Manifestation Determination: What is it and when do you need one?

When  a school conducts a manifestation determination, it is usually because they want to determine whether or not a problem behavior, which would cause a student to be suspended or expelled, is a manifestation of his or her disability. School personnel may conduct a manifestation determination any time that they are concerned about a behavior. Typically, however, it is done when the school is required to conduct  a manifestation determination by law.

The school is required to conduct a manifestation determination when a student's behavior has caused him or her to be removed from class, either by out of school suspension or by in school suspension for ten cumulative days. This is required regardless of whether it is the same behavior every time or different behaviors each time, or a combination. Once a student has been removed for ten days, the school is required to conduct a manifestation determination in order to determine whether or not the disability is a manifestation of the student's disability.

Parents should be notified of the manifestation determination and invited to a meeting to review the data that the school has collected. The parents should be a part of the team conducting the manifestation determination. The data that the team may collect includes: information about why the student was referred for special education, evaluation data from initial and triannual evaluations, behavior observations, teacher interviews, student interviews, parent interviews, any medical information that is available, or any other information that the team feels is necessary. 

Once the team has collected the information, met, and made a determination, what happens next depends on what the team has determined. If the team determines that the behavior is a manifestation of the disability, Then the team must next conduct a FUBA (functional behavior assessment) and then a BIP (behavior intervention plan). A functional behavior assessment is conducted by gathering any necessary data to determine the function of the behavior. The results of the FUBA are  used to write the behavior interention plan. The school should implement the BIP and keep data to determine if it is effective. If improvement in the behavior is not seen within a reasonable amount of time, the behavior intervention plan should be revised.

If the team determines that the behavior is not a manifiestation of the disability, the school may implement disciplinary procedures as they would with any other student . The school must provide special education services during the time that the student is suspended if the student has already been removed from class for 10 days. At any time, the IEP team can meet to discuss educational placement based on data. The team can decide that a different placement is necessary for the student to recieve FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education). This can happen during a manifestation determination or while doing a FUBA or writing a BIP. A change of placement can also occur at any other time that the IEP team is meeting, if the team feels it is appropriate. It is important to remember that the parents are a part of the IEP team along with the school personnel.

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Simple Classroom Management Techniques for Teachers

Managing a classroom full of students can be a challenging thing to do. Beginning teachers struggle with classroom management but so do experienced teachers who sometimes need a refresher. There are some simple things that can help to keep a classroom functioning in an orderly fashion that helps promote learning. These strategies can also be used by parents at home with small modifications.

Clear Precise and Consistent RulesIt is important to have clear, consistent and precise rules in order to maintain an orderly classroom. If the classroom rules are vague, too numerous, or rarely referenced, they will soon be forgotten and ignored. If the rules are not consistently enforced, it becomes nearly impossible to enforce the rules.

Classroom rules should be explicitly taught at the beginning of the school year and clearly posted so that they are visible all year. This is only the first step. Throughout the school year, the teacher should often reference the class rules to keep them fresh in the minds of the students.

The key to having effective classroom rules is that there be no more than five rules and that the rules be clearly stated and explained so that all students know exactly what is expected. An example set of class rules might be: 1. Only one person talks at a time. (this covers no talking when the teacher is talking and also allows for orderly classroom discussions) 2. Be where you are assigned to be when you are scheduled to be there. (this covers being in class on time and remaining in the assigned seat or work station).  3. Follow directions the first time they are given 4. Speak and act with respect for all class members.

These rules cover most classroom management situations and are few enough that they can be remembered. If a student breaks a rule, the teacher should immediately ask the student what the rule says. *Note that the rules state what we want to have the students do rather than what we do not want them to do.

Finally, the classroom rules need to be enforced consistently. If the rules are only enforced part of the time, the students will soon infer that they do not need to follow the rules all of the time. Always enforce the rules by treating the students with respect, remind them privately of the rule rather than in front of the whole class.


Whisper, Don't Shout
When a classroom gets loud, it is tempting for the teacher to speak louder to gain the attention of the students. Shouting over the noise of the students only serves to increase the noise in the classroom. A much better way to get the student's attention is to whisper. Start whispering as you walk around the room. As students start to hear you, they will start to quiet down. This creates a chain effect. As more students stop talking, others will follow. A good idea is to whisper things like "The first person to raise their hand gets five extra credit points on their next assignment" or "The first person to hold up a pencil gets an extra hall pass." You can do this randomly during class. As the students start to figure out that you will whisper chances for them to get things they want, they will start to be quiet so they can hear you.

Proximity Control
Being near the students can be enough to bring them back to the group. It is a good idea for the teacher to spend as much time as possible circulating the room, walking between desks and checking on students, for many reasons but classroom control is one of them. The teacher's proximity to the students makes them less likely to stop paying attention and do something else. If you notice a student who is not paying attention, simply keep teaching but make your way toward the student. Stop next to the student's desk and keep teaching. You don't have to say anything to the student. Chances are that your being there is enough to get the student back on track.

