Michael Ota

I have over 10 years of experience designing and leading projects. Here are just a few of my accomplishments.

Social-Emotional-Behavior RtI

Recently, I have been leading projects focused on the social, emotional, and behavior challenges of students and individuals with and without disabilities. These projects rely on the effectiveness and efficiency of technology-based interventions, which engage the student, teachers, and parents in positive behavior change.

Here are just a few examples:

• Weekly Reports

At Westwood High School, all teachers of students in the FOCUS and Connect programs (an inclusion-based support program) report on their student's target behaviors. The aggregate data is used to make decisions on needs, trends, and whether or not more or less intervention is needed.

• Self Reports

My private clients as well as my students use Google Forms and Sheets to self report on their target behaviors and earn points, which is automatically calculated based on the responses. They can redeem points for gaming time, food prizes, or even larger rewards like 3-D printers (actual example) that may take longer to earn. Overall, participation in the system increases while instances of challenging behavior decreases by 25% to 100%.

• "Raising the Ground instead of lowering the bar"

What I've learned in my work and practice is that in-school, in-office and even in-home interventions work with minimal effect. What is more effective has been using the same interventions in real-world, community-based environments. Through field trips, social groups, and outings for a few hours to an entire day, I can provide real-time intervention when conflict, social withdrawal, or life skill needs arise.

The most popular and successful of these interventions have used video gaming, competitive board games, and Dungeons & Dragons play in community settings like gaming stores and centers. So, in essence, I have been able to provide the support individuals with social, emotional, or behavior challenges walk on instead of lowering the expectations for success.