Behaviourism Is Not Inclusion

PBIS is just ABA with different letters

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PBIS

P.B.I.S. stands for Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports, and was the foundation for Manitoba Education’s 2011 policy document, Towards Inclusion: Supporting Positive Behaviour in Manitoba Classrooms.

That’s not a typo, the document intended as a guide for creating inclusive schools and classrooms has its roots in behaviourism. The year isn’t a typo either, the document was developed in 2011, eleven years ago. It hasn’t been updated since and it really shows.

In fact, well before 2011, child development and education experts such as Alfie Kohn, Ross Greene, Stuart Shanker, Dan Siegel— and many others — have been trying to educate people on the fallout of only addressing behaviours on their surface, rather than looking deeper to the root causes.

“Stop doing things that interfere with moral growth, things like punishments and rewards, which are rooted in — and underscore a child’s preoccupation with — self-interest.”
— Alfie Kohn

That particular quote was from Unconditional Parenting, a book that was published in 2005.