Current Status and Future Directions of School-Based Behavioral Interventions.

Abstract. This article describes current status and future directions for school-based behavioral interventions. The article is centered on four themes that are considered critical for future research and practice in school-based behavioral intervention work. First, the article argues for conceptualizing interventions based on intensity level and purpose (universal, selected, and target/intensive interventions). Second, response to intervention approach should be used as the basis for changing, modifying, or intensifying interventions. Third, evidence-based practices should be used for selecting and evaluating interventions. Fourth, social validation of behavioral interventions should be used to establish the clinical or applied significance of target behavior selection and to document the social importance of effects. Contributions of functional behavioral assessment in designing and implementing behavioral interventions are examined. Future directions for research and practice in behavioral interventions in schools are considered. ********** Schools are important settings for intervening with students' academic and social behavioral challenges. Schools are unique because they are the one place that teachers and students spend a significant amount of time together in both structured and unstructured contexts thereby creating numerous intervention-related opportunities. Hoagwood and Erwin (1997) suggested that 75% of mental health services for children and youth are delivered in schools and schools are unique in their ability to access a large majority of atrisk students. However, school administrators often view students' behavioral problems as stemming from factors outside the school and therefore do not view schools as proactive agents in the process of prevention and/or behavior change (Walker & Shinn, 2002). In fact, schools often utilize interventions that are either patently ineffective or, in some cases, harmful (Dishion & Andrews, 1995). Developing and implementing behavioral interventions in the school requires knowledge, skill, sensitivity, and tact, particularly for interventions delivered within a consultation model of service delivery (Kratochwill, Elliott, & Stoiber, 2002; Zins & Erchul, 2002). To build effective behavioral interventions requires attention to establishing effective systems of schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (Sugai, Horner, & Gresham, 2002). Effective behavioral interventions employ strategies and procedures that prevent behavior problems as compared to those that rely on aversive consequences to punish or otherwise deter problem behaviors (see Furlong, Morrison, Chung, Bates, & Morrison, 1997). By nature of their training and experience, school psychologists should be in ideal positions to design, implement, and evaluate behavioral intervention services in the schools. The purpose of this article is to describe the current status of school-based behavioral interventions and to chart the course future research should take in establishing stronger empirical bases for best practices in this area. The rationale for the current article is to integrate previous literature centering on the topics of: (a) varying levels and purposes of interventions (Sugai, Horner, & Gresham, 2002), (b) evidence-based intervention practices (Kratochwill & Stoiber, 2000a, 2000b), (c) response to intervention in a problem-solving model (Gresham, 1989, 2002), and (d) social validation of intervention effectiveness (Gresham & Lopez, 1996; Wolf, 1978). The current article is organized around these four major themes considered critical to future research and practice of school-based behavioral interventions. The contribution and role of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) information in designing and implementing intensive behavioral interventions will also be discussed and contrasted with behavioral interventions not based on FBA information. …