CEP Student Behavior & Classroom Management 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is a function-based approach to addressing challenging student behavior?
- Implementing the same consequence for all students who break a specific rule
- Determining what the student gains or avoids through the behavior before selecting an intervention (Correct answer)
- Applying increasingly severe punishments until the behavior stops
- Rewarding all students who do not display the same behavior
Correct answer: Determining what the student gains or avoids through the behavior before selecting an intervention
Function-based interventions identify the purpose of a behavior (gain attention, escape a task, etc.) so that the support directly addresses the underlying need.
Question 2: Extinction in applied behavior analysis (ABA) refers to:
- Punishing a behavior until it no longer occurs
- Withholding the reinforcer that has been maintaining a behavior (Correct answer)
- Replacing a problem behavior with an incompatible one
- Gradually reducing the frequency of rewards over time
Correct answer: Withholding the reinforcer that has been maintaining a behavior
Extinction involves no longer providing the reinforcement that previously maintained the behavior, which over time leads to the behavior decreasing.
Question 3: A student consistently disrupts class to gain peer attention. The most effective function-based intervention would be to:
- Remove the student from the classroom during disruptions
- Teach the student appropriate ways to seek peer attention and reinforce those behaviors (Correct answer)
- Ignore all disruptive behavior and provide no consequences
- Seat the student away from all peers permanently
Correct answer: Teach the student appropriate ways to seek peer attention and reinforce those behaviors
Teaching a replacement behavior that fulfills the same function (seeking peer attention appropriately) is more effective than simply punishing the disruption.
Question 4: Which scenario best illustrates the use of differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI)?
- Giving a student a sticker every hour they do not run in the hallway
- Praising a student for walking calmly in the hallway, since walking and running cannot occur simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Reducing a student's recess time each time they run in the hallway
- Allowing a student to run outside as a reward for walking inside
Correct answer: Praising a student for walking calmly in the hallway, since walking and running cannot occur simultaneously
DRI reinforces a behavior that is physically incompatible with the problem behavior, making it impossible to do both at the same time.
Question 5: A student with autism spectrum disorder begins to display self-stimulatory behavior (stimming) during a lesson. The paraprofessional should:
- Immediately stop the behavior by physically redirecting the student's hands
- Assess whether the behavior is interfering with learning before deciding to intervene (Correct answer)
- Ignore all stimming behavior in all situations
- Report the behavior as a new behavioral concern requiring a BIP update
Correct answer: Assess whether the behavior is interfering with learning before deciding to intervene
Not all stimming requires intervention; the paraprofessional should determine if the behavior is disrupting learning or causing harm before acting.
Question 6: Which statement about cultural differences in behavior is MOST accurate for a paraprofessional working with diverse students?
- All students should conform to mainstream US classroom behavior norms regardless of background
- Behaviors considered disrespectful in one culture may be signs of respect in another, and this context matters (Correct answer)
- Cultural background is not a factor in how students behave in school settings
- Paraprofessionals should not address cultural differences and leave it to counselors
Correct answer: Behaviors considered disrespectful in one culture may be signs of respect in another, and this context matters
Understanding cultural context helps paraprofessionals avoid misinterpreting culturally influenced behaviors as defiance or disrespect.
Question 7: A student frequently leaves their seat without permission during independent work time. Before assuming this is a behavioral issue, the paraprofessional should consider:
- Whether the student should be placed in a more restrictive setting
- Whether the student has an unmet sensory, physical, or academic need driving the behavior (Correct answer)
- Whether to contact the student's parents to address home behaviors
- Whether the student needs a stricter consequence for leaving their seat
Correct answer: Whether the student has an unmet sensory, physical, or academic need driving the behavior
Off-task or out-of-seat behavior often signals an unmet need such as sensory input, discomfort, or difficulty with the assigned work rather than intentional defiance.
CEP Student Behavior & Classroom Management 4
Which of the following is a function-based approach to addressing challenging student behavior?