Improving On-Task Behavior in Middle School Students With Disabilities Using Activity Schedules

Middle school students receiving special education services for specific learning disabilities and other health impairments often struggle to remain on task and meet independent work demands. Although a variety of strategies have been documented as effective in improving on-task behavior in students with disabilities, most are not contextually appropriate for public schools. Activity schedules may provide an efficient, minimally intrusive, and low-effort intervention for middle school classrooms. In this study, a concurrent multiple-baseline design across participants with an embedded reversal was used to examine the effects of activity schedules on the on-task and on-schedule behavior of four middle school students with disabilities in a resource classroom. Results demonstrate increased on-task and on-schedule behavior for all participants in math and language arts settings, and students and teachers indicated both that they enjoyed the activity schedule and that it improved on-task behavior and work completion. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.