Self-management within a classroom token economy for students with learning disabilities

Area of Science:

• * Special Education
• * Behavioral Psychology
• * Educational Psychology

Background:

• * Students with disabilities in restrictive settings often exhibit behaviors hindering mainstream integration.
• * A levels system is a common behavior management strategy involving progressive behavioral standards.
• * Previous levels systems showed limited progress for some students due to persistent inappropriate behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To evaluate the effectiveness of a self-management system combined with a levels system for students with learning disabilities.
• * To reduce inappropriate verbalizations and improve behavioral progression in a self-contained classroom.
• * To facilitate the integration of students with learning disabilities into inclusive educational settings.

Main Methods:

• * A multiple-baseline-across-subjects experimental design was employed.
• * Two middle school students with learning disabilities participated.
• * A levels system within a token economy was augmented with self-management training focused on self-recording of verbalizations and behavioral consequence discussions.

Main Results:

• * The combined intervention led to a substantial decrease in inappropriate verbalizations.
• * Participants demonstrated improved progress through the levels system.
• * The accuracy of self-recording was a key component in the intervention's success.

Conclusions:

• * Self-management training, particularly accurate self-recording, is effective when integrated with levels systems and token economies.
• * This approach can significantly improve behavior and academic/social progress for students with learning disabilities.
• * Findings highlight the importance of accurate self-monitoring for behavioral interventions in educational settings.