Perform

Juanita (she/her) is a charming but shy nine-year-old Latina child who lives with her parents and younger brother in an urban Minnesota community. Her family relocated from New Mexico when Juanita was four years old. Spanish is the language used at home. Shortly after her fifth birthday, Juanita’s caregivers enrolled her in a general education kindergarten class nearby. The staff and students are predominantly White, and English is the only language used in the school. Juanita had several behavioral challenges in kindergarten. Her teacher reported that Juanita frequently had difficulty following directions and sometimes threw tantrums when she did not “get her way.” She also had problems getting along with her peers. Juanita did not like  “waiting for her turn” or “standing in line” with her classmates. Juanita’s mother reported that she displayed similar behaviors at home. For example, her caregivers were concerned that Juanita often “did not listen” to them. She often tried to “be the boss” with her brother at home and during family outings in the community.

Juanita’s problem behaviors continued and escalated in the first grade. For example, she defied her teacher and refused to follow her instructions. Loud verbal arguments led to physical altercations with her peers at lunch or recess. Given the increasing frequency and severity of these and other problem behaviors, Juanita was referred to the school’s Individual Education Program (IEP) team, assessed, and identified as a student with EBD.

At the beginning of the second grade, Juanita’s principal, her teacher, and her caregivers decided to enroll Juanita in a unique program called First Steps, an evidence-based behavioral intervention program for young children developed by researchers at the University of Oregon. The intervention had school and home components. At school, Juanita’s second-grade teacher used a “token economy” program to reinforce her appropriate behavior positively. The teacher set clear behavioral expectations for Juanita’s behavior in the classroom, hallway, lunchroom, and playground. Juanita received “tokens” for appropriate behavior (e.g., waiting quietly in line) but lost tokens for misbehavior (e.g., talking out of turn or leaving her desk without permission). Juanita turned in tokens for special prizes. She could choose something fun for herself (e.g., extra library time) or the whole class (e.g., playing Simon Says or extra recess). She could also earn time with her mother (e.g., going for a walk in the woods). At home, a First Step interventionist visited Juanita’s home once a week for six weeks. The interventionist taught her mother to play short games to help Juanita succeed at school. Her mother liked the games; they even modified some of them so that they could be played with Juanita and her brother. Juanita’s parents shared that they felt more empowered as caregivers. Juanita’s mother felt that the First Step activities offered structure and helped her learn how to interact with their children positively. Moreover, Juanita started to thrive in school, doing well both academically and socially.

However, toward the end of the third grade, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Juanita’s school. She spent the final three months of her third-grade year sporadically attending online courses from her family’s kitchen table and simultaneously caring for her younger brother while her mother worked. She began to become withdrawn at home. Around the same time, her grandmother, who was close to her, came to live with them and became ill.

At the start of Juanita’s fourth-grade year, she returned to in-person classes. Juanita’s caregivers attended school conferences that fall, and her teacher shared similar concerns. When her mother and teacher attempted to discuss changes in Juanita’s behavior, she walked away or said that nothing was wrong. Her grades also began to suffer.