Implementation of paraprofessional behavior support coaching: A study of behavior concerns and interventions used in elementary schools

Limited research has been conducted on coaching of paraprofessionals who serve students with disruptive behaviors. This study builds upon a randomized controlled trial investigating the intervention effects of the Behavior Support Coaching for Paraprofessionals model by examining the specific behavior concerns, coaching goals, and interventions used during behavior support coaching implementation. This study consists of 83 elementary school paraprofessionals who received behavior support coaching and served 163 elementary school students from 27 schools. Behavior support coaches used observational data to identify student behavior needs, set goals, prioritize intervention supports, and monitor progress toward goals. Results revealed inappropriate physical and verbal behaviors were most often targeted as behavior goals. Coaches and paraprofessionals and classroom teachers utilized a broad range of research‐based behavior interventions, with token economy and behavioral contract most often implemented. Results indicated significant change in observed student nonengagement and inappropriate physical behaviors when these are targeted as behavior goals. Implications of these findings for research and school practice are presented. Practitioner Points Token economy, behavioral contract, and response cost raffle are popular behavioral interventions used with children who have or are at risk of developing disruptive behavior disorder. Aligning a behavior intervention to a specific behavior goal makes it more likely that the intervention will be effective. However, intervention effects can also generalize to behaviors that are not targeted in a behavior goal, showing “carryover effects.”