Behavioral Strategies for Students with Autism in the

General Education Classroom

Hope Bice

St. Clair County Preschool

Springville, AL

Abstract

The following article examines how behavioral interventions used in the general
education classroom effect students with autism. The number of students with autism has
increased significantly in the past 10 years. Teachers are now faced with providing
instruction in inclusive settings within the general education classroom environment.
Teachers need to have relevant and important strategies to decrease inappropriate, as well
as, increase appropriate behaviors for students with autism to be successful in the general
education classroom. The following project was conducted in the spring of 2009 at
Springville Elementary School in Springville, Alabama. It focused on three classrooms
which included a total of four students with a diagnosis of autism. The objective of the
project was to focus on behavioral interventions that can be used in the general education
environment to decrease inappropriate behaviors, increase appropriate behaviors and
increase students’ time in the classroom with their typical peers.

Behavioral Strategies for Students with Autism in the General Education Classroom

According to the Centers of Disease Control (2007), the prevalence of autism has
increased to 1 in 150 in the past year. Each year more students with autism enter public
school systems and generally have least restrictive environments (LRE) written into their
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for placement in the general education
classroom. Unfortunately, most general education teachers have little to no training in
working with students with autism.

The trend of inclusion of students with disabilities including autism has been mostly lead
by theoretical arguments related to social development and legal issues. Researchers have
documented that students with disabilities that are included in the general education
classroom display larger friendship bases, give and receive higher levels of social
support, exhibit higher levels of social interaction, and have more advanced IEP goals
than students in segregated placements (Harrower & Dunlap, 2001).

Common Behaviors in Children with Autism

Students with autism exhibit various types of behavior in and out of the classroom. Many
of which could be a major distraction within the general education classroom

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environment. Some common behaviors are clapping, hand flapping, self injurious
behaviors, and yelling. Others might include rocking, mouthing objects, intense staring,
and fixation on certain objects and/or subjects. Not all students exhibit the same
behaviors. Each student’s needs will be different as far as his or her behavior is
concerned (Harrower & Dunlap, 2001).
Why Behaviors Occur

There are many reasons unwanted and/or inappropriate behaviors occur. Generally, no
two students’ patterns of behavior are the same. The student may be bored, frustrated, or
have a lack of motivation for learning. The student just may not understand that certain
behaviors are not permissible. The student may be having problems at home and is
lashing out for attention at school. There is a possibility that the list of reasons could be
endless, however it is important to analyze the behaviors that are consistently exhibited
by the student so that appropriate interventions can be implemented (Cohen & Spenciner,
2005).

Most students with autism have difficulty with social interactions and are believed to be
uninterested in interacting with others. Many students with autism have mild to severe
sensory issues which make their participation in busy, sometimes loud, classrooms with
many students hard to deal with. They may be overly stimulated to the point that they
exhibit self-stimulatory behaviors to calm themselves which may possibly be a
distraction to their classmates and teacher(s) (Schaaf & Miller, 2005).

Analyzing Behaviors

The most common way to analyze behaviors is to complete a Functional Behavior

Assessment. Functional Behavior Assessments are used by educators to examine student
behavior and to assist in identifying its function. The information gathered is then used to
plan intervention and positive behavioral supports that are written into students’
behavioral intervention plans. To identify the problem behavior, the behavior must be
concrete and observable. Standardized assessments, record reviews, structured
interviews, and observations are all used to successfully complete Functional Behavior
Assessments (Cohen & Spenciner, 2005).

Ways to Reduce Undesired Behaviors

There is no single, effective intervention to reduce or eliminate undesirable behaviors in

children with autism. However, there are many proactive strategies that can be used; it
just depends on the child. Each situation must be looked at individually and all persons
involved must work together and be as consistent as possible to benefit the child to the
maximum extent possible.

Antecedent Procedures

Antecedent procedures are a proactive approach to prevent and reduce challenging

behaviors by addressing the behavior before its occurrence. The most common

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antecedent procedures are priming, prompt delivery, and picture schedules. Priming
allows the child with autism to have an introduction to the lesson before the larger
classroom lesson. It focuses on increasing social interactions throughout the school day.
Prompt delivery pairs teacher with a typically developing student and a student with
autism. The teacher prompts and models for the typically developing student and then has
that student to prompt the student with autism (Harrower & Dunlap, 2001).

