Behavior Support Plan:

A Guide for Function-Based Behavior Intervention Planning

February 2014

Background Information2

Part 1: Purpose of the Behavior Support Plan

Part 1: Purpose of the Behavioral Support Plan

Legal Requirements: When You Must Do a FBA/BIP

Part 2: Writing a Behavior Support Plan

a. Description of the problem Behaviorb. Antecedents of Problem Behaviorc. Underlying Skills Deficitsd. Function of the Problem Behaviore. Replacement Behaviorf. Proactive Strategies

Antecedent Strategies

Skill Teaching

Reinforcing Replacement Behavior

g. Reactive Strategies

Part 3: Writing a Safety Plan

Part 4: Appendix

Table of Contents

When Must a Functional Behavioral Assessment be Conducted?

A Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) is a legally required systematic process. Documentation summarizing the FBA must be attached to a student’s IEP.

A FBA is legally required under certain circumstances, including:

When a student with a disability reaches 10 days of suspension. If a student with a disability commits a very serious offense such as possessing weapons,

drugs, or causes serious bodily injury to another. When a significant change of placement is proposed for a student with a disability.

In addition to being legally required, there are times when best practice dictates that a FBA be conducted, including:

Upon initial identification of a student as a student with a disability if the student is demonstrating behaviors that interfere with his/her learning or the learning of others.

o A FBA is especially important when a student is identified as a student with an Emotional Behavioral Disability (EBD).

o A FBA is also critical if the student is identified with another disability that includes significant components of behavioral or emotional adjustment (e.g., OHI due to attention and impulsivity issues, some students with Autism).

Any time a student with a disability is demonstrating behaviors that are impeding meaningful progress toward his or her IEP goals.

Any time a student has been suspended multiple times, even prior to 10 days of suspension.

The FBA must lead to the development and implementation of a function-based Behavior Support Plan.

Points to Consider about the FBA Process

A FBA is the outcome of a process in which the team:1. Gathers and organizes existing information, as well as obtains any needed additional

information about:a. The behavior(s) of concern,b. Events that occur prior to the behavior of concern,c. Skills the student may be lacking.

2. Develops hypotheses about the function of behaviors.3. Identifies replacement behaviors.

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The outcome of a FBA should be a determination of the functional relationship between a problem behavior and the events or conditions in the student’s environment that increase the likelihood of the behavior occurring. This information is then used to develop a function-based Behavior Support Plan.

Assumptions Underlying the FBA Process

1. Children and youth do well if they can (see the writings of Ross Greene, including the books The Explosive Child and Lost at School).

2. It is most helpful to think of a student’s behaviors as coping strategies. Typically, a student is doing the best that they can, given their current knowledge, skills, and emotional regulation abilities.

3. Frequently, some team members have come to their own conclusions about why the student is demonstrating certain behaviors, even before going through this process. It is important to be able to put these assumptions aside and be open to other potential explanations for a student’s behavior.

Understanding the Type of Meeting You Are Having

As expected, adults have emotional reactions to the behavior of students, especially when the behaviors are high intensity, high frequency, and chronic.

Some individual or team discussions will be about the adult emotional reactions. o One common reaction on the part of the adults is that if we don’t take immediate

steps to consequence the student’s behavior (i.e., suppress it) we are accepting or condoning the behavior.

o It is important that we clearly communicate to the adults that we are not condoning the behavior. Rather, it is necessary that we develop a better understand of the behavior to be able to change the behavior.

It is critical that facilitators of this process understand which type of discussion the team is engaging in at any given moment. Understanding this dynamic is essential to effective facilitation of the FBA process.

Part 2: Writing the Behavior Support Plan

Background Information

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The Behavior Support Plan (BSP) guides IEP implementation teams to provide effective interventions and supports to a student who is demonstrating behaviors that interfere with their education and, potentially, the education of other students.

The “New BIP” as it is called in the eIDEA system is intended to focus teams on no more than 3 clusters of behaviors. Teams are expected to identify proactive interventions that will be implemented, including ways that antecedents will be changed and new skills will be taught to the student.

The BSP is a living document. As such, teams must revisit the document frequently to ensure that the plan reflects the student’s current needs. If a plan has not been reviewed within the past year, in all likelihood it does not reflect the student’s current needs. The plan should also be used to create a goal addressing each of the behavior clusters to be addressed. Thus, it makes sense to use the information gathered from this process to create annual goals for each behavior cluster identified.

