ST. LOUIS -- LSUS psychology assistant professor Dr. Margaret Gifford knew that she’d be attending the Association of Positive Behavior Support annual conference to present findings about behavior analytics as it pertains to classroom management.
What she didn’t know is that she’d be honored as a 40 Under 40 to Watch in the field.
Gifford is being recognized for her work in creating a consulting model for applied behavior analysts to assist teachers in creating an environment for all types of students to thrive.
Gifford teamed up with Dr. Rosie Cooper (assistant professor of education at LSUS) to create the consulting model. Gifford supplied applied behavioral analysis experience in a clinical setting with Cooper’s ABA knowledge from an education and classroom setting.
“I wasn’t involved as much in school environments until the mentorship from (Cooper), and I’m thrilled that we’ve worked together to contribute to a field that’s meaningful for a lot of people,” Gifford said. “I was nominated by several people in the community, including people from Evangel Christian Academy and The Arc-Caddo Bossier.
“Positive Behavior Support is a holistic approach that addresses the system instead of just individual strategies that are implemented with just one child.”
Positive Behavior Support is a set of research-based strategies used to decrease problem behavior by teaching new skills and making changes to a student’s environment.
Gifford explains that this strategy ranges from addressing minor behavior problems to “severe and more challenging behaviors,” which is where Gifford specializes.
“It’s been difficult but also rewarding,” Gifford said of transitioning from the clinical to the classroom setting. “There are some barriers in providing services in school settings and some education laws that I wasn’t used to.
“But it’s rewarding because the kids who need the help are in schools. If there’s a kid that needs something, they are in schools every day learning and need that assistance. A clinical setting is one in which a parent or family has to seek out, so you’re not accessing a wide range of kids.”
Gifford and Cooper have positively impacted The Arc-Caddo Bossier’s Goldman School, Evangel Christian Academy and the DeSoto Parish school system in the nearly three years that they’ve worked with local education entities.
The pair presented at the conference with two members from The Arc-Caddo Bossier’s Goldman School centered around training and follow-up provided by Gifford and Cooper. They also participated in a collaborative panel.
“While this wasn’t a format in which we had a lot of formal data, anecdotally, those classrooms look a lot different after the training and follow-up,” Gifford said. “That’s due to the hard work of these teachers and the excellent questions they ask us.
“A kid might not be engaged in an activity, and the teachers go through a long list of strategies that relate back to the training. We’ve really enjoyed this ongoing relationship, and based on our conversations, their teachers and leadership have enjoyed it as well.”
These real-world examples have also enriched Gifford’s instruction in the LSUS classroom, which includes psychology and applied behavioral analysis courses.
“I have a lot more examples to use in class,” Gifford said. “Some of my research focuses on the good behavior game, a game in which you give points for following rules with different rewards.
“It’s cool when you take some of those things in service and research and use those examples when you teach about concepts in class. Real-world experience and examples help students grasp concepts.”
Students in LSUS’s new Applied Behavior Analysis master’s program are getting the chance to work with Gifford and Cooper in the field.
The program was approved in 2024 and will add its first full recruiting class this coming fall semester.
“The fact that these schools are willing and able to partner with these students is huge,” Gifford said. “These students will be able to pick up skills in the field that I’m just not able to teach in a regular classroom.
“I can say things so many times, but the real-world experience helps solidify what we talk about in class. You can’t fully understand until you’re in that situation, and it’s so helpful to students and their future careers.”
Visit LSUS’s website to learn more about its Master’s of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis.
