Introduction
Competency 0007 of the PECT Special Education 7–12 Module 2 focuses on creating, managing, and modifying learning environments that support the success of secondary students with disabilities. This competency spans proactive environmental design, disability access, behavioral support systems, and crisis prevention — all essential skills for an inclusive special educator.
This lesson covers: (1) Universal Design for Learning in secondary environments, (2) accommodations vs. modifications, (3) removing accessibility barriers, (4) self-advocacy and self-determination, (5) PBIS as a behavioral support framework, (6) positive reinforcement strategies, (7) Functional Behavioral Assessment, (8) Behavior Intervention Plans, and (9) crisis prevention and de-escalation.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Secondary Settings
The Three UDL Principles (CAST Framework)
UDL is a proactive approach to curriculum design that reduces barriers to learning before they occur, rather than retrofitting after the fact. Applied to secondary special education, UDL means designing inclusive instruction from the start.
| UDL Principle | What It Addresses | Secondary Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Means of Representation | How information is presented — the "what" of learning | Provide written text, audio recordings, and video for the same content; use graphic organizers alongside textbook readings; pre-teach vocabulary; offer digital text for text-to-speech |
| Multiple Means of Action and Expression | How students demonstrate knowledge — the "how" of learning | Allow oral responses, written essays, multimedia presentations, or portfolios; offer speech-to-text for students with motor disabilities; allow dictation for students with dysgraphia |
| Multiple Means of Engagement | Why students are motivated to learn — the "why" of learning | Offer student choice in topics, partners, or product type; connect content to student interests and cultural backgrounds; use collaborative structures that reduce performance anxiety; provide self-reflection opportunities |
Exam tip: UDL is about designing flexible environments that work for ALL students — not just students with disabilities. It reduces the need for individual accommodations by building flexibility into the curriculum from the start.
Accommodations vs. Modifications
Definitions and Distinctions
| Accommodation | Modification | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Changes HOW a student accesses content or demonstrates knowledge — does NOT change the standard or expectation | Changes WHAT the student is expected to learn — alters the standard, curriculum content, or performance criteria |
| When appropriate | When the student can master grade-level content with support (most students with SLD, ADHD, physical disabilities, sensory disabilities) | When grade-level standards are not appropriate for the student; typically used with students who have significant cognitive disabilities and are working on alternate achievement standards |
| Examples | Extended time, text-to-speech, read-aloud, calculator, preferential seating, reduced distraction setting, scribe, breaks | Reduced number of problems, simplified text at a lower reading level, alternate assignment that covers fewer standards, grading on a different scale |
Critical note: Modifications can have long-term consequences for students. A student who consistently receives modified (alternate) work may not earn a standard diploma in Pennsylvania. IEP teams should carefully consider whether a modification truly serves the student's long-term interests.
Addressing Accessibility Barriers
Types of Barriers and Solutions
- Physical barriers: Inaccessible classrooms, lack of ramps or elevators, lab tables at incorrect heights. Solutions: 504/IEP accommodations for accessible seating, adapted furniture, accessible pathways, consulting with OT/PT for equipment needs.
- Sensory barriers: Fluorescent lighting sensitivity for students with ASD or migraines; acoustic challenges for students with hearing loss. Solutions: preferential seating near the teacher, FM systems for students with hearing aids, reduced visual clutter, flexible lighting options.
- Cognitive barriers: Text complexity, dense information presentation, abstract concepts without visual supports. Solutions: graphic organizers, chunked instruction, vocabulary pre-teaching, study guides, leveled supplementary texts.
- Communication barriers: Environments that rely solely on verbal communication disadvantage students who are non-verbal, use AAC, or have significant language processing difficulties. Solutions: multimodal communication supports, AAC devices available and charged, visual schedules and choice boards, visual response options.
Assistive Technology Solutions by Barrier Type
- Reading: Text-to-speech software (Kurzweil 3000, Read&Write, Voice Dream Reader), audiobooks, digital text, e-readers with adjustable font size
- Writing: Speech-to-text (Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Google Voice Typing), word prediction software, graphic organizer apps (Inspiration), word processors with spell check
- Math: Talking calculators, virtual manipulatives, graph paper for alignment, AT apps for step-by-step problem solving
- Communication: AAC devices (iPad with Proloquo2Go), PECS boards, communication apps, FM amplification systems
- Organization: Digital calendars, reminder apps, timers, color-coded organizational systems, digital note-taking tools
Fostering Self-Advocacy and Independence
Self-Determination Framework (Wehmeyer)
Self-determination is the ability to make choices and decisions that affect one's own life — a critical skill for post-secondary success. Wehmeyer's model includes four essential characteristics:
- Autonomy: Acting according to one's own preferences and interests, free from undue external control.
- Self-regulation: Setting goals, self-monitoring, self-evaluating, and self-reinforcing progress toward those goals.
- Psychological empowerment: Believing that one has the capacity to affect outcomes; internal locus of control.
- Self-realization: Knowing one's own strengths, limitations, and the ways one learns best.
Teaching self-advocacy: Students need to understand their own disability, know their legal rights (especially as they approach age 18), identify their effective accommodations, and practice requesting supports from teachers, employers, and institutions. Students should be actively involved in their IEP meetings — ideally leading parts of the meeting — well before age 18.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Three-Tier PBIS Framework
| Tier | Target Population | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 — Universal | All students (100%) | School-wide expectations explicitly taught, practiced, and reinforced (e.g., Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible); consistent acknowledgment systems; clear predictable routines; school-wide data review |
| Tier 2 — Targeted | ~15–20% of students not fully successful with Tier 1 | Check-in/Check-out (CICO) behavior monitoring; social skills groups; mentoring programs; structured breaks; function-based group interventions; increased positive reinforcement frequency |
| Tier 3 — Intensive Individualized | ~5% of students with the most significant behavioral needs | Individualized FBA-based Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP); wraparound services; coordination with mental health providers; intensive daily monitoring; may overlap with IEP behavioral goals |
Data systems: PBIS relies on data for decision making. Office Discipline Referrals (ODRs) are the primary data metric — teams review ODR patterns (who, when, where, what behavior) monthly. The SWIS (School-Wide Information System) is a commonly used data platform. Suspensions and exclusions are tracked as equity indicators.
