The 16 behavior management interventions delivered one-on-one showed greater improvements in participants’ self-regulation than those using group-based formats.

Behavior management interventions often address specific behaviors that may differ across children in a classroom or service setting. Because they tend to focus on rewarding specific positive behaviors and penalizing specific negative behaviors, these interventions better lend themselves to more individualized formats because rewards or sanctions can be delivered directly following a behavior. Individualized formats allow youth to receive direct feedback on their behavior, often frequently. The focused attention in and of itself may also enhance the effectiveness of the provided treatment. Providing an intervention in a one-on-one format reduces or eliminates the distraction of other peers, which may increase the likelihood that youth engage fully with the intervention and with the provider. Individualized formats also allow for greater flexibility in tailoring the activities of the intervention more closely to the specific needs of the youth.

Many of the interventions in our evidence base with an individualized format used a form of contracting between youth and teacher or provider that specified behavioral goals, established a means of monitoring and feedback, and identified rewards if the goals were achieved – or sanctions if they were not. The use of behavioral contracting, which is specific to only one student, allows for an individualized intervention to be conducted in a regular classroom setting.

Assess Feasibility

Program objectives.
Revisit what your program is trying to achieve and the role of group services in meeting those objectives. If you primarily use group formats, is this format a necessary step toward achieving other outcomes besides improved self-regulation?
Program structure.
Can your program’s infrastructure and staffing accommodate an individualized format? What would need to change about how your program operates?
Resources.
What resources would need to be added or shifted to accommodate format changes? Would you need additional staff to continue serving the same numbers of youth?
Context.
Assess where you might implement one-on-one services. If a school-based program, can teachers make time to provide individualized feedback to students during the school day?

Take Action

Consider any of the following depending on the results of your feasibility assessment:

Adjust group formats. It is often necessary to use a group format. If using group sessions, discuss with your team how to structure them to create opportunities for individual attention. Use delivery personnel with strong skills to support the development of positive one-on-one relationships with youth participants.
Increase the amount of time spent in individualized services relative to group services, or augment current group formats with individualized formats, if feasible.
Consider prioritizing individualized services for just the youth presenting with behavior problems, rather than try to provide all youth with individualized services.
Increase the number of staff or trained volunteers as necessary. For example, connect with pro-bono counseling programs or graduate schools (e.g., social work, counseling, family therapy) in your community to add capacity to assist teachers in their classrooms, with appropriate supervision.

Breadcrumb

Deliver one-on-one

Outcome

Self-Regulation

Intervention Family

Behavior Management Interventions

Deliver One-on-One

Evidence

Assess Feasibility

Take Action

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