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The Case of Joaquin

Maritza Saucedo

EDUU-602

Dr. Nicholson

Brandman University
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Assessment of Behavior

Joaquin is a boy reported to have suffered injuries that result in being qualified for special

education under traumatic brain injury. Limited information is known about Joaquin’s history,

however it is known that he has limited language and the language he has is in Spanish. He has

been referred for having inappropriate behaviors towards peers. Assessment of the target

behavior would require various aspects in order to bring the data together, determine the function

of behavior, and create an intervention plan for Joaquin.

Classroom environment(s)

The process of data collection in order to determine the function of Joaquin’s target

behavior would begin with an observation of all of his classroom environments. The reason for

this would be to determine if there is anything in the learning environment contributing to the

behavior. Next, it would be important to observe the student and collect ABC data. ABC data is

collected by noting the antecedent of the behavior, the behavior, then the consequence. By

collecting this type of data, we would be able to the analyze the antecedents and consequences of

the behavior in order to determine the function.

Permanent products, would also be useful in order to see how the behavior is impeding

the student’s learning. Permanent products will be selected through this data collection process

and give a picture of how the target behavior is affecting the student. This would also include

other students in the classroom environment, not just Joaquin, meaning it is possible the behavior

is also getting in the way of other student’s education. Examples of permanent products in

Joaquin’s case would be any property that he might have damaged in the process of poking other

students, or incomplete work whether it be his own, or other students he interrupted.

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Seeing as that Joaquin has suffered traumatic brain injury, the appropriate assessments

will also be used. As a result of his injuries, he is acting at a lower level of development and is

having a hard time appropriately interacting with peers. This is defined as poking others,

pushing, laughing and running away. In this case, it would be appropriate to administer the

Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). This test is designed to help students who have trouble with

social skills. Using three different forms for teacher, student and parent, this assessment is able to

give a comprehensive view of the student’s social needs (Elliot). This will be helpful in seeing

the areas of need in different areas of the student’s life. With Joaquin, we have limited

information available, therefore, this something like this will begin to gather more information

on his particular social skills across different contexts.

A study of 4,000 Chinese children was conducted to examine the validity of the rating

scale. Findings suggest evidence that the scale is a good measure of social skills in Chinese

children (Wu, et al., 2019). Therefore, in the target student, this type of scale would be

appropriate, especially as we currently have limited information on him. While there are cultural

differences between the students studied and Joaquin and students in the United States, it is

agreed that developing social skills is essential and can positively contribute to student’s

academic development as well (Wu, et al., 2019). Educators are finding it just as important to

support student’s social skills development as well, therefore the scale is valid across different

cultures.

Functions Based Behavior Goal

By the end of the IEP cycle, instead of poking or pushing other students inappropriately

for attention, Joaquin will appropriately approach peers and engage in social interactions by

participating and initiating conversations and participate in small group activities in the
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classroom and during free play 90% of opportunities in order to gain attention. This will be

measured by data collection, and teacher report with the assistance of teacher aide using

continuous time sampling, and recording the frequency of the maladaptive behaviors.

Monitoring and Communicating Progress

Progress should be monitored and communicated with all members of the team

frequently. It will be important to note that due to the language barrier, a translator or Spanish-

speaking member of the team should be included in order to ensure parents are understood and

part of the process. Progress will be monitored by teacher observation and report and

communicated to IEP team on a bi-weekly basis. Parents will be contacted following I.E.P team

meeting to update on Joaquin’s progress. Team meetings will be conducted either in person or

virtually, while parent meeting be conducted via phone call.

Teaching Social and Behavioral Skills for Generalization

Following data collection and creation of a goal, we must teach the student the

functionally equivalent replacement behavior. A social story will be used to teach Joaquin how

to interact and behave around peers and in group settings. It should be noted that the social story

would have to also be translated in Spanish, as well as English due to Joaquin’s limited English

language. The social story should have visuals included for a number of reasons; one reason

being that he is reading and behaving at a lower grade level than his biological age. Including

visuals will make it easier for Joaquin to process and learn the concepts being taught. Social

stories are commonly used to teach individuals common social expectations such as responding

to social situations and initiating conversation [ CITATION BOZ14 \l 1033 ]. Joaquin appears to

display these similarities in children with Autism Spectrum disorder, therefore a social story

would be appropriate in combination with other methods. Research suggests that there is a lack
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of sufficient information to conclude that a social story alone is enough to build, maintain and

generalize skills[ CITATION BOZ14 \l 1033 ]. The story would begin to give Joaquin a visual of

appropriate social interactions, and it would be important to also provide plenty of

reinforcement. Sufficient amounts of reinforcement will help Joaquin maintain the behavior; he

will be motived to continue to use the appropriate behavior. A reinforcer sample will need to be

conducted in order to find out what is most reinforcing to the student.

In the classroom environment, PBS systems will be established. Positive behavior

support will create a positive classroom environment for all students. One component of positive

behavior supports is establishing 3-5 clear rules for the classroom[ CITATION Sch16 \l 1033 ].

All students will have clear expectations of what behavior will be in the classroom by frequently

reviewing and having rules posted where visible, therefore also modeling positive behavior and

interactions for Joaquin. The results will be less behaviors in the classroom across all students.

