Positive Behavior Support

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Positive Behavior Support

Monday, September 22nd, 2008 by www Subscribe To My Feed

A functional behavior (BIP) takes the observations made in a functional behavioral assessment and turns them into a concrete plan of action for managing a student behavior. A BIP may include ways to change the environment to keep behavior from starting in the first place, provide positive reinforcement to promote good behavior, employ planned ignoring to avoid reinforcing bad behavior, and provide supports needed so that the student will not be driven to act out due to frustration or fatigue. When a behavior plan is agreed to, the school and staff are legally obligated to follow it, and consequences of not following it should not be inflicted on the student. However, as with so many provisions of IDEA, this may take a lot of vigilance, advocacy, and battling by parents to make sure that everyone who is to take these interventions into account does so in a complete and informed way.
These are some important things for the team to consider when the intervention plan is created:
The plan should be created with input from all people that the child works with, so that they can agree on expectations as well as rewards or consequences, including the parent.
A plan should specifically define behaviors and consequences, but should still be adaptable to different places: the classroom, the playground, music class, daycare, etc. Consistency will help the child learn what is expected of them.
The plan should focus on goals and objectives, such as rewards before resorting to consequences or punishments, and should focus on using positive skills that a child already has to help them shape alternative behaviors.
It might be necessary to make changes in the child’s academic program or they may need some support that will help them learn a different behavior.
A plan might need to include some kind of change in the physical setting, such as where the child sits and does work.
A plan’s effectiveness can be affected by student absences due to illness, suspension, or expulsion.
A behavior intervention plan should be evaluated to make sure that it is being followed, and to make sure that it is working effectively. A BIP should be reviewed at least annually, but can be reviewed whenever any member of the team feels that a review is necessary. A BIP might be reviewed when:
A student has reached his or her goals and objectives and new goals and objectives need to be decided upon.
The child’s situation has changed, and the BIP doesn’t address the child’s most current needs.
There is a change in placement; or it is clear that the original BIP is not producing positive changes in the child’s behavior.