Continuum of Interventions

Part of the PPRA prevention continuum needs to be environmental modifications. Environmental modifications can include how we set up the classroom examining traffic patterns. Assessing classroom traffic patterns includes looking at where materials for assignments are located within the classroom, looking at the location for turning in assignments. Does a student who struggles with staying on task have to walk past 5 or 6 students, to get to the materials, or to turn in their work, assignment? We want to really make sure we have an efficient traffic pattern to and from materials that allow the students to get there quickly and efficiently. You might also think about the location of the doors and windows, is a student that is easily distracted sitting by the doors or windows where the activity outside the door and windows is preoccupying their attention.

Desk Arrangements: 

Environmental modifications include desk arrangements. Are the desks in rows?  In pods?   Are they single by themselves? How you arrange the desks will determine different traffic patterns, and how students interact with each other.

Decorations: 

You will want to examine the decorations within the classroom.  Sometimes teachers have great information, and they have huge volume of information that is up on the classroom walls in the classroom.  Sometimes all that information can be very visually overstimulating.  This can result in students spending all their time trying to take in and absorb all that information.  They are processing what's going on in the environment instead of paying attention to their teachers, peers, or what's going on around them. You want to make sure that the walls and the materials are not overwhelming and distracting.

Clutter: 

You need to scan the environment for items that could be used as a weapon and clear those items from the environment. Sometimes classrooms have lots of clutter providing quick and easy access to items that can be used as weapons such as, pencils, scissors, etc.  When a student escalates, they reach for whatever items are closest for throwing.

Blocking: 

Another environmental modification or another environmental strategy which you can put in place is blocking. Blocking is placing yourself between the student and the object(s) that the student is trying to access.

An example of the appropriate use of blocking strategy is when staff member blocks a student from climbing up multiple shelves in the PE equipment storage room. 

Proximity Control: 

Proximity Control is another environmental strategy that can be used. Proximity Control is all about the teacher not standing in the front of the classroom, by the chalkboard, dry erase board, or the Promethean Board, but instead walking around the classroom between student desks. When you see misbehavior, or a student heading in that direction, the teacher might walk closer to that student who's getting ready to engage in that negative behavior.  Proximity Control is the teachers floating around the classroom so they're not always in a central location. Proximity control can reduce a lot of different behaviors.

Environmental Checklist: 

There is an environmental checklist that can be used to assess classroom environments. The environmental check list prompts scanning the room for visual clutter, assessing the classroom walls to see if they are organized with information grouped simply.

The next area of assessment on the environmental checklist is lighting.  Some questions to ask are:

What is the lighting like in the room? 

Is the lighting adjusted throughout the day? 

Is natural lighting being used?

Fluorescent lights actually have a little bit of a flicker that most people can't see and the ballast in the fluorescent lights have a little bit of hum that most people can't hear.  These aspects can become overstimulating for some students. 

The next area of assessment on the environmental checklist is the noise level in the classroom. Noise damping materials, such as rugs and cloth on bulletin boards can be used in the classroom setting to reduce noise levels. The use of noise canceling headphones, or earbuds might be beneficial to some students. The use of a noise meter might be helpful that measures the decibels levels in the classroom. 

Hydration and nutrition are the next assessment area on the environmental checklist. Do students have access to water that is easy and convenient such as having water bottles on their desk?

Seating options should also be examined. Are there different sitting options available within the classroom environment? Standing options that allow for movement?

The classroom Environment Checklist also includes smells. What are some of the different smells within the environment? Smell can be a powerful behavioral trigger. Different smells such as perfume or cologne can trigger allergies. Dr Laura, Riffel, gives the example of a student whose behaviors was triggered by the smell of a teacher's perfume.  The perfume was identical to the student’s mother's perfume reminding the student of his mother who was very abusive.