Abstract:

Dramatic changes are taking place with regard to where and how students with disabilities receive daily classroom instruction. Changes in social perceptions and in government policy have ushered in a new era whereby a growing number of countries are striving to create a more ‘inclusive society’. That commitment includes establishing an educational environment in which students with disabilities receive instruction, to the greatest extent possible, alongside their non-disabled peers. The goal is to create the opportunity for all students to be successful learners. In order to make complex systemic changes necessary to achieve that goal, research suggests that a positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS) approach can lead to major changes in schools and, in turn, the social behavior and academic achievement of all students. At present, PBIS is in place in over 18,000 schools in the United States and in a rapidly growing number of other countries.

The focus of this presentation will be on critical aspects of systems change and each of the stages that together lead to full implementation of inclusive learning for students with and without disabilities. Discussion includes strategies that are part of a multi-tiered approach to better serving all students in inclusive educational settings. Emphasis will be on implementation of strategies that are evidence-based (have strong empirical support). Use of evidence-based practices require school personnel to apply a particular strategy with high fidelity--meaning that it is implemented exactly the way it was planned.

To be successful in producing positive outcomes with all students, school personnel must develop and implement a data collection system with which to:
(a) identify student behavior that deviates significantly from normal expectations,
(b) identify the likely ‘function’ or motivation for that behavior (e.g., escape from an aversive situation, gain attention from an adult and/or peer, or express strong emotion, e.g., communicate anger or frustration). With that knowledge, school-based teams convene to devise a function-based intervention.

That plan may be a modified version of a universal (tier 1) intervention, small group intervention (tier 2) or, for more challenging problems, be highly individualized (tier 3). Tier 3 interventions are based on findings that relate to a functional behavioral analysis (FBA).

In sum, there is a growing international commitment to changing the structure of public education to make a more inclusive learning environment to achieve positive outcomes for students with disabilities. With systemic commitment to creating opportunities for students with disabilities to succeed in general education classrooms, sound supportive policy, quality professional development to prepare all school personnel to support inclusive learning, and careful attention to fidelity of program implementation, there is good reason to believe that ultimately countries can achieve an ‘inclusive society’ for all students.

Keywords:

Inclusive learning, systems change, positive behavioral intervention and support.