Positive Reinforcement Strategies
Schedules of Reinforcement
| Schedule | Description | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous (CRF) | Reinforce every instance of the target behavior | Learning new behaviors; building initial skills. Quickest acquisition but fastest extinction when reinforcement is removed. |
| Fixed Ratio (FR) | Reinforce after a fixed number of responses (e.g., FR-5: reinforce after every 5 correct responses) | Maintaining already-learned behaviors; productivity tasks |
| Variable Ratio (VR) | Reinforce after an unpredictable number of responses (e.g., sometimes after 3, sometimes after 7) | Maintaining high, consistent rates of behavior; most resistant to extinction (slot machine effect) |
| Fixed Interval (FI) | Reinforce the first response after a fixed time period | Creates scallop effect — behavior increases as the interval end approaches |
| Variable Interval (VI) | Reinforce the first response after an unpredictable time period | Maintaining steady, moderate rates of behavior; good for on-task behavior monitoring |
- Token economy: Students earn tokens (points, stickers, tallies) for target behaviors; tokens are exchanged for backup reinforcers (choice, privileges, preferred activities). Effective for classrooms with multiple students across diverse reinforcer preferences.
- Behavior-specific praise (BSP): Praise that names the specific behavior demonstrated ("I noticed you raised your hand and waited quietly — great self-control"). More effective than generic praise ("Good job").
- Choice-making: Offering choices (which task to do first, where to sit, which tool to use) is both a motivational strategy and a strategy for reducing escape-motivated behavior.
Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)
FBA Purpose and Process
- Purpose: To identify the function (reason/purpose) of a student's challenging behavior so that an effective, function-matched intervention can be developed. Behavior is communication — it serves a purpose for the student.
- Four functions of behavior:
- Attention (from adults, peers, or both)
- Escape/Avoidance (from task, setting, person, or sensory experience)
- Access to tangibles or preferred activities
- Sensory/Automatic reinforcement (the behavior itself produces reinforcing sensory feedback)
- ABC analysis: Antecedent → Behavior → Consequence. Document multiple ABC sequences to identify patterns in what triggers the behavior and what maintains it (the consequence that inadvertently reinforces it).
- Data collection methods: Direct observation (scatter plot, ABC narrative, interval recording), interviews with teachers and parents, review of records, rating scales.
- Communicating FBA findings: The FBA report summarizes the target behavior, hypothesized function, setting events, and antecedent-behavior-consequence patterns. This report directly informs the BIP.
Crisis Prevention and De-Escalation
The Crisis Cycle (Stages)
Understanding the stages of a behavioral crisis allows educators to intervene early — before a student reaches the peak of the cycle:
- Calm: Student is regulated and responsive; optimal time for teaching, reinforcing expectations, and building relationships.
- Trigger: A specific event or series of events sets off a behavioral response (e.g., receiving a failing grade, a peer conflict, a demand to complete a difficult task). Prevention happens here — reduce, modify, or teach coping for known triggers.
- Agitation: Student shows unfocused, off-task behavior — fidgeting, pacing, refusing. De-escalation is most effective here: use calm voice, reduce demands temporarily, offer a break or choice, avoid power struggles.
- Acceleration: Behavior escalates — arguing, yelling, threatening. Maintain safety; reduce stimulation; do not argue; give space; use the minimum necessary verbal prompts.
- Peak: The most intense phase — physical aggression, property destruction, self-injury. Prioritize safety; follow crisis protocols; physical intervention only as a last resort after all other strategies have failed and imminent danger exists.
- De-escalation: Student begins to calm; behavior decreases in intensity. This phase requires patience — it is NOT the time to deliver consequences or process the incident. Give the student time and space.
- Recovery: Student returns to calm. This is the time for: a brief, calm debriefing; reconnecting; re-teaching expected behavior; and completing delayed consequences if appropriate.
Restraint and seclusion: Physical restraint and seclusion are to be used only as a last resort when a student is an imminent danger to themselves or others, and only by trained staff. Pennsylvania law requires documentation and parental notification following any use of restraint or seclusion. These interventions should never be used as punishments or convenience measures.
Key Takeaways for the PECT 016
- UDL proactively eliminates barriers through multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement — it benefits all students, not just those with IEPs.
- Accommodations change HOW students access content; modifications change WHAT they are expected to learn — this distinction is critical for PECT.
- Self-determination includes autonomy, self-regulation, psychological empowerment, and self-realization; students should be taught to advocate for themselves and participate in their own IEP meetings.
- PBIS Tier 1 targets all students with school-wide positive expectations; Tier 2 provides targeted supports; Tier 3 involves individualized FBA-based interventions.
- Variable ratio reinforcement is most resistant to extinction (most effective for maintenance); continuous reinforcement is best for initial skill acquisition.
- FBA identifies the function of behavior — the BIP must match the function. An attention-maintained behavior requires an attention-based replacement, not an escape-based intervention.
- De-escalation is most effective at the agitation phase of the crisis cycle — wait for recovery before processing the incident or delivering consequences.
- Restraint and seclusion are last resorts — Pennsylvania law requires documentation and parent notification following any use.