“How Am I Doing?” Teaching Children with Emotional-Behavioral Disorders to Self-Manage Their Behaviors

Authors

  • Lael Tensfeldt, M.A. (Author) Sonoma County Office of Education
    Lael Tensfeldt, M.A., is a Special Education teacher for the Sonoma County Office of Education. She has been teaching kindergarten and first graders in a program named the Positive Emotional Behavioral Learning Launch that she helped develop ten years ago. Mrs. Tensfeldt is also an adjunct faculty member at Sonoma State University where she instructs beginning teachers through the induction program. Her focus in research and instruction include best practices for promoting positive outcomes for individuals with emotional and behavioral difficulties in addition to differentiated instruction designed to engage all learners.
  • Amory Verroulx, M.A., BCBA (Author) Sunny Hills Services image/svg+xml
    Amory Verroulx, M.A., BCBA, is an Adjunct Professor of Special Education at Sonoma State University and a Program Specialist for Windsor Unified School District. A credentialed special educator in the state of California with a background of working primarily in Non-Public Schools, his professional focus is twofold: increasing students' skills to independently self-regulate and self-advocate and increasing the skill sets of teachers to facilitate student learning and growth. His research interests include progress monitoring, self-determination, and behavioral interventions for students with challenging behaviors.
  • Jennifer N. Mahdavi, Ph.D, BCBA-D. (Author) Sonoma State University image/svg+xml
    Jennifer N. Mahdavi, Ph.D, BCBA-D, is Professor of Special Education at Sonoma State University. A credentialed special educator in the state of California, Dr. Mahdavi’s professional focus is on developing future special educators who are committed to helping children with disabilities reach their potential. Her research interests include progress monitoring, multi-tiered systems of support, and academic and behavioral interventions for students with LD or EBD.
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.375
Relying on external supports to shape the behaviors of students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) is risky as these classroom supports may not generalize to internal strategies that students can use independently in the community. Two special educators approached building self-determination skills in their students with EBD from different perspectives: applied behavior analysis and sensorimotor regulation. Despite different approaches, each teacher employed consistency of language, explicit instruction, and empowering students to engage in self-management. The teachers observed that after students learned to self-manage, they did so with increasing success, resulting in fewer incidences of antisocial or unproductive behavior. The strategies each teacher used are described, emphasizing practices that both used so that other special educators may follow their examples.

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There are 22 references in total.
Tensfeldt, L., Verroulx, A., & Mahdavi, J. N. (2018). “How Am I Doing?” Teaching Children with Emotional-Behavioral Disorders to Self-Manage Their Behaviors. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 13(3), 91-101. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.375

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  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted August 8, 2018
  • Published October 15, 2018
  • Issue Fall 2018
  • Section Articles
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