AOTA

Dottie Handley-More, MS, OTR/L and Meira Orentlicher, PhD, OTR/L

Earn .1 AOTA CEU (1.25 NBCOT PDU/1 contact hour)

ABSTRACT

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a prevention-based framework for supporting academic and school behavior outcomes for all students. It includes interventions and supports in three tiers: whole school strategies, classroom-based or small group intensive approaches, and one-on-one interventions to prevent negative behaviors and increase prosocial and desirable behaviors. The ultimate goal of PBIS is to increase students’ participation in school-based occupations as well as student quality of life. This article reviews the philosophical, theoretical, and legal tenets of PBIS; strategies for supporting students in all three tiers; and roles that occupational therapy practitioners can play when implementing PBIS in schools.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Identify the legal mandates that address positive behavior interventions and supports in schools.
2. List the core components of schoolwide PBIS.
3. Identify the three tiers of PBIS intervention.
4. Recognize roles that occupational therapy practitioners can play when implementing PBIS in schools.

Learning Level: Intermediate

Target Audience: Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants

Content Focus: Category 2: Occupational Therapy Process

Reference Information: Handley-More, D., Orentlicher, M., (2013). Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports: A Role for Occupational Therapy in Schools. OT Practice, 18(11), CE-1–CE-8