Embedding Function-Based Thinking Within Restorative Approaches

October 16, 2024

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Jon Kidde MSW

Jeremy Tretiak MA, BCBA, VT-LBA

All Forum Materials: VTPBIS Annual Forum - VT PBIS

Objectives

Through a shared learning environment rooted in collaboration, participants will:

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• Increase their understanding of a whole school restorative approach and function-based thinking.

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• Practice restorative communication strategies that can be used to understand the root causes of behavior

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• Explore the application of an integrated approach using case studies/examples to identify and begin to address the unmet needs of all parties.

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• Identify system changes needed to do this work well and plan to address them.

Why are you here?

Introductions – Opening Activity l Groups of 4

• Who are you?
• What weather have you experienced this year, and what weather are your experiencing now?
• Share one or two values you uphold when you are at your best.
• Why did you come to this session? What’s one thing you want from it?

Introductions – Opening Activity l Full Group

• Your name

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• School and Role

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• One value

Shared Values and Agreements

• Let’s see what values float to the top for our group.

Functional Behavioral Assessment (& Thinking)

• What is your experience with FBA/FBT?
• 0 - 10 scale

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• How comfortable are you with these processes?

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Functional Behavioral Assessment

• Environment influences behavior (A)

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• Environment shapes behavior (C)

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• A model for systematically defining behavior, assessing the environment, and selecting interventions that match the function of behavior (B)

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Behavior Pathway—ABC’s

Setting Events/

Conditions

Basic Assumptions

• There is no such thing as irrational behavior

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• Behavior serves a purpose and is lawful (can be explained and predicted (to a degree)

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• People behave to meet/communicate a need

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Developing a Student Support Plan (SSP)

• Identify a consistent response to the interfering behavior that does not reinforce the behavior

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• Identify a replacement behavior that fulfills the same function as the interfering behavior and ask/answer:
• How will this behavior serve the student? Community?
• Does the behavior need to be taught?
• How will the behavior be taught? By whom?
• How will the behavior be reinforced?
• How will the environment support the student/adults?

SSP: Contextual Fit & Social Validity

• A good (and likely effective) plan contains elements that are:
• Equitable
• Knowledgeable
• Valid
• Relevant

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• Ecological Perspective; Humanism
• Systems of inter-related variables

SSP: Contextual Fit & Social Validity

• Ongoing process that involves:
• Assessment/goal-setting
• Program development
• Satisfaction

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• Best indicator of social validity: maintenance

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• Must ask: who and what systems will be needed to support maintenance?

Restorative Approaches

• What’s your level of experience with Restorative Approaches?

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• 0 - 10 scale, 0 = this is my first learning experience and 10 = I practice regularly

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• Let’s hear few comments regarding experience in the room.

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Restorative Approaches

• Restorative Approaches are based on values and principles—ever-present in humanity.
• If the values and principles are not applied, the practices will not work.
• When we express these values and principles from the start in relationship and community building, we establish partnership rather than dominance.
• We can then apply them when there are unmet needs and people have been harmed.

Balance in the Process

Underlying all restorative approaches is the importance of relationship. This graphic shows the balance that exists in the restorative approach. The belief is that when we spend adequate time in each quadrant we are more effective in our learning, problem solving, and collaboration. This applies to meetings, circles, conversations and pedagogy.

Restorative Principles

Exploring�Relationship

Meaningful�Engagement

Agency�&�Choice

Responsibility/�Accountability

What does it look like?

Reunite; Promote Equity�and Healing

ALL: Re-Entry

SOCIAL DISCIPLINE WINDOW

(McCold & Wachtel, 2003)

TO

FOR

WITH

NOT

Restorative

Permissive

Neglectful

Punitive

HIGH

Support

Cont rol

HIGH

LOW

Authoritarian

Patronizing

Uninvolved

Involved

Agency

TO

FOR

WITH

NOT

Neglect

Punish

Restorative

Exclude

Ignore

Enable

Work in Progress

Jon Kidde, 2010

Agency: A persons' ability to shape and control their own lives, freeing self from the oppression of power (Kincheloe, 2008)

Mutual /Shared Responsibility

Internally Regulated

Rehabilitate

Charity/Aid

Alliance

Act in Solidarity

Liberation

Relationship Matrix

Vaandering & Evans, 2016

TO

FOR

WITH

NOT

People as objects to be ignored

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neglect & rejection

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*power over

HIGH

Support (for being human)

Expectation (for being human)

HIGH

LOW

People as objects of need

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conditional acceptance

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*power over

People as objects to be managed

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conditional acceptance

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*power over

People as subjects to be honored

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unconditional acceptance

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*power with

Competing Behavior Pathway

Restorative Questions

1. What happened?

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• What led up to this?

