Blog.

One does not need any formal schooling to observe that behavior can affect learning. When a student misbehaves, the mind shuts off and is oblivious to acquiring any new information that is being taught in the classroom. A student who misbehaves is no laughing matter. It impedes the student’s education. It can affect the learning environment for other students in the classroom. It can also agitate teachers and upset parents. Thus, it is important that we ask: “Is the student’s behavior voluntary or a manifestation of a disability?” If we do not ask this question, we have failed the student.

Generally speaking, parents will claim that their child’s misbehavior is involuntary and a manifestation of a disability.

In contrast, teachers and school administrators may claim that there is nothing wrong with the child’s health: the child’s misbehavior is voluntary and willful. The child is simply “lazy,” “stubborn,” “insolent,” “maladjusted,” “high-strung,” or “anti-social.”

Consider these examples:

• A student is unable to focus on any particular subject for longer than 10 minutes at a time and can only complete a portion of the work within a specified period of time (laziness or a possible manifestation of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?);
• A student repeatedly talks out loud in the classroom at inappropriate times (stubbornness or a manifestation of Tourette’s Syndrome?);
• A student refuses to listen to the teacher’s instructions (insolent or a manifestation of Oppositional Defiant Disorder?);
• A student becomes irritated and uncooperative when subjects are not being taught according to the regular schedule (maladjusted or a manifestation of Asperger’s Syndrome?);
• A student must repeatedly leave the classroom to wash her hands at inappropriate times (high-strung or a manifestation of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?);
• A student is unable to respond appropriately when assigned to a partner or team (anti-social or a manifestation of autism?).

In many of the examples given above, the student’s misbehavior may disrupt not only her own education, but her peers as well. For example, a student who sits in front of the classroom and appears to have an urgency to wash her hands repeatedly every 30 minutes will cause a slight disruption to others in the classroom by getting up, walking towards the back of the classroom for the restroom, then returning to the classroom again. Similarly, a student who is unable to control his speech during a test will disrupt his classmates’ concentration during the testing period.

In such instances, these students may need modifications, accommodations, and/or a Behavior Intervention Plan (“BIP”) in order to minimize classroom disruption, improve appropriate behavior, and maximize the learning process.

How might that work? Here are two examples:

Example #1: It seems fairly clear that if a student who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and feels an overwhelming urgency to wash her hands every 30 minutes like clockwork, the student should be placed in the back of the classroom, nearest to the door leading to the hallway. This way, the disruption to the rest of the class is minimized. This is a modification. However, we must also keep in mind that so long as the student is in the restroom to wash her hands, she is missing important classroom instruction. So, perhaps an accommodation in the form of a note-taker or digital tape recorder would be appropriate. This way, the student won’t miss anything; and disruption to education is minimized. Equally important, the student will not be disciplined for leaving the classroom at inappropriate times.

Example #2: It has been observed that individuals with Tourettes’ Syndrome speak out more often because of stress. In other words, stress may be one factor that is triggering a student with Tourettes’ Syndrome to speak out more often. Thus, teachers and specialists will need to observe closely to determine what, if anything, is triggering a student to speak out loud. All relevant observations should be recorded. Ideally, these observations will also tell us when the outbursts are occurring. These observations will be helpful in developing a Behavior Intervention Plan (“BIP”), which will help teachers utilize methods to reduce the frequency of inappropriate outbursts.

So, where do we begin?

If a student is misbehaving, and it is suspected that this may be a manifestation of a disability, the child should be evaluated and a Functional Behavioral Assessment (“FBA”) may need to be conducted. Without medical and psychological evaluations, we cannot know whether a student’s misbehavior is voluntary or a manifestation of a disability. In some cases, we cannot begin to know how to address a student’s misbehavior without a FBA.

In the examples given above, the FBA may not be necessary for students who suffer only from Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (Example #1), but it may be helpful for students who suffer from Tourettes’ Syndrome (Example #2).

In all cases, it is very important that parents and school administrators work together as a team to develop effective ways of addressing the behavior while maximizing education.

To see a sample FBA form, see this document from Utah State University.

For a sample letter requesting a FBA, see this website.

To learn more about behavior, FBAs, and how to develop positive interventions to address misbehavior, see SchoolBehavior.com and “Functional Behavioral Assessments and Positive Interventions: What Parents Need to Know.” For more technical information, I recommend reading “Functional Behavioral Assessment” and “Functional Behavioral Assessments: What, When, Why, Where, and Who?“