Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Families: A Model of Individualized Positive Behavior Support for Home and Community

The popular, research-based Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model is used in schools and child care settings nationwide to address challenging behaviors in children with and without disabilities. Now, with the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Families (PTR-F) model in this accessible guidebook, you can use this proven approach with families to help them resolve their child's challenging behavior in their own homes and communities.

Developed by top behavior experts, PTR-F is a highly effective intervention model that helps families prevent behavior problems in children ages 2–10, teach proactive communication and social skills, and reinforce positive behavior. In this expertly organized book, you'll discover how to take on the role of PTR-F facilitator to meet each family's unique needs, and you'll get a clear 5-step process for guiding families as they promote their child's positive behavior (see below). With this comprehensive, adaptable model of behavior support, you'll strengthen family engagement, set each child on the path to healthy social-emotional development, and improve quality of life for the entire family.

HELP FAMILIES WITH THE 5-STEP PTR-F PROCESS:

1. Initiating the process. Establish a partnership with the family, and then work together to set individualized goals and develop a vision for the child's future.
2. Assessment. Guide the family through the steps of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) to uncover the triggers and functions behind the child's behavior.
3. Intervention. Using results of the FBA, help the family choose from a menu of intervention options to build a behavior support plan that meets their specific needs.
4. Coaching. Conduct meetings with the family, acting as cheerleader and coach and guiding the family to implement the behavior support plan with fidelity in home and community settings.
5. Monitoring. Review behavioral data with the family to monitor how well the plan is being implemented and whether the child is making progress.

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: Practical, printable forms (including a Behavior Rating Scale for data collection, Assessment Checklists, Behavior Support Plan Summary, Fidelity of Strategy Implementation Form, and complete PTR-F Plan Implementation Guide), plus extended case examples that walk you through the PTR-F steps and bring the process to life.

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Glen Dunlap, Ph.D., has been involved with individuals with disabilities for more than 45 years and has served as a teacher, administrator, researcher, and university faculty member. He has directed numerous research and training projects and has been awarded dozens of federal and state grants to pursue this work. He has authored more than 250 articles and book chapters, co­edited numerous books, and served on 15 editorial boards. He was one of the founders of the Association for Positive Behavior Support, and served terms as treasurer and president of that organization. He is also the lead author on each of the books in the PTR series. Dr. Dunlap was a founding editor of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions and served for 10 years as the editor of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. Dr. Dunlap lives in Reno, NV and is affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno.

Phillip Strain, Ph.D., is James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Urban Education at the Morgridge College of Education and Director of the Positive Early Learning Experiences Center at the University of Denver. Dr. Strain is the author of more than 300 professional papers that have focused on young children with autism, prevention of challenging behavior, and inclusion practices. In his 4 decades in the field, he has been a teacher, early intervention program administrator, and university professor. Dr. Strain’s research on challenging behavior and autism has received more than $80 million dollars in grant support, and this work has garnered multiple career achievement awards.

Janice K. Lee, Ph.D., is a member of the research faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno, in the Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities. She leads Nevada’s Pyramid Model Partnership, promoting high fidelity Pyramid Model implementation and training for early care and education settings to support social and emotional competence. Her experience and interests include early childhood, challenging behavior, positive behavior support, social and emotional development, autism and developmental disabilities, and working with families. Her graduate degrees are in early childhood special education and she is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has worked with children, families, practitioners, and professionals at the local, state, and national level as a teacher, consultant, coach, trainer, and technical assistance provider for over 25 years.

Jaclyn (Jackie) D. Joseph, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is Executive Director at the Rise School of Denver, Colorado. Dr. Joseph has been involved in research and technical assistance for the LEAP Model, Pyramid Model, Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Young Children, and Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Families. Dr. Joseph’s professional and research interests include young children with challenging behavior and interventions for improving their social-emotional competence. She also is dedicated to promoting and advocating for high-quality inclusive early care and education opportunities for all young children, and especially for her determined, strong, and amazing little girl who has a rare genetic syndrome.

Chris Vatland, Ph.D., is a research assistant professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, where he collaborates on a number of research and technical assistance projects in the areas of positive behavior support and family and community engagement. Dr. Vatland has extensive experience with coordination of family support services as well as the development and implementation of behavior interventions in home and community settings.

Dr. Lise Fox is a professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, and is Co-Director of the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities: A University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Fox is one of the developers of the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children and has authored 95 books, book chapters, and articles. She has developed and managed numerous technical assistance, research, model demonstration, and personnel preparation projects in the areas of early childhood special education, state capacity building, implementation of the Pyramid Model, preventing and addressing challenging behavior, and Positive Behavior Support. She is the director of the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations.