which is “Preconventional Morality” (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009). On this level we find “Cost Benefit Orientation” when thinking of the parent who looks at both sides of the coin in decision making. They weigh the pros and cons. For the teacher we go to stage IV “Law and Order Orientation” where we find follows rules and avoids censure by authority (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009). The teacher is not only following rules but teaching their students the importance of following rules to avoid trouble in school and society. In level III we find the juvenile delinquency judge at stage V, the “social contract orientation” (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2009). In this stage we find the reason for moral behavior is to promote society’s welfare as a judge does.

References:Gerrig, Richard J. & Zimbardo, Philip G. (2009). An Overview of Psychology Its Past and Present, Your Future, Pearson Custom Publishing

RESEARCH SKILLS

RESEARCH SKILLSBEHAVIORAL MODIFICATION PROGRAMSABSTRACT We have come to find that there are many issues that arise in dealing with behavioral problems of today’s

children. The biggest issue arises when we try and modify these negative and inappropriate behaviors. This is where behavioral modification programs come into play. Whether in a school setting, in a group home, in an urban community or a suburban one we find that these programs are yielding great results (Miles, Wilder, 2009). While not all children will benefit from these programs many will. Behavioral modification programs have been found to benefit in such situations where you have children diagnosed with such disorders as ADHD, bipolar disorder and social, emotional and behavioral issues (Thoder, Hesky, Cautilli, 2011). There is no evidence that shows however that any one behavioral modification program is more beneficial to any one population or area.

INTRODUCTIONWe have found there is a need in the school system for individual education plans where children with behavioral

issues need to be closely monitored in the classrooms. In some schools these children are put into groups and taught separate from other students. It is in these classrooms where they are given lunch or their lunches are separate at times singling them out. It has been found that even in these types of situations the implementation of a behavioral modification program can be beneficial. However more and more children with behavioral issues are being put in classes with those that have no behavioral issues and this can be problematic in itself,

RESEARCH SKILLS

especially with the size of classrooms today. Programs such as the individual education plans are found in many schools under different names, one in particular is called a “Wraparound” but it is the same concept. It includes a definable plan involving the child and family as well as community and natural supports individualized for that child and their family to achieve a positive set of outcomes (Burns & Goldman, 1999, p.13). Children with such diagnosis as ADHD, ODD, Depression, PTSD, etc, have complex emotional and behavioral disorders and these are the children ones that benefit from the behavioral modification programs implemented in the schools coupled with community mental health services helps to modify negative and inappropriate behaviors. One such program is offered through the Behavioral Analysis & Therapy Partners, based in Pennsylvania uses a functional behavioral assessment of problem behaviors and individual interventions (Thoder, Hesky, Cavtilli, 2011). An evaluation of their program, Behavioral Health Rehabilitation System (BHRS) found 62.5% of the children in the program made clinically significant reliable changes within 278 days of entering the program (Thoder, Hesky, Cavtilli, 2011). Their treatment was implemented in the home, school and community (Thoder, Hesky, Cavtilli, 2011).Who is best at working with children in need of behavior modification? Anyone can be trained to use a behavioral modification plan. In many agencies everyday people taking on jobs as Teaching Parents, Residential Counselors, and Personal Assistants are trained as well as teachers and those who work in community programs. In a particular study on the effectiveness of behavioral skills training three women were trained in a behavioral modification program that they would implement on three children who showed noncompliance (Miles, Wilder, 2009). The three women that were trained included a kindergarten teacher, a nanny and a mother of two children. The nanny worked with a six year old girl with nonspecific learning disabilities, the

RESEARCH SKILLS

year old boy diagnosed with autism. There were 10 components to this behavioral modification program, (1) make eye contact when giving demand (2) call the child by name (3) only one demand at a time (4) phrasing vocal response as a demand, not a question (5) articulating clearly (6) waiting 10seconds for child to initiate response (7) deliver praise if child complies or repeating demand with a modeled prompt if child did not comply (9) recording data (10) waiting at least 5 seconds to present another demand or to interact with the child in some other way (Miles, Wilder, 2009). A correct response was scored when the caregiver implemented a component as trained, data on child compliance with instruction was also collected (Miles, Wilder, 2009). The study showed that of the three children two of them showed compliance (Miles, Wilder, 2009). These were three totally different children, two with totally different behavioral issues while one had no behavioral issues. In order to point out students that would benefit from such programs and effective interventions is to use a validated assessment tool (O’Neill, Stephenson, 2010). One such assessment tool is the Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) (O’Neill, Stephenson, 2010). The FBA is the preferred assessment tool in Positive Behavioral Support for students requiring intensive individual intervention for problem behavior promoting appropriate student behavior in school settings (O’Neill, Stephenson, 2010). FBA was originally developed for those with mental disabilities but is now used for those that are not mentally disabled (O’Neill, Stephenson, 2010). Based on the data collected and analyzed a behavior plan is written including strategies that reduce or eliminate environmental triggers, teach appropriate skills and arrange environmental consequences to increase the use of appropriate behaviors (O’Neill, Stephenson, 2010).