A social skills group will be used in order for Joaquin to participate in a facilitated group,

where appropriate social interactions will be monitored. Due to current COVID restrictions, an

alternate method may be used in the form of video modeling. Video modeling is simply using a

video to teach new skills and in different scenarios[ CITATION Sch \l 1033 ]. This would be an

effective visual that will allow the student to see the behavior in various contexts. A positive to

this method will be that a video itself could be reinforcing to the student; most children would be

interested in watching a video, and if the video is interesting enough, will keep their attention.

Opportunities to Practice the FERB

Opportunities for Joaquin to practice skills learned would be created in the general

education classroom in the form of small group activities. These activities could be facilitated by

teacher or aide in order to create a space for Joaquin to appropriately interact with peers. Such
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activities could be games where students have to team up and collaborate. Even just a one-on-

one partner for our student will be less overwhelming in the beginning stages and can work up to

larger groups. A small group environment would be the most beneficial at first, and as Joaquin

progresses, he will be able to work towards working in larger groups. Collaboration with

teachers would be required; the teacher would need to create those structured activities with help

of the school psychologist in order make sure the strategy continues to be effective. The school

psychologist will assist in creating activities that will include all students, meeting the need of

attention for Joaquin.

An after school social group is another way for Joaquin to practice social skills while not

in the classroom environment. In this way, he will be able to practice appropriate social skills in

interacting with friends in a more casual setting. Collaboration will be necessary with an after-

school teacher to also create activities, such as team sports or games that will meet Joaquin’s

needs, and also communicate with progress in this alternate setting.

Addressing Communication and Language

Joaquin not only has limited language, but also the language that he does have is Spanish.

Therefore, it would be necessary to collaborate with both Speech and Language Pathologist as

well as an English Language Learning specialist in order to assist Joaquin with his

communication needs. We would work with the SLP in order to help him develop language as it

is an area of need, and the EL specialist in order to create goals that are specific to a student with

this particular need. The IEP goal for his replacement behavior should be communicated with

both in order for his speech goals to coincide with this goal. It is important for all members of the

team to be in aware of all of his needs.

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Assistive communication devices will be helpful in order to help Joaquin communicate

with adults and peers in his class. One example is Lingraphica, which is a type of augmentative

communication device that not only allows individuals to communicate but also improve

comprehension through activities [ CITATION Lin \l 1033 ]. This would be helpful for the student

because it is easy to use, and includes other activities that will continue to help him learn to

communicate.

A second option would be PECs or Picture Exchange Communication system. PECs will

allow the student to communicate using picture icons. This will be helpful as Joaquin will be

able to show a picture communicating a need or want that he might not know the word for. The

PECS system teaches functional communication in steps that lead students to independently

communicate [ CITATION Pic \l 1033 ]. This will be useful for the student as it also has provided

reinforcement by immediately giving the student the item he requests. Research has also shown

that those using PECs also begin to develop speech in some cases [ CITATION Pic \l 1033 ]. Even

though Joaquin has some language already, this would be helpful in order to increase his

communication skills.

Joaquin’s case also requires English Language support. One such example is

infographics, or visuals with text that allow students to process information [ CITATION Kel \l

1033 ]. Something such as this will allow a student such as Joaquin to more easily pick up on

language using visuals. It would also be beneficial to use digital storytelling. Students are able to

record and listen multiple times to help with pronunciation [ CITATION Kel \l 1033 ]. This also

seems easy to use and something that will keep the student engaged in the activity. By creating

content, and listening to it at any time, the student is able to practice his skills and become
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confident in his language ability, resulting in reinforcement to continue to use it. In addition,

these supports can also be used by other children in class, making all students feel included.

In conclusion, Joaquin needs support in social skills, as his injuries have impeded his

ability to be able to interact with others in a socially appropriate way. His limited language and

language barrier is another challenge, however with the various supports mentioned, he has the

opportunity to make progress and appropriately communicate with peers. By having this ability,

he will meet his need for attention when he is still able to communicate with classmates, but in a

more functional way.

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References

BOZKURT, S. S. (2014). An Analysis of the Use of Social Stories in Teaching Social Skills to
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice.

Elliot, S. (n.d.). Social Skills Rating System.

Kelly, K. S. (n.d.). Tech Tools to Support English Learners’ Literacy and Language
Development. Retrieved from Literacy Now:
https://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-now/2017/06/02/tech-tools-to-support-
english-learners-literacy-and-language-development

Lingraphica. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.aphasia.com/aac-devices/what-is-an-aac-device/

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). (n.d.). Retrieved from Pyramid Educational
Consultants: https://pecsusa.com/pecs/

Scheuermann, B. K., & Hall, J. A. (2016). Positve Behavioral Supports in the Classroom.
Pearson Education.

Schmidt, J. (n.d.). A Guide to Video Modeling. Retrieved from n2y: https://www.n2y.com/blog/a-

guide-to-video-modeling/

Zhongling, W., Chi Kuan Mak, M., Hu, B. Y., He, J., & Fan, X. (n.d.). A validation of the Social
Skills domain of the Social Skills Improvement System‐Rating Scales with Chinese
preschoolers. Psychology in the Schools, 56(1), 126-147.