Delayed Contingencies

Oftentimes students with autism depend on positive reinforcement throughout the activity
they are working on or the school day in general. In most situations, an adult cannot be
with them one hundred percent of the time. On the other hand, a long term goal of
independence is also an unspoken expectation for all students so educators and
administrators must look at removing contingencies to foster independence. The removal
of contingencies must take place gradually by thinning reinforcement schedules and
delaying delivery of corrective feedback (Griffin, Griffin, Fitch, Albera, & Gringas,
2006).

Self-Management Strategies

Students must learn self-management skills. The push toward students being actively
engaged in their educational programs is a very popular concept in public schools today.
Students need to be able to use self-control to monitor their own behaviors as well as
evaluate their school work. Ways to evaluate include: Self-correction, self-recording,
self-monitoring, self-reporting, and self-graphing. Students can monitor their own work,
record their own behavior, report findings to teacher, and graph their own evaluations of
behaviors. Students may use their finding to reinforce themselves with schedules and
rewards (Rivera & Smith, 1997). Prompts that encourage the use of self-management
skills in the classroom include verbal cues, hand motions, physical prompts, timers, and a
watch with an alarm (Wilkinson, 2008).

Social Stories

Social stories are short stories that describe relevant aspects of specific social situations.
The aim of social stories is to teach social-perspective-taking to help interpret social cues
and allows students to “read” social situations. They can be pictures and/or words, long
or short, typed or handwritten. Social stories should be individualized to each situation
and consist of descriptive, directive, perspective, and affirmative sentences (Delano &
Snell, 2006). Areas where social stories may be extremely beneficial to the general
education classroom teacher may include fire drill, tornado drill, assembly, change in
scheduling, and preparation for a substitute (Gray, 2000).

Picture Schedules

Picture schedules use pictures of activities and/or objects for increasing predictability and
as an alternative to verbal and written instruction. It allows the teacher to set up the

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child’s day and for them to manipulate what they must do, have done, and must finish
within a certain time frame. Pictures may be of actual objects or from one of the many
widely used picture symbol programs that are now available. Instead of pictures actual
objects may be used, for example, a spoon may be used for breakfast; a ball may be used
for physical education or recess time (Harrower & Dunlap, 2001).

Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS)

PECS was designed to help young children with autism initiate requests and
communicate their needs. The system uses a behaviorally based program to teach the
child to exchange a picture card for something he/she likes and wants. It starts with single
pictures and then the pictures are combined with statements for requests. The pictures
may be kept in a binder and used as needed. A teacher may add pictures at any time
he/she feels the student needs them. Pictures may be used for classroom assignments and
allowing the student to participate in classroom activities (Harrower & Dunlap, 2001).

For this project, behavioral interventions were designed to decrease inappropriate

behaviors of students with autism. Strategies were introduced to be used in the general
education classroom during instructional and non-instructional time. The goal was for the
strategies to increase participation and time spent in the general education classroom
while decreasing inappropriate behaviors.

Method

Participants

The focus of this project was directed at one second grade general education classroom,
one third grade general education classroom, and one fourth grade general education
classroom. The second grade class has two students with autism, third grade has one, and
fourth grade has one. Each student has had the diagnosis of autism since before entering
kindergarten. All of the students attend Springville Elementary School and receive
varying types of special education services. General education teachers and
paraprofessionals assigned to the students were trained in behavioral strategies. Each
person participating had very little training in working with students with autism prior to
this project.

Materials

Materials used in this project were PowerPoint presentations that were used to train
teachers and paraprofessionals. Teachers and paraprofessionals were trained at an in-
service on various behavioral strategies to use in their classroom to decrease the number
of inappropriate behaviors from their students with autism.

Design and Procedure

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Four students were selected to participate in the study. All students have a diagnosis on
the autism spectrum scale. Teachers monitored the number of inappropriate behaviors
exhibited by student with autism. The behaviors included outbursts during change of
scheduling, refusal to complete assignments, lost assignments, apprehension to sitting
during instruction, and self stimulating behaviors including but not limited to spinning
objects, hand flapping, mouthing inappropriate objects and humming.