Precision Commands
Precision commands are very effective but there are a few cautions. First, be careful not to overuse precision commands. they lose their effectiveness if they are used too much. Save this technique for more difficult cases. Second, be sure to pre-plan your consequences. If you wait to determine the consequence in the moment you may offer a consequence that is ineffective or difficult to implement. Third, do not raise your voice or use disparaging remarks. Finally, be aware that some cultures do not allow for a child to make eye contact with an adult. If this is the case, do not make eye contact, skip that step.
The steps for precision commands are:
1. Position yourself so that you are within 2-3 feet of the student.
2. Make eye contact.
3. State a polite request (not a question) for example "Johnny, please take your seat."
4. Wait 3-5 seconds for a response.
If the student complies, praise compliance. If the student does not comply, move to step 5.
5. Restate the command using steps 1-4, using the words "you need to" for example, "Johnny, you need to take your seat."
If the student complies, praise compliance. If the student does not comply, move to step 6.
6. Restate the command in the same manner adding "or (pre-planned consequence). For example: "Johnny, you need to take your seat or you will need to stay for two minutes after class." If the student complies, praise the compliance. If the student does not comply, follow through with the consequence.

*It is important that you not raise your voice and that you are close to the student. If you correct a behavior in front of the other students, you run the risk of embarrassing the student and provoking a negative response that makes things worse.
 More information about precision commands can be found here.
Planned Ignoring
Often times students will exhibit undesirable behaviors in an effort to get the teacher's attention. Minor behaviors designed to get the teacher's attention can be managed using planned ignoring.

When ignoring the behavior, do not acknowledge the behavior. Simply continue with what you are doing. Praise other students who are not exhibiting the behavior. Be sure that when the student is not exhibiting the behavior that the student is praised for behaving appropriately and that the student receives interaction with you.

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The Non-Compliant Child - Some Simple, Easy, and Free Steps

In order to effectively manage non-compliant behavior, we must first examine the reasons for the non-compliance. If a child is not complying with a request because he does not know how to do what he is being asked to do, offering rewards for completing the task will not be successful. Some issues of non-compliance are easy to fix. Behavior can be improved with small easy changes. The focus of this blog entry will be on the simple fixes. More challenging behaviors will require more intensive interventions.

Non-Specific Requests
If a child is not complying with your request, take a look at how it was phrased. Was it clear what you wanted the child to do? Did something in your request give the impression that there was an option? If you said "Don't you think it's time to..." , you never really made a request. The child could decide that no it is not time to do it and ignore the request. "I need you to get to work" is not specific enough. What is it exactly is it that you want the child to do. "You need to complete your math assignment now" is more specific and leaves no question about what it is that should be done. Additionally, people who have trouble with social cues, such as people on the Autism Spectrum, will not understand that "Why haven't you cleaned up this mess?" Is not really a request for an explanation but it is a request that the mess get cleaned up. The why statements may get you an answer to the question (such as "I don't want to") rather than getting the mess cleaned up.

To make your requests more specific, follow these steps:
1. Decide what it is that you want to be done.
2. Clearly state the request in a statement rather than a question. (This can be done with politeness and need not be blunt.) For example: It is time to work on your English assignment. Please take out your book and materials and follow the directions on the assignment sheet.
3. Do not engage in a negotiation or debate about the request. Simply repeat the instructions if the child begins to argue.

Requests That Are Too Difficult or Overwhelming
If the request you have made of the child is something that is too difficult for them to do, no amount of asking is going to help. The child simply cannot do what you ask. You should first teach the child step by step to do what you are asking of him. Another option is to modify your request to something that the child is able to do. For example, If a child is asked to rake the leaves, the child may not do it. With a closer look, we may discover that while the child is capable of raking the leaves, it may be difficult for the child to get the leaves into the bag alone. To improve the chances of compliance, the request could be stated as "Go rake the leaves into a pile and then I will come help you get them into bags."

Sometimes, a request made seems like a big job to tackle and the child does not know where to begin or is simply overwhelmed at the process and does not begin the process. In this instance, compliance may be increased by breaking the request down into a series of smaller steps. Rather than "Get started on your science project." You might start with "Select a topic from this list of possibilities." and then "Make a list of things you will need." and so on until the project is complete. When at home, "clean your room" may be an overwhelming task. Instead start with something small "Put your toys in the toy box." Once that is complete, move on to "Put your dirty clothes in the hamper." Then you might say "Please make your bed." Older children can be given a checklist to follow rather than a series of verbal commands. Also, compliance is likely to be increased if the child's efforts are acknowledged between each step. You can try things like "I can see you are making good progress" or "I appreciate how much work you are putting into this."

The Unmotivated Child
Like many adults, sometimes children are just not motivated to do what they are being asked to do. Motivation can be increased by giving the child something to work for. Sometimes having a clean room is not motivating enough for the child to clean the room. Sometimes getting a good grade is not itself, something the child is interested in and therefore not worth the effort. Getting the child involved in an activity that has a requirement for the child to maintain a certain grade point average can provide the needed motivation. Other things can also provide the necessary motivation. Offer a sleepover with friends for maintaining a clean room for a set amount of time. Smaller intermittent rewards can also be effective and need not take a lot of time or money. "Complete 10 homework problems and then you can take a break and watch your favorite TV show before you finish the rest."

If tangible rewards are something you would like to stay away from, praise for the effort can be an effective motivator. When you see your child putting in effort to accomplish a task, acknowledge the effort. "I am glad to see how hard you are working on keeping your room clean." or "I can see how hard you worked on this English paper. Keep up the good work." If the child is aware that their efforts are noticed and appreciated, the child is more likely to continue putting in the effort.


Another motivating activity might be tracking progress. This can be particularly effective when the child is learning a new skill that she is not particularly motivated to learn. If a child is learning to do math facts and does not want to do it, it can be helpful to time the child for two minutes each day and chart how many problems the child can do in that time. The child will have a visual image of her improvement and be motivated to continue to improve.



For More Information:
Intervention Central
Utah's Least Restrictive Behavior Interventions

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