Responding to Disruptive Behavior in Elementary Special Education

The research questions addressed in this study were: How effective is a systematic approach to student reflection in reducing disruptive behavior in Federal Setting IV elementary special education? What impact does systematic student reflection have on engagement and behavior? How do staff describe their experiences implementing systematic student reflection? Topics explored in the review of the literature include how regulation develops in young children, the concept of emotional behavioral disorders and how they impact education, the differing approaches to discipline used in education, and several methods of classroom management and discipline being utilized in general and special education. The study tested the use of a behavioral graphic organizer developed by McDaniel and Flower (2015) in a emotional behavioral disorder classroom in a day school for students with special education needs. Students who were demonstrating persistent disruptive behaviors (n=3) were asked a series five questions later in the day about their behaviors. The researcher recorded answers to questions about their behavior and examined responses and searched for themes for individual students. A mixed methods approach was used to determine if this systematic approach helped students to develop regulatory skills to prevent disruptive behaviors in the future, or to promote engagement and reflection. Student affect data was collected and the researcher maintained an observation journal to evaluate changes in student behavior and impact of the intervention. A staff survey was also distributed to find the viewpoints of staff involved in the intervention (n=4) to evaluate ease of use, and to collect more observations regarding the impact of the intervention. Data revealed mixed results, possibly due to the differing motivations for disruptive behavior by individual students. A student engaging in disruptive behavior motivated by escape was not found to benefit, but a student engaging in disruptive behavior for attention was found to be positively impacted. Ultimately, this study found that there is possible benefit in engaging in a systematic approach to reflection with students who engage in disruption for attention. Limitations, implications, and recommendations for future research are also discussed.