Developing a BSP is a process that is designed to guide the discussion of challenging behaviors in order to create effective and meaningful interventions and supports or an individual student. If this process is followed with integrity the team will:

1. Deepen our understanding of the function or purpose of a student’s behavior in different contexts and settings (e.g., school, classroom, community, home)

2. Identify pro-social replacement behavior(s).

3. Establish systematic, pro-active, and responsive interventions to improve student functioning.

4. Identify effective interventions that, if implemented with integrity, will improve the student’s functioning and enable the student to be more successful in school.

5. Once the interventions are implemented, the team must monitor the student’s progress on a regular basis to determine if they are effective and whether adjustments must be made to increase the effectiveness, and whether some interventions can be discontinued.

Description of the Problem Behavior:

Describe the student’s actions and behavior using observable terms. The description should address:

Frequency (how often the behavior occurs),5

Duration (how long the behavior lasts), Intensity (how severe the behaviors are), Time (when the behaviors occur), and Place (where the behaviors occur).

The description of the behavior is the outcome of a process of identifying the discrete behaviors the student is demonstrating (e.g., punching with a closed fist, kicking, biting) and determining if the problem behaviors can be clustered. Clustering the behaviors is frequently necessary because it may be too inefficient to address behaviors that are defined too narrowly.

There are two ways to cluster behaviors. The first is to cluster by similarities in the behaviors (e.g., hitting, kicking, spitting). The second method would be to cluster behaviors by their function. Teams can cluster using either of these two methods.

Critical Questions: What is the behavior of concern (e.g., physical aggression, verbal threats, fleeing, self-

harm, etc.)?

What are the student’s observable actions when in distress (e.g., leaving assigned area, pushing furniture, hitting, kicking, spitting, swearing, etc.)?

Frequency: How often does the behavior occur (e.g., 2 x per hour, 3 x a day, 2 x per hour, 2

x a week, 1 x a month)?

Intensity: How intense is the behavior while it is happening (i.e., mild, moderate, severe)?

Duration: How long does the behavior typically last (seconds, minutes, hours)?

Time (Time could also be an antecedent):

o When does the behavior occur (e.g., before school, after lunch, transitions, unstructured times in a.m. or p.m., after school, specific time of day)

o When does the behavior NOT occur?

Place (Location could also be an antecedent): o Where does the behavior occur (hallway, playground, a particular classroom)?

Antecedents of Problem Behaviors

Antecedents are those external and internal events that occur prior to a student demonstrating a problem behavior. Antecedents increase the likelihood of the problem behavior occurring.

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Critical Questions: What external factors might be triggering the student’s behavior? Consider the following:

o What have you observed happening prior to the problem behavior occurring?

o Does the behavior occur less frequently when the student is in certain social situations (e.g., particular peers, particular teachers, a particular SEA, crowds, etc.)?

o Does the behavior occur more frequently when the student is in certain social situations?

o Does the behavior occur more frequently when certain physical environmental conditions are present?

Is the temperature too high or too low? Is the room too noisy (e.g., cafeteria)? Are odors present (pleasant or unpleasant)?

o Does the behavior occur less frequently when certain physical environmental conditions are present?

o Does the behavior occur when certain demands or expectations are presented to the student? Does the student follow routines in the classroom setting?

o Does the student follow teacher directions given to an entire class or group of students?

o Does the student follow directions given specifically to him or her?

What internal factors might be triggering the student’s behavior? Internal factors are closely related to (or may overlap with) underlying skills deficits. Also, the student may have deficits in the skills needed to cope with the identified internal factors.

Consider the following:

o Are the student’s basic needs for safety, hunger, sleep, housing, etc. being met?

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o Does the student have Executive Function deficits that make the behavior more likely to occur (e.g., working memory, planning and organization, behavioral regulation, emotional control, ability to switch tasks)?

o Is the student experiencing emotions that make the behavior more likely to occur (e.g., sadness, worry, fear, disappointment, shame, embarrassment)?

o Is the student’s long-term psychological state making the behavior more likely to occur (e.g., anxiety, depression, mood regulation problems)?

o Is the student having a trauma reaction (e.g., internal self-talk, sensory triggers)? Does the student feel their survival is threatened? Do the student’s behaviors reflect self-protection? Is the student’s behavior adaptive in other contexts?

o Does the student perceive that they are being subjected to racial, cultural, linguistic, gender discrimination (perceived or real attitudes or actions)?

o Is the student experiencing life stressors that he or she is bringing into the school setting (e.g., fight in the neighborhood, social media, concerns for family safety and health)?

o Do the beliefs the student has about themselves, others and the world make the behavior more likely to occur?

