Mainstreaming Students with Behavior Disorders: The Use of Classroom Peers as Facilitators of Generalization

Abstract

With the recent emphasis on including students with disabilities in general education settings, the combination of self-evaluation and peer monitoring procedures is proposed as one method for transitioning students with Behavior Disorders (BD) from special to general education settings. Two 11-year-old boys with BD underwent three phases of intervention (token reinforcement, teacher-mediated self-evaluation, and peermediated self-evaluation) initiated in a special education classroom and transfered to a general education class. Dependent measures were collected across phases and settings using a multiple baseline across-subjects design. Results indicated a significant improvement in both negative and positive classroom behaviors that were maintained in the general education classroom with minimal intervention by the general education teacher. Two general education boys serving as peer “buddies” showed some minor improvements in behavior as well. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.