RESEARCH SKILLS

In 2003 a worldwide partnership between a local system of care and a large urban school district led to the creation of a school wide educational model called Full Purpose Partnership (FPP) (Anderson, Houser, Howland, 2010). This model was implemented in several elementary schools in Indianapolis, Indiana to integrate the principles of systems of care and wraparound with the techniques of positive behavioral interventions and supports (Anderson, Houser, Howland, 2010). The goal is to build school capacity for simultaneously addressing students educational, health (including mental health), social and psychological needs (Anderson, Houser, Howland, 2010). This model is built around four essential elements (1) effective curricula and instruction (2) inquiry driven data-based decision making (3) systems of care and wraparound principles and (4) school wide positive behavior supports with each of these elements conceptualized through a three tiered system (Anderson, Houser, Howland, 2010). The goal is to support all students and increase the percentage of students who do not need additional supports from middle and upper tiered interventions, the tiers focusing on prevention, early prevention and comprehensive intervention (Anderson, Houser, Howland, 2010). When the behavior team reviews a problematic behavioral event data is examined to find the reason behind the behavior instead of focusing on the incident itself and then uses the information to look for patterns in problem behavior like location, time of day, and type and possible reason for the behavior (Anderson, Houser, Howland, 2010). It is at this time additional services may be offered such as academic or mental health services or other resources (Anderson, Houser, Howland, 2010). Respondents noted repeatedly that the increased mental health services and improved behavioral approaches led to better mental health and behavioral outcomes among the students (Anderson, Houser, Howland, 2010). A perceived change in student behavior that included lower levels of problem behavior was reported by principals and teachers from each FPP school (Anderson, Houser, Howland, 2010).

RESEARCH SKILLS

The Response to Intervention (RTI) approach is designed for early intervention and service delivery for students with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties in schools (Pavri, 2009). Children from urban schools were selected to take part in this study (Pavri, 2009). Universal interventions implemented school wide addressed social behaviors expected of the students to determine which were non-responsive to the program (Pavri, 2009). Based on the three tiered model, Tier I or universal interventions are implemented school wide or class wide daily or weekly to all children in the school addressing those social behaviors that all students are expected to demonstrate (Pavri, 2009). Tier II or selected interventions are targeted at those children who are not responsive to the universal interventions received by all and Tier III or targeted interventions are provided to students who exhibit chronic academic and/or behavioral difficulties and are not responsive to Tier II interventions (Pavri, 2009). Results found in Tier I the interventions benefited 80-90% of the students, Tier II 5-20% of the students and Tier III 1-5% of the students benefited. One must keep in mind that the more issues the group had the smaller in size the group was, Tier III being the smallest group.

We have seen that in several different scenarios with several different behavioral models there is a significant decrease noted in inappropriate behaviors and an increase in positive behaviors. There areas in which these schools are found has no influence on the outcome of any of these studies listed here. It is safe to say that behavioral modification programs are beneficial to children in all types of settings and when implemented by anyone with the appropriate training.

REFERENCESReferences• Anderson, Jeffrey A., Houser, John H. W., Howland, Allison (2010). The Full Purpose Partnership Model for

Promoting Academic and Socio-Emotional Success in Schools, School Community Journal, v20, n 1, p. 31-54.

• O’Neil, Sue., Stephenson, Jennifer., (2010). The Use of Functional Behavioral Assessment for Students with Challenging Behaviors: Current patterns and Experience of Australian Practitioners, American Journal of Education and Development Psychology, Volume 10, 2010, pp.65-82.

• Pavri, Shireen (2009). Response to Intervention in the Social-Emotional-Behavioral Domain: Perspective from Urban Schools, Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, Volume 6, Issue 3, February 2010.

• Thoder, Vincent J., Joseph, D. (2011). Using Reliable Change to Calculate Clinically Significant Progress in Children with EBO: A BHRS Program Evaluation, International Journal of Behavioral and Consultation Therapy, vg, n1, p. 45-66.

• Miles, Nicholas I., Wilder, David A. (2009). The Effects of Behavioral Skills Training on Caregiver Implementation of Guided Compliance, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, v42, n 2, p. 405-410, Summer 2009.