Helping Your Family Thrive

A Practical Guide to Parenting With Positive Behavior Support

Authors: Meme Hieneman, Sarah Fefer, Shane Isley, Missy Sieders

Excerpted from Helping Your Family Thrive: A Practical Guide to Parenting with Positive Behavior Support by Meme Hieneman, Ph.D., BCBA, Sarah Fefer, Ph.D., BCBA, Shane Isley, M.S., BCBA, & Missy Sieders, B.A. ©2022 Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Contents

• About the Downloads
• About the Authors
• Foreword
• Note to the Reader
• Acknowledgments
• In Memoriam
• I Introduction and Overview: Positive Behavior Support for Families
• Chapter 1: Introducing Positive Behavior Support
• Chapter 2: Understanding Family Systems
• II Five Steps to Help Your Family Thrive: Using Positive Behavior Support
• Chapter 3: Completing a Family Self-Assessment
• Chapter 4: Creating Your Family Vision and Expectations
• Chapter 5: Arranging Your Family Environment to Promote Success
• Chapter 6: Teaching Behavioral Expectations
• Chapter 7: Monitoring Outcomes and Problem Solving
• III Making It Work
• Chapter 8: Building Family Processes to Promote Success
• Chapter 9: The Denison Family
• Chapter 10: The Sanchez Family
• Resources
• Bibliography
• Index

About the Authors

Meme Hieneman, Ph.D., BCBA

Consultant with Positive Behavior Support Applications, Faculty Member at Purdue University Global, President of the Home and Community Positive Behavior Support Network. Meme has diverse experience working with organizations that support children with behavioral challenges.

Sarah Fefer, Ph.D., BCBA

Associate Professor of School Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Sarah supports children, youth, families, and schools in meeting the needs of students with challenging behavior.

Shane Isley, M.S., BCBA

Founder/Director of West Coast Behavioural Consultants. Shane uses behavioral science to create significant changes in family environments and promotes intensive family-centered interventions.

Missy Sieders, B.A.

Parent Advisor at PEAK Parent Training and Information Center. Missy focuses on inclusive education practices for students with disabilities and offers training to families and educators.

Foreword

Positive behavior support (PBS) is a strategy developed to address serious challenging behaviors of individuals, initially focused on those with significant disabilities. PBS aims to create an environment that fosters positive behavior through understanding context and building appropriate support systems.

Introduction and Overview

This section introduces PBS as a proactive and holistic approach that addresses behavior within the family context. It summarizes the steps to implement PBS effectively, emphasizing collaboration among family members to establish a conducive environment for positive behavioral patterns.

Core Features of Positive Behavior Support

• Understanding Behavior: Recognizing the context and purposes behind behavior.
• Developing Comprehensive Support Plans: Strategies that consider family dynamics and individual needs.
• Creating Proactive Strategies: Setting up environments and schedules to minimize challenging behaviors.
• Teaching Replacement Skills: Equipping family members with necessary skills for better behavioral management.
• Managing Consequences: Implementing ways to reinforce desired behaviors and minimize reinforcement of challenging ones.

Summary: What Is Positive Behavior Support?

PBS is an effective method for enhancing family dynamics by understanding and supporting behavior, ensuring that families thrive through collaborative efforts and proactive strategies.