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• What were you thinking/feeling at the time?

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• What were you hoping for at the time?

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• What was affected? How?

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• What support do you need in order to do things differently in the future?

Competing Behavior Pathway Integrating Restorative Questions

Restorative Questions

1. What happened?
2. What led up to this?
3. What were you thinking/feeling

at the time?

4. What were you hoping for at

the time?

5. Who was affected? How?

6. What support do you need in

order to do things differently in

the future?

The student is going to need to gain numeracy skills before being able to do this like peers

Unintended consequence: disrupt class

Some possible program considerations…

• Whose values and voice are reflected? Omitted?

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• Do reinforcement practices value the student’s authentic identity and current skill set?

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• Are relationship/trust building strategies included in the plan? What opportunities exist for student-student/student-adult connection?

Some possible program considerations…

• Where/how is the student’s/family’s input reflected in the plan? Strengths, talents, preferences?

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• Does the plan include operational definitions of assent behaviors for the individual?

Some possible program considerations…

• Focus on skill acquisition as a more compassionate route to reducing interfering behavior…
• Stay in the teaching zone for as long as you can.
• REDUCE BARRIERS

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• Is escape so bad?

Small Group Activity

• Apply what you’ve learned and thought about so far:
• Have you learned anything that could have improved adult responses?
• Do you find any strengths in the adult responses related to the integration of RP/FBT?

Small Group Activity – Venn Diagram

In your small groups discuss the following questions and complete the Venn Diagram:

• What do you like about merging these two practices? How do they enhance each other?
• What are some challenges you anticipate in bringing them together?
• How do we embed SEL/RP/FBT – restoration and regulation embedded into all practices?
• When do we do them? How do we help people embed this rather than see them as separate things?

Small Group Activity – Venn Diagram

What does it mean to What does it mean to

embrace a restorative approach? Embrace an FBT Approach?

Part i Closing

Head, Heart, Feet

To close out part one, share your…

• Head: Share something you are thinking about
• Heart: share a word or phrase that describes how you feel in this moment.
• Feet: What’s one thing you’d like to try if you experience a situation similar to one discussed today.

Embedding Function-Based Thinking Within Restorative Approaches

October 16, 2024

​

Jon Kidde MSW

Jeremy Tretiak MA, BCBA, VT-LBA

All Forum Materials: VTPBIS Annual Forum - VT PBIS

Regulating Ourselves

How do you know when you are dysregulated?

What are the signs for you?

What might someone see or hear?

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“a regulated, calm adult can regulate a dysregulated, anxious child; a dysregulated adult can never regulate a dysregulated child.” ~ Dr. Bruce Perry

Regulate, Relate, Reason

Regulate: breathe, focus, and clear your mind. If difficult TAB out; ground yourself. Get down and do what you can to ensure safety and calm

Relate: talk calmly; help them feel heard and seen. Be aware of and respond to their emotions.

Reason: Use restorative questions; talk about needs how people were affected, and what needs to be done

Discussion l At Tables

Share general take-aways from these videos?

How can we increase awareness among adults regarding their own regulation?

Use a story to illustrate examples?

How can we increase awareness among youth regarding their own regulation?

Use a story to illustrate examples?

Small Group Activity - Card Sort

Gather with others you work with. Make a three column chart. Sort cards into the appropriate column. (Questions to Guide FBA with Restorative Lens)

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We do this well

Somewhat in place

Not in place (yet)

Small Group Activity - Card Sort

In your small group, review Questions to Guide FBA with Restorative Lens and discuss the following:

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• What is already in place?
• Celebrate what’s in place
• Pick three you want to move forward
• Pick one you’re going to make actionable steps

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Small Group Activity - Card Sort

In your small group, review Questions to Guide FBA with Restorative Lens and discuss the following:

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• What might this look like in practice?
• Where are opportunities to integrate this work?
• What aspirations do you have to integrate the guiding questions?

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• Invitation to Apply: What’s one step you can take to integrate?

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Etiology vs. maintenance

• Behavior seen at schools often originates in a different environment

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• Yet, some variables maintain that behavior in other the school environment (function)
• Unmet needs seeking a solution

Language Matters

• Shift towards a skills-based mindset–what skills do we need to teach to help meet a need?

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• Constructional vs. pathological approaches
• Pathological: decrease “problem” behavior
• Constructional: strict focus on shaping behavior from its current starting point

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• Emphasize cooperation over compliance

Where is our focus/mindset?

Tackle the practical barriers that stand in the way of fulfilling their potential, rather than viewing behavior as the principal problem to be surmounted.