Teachers maintained the number of inappropriate behaviors by placing tally marks on the
calendar. At the end of four weeks, behavioral strategies were introduced to teachers and
paraprofessionals. The teachers began the implementation of the strategies and continued
to tally the number of inappropriate behaviors for the next four weeks. At the end of this
time, teachers completed a satisfaction survey in which their attitude toward students
with autism was measured and the types of behavioral interventions they used were
noted.

Scoring

Teacher Autism Questionnaire. Prior to the implementation of this project, all general
education teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire anonymously in regards to
their knowledge and experience with students with autism. Teachers were also asked to
list different behavioral strategies they had used or were using with student(s) with
autism. This data was used to choose behavioral strategies that were most appropriate for
the students in the study.

Behavioral Tallies. The purpose of the behavioral tallies were for teachers to keep the
track of the number of times a behavior was a distraction in the classroom. Each teacher
was given a calendar grid and throughout instructional time within the classroom
recorded the number of inappropriate behaviors. The behaviors recorded were outbursts
during change of scheduling, refusal to complete assignments, lost assignments,
apprehension to sitting during instruction, and self stimulating behaviors including but
not limited to spinning objects, hand flapping, mouthing inappropriate objects and
humming.

Teacher Satisfaction Survey. The purpose of the satisfaction survey was to measure
teacher’s knowledge of autism, what behavioral strategies they implemented, and did
classroom disruptions decrease after the implementation of behavioral strategies.

Results
Teacher Autism Questionnaire

At the beginning of this project, general education teachers were asked to anonymously
complete an autism questionnaire. Twenty four questionnaires were returned. Based on
the results of the questionnaire, teachers had the following amount of teaching
experience: one had zero to five years, nine had six to ten, six had 11 to 15, two had 16
to 20, three had 21 to 25, and three had more than 25 years.

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Of the 24 questionnaire participants, eight currently have a student with autism in their
classroom. All teachers have or have had a student with autism in their classroom. Six
teachers reported that there was/is a paraprofessional with that student at all times.
Thirteen teachers were included as a part of the IEP meeting/planning process for the
student with autism in their classroom.

One hundred percent of the teachers returning the questionnaire reported they would be
willing to participate in professional development activities about autism if given the
opportunity. Teachers were split as how they felt about receiving enough support from
the administration and special education teachers. Half felt as though they get enough
support while the other half did not. Only one teacher felt as though teachers are prepared
to work with students with autism upon the completion of college. Note: This teacher is
a first year teacher.

Behavioral Tallies

Each time a student exhibited an inappropriate behavior, the general education teacher
placed a tally mark on the calendar grid. The tallies were counted at the end of each week
for the first 4 weeks. During week one the following amount of inappropriate behaviors
were noted: Classroom one 16, classroom two 15, classroom three, 9. Week two totals
were classroom one 18, classroom two 12, and classroom three, 10. Week three totals
were classroom one 20, classroom two 16, and classroom three six. The final week of
documentation before behavioral strategies were introduced were classroom one 17,
classroom two 12, and classroom three nine.

After the implementation of behavioral strategies, teachers continued to keep tally marks
on the calendar grid for 4 more weeks to determine if strategies were being effective. The
following totals were reported for week one: Classroom one 14, classroom two 14, and
classroom three nine. Week two totals were classroom one 10, classroom two eight, and
classroom three six. Week three totals were as follows: Classroom one 10, classroom
two eight and classroom three 10. Note on week seven, classroom three there was an
increase in behaviors. The student in classroom three was extremely excited about his
birthday and an upcoming weekend trip with his family. The final week in which
behaviors were recorded the amount of inappropriate behaviors were classroom one 11,
classroom two seven and classroom three five.

Teacher Satisfaction Survey

At the end of the program, a Teacher Satisfaction Survey was given to each teacher who
participated in the project. Questions 1-3 were about how the teacher feels about having a
student with autism in their general education classroom. Questions 4-5 were about
dealing with behavior in the general education classroom. Question 6 was about
participation in the student’s IEP planning. Question 7 was a check list of behavioral
strategies used in the general education classroom for this project. On Question 1, all
teachers responded that they are glad to have a student with autism in their classroom.

