Building a Redirection Protocol for
an Individual Student’s Behavior
Intervention Plan
Group Discussion
• Think about a recent situation you observed
where a teacher/staff handled a situation
really well
• Think about a recent situation you observed
where a teacher/staff handled a situation
poorly
Group Discussion
• For each situation:
– What did the person do that was
effective/ineffective?
– Was there a difference in the student's response?
Developing a Redirection Protocol
• A redirection protocol should provide teaching
staff with guidance for how to respond when
the student displays target behaviors
• The protocol should be tailored to what works
best for each individual student
Developing a Redirection Protocol
• Operationalize the student’s behaviors in
terms of the escalation sequence and their
pace of escalation/recovery
– What does the student say & do when they are
calm and cooperative
– What does the student say & do that signals
something is wrong
– What does the student say & do the first time a
behavior occurs?
– What does the student say & do when behavior
persists despite redirection strategies
Operationalize the Behaviors in Terms of a
Response Sequence
Calm and
Cooperative
Follows directions within 20 seconds; engages in tasks; completes tasks;
interacts appropriately with teachers and peers; remains in seat
Precursor
behaviors
Pulls out or fiddles with unrelated materials; is noisy with objects (e.g.,.
tapping pencil, kicking desk in front of him, flipping binder cover on desk);
makes comments that are inappropriate or irrelevant to the situation,
makes fun of other students
(signals an
emerging problem)
Initial
Occurrence
Does not respond to directions provided to the class; will argue with the
teacher over directions or corrections; talks to other students when he
should be working; has work in front of him but not does not engage in
the task; get’s out of seat and walks around the classroom (e.g., stops at
other students’ desks, sharpens pencil, looks out window, etc.)
Persistent
Occurrence
Behaviors continues despite redirections; tone of voice gets louder;
comments become increasingly inappropriate; ignores teacher
Developing a Redirection Protocol
• Apply information (e.g., strengths, prior
interventions, etc.) learned through the data
gathering process to determine those
strategies that are the most effective ways to
redirect the student back to routine at the
precusor, 1st occurrence and persistent
occurrence levels of behavior
Plan Strategies
that Help Staff
Attend to an
Emerging
Situation
Scan for signals that the
student is having difficulty
• As a proactive practice staff should always be
attending to facial, body language, tone of voice,
compliance signals that indicate a potential problem
is emerging
• The behavior intervention plan should include a
description of key behaviors for the student that
indicate a situation is emerging, such as:
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Head down
Mumbling
Over excited
Not following directions
Depressed or agitated affect
Attend to Emerging Situations
When Kevin:
pulls out or fiddles
with unrelated
materials; is noisy
with objects (e.g.,.
tapping pencil,
kicking desk in
front of him,
flipping binder
cover on desk);
makes comments
that are
inappropriate or
irrelevant to the
situation, makes
fun of other
students
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State an expectation for the class (e.g., “everyone start the math assignment”)
Praise students for being engaged
Walk around the classroom to ensure everyone is engaged
Approach Kevin and in a quiet private voice ask him if he needs assistance or a minute to get
himself together. Use a supportive tone of voice and nondirective language.
•
State expectation for the situation and have Kevin assess whether he needs help
following/meeting the expectation
•
Provide assistance to get him back engaged in the task
•
Engage Kevin to generate options or provide Kevin with options to choose from
•
Offer choices of handling the work assignment or social situation to help re-engage
him
•
Offer a way for Kevin to save face
•
Remind him of how he can get your attention or help if he needs you
•
Put a positive spin on the direction or redirection
•
Provide acknowledgement for positive behavior or choices or effort
Check in with Kevin privately if I suspect he is upset or angry. If he is upset or angry
•
Offer him assistance
•
Give him some space
•
Offer an opportunity to collect himself (e.g., go to the bathroom)
•
Determine if he needs someone to talk to immediately
Video Activity
Same Situation-Two Approaches
• Watch the video clip of Michael – first
approach
– What are your suggestions for how the teacher
could improve her response to Michael?
• Watch video clip of Michael – different
approach
– What did she do this time that you thought was
effective
Plan Strategies that
Help Staff Redirect
a First Occurrence
of Behavior
Plan Strategies to
Redirect Behavior
• When a behavior occurs first ensure the rest of
the class is engaged in an activity
• Focus on the majority of the class first (and the
individual student second)
• Assign an independent, pairs, or small group activity
• State an expectation for the class (e.g., “everyone start
the math assignment”)
• Praise students for being engaged
• Walk around the classroom
Plan Strategies to
Redirect Behavior
• Provide staff with student specific strategies
that are effective redirectors
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Speak privately
Avoid trying to have the last word
Engage the student to generate options
Provide the student with options to
choose from
Use language that focuses on the
behavior not the student
Be empathetic
Acknowledge for positive behavior or
choices
Give the student some space
Change the topic
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Use humor to defuse and redirect
Label the student’s emotion
Put a positive spin on your directive
Offer a way for the student to save face
Appear relaxed
Offer a moment to compose or cool
down
Provide acknowledgement / empathy
statements
Provide choices
Use flexible options
Plan Strategies to
Redirect Behavior
• Plan for academic modifications or
adjustments
• Sometimes behavior occurs because the
students if frustrated by or daunted by the
academic work. If you think this might be the
case consider ways to make the work more
accessible for the student:
Plan Strategies to
Redirect Behavior
• Plan strategies to help teachers adjust
academic conditions in response to behavior,
for example:
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Changing/modifying the activity
Reduce the difficulty of a task
Reduce the quantity of work the student is working on at time
Provide 1:1 to get started
Provide assistance to work through the task
Provide the student with a choice of two tasks
Ask a peer to help the student
Providing assistance to get started
Plan Strategies to
Redirect Behavior
• The plan should indicate strategies or approaches
that DON’T work for the student so staff know to
avoid using these, for example:
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Yelling
Scolding a student in front of the class
Sarcasm
Ultimatums
Having the last word
Engaging in a debate or argument with the student
Using previous incidents as ‘fire power’
Video Activity
Same Situation-Two Approaches
• Watch the video clip of Sara – first approach
– What are your suggestions for how the teacher
could improve her response to Sara?
