Individualized Supports for Students with Problem Behaviors

This landmark handbook presents a comprehensive and practice-oriented overview of Positive Behavior Support (PBS), a transformative approach that reshaped how educators and clinicians work with challenging behavior. Emerging in the 1980s from applied behavior analysis (ABA), PBS marked a decisive shift from punitive discipline toward reinforcing positive, functional behaviors within natural environments. Grounded in a social-ecological framework, the book integrates theory, research, and real-world application to demonstrate how PBS improves outcomes for children across educational, family, and mental health settings.

Key Features:

• Traces the origins, historical development, and ethical foundations of Positive Behavior Support
• Written by leading experts and primary developers of PBS, ensuring authoritative coverage
• Details applications in early childhood and family contexts, including Head Start, foster care, mental health services, and autism programs
• Explores school-based and schoolwide PBS models designed to support all students, regardless of ability or behavioral challenges
• Examines the integration of PBS with wraparound services, mental health systems, and the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework
• Addresses critical implementation issues such as parenting, staff training, high school applications, and improving underperforming schools
• Provides data-driven insights and research-based guidance for effective practice
• Serves as an essential reference for school-based practitioners, clinicians, researchers, and professionals in child, school, and educational psychology