(4/8/99)

An education program developed in the Granite School District is gaining national attention.

The program targets children who are physically aggressive, verbally abusive, and disruptive.

Family Specialist Shelley Osterloh has more.

A White House Conference Report listed Utah's Transition Intervention Program as one of the most effective anti-violent and pro-social training programs in the country. And the key to its success is positive reinforcement.

A bus surveillance camera caught an elementary student as she grabbed a boy by the neck. Then she hit and shoved another boy.

Other students make obsene gestures to each other, while a child on the right, pounds a classmate in the head.

Why do kids act this way?

Sheral Schowe, of the Transition Intervention Program, says, "A lot of these kids are real attention seekers."

Schowe developed the Transition Intervention Program or "Tip" -- a 9 week intervention program for first through sixth graders with behavior disorders.

Schowe says teachers and parents often focus on the child's "negative" behavior, which only re-inforces it by giving them the attention they crave.

The way to change them, is to give them attention, when they behave properly.

A teacher says, "Good staying on task Shane. Good geting your work done A.J."

A child says, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," the teacher replies. "Thanks for saying thank you."

Schowe explains, "Going over to them and positively praising them, immediately, frequently with eye contact, enthusiastically, describing exactly what you want to see."

In this class, rules are few and clear. Students are freqently evaluated, and rewarded with praise and points for good behavior.

"Perfect. Miss Holyoak will you reward these people for giving positive answers?"

The points add up and can be exchanged for prizes from the class store shelf.

But the most important thing is the praise.

A child spells correctly.
"Perfect, awesome," the teacher says.
"Thank you," the child answers.
"Thanks for saying thank you," the teacher says.

The kids like getting praise instead of scolding. And children who are used to misbhaving change their ways.

One student says, "The class I came from, my teacher was kind of mean to me and I got in trouble a lot."

Another says, "I think the difference is the teachers give you a lot more attention than in other schools."

"We have to get these class points if we say nice things to each other and stuff," adds another.

"I've been more calm. I like it, I like a lot of what's going on in this class."

Parents and the children's regular teachers also get training in the program.

The 'Tip' teachers also continue to visit classrooms for an hour a day even after the 9 week course.

The program is very successful. A study last year showed that 75 percent of its graduates were still in school doing well.