Mental and Behavioral Health
2. Social/Emotional/Behavioral Practices
IDEA regulations define “specially designed instruction”(SDI) as “adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child under this part, the content, methodology or delivery of instruction
- (i) to address the unique needs of the child that result from the child’s disability; and
- (ii) ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children.” (34 CFR Sec. 300.39(b)(3)
When creating SDI, special educators use high-leverage practices (HLP), intensive instruction, and consideration of learner characteristics.
What are HLPs?
The Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) developed and published a set of high-leverage practices for special educators and teachers to use with specifically designed instruction. The HLPs are organized around four aspects:
While these practices can help all students, they are especially important for our students with disabilities. Within the domain of social/emotional/behavioral practice are 4 HLPs. (Credit for below: HLP for Students with Disabilities)
1) Establish a consistent, organized and respectful learning environment
When establishing learning environments, teachers should build mutually respectful relationships with students and engage them in setting the classroom climate (e.g., rules and routines); be respectful; and value ethnic, cultural, contextual, and linguistic diversity to foster student engagement across learning environments.
2) Provide positive and constructive feedback to guide students' learning and behavior
Feedback may be verbal, nonverbal, or written, and should be timely, contingent, genuine, meaningful, age appropriate, and at rates commensurate with task and phase of learning (i.e., acquisition, fluency, maintenance).
3) Teach social behaviors
Teachers should explicitly teach appropriate interpersonal skills, including communication, and self-management, aligning lessons with classroom and schoolwide expectations for student behavior.
4) Conduct functional behavioral assessments to develop individual student behavior support plans (for students' who need extra support)
Key to successful plans is to conduct a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) any time behavior is chronic, intense, or impedes learning.