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Question 2, no teacher had ever requested a student with autism be in their classroom.
Question 3, three teachers will and one will not request a student with autism be in a
future class. Question 4, all teachers feel better prepared to work with a student with
autism in their classroom. Question 5, all teachers are willing to share behavioral
strategies with other teachers. Question 6, half of the teachers participated in the student
with autism’s IEP during the project time span. Question 7, the following behavioral
strategies were used in the general education classrooms which participated in this study:
social stories, peer modeling, picture/visual schedules, sensory box, sensory room, video
modeling, weighted/pressure vests, first/then boards, choice boards, work stations, “home
base,” and assignment notebooks. The three classrooms which participated in this project
consistently used social stories, first/then boards, and visual schedules.

Discussion

There was a positive change in students’ behavior. This can be attributed to consistent
implementation of behavioral strategies based on each student’s needs. The strategies
must continue to be used to maintain the level of expected behaviors from the students
who participated in the study.

The number of students participating in the study was easy to handle, however a larger
amount of students with autism might add more interest and accuracy to the study.
Teachers were completely receptive to the strategies and were shocked at how simple
some of them were because of the limited assistance they had received in the past.
Teachers have agreed to continue the use of the behavioral strategies due to the positive
impact they had on their classrooms.

Parental attitudes and participation were not measured during the study. It would be
interesting to see if parents were using the behavioral strategies in various ways at home,
if they too, would see a decrease in inappropriate behaviors.

The main limitation to the study was time. Doing the study within a nine week period did
not give as much data as would be necessary to determine long term use of the behavioral
strategies. It would be interesting to see if the behavioral strategies continue to be used
for at least another school year if the students continue to show a decline in their
inappropriate behaviors.

In spite of time restraints, the study was a success because the number of inappropriate
behaviors decreased in each classroom. In fact, students started to request that certain
strategies be used more often and in all classrooms (art, music, physical education). One
paraprofessional who is also a mother to a student with autism thought the behavioral
strategies were such a good idea that she started implementing many of them with her
own son.

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 References

Centers for disease control (2008). Retrieved October 15, 2008, Web site: www.cdc.gov.
Cohen, L. & Spenciner, L.J. (2005). Teaching students with mild and moderate
disabilities. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
Delano, M. & Snell, M.E. (2006). The effects of social stories on the social engagement
of children with autism. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8(1), 29-42.
Gray, C. (2000). The new social story book (Future Horizons, Inc). Texas: Arlington.
(Original work published in 1994).
Griffin, C.G., Griffin, L.W., Fitch, C.W., Albera, V., & Gingras, H. (2006). Educational
interventions for individuals with asperger syndrome. Intervention in School and
Clinic, 41(3), 150-155.
Harrower, J.K. & Dunlap, G. (2001). Including children with autism in general education
classrooms. Behavior Modification, 25(5), 762-784.
Rivera, D.P. & Smith, D.D. (1997). Teaching students with learning and behavioral
problems. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.
Schaaf, R.C. & Miller, L.J. (2005). Occupational therapy using a sensory integrative
approach for children with developmental disabilities. Mental Retardation and
Developmental Disabilities 11, 143-148.
Wilkinson, L. (2008). Self-management for children with high functioning autism
spectrum disorders. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(3), 150.157.

JAASEP: FALL 2009 121

Figure 1. Teacher Autism Questionnaire

Teacher Autism Questionnaire

1. Do you have a student with autism in your classroom? Yes or No

2. If not this year, have you had a student with autism in your classroom in the past?
Yes or No
3. How many years of teaching experience do you have? _____
4. Do you have any professional training in the area of autism? Yes or No. If yes,
briefly describe.

5. If you have had a student with autism, do you or were you offered professional
development/training in the area of autism? Yes or No. Briefly describe.
6. When included in your class, did or does the student have a paraprofessional with
them at all times? Yes or No
7. Were you a part of the planning process for the student’s IEP? Yes or No
8. What strategies do you use or have you used to help students with autism in your
classroom?
9. Would you be willing to attend professional development training for autism? Yes
or No
10. Have you done any research on autism in preparation for a student with autism?
Yes or No. If yes, where?

