Case
Aligning Reward Systems for Consistent Behavioral Management in Special Education

The Occupational Therapist does not follow the same "rewards" procedure as our classroom. She pulls a student twice a week, and gives him candy every time. We want to work on an overall reward since he is high functioning and capable of possibly being mainstreamed into a basic education setting. Sometimes, when he comes back to class, he goofs off and doesn't complete work since he received his "reward" from the Occupational Therapist.

Posted on: 10/03/21 | Views: 194
Solution #1
I would communicate with the occupational therapist about how you would like to work on an overall reward with the goal of the student being mainstreamed into a basic education setting and see if you can compromise. Perhaps the student could be rewarded in class after he has been pulled by the occupational therapist. If not, I would speak with the student about the classroom expectations and how your expectations may differ from those of the occupational therapist but that he is to still complete work in class regardless of whether or not he has already been rewarded. You could also offer him a greater incentive than candy to motivate him to still complete his work anyways.
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Solution #2
I think it would be best to sit down with the OT and the student and create a plan for in the classroom and in the OT room that everyone agrees on. Once everyone agrees, begin implementing immediately.
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Solution #3
I would talk to the ot about rewards and what you do in your classroom.
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Solution #4
I would set up a meeting with the occupational therapist to discuss rewards. The OT should also be included in the IEP meeting and this should be discussed in the IEP meeting.
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Solution #5
I would definitely have a discussion with the OT. I don't think you'll be able to convince the student to perform at a "reduced" reward rate, it likely is a big motivator to them. I would either increase your rewards to match or have the OT lower theirs. The latter may spark an initial backlash but it should vanish quickly.
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Solution #6
I would definitely speak with the OT about your goals for this student and how important the reward system is. This will open the conversation and maybe it is a misunderstanding. She might do this for all of her students and not realize the importance.
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Solution #7
I would have a meeting with this therapist. It’s apparent that the students academia is being hindered by receiving rewards during this time. It would be a good idea to creat a universal reward procedure that does not hinder the child’s academia.
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Solution #8
This happens at my school and it is the most annoying thing in the world. Codes get called on students for any number of classroom disruptions, so they get taken out of the class, the ESE specialist removes them, and they come back with a treat of some kind. It's just reinforcing the behavior to get out of class. We have discussed this within our grade-level teams, as well as brought these concerns to the administration's attention.
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Solution #9
You guys both need to get on the same page. I would have a talk with her and refer to the students IEP.
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