Hence, variables that occur outside of the classroom have an impact on the teacher's ability to institute positive behavior support (PBS). That makes it all the more vital that strategies are in place in the classroom designed to deal with all setting events, distant and recent, when possible. Body of Paper -- Distant Setting Events & Antecedents

How do antecedents effect the behavior of students? Antecedents have a tendency to either pull individuals or push individuals into doing something, or feeling a certain way. Author Edward P. Sarafino points out that a stimulus serves as an antecedent; for example, children seeing other children rope jumping before class starts is a stimulus for an antecedent because it sets the table for behavior. The rope jumping is orderly, fun, and children have smiles when they to their rope jumping (Sarafino, 2010, 71).

Children learn through stimulus generalization, by responding to stimuli, and by physically moving part of the body to the desired action they are producing physical guidance (Sarafino, 77). When words are spoken or written they are verbal prompts, and there are pictorial prompts (the handle on the sink lets water flow). There are also modeling prompts (demonstrating how to perform a behavior better). What's the point of these prompts? For a teacher dealing with a student who is not performing the assigned task, in order to correct that behavioral deficit the teacher needs to know what cues usually precede the antecedent.

Next the teacher decides how to alter the antecedents to make "the behavior occur" less frequently. The teacher doesn't need to develop new antecedents through reinforcement, Sarafino explains; the use of the prompts is effective in most cases because they "…have a high degree of stimulus control to remind or help individuals to perform certain specific behaviors. When the stimulus control begins to shift away from the student's interest, the teacher must reduce the reliance on the prompt and this is referred to as fading (gradually removing the prompt so it becomes more like the "normal antecedent for the behavior) (Sarafino, 78).

In the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis Richard Smith and Brian Iwata suggest that there has been "relatively little attention" in the research as to the influence...

The statistics that Smith and colleague present shows that only 11.1% of subjects that have been treated for "maladaptive behavior received treatment primarily based upon manipulation of antecedent variables" (343-44). The reason for this dearth of emphasis on antecedent control is that "…operant behavior occurs (or does not occur) as a function of its consequences," hence, manipulating the consequences can produce behavior changes -- so the emphasis has been related to consequences, not to the antecedent event that stimulated the event. The emphasis in contemporary work with children that have special needs should be on understanding first the antecedent, whether from a distant setting or other stimulus. And proceeding from there.
Conclusion

When a teacher is trained in matters related to a student's emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD), that instructor should be fully prepared to ask the right questions of other teachers and experts in the field. The teacher should be kept appraised of the most contemporary interventions for EBD-related issues in the classroom, and moreover the teacher should have support materials, support staff, and an administration that understands the particular challenges that go with children who have special emotional and physical needs.

Works Cited

Baron, Grace M. (2006). Stress and Coping in Autism. New York: Oxford University Press.

Demchak, MaryAnn, and Greenfield, Robin G. (2003). Transition Portfolios for Students with Disabilities: How to Help Students, Teachers, and Families Handle New Settings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Durand, Vincent Mark. (1990). Severe Behavior Problems: A Functional Communication

Training Approach. New York: Guilford Press.

Sarafino, Edward P. (2010). Self-Management: Using Behavioral and Cognitive Principles to Manage Your Life. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.

Shapiro, Edward Steven. (2000). Behavioral Assessment in Schools: Theory, Research, and Clinical Foundations. New York: Guilford Press.

Smith, Richard G., and Iwata, Brian A. (1997). Antecedent Influences on Behavior Disorders.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,…