Category: Rewards and Consequences
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Both Sides Get Social-Emotional Learning Wrong And Keep Pushing the One System That Harms Kids Most, PBIS
In today’s chaotic and polarized political environment, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) has become one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented concepts in education. What should be a universally embraced tool to help students develop self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, and resilience has instead become a lightning rod for controversy. Politicians from both ends of the political spectrum…
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Bullied by Peers and Bullied by PBIS
As an autistic person, school was never a place I felt truly safe, included, or supported. Recently I came across a social media post based on the Autistic Not Weird 2022 Autism Survey. Seeing statistics like these—where almost 70% of autistic students reported having a negative school experience—unfortunately doesn’t surprise me at all. I was…
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“I’m Stupid; My Brain is Wrong”: How Broken Systems Harm Children and Families
“I’m stupid; my brain is wrong, and the only way to fix it is to die.” How many parents have heard these words from a neurodivergent child? How does one respond? “I wish I could die and come back with a new brain.” How many parents have ever felt this way about themselves because of…
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Challenging Outdated Practices in Behavioral Assessment: A Call for Change
In an era where education must rise to meet the needs of all learners, the recently released guidance titled “Using Functional Behavioral Assessments to Create Supportive Learning Environments” (November 2024) fails to reflect approaches grounded in trauma-sensitive care, neuroscience, and neurodiversity-affirming practices. The guidance reinforces outdated frameworks that prioritize managing behavior over fostering safety, connection,…
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Stickers Don’t Work for Adults Either
We are a society of “earners.” The transactional systems many of us have been raised on that focus on earning prizes, tickets, and rewards do not have the expected effect. It does not create intrinsic motivation. I could quote Alfie Kohn from his book “Punished by Rewards” here. But what I am seeing is that…
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A Literature Review Examining the Ineffectiveness of Punitive Discipline and Corporal Punishment
Punitive discipline and corporal punishment have long been widespread practices in schools to address stress behavior of students. Over the last two decades, a growing body of evidence has shown that such approaches are not effective in correcting stress behavior and are detrimental to students’ well-being. In fact, evidence-based data suggests that punitive discipline and corporal punishment have a…
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Neurodiversity, Behavior, and the Problem with PBIS
While no two nervous systems are identical, some characteristics are more common than others. People with these more common traits are called neurotypical. People with less common configurations are called neurodivergent. Autism, ADHD, epilepsy, Down syndrome, Tourette syndrome, depression, dyslexia, and dyspraxia are some common types of neurodivergence, though there are many more.
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Point and Level Systems: Misguided, Ineffective, Discriminatory, and Potentially Illegal
Point and level systems are another (misguided) tool in the behaviorist toolkit. The point and level system approach seems to have evolved from the idea of token economies based on B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning principles. A point and level system is a behavioral management approach often used by educators in programs for students who exhibit behaviors of…
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The Six C’s Approach to See Children Differently
Individuals with neurodivergent brains have different experiences. Neurodivergent brains learn differently, think differently, and exist in the world differently. These differences can challenge the neurodivergent individual when trying to learn, thrive, and live in an environment not designed for them and their unique needs. This different way of being in the world can create experiences…
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Please Stop Publicizing Classroom Disruptions
I have been concerned about a trend on social media for a while. I haven’t written about it because while I knew where I stood philosophically, I have been trying to understand how people who are probably well-intended people could be participating in this behavior. I know you have seen videos and pictures of large…