Underlying Skills Deficits

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If the student has not yet developed the cognitive skills necessary to be successful, they are considered to have underlying skills deficits. These skills deficits make it more likely that the problem behavior will occur. The lack of skills when certain demands are placed upon a student is an antecedent to the problem behavior.

Underlying skill deficits include academic, social, emotional, physical, personal coping, communication, and executive function skills necessary for students to be successful in school. Often times a student’s struggles in one or more of these areas can increase the probability of the problem behavior(s) occurring.

Critical Questions:

Does the student have the requisite academic skills to meet the classroom academic demands (e.g., decoding, math computation, written expression, etc.)?

Does the student have the Social skills necessary to be successful in the classroom or social setting (e.g., initiating interactions, navigating relationships, reading social cues, etc)

Has the student developed the skills he or she needs to cope with emotions they experience (e.g., coping with emotions: sadness, fear, disappointment, loss, embarrassment that result in anger, withdrawal, flight response, self-injurious behaviors?)

Does the student have the gross motor (e.g., running, jumping, kicking, etc.) and/or fine motor skills (e.g., writing, zipping coat, strength, etc.) needed for success (e.g., gross motor skills: running, jumping, kicking, etc. fine motor deficits-writing, strength, etc.)?

Has the student developed the personal coping skills necessary to meet the demands placed on them at school, in the community, and home (e.g., frustration tolerance, delay of gratification, patience, waiting and self-regulation, self-soothing behaviors, successful transitioning, utilizing skills when dysregulated/upset, etc.)

Does the student lack communication skills necessary to be successful given the demands placed on them at school (e.g., self-advocacy skills, comprehending and expressing language, etc.)?

Is evidence available indicating the student is lacking executive functions to respond adaptively given the demands placed on them (e.g.? starting, stopping, switching, shifting, sustaining, planning and organizing, working memory, etc.)?

Function of the Problem Behavior

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Discuss: The functional analysis represents the conclusions the team is reaching based on the information gathered in the previous sections. Tools to gather information and analyze a student’s behavior are available through this link [add link]. These tools include:

Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (A-B-C) charts, a behavior pathways document, CMI Stress Triggers document, , CLEAR article, RIOT x ICEL Matrix (used by SSITs in the district).

It may be necessary to utilize other tools (e.g., student self-report scales, structured interviews, etc.) to fully understand why a student is demonstrating particular behaviors, especially if it is suspected that internal factors (e.g., anxiety, depression) are causing some of the behaviors.

The function(s) of the Problem Behavior are expressed as hypotheses about why the problem behavior occurs.

Critical Questions:

What need is the student attempting to meet through the problem behavior(s)?

To obtain something? To get away from something? To maintain or alter one’s regulation (e.g. Leaving class to walk when bored or

overwhelmed, head pounding to gain sensory input)?

What purpose is the behavior serving? (e.g., to obtain status or social recognition, to escape embarrassment or anxiety)?

What is the meaning of the behavior? (e.g., to be noticed, to go unnoticed)?

What is the communicative intent of the behavior? (e.g., to express emotions, confusion, wanting to be done, mismatched difficulty)?

Replacement Behavior

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Replacement behaviors are those behaviors the team wants the student to demonstrate rather than the problem behavior. Ideally, the replacement behavior will meet the same need as the problem behavior (“honor the function” of the behavior). Honoring the function of the behavior makes it more likely that the replacement behavior will be utilized in the short-term and maintained in the long-term.

Critical Questions:

What are some acceptable behaviors (for the specific environment the student is in) that can meet the same needs of the student?

Are there, possibly, multiple explanations for the behavior? If you have “competing hypotheses” the team will have to test one hypothesis at a time to rule out specific functions of behavior.

Proactive Strategies

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Proactive Strategies are actions team members can take to reduce the likelihood a student’s “problem behaviors” will occur. These strategies support the likelihood of replacement behaviors occurring.

Antecedent StrategiesSome antecedent strategies are simply modifying the environment around the student or the environmental demands placed on the student so that the external factors hypothesized to be triggering the behaviors do not occur. These modifications are especially important when a student lacks the capacity and may never develop the capacity to meet certain environment demands.

Other antecedent strategies allow the student to have access to objects or activities that enable them to cope with their current emotional state.

Environmental Changes (Modifications) Adults can Make for Student: Natural lighting, fragrance-free environment, alternative seating, reduced-noise, alternate transition times; arrival, hall passing, departure, etc.

Coping Strategies a Student can Utilize: Fidgets, check-in with trusted adult, [healthy] food [to alleviate hunger], rest time, personal space.

