This study examined the effects of classroom-wide positive behavior support (PBS) and individualized PBS on the target in-class behaviors of elementary students at risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and further investigated the ...
This study examined the effects of classroom-wide positive behavior support (PBS) and individualized PBS on the target in-class behaviors of elementary students at risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and further investigated the extent to which the target behaviors and intervention effects could be maintained using classroom-wide PBS alone after individualized support was withdrawn. To this end, a single-case experimental design with baseline–intervention–maintenance phases was implemented with two students at risk for ADHD enrolled in an inclusive general education classroom at an elementary school.
Classroom-wide PBS consisted of establishing classroom rules, an attention signal (focus chant), social skills instruction, token reinforcement, and a classroom thermometer (visual progress chart). Individualized PBS was implemented concurrently during the intervention phase and included instructional and learning-environment restructuring based on functional assessment, peer mentoring, self-regulation supports, and reinforcement delivered according to the Premack principle.
Target behaviors were defined as three behaviors: being seated in one’s own seat within 20 seconds after the class-start bell rang, sitting appropriately oriented (facing forward) in one’s chair during class, and keeping only class-related materials and writing utensils on the desk.
The results were as follows. First, mean latency to be seated at the start of class decreased from a baseline mean of 49.7 seconds to 20.2 seconds during intervention and 16.0 seconds during maintenance for Student A, and from 44.3 seconds to 16.9 seconds and 14.3 seconds, respectively, for Student B. Both students showed reduced latency during the intervention phase, and the improvement was stably maintained during the maintenance phase.
Second, the percentage of sitting appropriately oriented (facing forward) in one’s chair during class increased from 36.7% for Student A and 32.2% for Student B at baseline to 77.2% and 70.6% during intervention, respectively; however, during maintenance, the percentages were 43.3% and 53.3%, indicating partial maintenance—higher than baseline but lower than intervention-level performance.
Third, the percentage of keeping only class-related materials and writing utensils on the desk also markedly improved from baseline (Student A: 4.4%; Student B: 30.0%) to intervention (76.4%; 83.3%), but the intervention effects were not sufficiently maintained during the maintenance phase, as the mean level remained higher than baseline while some data points overlapped with baseline.
These findings suggest that classroom-wide PBS can function as a universal support system for students at risk for ADHD by rapidly improving or maintaining relatively simple behaviors that are sensitive to environmental cues, such as start-of-class routines, after individualized supports are withdrawn. In contrast, for more complex behaviors requiring self-regulation and organization—such as sitting appropriately oriented (facing forward) during instruction and desk organization—classroom-wide PBS alone showed limitations in maintaining intervention-level performance, indicating that more stable behavior change may be achieved when classroom-wide PBS is implemented in conjunction with individualized PBS informed by functional assessment.