In a classroom, Sam’s disruptive behaviors persist despite verbal reprimands and redirection. Which factor most likely maintains these behaviors?

• A. The instruction is not engaging
• B. Sam's behavior is being reinforced by the teachers' reprimands and redirection
• C. The student lacks appropriate communication goals
• D. The schedule is too long

Answer: (B)

Disruptive behaviors that persist despite reprimands are often being reinforced by the very attention those reprimands generate. When a student acts out and a teacher responds with scolding or redirection, the social attention in that moment can become rewarding for the student, increasing the likelihood that they’ll repeat the behavior to receive more interaction. In this case, the continuation of the behavior suggests that the consequence—teacher attention in the form of reprimands or redirects—is maintaining it rather than deterring it. While other factors like engaging instruction or the length of the schedule can influence behavior, they don’t as directly explain why the disruptive acts continue once reprimands are given. The effective approach moves toward identifying the function (attention) and adjusting accordingly: provide little or no attention for the disruptive behavior, but offer attention for appropriate, alternative behaviors; incorporate differential reinforcement; and ensure the student has accessible, effective ways to request attention. Also, pairing instruction with engaging activities and teaching a clear communication method helps reduce the reliance on disruptive actions to gain attention.