Taking on the Tough Ones:
Behavior Planning for Intervention Resistant Students
Jennifer Lynch, School Psychologist
jlynch2@bcps.org
Robin Taplette, Special Education Resource Teacher
rtaplette@bcps.org
Objectives

To understand and apply Behavior
Planning using an analytical and
systematic approach

To learn how to design and implement
innovative behavior interventions
strategies
Red Zone Behavior Planning
FBA/BIP implemented and
revised multiple times
BLS programming and
support
1-5%
IEP goals to address skill
development
IEP supplemental
services/supports to
support behavior needs
5-15%
80-90%
Three Main Reasons Behavior
Plans Fail

Poor, incomplete, or incorrect implementation
of interventions

Poor alignment with triggers, functions,
teacher beliefs/classroom structure, and/or
student interest

Strong focus on consequences and limited/no
focus on skill development
Implementation

Are the interventions being implemented? BE
HONEST!

If not, are the interventions






Too difficult or complex
Too time consuming
Poorly aligned with the classroom structure
Poorly aligned with teacher beliefs
Not appropriate for the student
What is working/not working?


Can some aspects be changed or tweaked to make the
intervention more successful?
Are the reinforcers reinforcing to the student and being offered
at a rate necessary to change behavior?
Group Discussion

Discuss why you may have not
implemented interventions in the past.
How could the interventions have been
changed to make implementation easier.
Alignment with Triggers



A trigger is the event that starts the chain of unwanted
behaviors.
Questions to ask the team when struggling to identify
triggers:
 If Dr. Hairston was entering the building and your
principal told you to make sure the behavior didn’t
occur, what would you do to make sure the student
didn’t engage in the behavior?
 If I came into the building and only had 20 minutes
to see the student’s behavior, what would you do to
make sure I saw the behavior?
Look for ways to eliminate the triggers, make them
less of a trigger, or help the student manage the
trigger
Functions in simple terms

Behaviors are a way that we communicate what
we want when words aren’t working for us

The first question to always ask is, “What is this
student trying to tell us that we keep missing?”

Why a student engages in the behavior is much
more important than what they are doing. The
“what” may change, but will continue to be a
problem until we manage the “why”
Most common functions

To gain attention
 To gain control
 To get a tangible
item
 To get sensory
stimulation

To avoid work
 To avoid attention
 To avoid an activity
 Attempt to
communicate needs
Alignment with Functions

To Gain Attention



To Gain Control


Provide choices between work, places to complete work, reinforcers, when to
receive help, etc
To Gain a Tangible


Provide attention for positive behaviors, ignore inappropriate behaviors
Provide reinforcement that includes individualized teacher time or peer
attention
Use a First-Then system of completing a certain task and then having access
to tangible
Sensory Stimulation



Provide sensory aides, such as squeeze balls, bands, standing desks, etc
Allow for scheduled times for sensory activities
Set timers to allow perseveration for discrete times
Alignment with Functions

To Avoid Work

Create a Work/Break system

Provide a break pass

Graduate difficulty of work to build success

To Avoid Attention

Address the student outside of the classroom

Provide nonverbal signal that student needs help or wants to participate

To Avoid Activity

Provide scheduled opportunities to escape

Chunk or modify activity

Provide activity buddies

Offer activity alternative

Attempt to Communicate Needs

Provide appropriate communication devices

Develop social stories/scripts

Use picture schedules/cues/nonverbal gestures/etc

Develop a “Mad Plan”, an outline of how students will appropriately respond when angry

Contact with support specialists to address communication deficits and develop
strategies
Group Discussion

What behaviors baffle you? Let’s
discuss a few difficult behaviors and the
possible triggers and functions.
Alignment with Teacher
Beliefs/Classroom Structures

Use as much of existing structure and reinforcement systems
(school, cluster program, classroom) as possible.

Align with the teacher’s discipline and reward philosophies.

Train and get input from any staff implementing interventions.

ASK the teacher/staff before creating interventions.

Help the teacher with implementation the first week to provide
feedback and make appropriate changes. Communicate with
team one week after implementation to discuss any glitches.

If you are the teacher, speak up and be honest before
interventions are created. If something isn’t working, let the team
know immediately. If you haven’t tried the intervention, ask
yourself, “Why about this is making me resistant?”
Align with Student Interests

Use an interest inventory

Interview the student, teacher, coach, parent,
etc.

Create a point sheet that is of high interest

Incorporate choices of reinforcers and rotate
frequently
Billy didn’t respond to the BLS point sheet,
but he LOVES Club Penguin…
Johnny loves to read, and hates to
write….so we got creative
Percent of Total Possible Points earned in Reading
100%
100%
87.50%
80%
60%
41%
Classwork
40%
Homework
20%
Fluency
0% 0% 0%
0%
Prior to
Implementation
After Implementation
(4/29/10)
But 3 minutes and 3 tasks isn’t
reasonable….

Johnny worked for an average of 23 minutes before
taking a break
Minutes
Number of Minutes Worked before Taking a Break
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Task

He completed an average of 4.5 tasks before asking
for a break
Food for Thought

What is your favorite kind of snack? How often do you like to eat
it?

If you had 15 minutes at work, what would you do?

What could your boss do to let you know that he/she appreciated
your hard work?

If you didn’t know if you were going to get paid at the end of the
week, would you still work so hard?

How do you feel when someone tells you that teachers don’t
deserve raises because they already have an easy job and they
get the summers off?
Group Discussion

Think about the last questions and apply them
to your students. What questions could you
be asking your students and your staff that
would uncover what is motivating for the
student? How can we be looking at
reinforcers differently? How can we be looking
at our students differently?

What are the barriers in your school/program
to using different reinforcement systems? Is
there a way to help your school be more open
to new ideas?
Replacement Behaviors

Effective plans don’t create sterile environments.

Effective plans teach the student better strategies to
manage real life situations and provide teachers with
the tools to help students develop those skills.

Plans that only focus on consequences or
environmental changes may change the initial
behavior of concern, but new behaviors are likely to
show up.

TEACH new skills and you will be much more
successful than trying to stop or punish what you don’t
want to see.
Skill Development
Create skill development interventions that
address the student’s specific needs based on
the following questions:

Does the student know the expectations?
 Is the student aware of his/her behavior?
 Is the student able to control the behavior?
 Can the student perform the expected behavior?
 Can the student be taught to engage in an appropriate
behavior that will make it difficult to continue the
problem behavior?
Group Discussion

What behaviors are the toughest to
manage in your building? What skill
development do you think would be
helpful? What are some creative ways to
teach these skills and overcome typical
barriers?
What have we missed?

Are we sure we have the functions and triggers correct? Are we sure we
are addressing them correctly?

Are we sure that we have tapped into a reinforcement system that is
meaningful for the student?

Are we sure we understand what behavior we are targeting?

Are we thinking outside of the box and individualizing plans? Does the
plan only include interventions not being offered to all other students in
the program?

Have we talked to everyone that works with the student? Are we on the
same page?

Have we streamlined our interventions to focus on a few good
strategies?

Are our own ideas, thinking patterns, feelings getting in the way?
Take Aways
Get creative
 Less is more
 Implement!
 Be a detective
 Work as a team
 Behaviors are communication tools
 Walk a mile in the student’s shoes

Questions?