Understanding Challenging
Behavior
SESSION 3
Amy Leishear, Elementary Behavior Specialist
aleishear@aacps.org
Terri Bednarik, Elementary Low Incidence Specialist
tbednarik@aacps.org
Aimee Meyer, Elementary Behavior Specialist
aameyer@aacps.org
AACPS
Division of Special Education
Para-educator Training Videos
Pre Assessment
Name:
School:
Date:
1. Why is it important to use preventative strategies with
students?
2. What does BIP stand for?
3. True or False; The child should be involved with the
creation of the BIP?
4. What is a replacement skill?
5. How often is a BIP reviewed?
The Big Picture
1. Discuss the process of developing a Behavior
Intervention Plan which includes reinforcement
schedules, prevention strategies and response
strategies
2. Identify best practices for the implementation of a
Behavior Intervention Plan.
FBA/BIP Steps Overview
1. Define the Interfering Behavior
2. Collect Baseline Data & Identify Antecedents/Consequences
3. Develop a Hypothesis or Summary Statement
4. Develop a BIP, including Reinforcement Schedules,
Prevention Strategies and Response Strategies
5. Implement BIP
6. Modify Program as Needed
FBA/BIP Step 4:
 Select strategies that address the impact of the setting,
triggers, and consequences which maintain the problem
behavior
 Select behavioral teaching strategies for replacement
behaviors
 Develop scripts/routines for implementation and identify
responsibilities of staff
 Develop an emergency crisis intervention plan if needed
FBA/BIP Step 4 (continued)
Develop a BIP: Reinforcement
Schedules
 Reinforcement is the most important part of any behavior plan.
 Reinforcement should be specific to the student. What is
reinforcing to one person may not be to another.
 Reinforcement should match the function.
FBA Step 4 (continued)
Develop a BIP: Reinforcement Schedules
 Reinforcement should be isolated and only used to reinforce the
replacement behavior.
 Reinforcement should be scheduled.
 The reward should match the task.
FBA/BIP Step 4 (continued)
Develop a BIP: Prevention Strategies
 Things that we as staff can do to proactively prevent opportunities for
challenging behavior to occur.
 Basic prevention strategies include, but are not limited to:





appropriate supervision
quality instruction
clear and reasonable expectations/procedures
actively involving students
supportive classroom environment.
Sometimes we are able to identify the best prevention strategies
following an incident of challenging behavior.
FBA/BIP Step 4 (continued)
Develop a BIP: Prevention Strategies
Classroom modifications may include: sitting in a specific seat, break
options, visual supports, reinforcement program, extra attention,
prompting, controlled choices, redirection, free time activities, etc.
FBA/BIP Step 4 (continued)
Develop a BIP: Response Strategies
 Provide a clear outline/script for staff to follow when
responding to target behaviors that does not contradict the
identified functions.
FBA/BIP Step 4 (continued)
Interventions need to be …
 feasible and appropriate
 observable and measurable
 appropriate to setting and age
 For example:
 Sensory activities
 Social stories
 Praise
 Sticker charts
 Visual reminders
 Verbal reminders
 Earned privileges
 Tangible rewards……..
FBA/BIP Step 4 (continued)
Teaching Replacement Skills
 We need to teach students what behaviors are appropriate and those
behaviors must serve the need the student is seeking to fulfill.
 We need to teach, often times explicitly, what he/she should be
doing instead of the behavior in concern. For example, social stories,
scripts, visual supports.
 Break down expected behaviors into smaller parts and provide explicit
instruction
 Reinforce demonstration or attempts to demonstrate the replacement
behavior.
 Assist the student in generalizing the behaviors across setting and with
different people.
Step 5
BIP Implementation
 Staff Training
 Observation of Plan Implementation
 Data Analysis: Compare baseline data with treatment data
FBA/BIP Step 5 (continued)
Frequency of Plan Review
 Progress should be reviewed quarterly or on an as needed
basis
 Coincides with Report Card reviews, IEP Reviews
 Provide information from BIP reviews to the parent or family
consistently
FBA/BIP Step 5 (continued)
Considerations for Evaluation of the plan
 Evaluation methods should be easy to use
 Factors to be evaluated must be observable
 Criteria needs to unambiguous (clear and trackable)
 Criteria must be directly related to the targeted
behavior
 Progress monitoring should occur across settings and
at a variety of times throughout the day
Step 6
Modify Program if Needed
 Should follow consistent BIP implementation and analysis of the
data.
 Meet as a team and include all staff in the discussion before
modifications are implemented.
Why Do Interventions Fail?
Inadequate data for decision making
• Outcome objectives not measurable
• Low quality plan
• Inconsistent implementation of plan
• Lack of regular & sustained monitoring
• Inadequate support for implementers
• Failure to implement/adopt function-based
approach
•
The Big Picture
1. Discuss the process of developing a Behavior
Intervention Plan which includes reinforcement
schedules, prevention strategies and response
strategies
2. Identify best practices for the implementation of a
Behavior Intervention Plan.
AACPS
Division of Special Education
Para-educator Training Videos
Pre and Post Assessment
Name:
School:
Date:
1. When developing a BIP, what three components should be
included?
2. What is a prevention strategy?
3. What is a response strategy?
4. Interventions need to be _________and________,
_________and_______, ___________and _________.
5. List at least three things that must be kept in mind when
reporting progress to the parent/family.