11. Do you feel you received enough support from the administrators and special
education professionals with your student? Yes or No
12. Do you feel teachers are prepared to work with students with autism upon
completion of college? Yes or No
13. What type of information would benefit you when you have a student with
autism?
14. What problem behaviors have you observed with students with autism that you
feel training would be appreciated?
15. Feel free to use the space below to give any comments on students with autism
that you would like to share.

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Figure 2. Teacher Satisfaction Survey
Teacher Satisfaction Survey
Yes No
1. Are you glad you have a student
with autism in your classroom?
2. Have you ever requested a student
with autism be in your classroom?
3. Will you request a student with
autism in your class in the future?
4. Do you feel better prepared to deal
with behavior with students with
autism?
5. Are you willing to share
behavioral strategies with other
teachers?
6. If your student has had an IEP
meeting this semester, have you
participated?
7. Check the behavioral interventions you have used in your classroom with a student
with autism:
– Social stories _____
– Picture Exchange Communication Systems _____
– Had peers to model appropriate play _____
– Music Therapy _____
– Visual/Picture Schedules _____
– Sensory _____
• Rocking chair _____
• Sensory box _____
• Utilized sensory room _____
• Other _____________________________________________
– Applied Behavior Analysis _____
– Video Modeling _____
– Weighted/Pressure Vests _____
– First/Then boards _____
– Choice Boards _____
– Work Stations _____
– “Home Base” in classroom _____
– Graphic organizers _____
– Assignment Notebooks _____

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Figure 3.

Graph Indicating Teaching Experience of Those

Completing the Autism Questionnaire.

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0-5 6 to 11 to 16 to 21- 25+
10 15 20 25

JAASEP: FALL 2009 124

 Figure 4. Reponses to Questions 1, 2, 6, and 7 from Autism Questionnaire.

25

20

15
Yes
10 No

0
1 2 6 7

1. Student with autism currently in class?

2. Student with autism in the past?

6. Paraprofessional with student at all times?

7. Were you a part of IEP planning?

JAASEP: FALL 2009 125

 Figure 5. Responses to Questions 9, 11, and 12 from Autism Questionnaire.

25

20

15

10

0
9 11 12

9. Willing to attend professional development?

11. Receive enough support from administrators and special education teachers?

12. Teachers are prepared to work with students with autism on completion of
college?

JAASEP: FALL 2009 126

 Figure 6. Difference in Behavioral Tallies During the Implementation Timeline.

20
18
16
14
12
Classroom1
10
Classroom2
8 Classroom3
6
4
2
0
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

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20
18
16
14
12
Classroom1
10
Classroom2
8
Classroom3
6
4
2
0
Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8

*Note: Week 7, Classroom 3- student was extremely excited about his birthday and a
family trip that was planned for the weekend

JAASEP: FALL 2009 128

 Figure 7. Difference in Behavioral Tallies During the Implementation Timeline.

10
8
6
4 Classroom1
2 Classroom2
0 Classroom3

-2
-4
1 2 3* 4

*Week #3- child excited about birthday and family vacation.

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Figure 8. Results from Teacher Satisfaction Survey Upon Completion of Project.

4
3.5
3
2.5
2 Yes
1.5 No

1
0.5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6

1. Glad to have student with autism in classroom?

2. Requested a student with autism in classroom?

3. Request a student in the future?

4. Better prepared to deal with students with autism?

5. Willing to share strategies with others?

6. Participated in IEP meeting?

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Figure 9. Types of Behavioral Interventions Used During Project by Classroom.

Classroom 1 used: Classroom 2 used:

Social stories Social Stories
Visual schedules Peer Model
Sensory room & box Picture schedules
First/then boards Video Modeling
Weighted vests First/then boards
Work stations Home Base

Classroom 3 used: All had the following in common:

Social Stories Social Stories
Peer Models First/Then
Visual Schedules Visual Schedules
Sensory
Choice Boards
Assignment Notebooks
First/then
Work stations

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