Skills TeachingInterventions to address underlying skills deficits will also help the student utilize the replacement behaviors. The skills to be taught to the student are those skills he/she needs to be successful in settings, activities, and/or events in which the “problem behavior” is occurring. It may be helpful to ask members of the team to complete a sentence such as, “If only he could_______________.”

Communication skills: Indicate when a break is needed (break pass, verbal request, etc.) Social skills: Ask a peer to play, join a group activity, ask questions, share attention,

conflict resolution, etc. Emotional skills: Managing frustration, anger, delaying gratification, anxiety reduction,

moderating mood, expressing emotions in a preferred way, etc. Coping skills: Relaxation techniques, self-talk, taking a break, meeting regulation needs,

etc. Self-advocacy: Requesting assistance, communicating individual accommodation needs,

relationship repair, etc.

Reinforcing Replacement Behavior

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It is essential that the student receives positive feedback after they demonstrate the replacement behavior in place of the problem behavior. This positive feedback will make it more likely that the student will demonstrate the replacement behavior in the future. At times, this positive feedback must be delivered by an adult. At other times, a student will recognize that the choice to use the replacement behavior allowed them to be more successful.

It is critical that the chosen strategies are developmentally appropriate. Younger students and those who are most delayed in the development of their skills are more likely to need tangible or token feedback. Older students and those who have better developed skills are more likely to benefit from verbal/social and symbolic feedback.

Reinforcement strategies include, but are not limited to: tangible (e.g. stickers) verbal/social (e.g. recognition) token (e.g. points) symbolic (e.g. student of the month).

Reactive Strategies

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Reactive Strategies implemented immediately following the student demonstrating the “problem behavior.” These interventions are intended to make the problem behavior less likely to occur. Reactive strategies for behaviors that create an imminent threat to safety should be documented in the Safety Plan.

Some reactive strategies are punitive in nature (i.e., they are applied following the behavior and are intended to reduce the likelihood that the problem behavior will be less likely to occur in the future). However, there are many disadvantages of punitive reactive strategies (e.g., damage to relationships with significant adults, do not increase the likelihood of the replacement behavior being demonstrated, etc.). Therefore, teams must strive to make the reactive strategies as positive as possible. It is better to increase the likelihood of the replacement behavior occurring rather than simply suppressing the problem behavior.

Critical Questions: What would be helpful in addressing the problem behavior after it occurs?

What proactive strategies were attempted and were they effective? Did the proactive strategies increase the behavior?

What does the child need to get back on track?

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Part 3: Writing a Safety PlanOverview

If the student has been demonstrating behaviors that create an imminent threat to their safety or the safety of others a Safety Plan must be written.

The Safety Plan documents verbal and physical interventions to prevent further emotional and behavioral escalation by the student and/or reestablish safety for the student and others.

The Safety Plan is organized in a manner that is consistent with, but not identical to the Crisis Management and Intervention escalation cycle.

The Safety Plan does not include a section describing the student’s behavior when he or she is in the “adaptive” stage. Adaptive behaviors we want the student to utilize should be identified within the Replacement Behaviors section of the Behavior Support Plan.

Structure of the Safety Plan

The Safety Plan requires teams to describe the student’s behavior in 4 stages (Precursor Behaviors, Distress, Unsafe Behaviors, Follow-up Post-Crisis, and Recovery).

In addition to describing the student’s behavior, a team must document the actions that staff members may take to help a student maintain or regain emotional and behavioral control. In addition to a description of a student’s behavior in each stage, a team will document actions for staff to take when interacting with the student (in the “Student Interactions” section), actions for staff to avoid, and other actions for staff members to take.

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The following tables provide a description and example for each section of the Safety Plan.

Precursor Behavior StageDescription of Student’s

Behavior in Precursor Stage

Interactions with Student

Actions for Staff to Avoid

Other Actions for Staff to Consider

Describe the student’s behavior that indicates he or she is becoming agitated.

Describe the interactions staff members should have with the student.

Describe the actions that, if taken by staff members, are likely to escalate the student further and, therefore, should be avoided.

Describe any actions that do not include direct interactions with the student, but may be necessary to keep the student and others safe.

Puts head down & other non-verbal behaviors indicating she is in distress.

Hair covering face. Stops making

spontaneous eye contact.

Ceases verbal communication.

Kicking desk (low to moderate intensity – could cause damage, but low likelihood of damage).

If you speak, use a quiet gentle tone of voice (e.g., whisper).

Keep yourself calm. Limit verbal

interactions. Allow physical space

(at least 10 feet away).