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Paraphrased from NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman

Where is our focus?

• Old plans: Following directions, on-task, safety

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• New plans: responsible self-advocacy, self-regulation, positive peer interactions/relationships, etc.

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• What skills/behaviors do we need to teach for a student to be regulated and ready to learn? Behavioral cusps…

Skills

• Things like following directions, being on-task, etc. are byproducts of behaviors/skills that serve to meet needs, maintain regulation, foster relationships, balance emotions, etc.

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• But those skills can be harder to observe/measure…
• …and teach–especially if we view teaching/learning opportunities only as discrete chances for direct instruction
• Self-awareness
• Model; understand “integrated experience”

Questions: culture, individuality, and assent

• How do cultural and individual differences affect topography of consent and assent?

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• When is a behavior a form of “non-compliance?”
• When is it “self-advocacy?”

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• What does repeated refusal to engage say about our programming? Our relationships?

Feelings & Needs of Ourselves

Individual Think Time

• Choose a recent situation to workshop with colleagues today.
• This situation should have some level of challenge to it, but do not choose one that is deeply emotional or one that you currently feel can not be resolved.
• We will explore how to use some tools from RP and non-violent communication.

Observation

• Pause
• Describe the situation.
• What do you see?
• What do you hear?

Feelings

Tapping into what we are feeling

• Use the feelings wheel to help identify what you’re feeling.
• Name what you’re feeling in this situation?

Needs

Identify your needs and values

• Use the needs wheel to help identify what needs are not being met or values that are not being upheld.
• Name the need or value being challenged in this situation?

Make a Request

(Not a demand)

• What would you like to happen?
• What would help address your need?
• What change might support the value important to you?

Affective Statement

Put it all together

• When I hear/see…(Observed behavior)
• I feel… (Feeling)
• Because I need (Need) or (Need/Value) is really important to me]
• Would you be willing to… (Request)?

Try it out!

Practicing Affective Statements

• Breakout groups of 2-3 l 5 mins
• Take turns giving a little background of the situation you chose.
• Practice a sincere affective statement.
• It will probably feel pretty awkward at first!!

Feelings and Needs of Others

Individual Think Time

• What questions could you ask to fill in your observation gaps? What happened?
• What could you ask to surface the feelings this person has around the situation? What were you feeling/thinking?
• What could you ask to understand met and/or the unmet needs that may be at the root of their behavior? (i.e What were you hoping for?)
• How might you begin to understand what action or change would address unmet needs? Who else was affected? How? What needs to happen to make things right?

Restorative Questions

What happened?

What led up to this?

What were you thinking/feeling at the time?

What were you hoping for at the time?

Who was affected? How?

What needs to happen to make things right?

What support do you need in order to do things differently in the future?

Try it out

Let’s explore restorative responsive to theses examples:

• Tapping pencil
• Refuse to put away phone
• Refuse to do work; student undermines adult
• Student leaves for the bathroom does not return for 20 mins
• Overhear disparaging talk about another person

Scenarios

1. Student was upset that he didn't know how to spell a certain word. They got stuck and shut down crying. They didn't want to write the word incorrectly. They are sent out of the room for defiance.

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• Student was repeatedly calling out during instruction, saying, “I want to go home.” Student was sent out of the room, and the behavior was documented as disruption.

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• Student was refusing to complete any work in math. Student left her math class 5 minutes early without permission. Documented as Defiance.

Reflective Debrief / Importance of Relationship

How did your relationship help or not help in the scenario? How could / might relationship improve outcomes?

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Consider strategies to build relationships. A few ideas to highlight:

• Intentional check-ins
• Co-create class agreements
• Play
• Assess relationship connection assessment
• Narrating action
• Honoring dissent when possible

Closing

Head, Heart, Feet

To close out our session today, share your…

• Head: Share something you are thinking about
• Heart: share a word or phrase that describes how you feel in this moment.
• Feet: What’s one thing you’d like to try if you experience a situation similar to one discussed today.

Take-Aways

In teams or on your own, how can you apply today’s work back at your school?

• Review your school’s data–reasons for referral and how they were classified. Discuss possible needs or function. How you might learn about needs/function from the student’s perspective? How could you encourage shifting responses to the “with”?
• Revisit the ‘Perceived Motivation’ component of the BODR. Are your staff using this? Do they understand it? How can you encourage use of this element and strengthen understanding of its importance?
• Do the card sort with a team or in a staff meeting.
• Review any existing flow charts / procedural maps for behavior and discuss ways to weave this work into them.
• What else?

Closing Activity

• What is one actionable take-away or something you’re wanting to bring back to your school?