Willard and Behaviorism 10/7

In my special education courses, I have learned mostly behaviorist ways to deal with student behavior. Due to that fact, there is probably a lot of behaviorist theory in my behavioral intervention. For example, I am a believer in positive and negative reinforcement, which are behaviorist concepts. In regards to the case study I have chosen, reinforcement can be easily used in the intervention. For example, every time Willard acts in an appropriate manner, give him positive verbal reinforcement such as “Great Job, Willard!” You can also create a behavior intervention plan that involves reinforcement. Such as, you tell Willard that you will be monitoring his behavior in regards to following classroom rules and procedures, and if he shows positive behavior you will give him a point. Dependent on the number of points he earns, hierarchies of reinforcers, chosen by Willard, will be provided. This will be done every afternoon. According to behaviorist theories, Willard will eventually make this positive behavior part of his repertoire regardless of the presence of reinforces. However, I see a lot of validity in the use of social cognitive concepts such as self-regulation. I think that students can really benefit from monitoring their own behavior if appropriate, which I studied in Vaughn and Bos Teaching Children with Learning and Behavior problems. For example, Willard can give himself a smiley face or a sad face based on his perception of his behavior. He can share his results with the teacher, and she can give him the necessary reinforcement.  This allows Willard to feel responsible for his behavior intervention, which in turn may have a positive effect on his behavior. I think for my CSEL paper on Willard, I am going to use the social cognitive theory due to the fact that there are some behaviorist concepts with modifications. I think that the concepts in this theory will have the most positive impact on Willard’s behavior.