Allow [student name] to call her mother if she requests to do so.

Encourage [student name] to go to her calm space (next to seclusion room).

Firm directives (“You need to…” statements).

Power struggle (e.g., expecting her to immediately comply) – she may not show immediate compliance when beginning to escalate.

Request other staff to assist.

Direct other students to another area of room.

Direct other students to leave room and go to designated area.

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Distress StageDescription of Student’s

Behavior in Distress Stage

Interactions with Student

Actions for Staff to Avoid

Other Actions for Staff to Consider

Describe the student’s behavior that indicates he or she has become more agitated and may have moved closer to engaging in demonstrating unsafe behavior.

Describe the interactions staff members should have with the student.

Describe the actions that, if taken by staff members, are likely to escalate the student further and, therefore, should be avoided.

Describe any actions that do not include direct interactions with the student, but may be necessary to keep the student and others safe.

Aggression directed at objects.

Flipping desks over. Kicking furniture or

walls with enough intensity to cause damage.

Head banging that seems self-limited (e.g., 3 times and she stops).

Monitor behavior closely.

If necessary, verbally direct to seclusion room.

Physically transport to seclusion room.

Other staff/crisis team dispatched to provide assistance if needed.

Only lead staff member communicate directly with [student name].

If [student name] attempts to engage staff members other than the lead person, staff members should restate expectations clearly, using simple language and not engage in debate with the student).

Physical contact (unless necessary to ensure safety).

Firm directives (“You need to…”).

Power struggle (e.g., expecting her to immediately comply) – she may not show immediate compliance when beginning to escalate.

Multiple staff members communicating with [student name].

Engaging in debate with the student.

Staff Member #3 calls Program Administrator and Principal to forewarn them that [student name] is beginning to escalate.

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Unsafe Behavior StageDescription of Student’s

Behavior(s)Interactions with

StudentActions for Staff to

AvoidOther Actions for Staff

to ConsiderDescribe the student’s behaviors, including the behaviors that are creating an imminent threat.

Describe the interactions staff members should have with the student.

Describe the actions that, if taken by staff members, are likely to escalate the student further and, therefore, should be avoided.

Describe any actions that do not include direct interactions with the student, but may be necessary to keep the student and others safe.

Attempting property damage that causes imminent threat to safety (e.g., punching window).

Head banging – persistent.

Other behaviors that cause an imminent threat to [student name]’s or other’s safety that you are unlikely to be able to stop.

Back-up staff member(s) from middle school go to room 114 to provide assistance if needed.

Staff Member #1 and Staff Member #2 remain in room 114 with [student name].

Staff Member #1, Staff Member #2 and back-up staff member physically escort [student name] to seclusion room (door remains open if possible, close door if your physical safety is threatened). If unable to transport safely, physical restraint may be used to prevent [student name] from injuring herself or others.

Talking to [student name].

Touching [student name] unless her behavior is a physical threat to herself or staff.

Call police: Dial 9+911.

Give address 1501 Jenifer St.o Ask for two officers

and have them enter building at Door 6 (Center doors facing Jenifer St. between Marquette and O’Keefe).

o Describe situation.o Provide student

name.o xx year old white

female.o Capable of extreme

physical aggression.o Explain we would

like police present IMMEDIATELY for safety.

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Follow-up post crisis and recovery stageDescription of Student’s

Behavior indicating student is in recovery

Interactions with Student

Actions for Staff to Avoid

Other Actions for Staff to Consider

Describe the student’s behaviors that indicate he or she is in the recovery stage.

Describe the interactions staff members should have with the student.

Describe the actions that, if taken by staff members, are likely to escalate the student further and, therefore, should be avoided.

Describe any actions that do not include direct interactions with the student, but may be necessary to keep the student and others safe.

[student name] follows staff directives.

[student name] resumes making eye contact.

[student name]’s voice is quieter, calmer.

[student name] reengages in classroom activities.

[student name] reengages in verbal interactions with staff members.

Absence of verbal defiance.

Absence of physical aggression.

Absence of behavioral refusal.

Coach [student name] through the seclusion room exit protocol.

Low key verbal praise.

Offer [student name] an opportunity to talk about the problem and problem-solve.

Return to classroom routine when able.

Punitive language. Forcing her to clean

up mess she made. References to

[student name]’s behavior or making up what she missed during the crisis.

Staff Member #2 calls [parent name] to inform her of police call.

Staff Member #2 contacts CCF worker to inform her of outcome.

All staff members provide written descriptions of incident as necessary.

Adults debrief incident and discuss necessary modifications to work or schedule.

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