• Watch video clip of Sara – different approach
– What did she do this time that you thought was
effective?
Redirect First Occurrence
of Behavior
• The plan should articulate student specific strategies
that staff should use to redirect the first occurrence
of behavior. For example:
When Kevin: does not
respond to class-wide; will
argues with the teacher over
directions or corrections;
talks to other students when
he should be working; has
work in front of him but not
does not engage in the task;
get’s out of seat and walks
around the classroom (e.g.,
stops at other students’
desks, sharpens pencil, looks
out window, etc.)
1. First praise classmates, make sure everyone else is on task
2. Then address Kevin privately to offer him two choices of how
he can handle the situation. Choices may include:
a) Continue to try the work or take a break
3. Avoid:
a) getting into a power struggle with Kevin, make
decisions be his responsibility,
b) being confrontational
c) getting pulled into a debate about the situation – state
the choices available to Kevin, tell him you are giving
him a moment to think about it and then walk away and
attend to other students
Video Activity
Same Situation-Two Approaches
• Watch the video clip of Jason – first approach
– What are your suggestions for how the teacher
could improve her response to Jason?
• Watch video clip of Jason – different approach
– What did she do this time that you thought was
effective
Plan Strategies that
Help Staff Respond
to Behavior that
Persists Despite
Redirections
Plan Strategies for
When Behavior Persists
• Is the behavior disruptive to the class or
instruction?
– What strategies can the teacher use to re-engage
the student into the routine?
– Would a break away from class defuse the
situation?
– Has the behavior escalated to the point that it
needs to be office managed?
Plan Strategies for
When Behavior Persists
• Stay calm and cool
• Help the teacher to identify their own tolerance
limits and form those into strategies
– “It really upsets me when…..”
• Work with the teacher to identify strategies that help
them stay calm and cool
– Count to 10
– Deep breath
– Etc.
Plan Strategies for
When Behavior Persists
• Reduce Interaction
• Give the teacher suggestions for stepping back from
a confrontation or disengaging from debate
• Reacting to a student’s comments keeps the conflict
going
– Lower voice
– Repeat one phrase (Time to start work)
– Offer the student a break to step away
Plan Strategies for
When Behavior Persists
• Pivotal Redirections
• Using what is know about ‘what works’ for the
student identify those redirection strategies pivotal
for responding when behavior persists
Plan Strategies for
When Behavior Persists
• Let’s look at an example for Kevin:
If behavior persists and Kevin is
not responding to redirections
and re-engagement strategies
1.
Offer Kevin an out by asking, “Is there something we can do so you can
stay in the classroom and be successful?” If he responds sarcastically
calmly restate the question once more.
2.
If Kevin does not respond appropriately then provide an If, then
warning (e.g., If you continue to be disruptive, the consequence is
that you will be sent to the office.)
3.
If Kevin’s behaviors continue and become unmanageable, send Kevin
to the office
Plan Strategies for Safety Concerns
• Does the behavior place the student or others
at risk?
– Develop a plan that enables the teacher to get
assistance should include
• Operationally define the behaviors that constitute an
unsafe situation
• Who will the teacher get help from?
• What should the teacher do with the other students?
• What strategies will be used to prevent injury and deescalate?
Plan Strategies for Safety Concerns
• Ensure that all other prevention and de-escalation
strategies discussed have been tried BEFORE making
a decision about removing a student from the area
• Removing a student from class/setting is a “last
resort” measure NOT an intervention strategy
• Ultimately, the goal is always for the student to
remain in class and benefit from instruction
Plan Strategies for Safety Concerns
• Determine an appropriate location (e.g., office,
guidance, class next door) for the student to go to
– Make arrangements with the receiving location prior to
implementing the plan
– Make arrangements for a possible escort prior to implementing the
plan
• Determine a safe transition process
– Notify key personnel at early sign that the student is having
difficult
– Determine if the student needs an escort
• If yes, contact appropriate personnel for assistance
– Contact the receiving office/teacher to notify of student arrival
Plan Strategies for Safety Concerns
• Determine strategies to assist the student to calm down
and return to routine
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Ask the student what they need to regroup
Provide the student with some private space
Engage the student in making a good decision about their behavior
Utilize building supports (e.g., counselor or crisis interventionist) to
facilitate helping the student to calm down
Plan Strategies for Safety Concerns
• If a student is removed from class more than 2
times following implementation of the BIP, the
team should immediately reconvene to
modify and adjust the plan
Video Activity
• Watch the video clip
• Map out the:
– Setting events
– Antecedents
– Behaviors
– Consequences
• What recommendations would make to this
teacher to change how she responded to
problem behavior