behavior requires intensive supports
Letting the school team know what they will be experiencing
Letting the school team know what this process entails (and what it doesn't entail) is important. Here's the letter that might be a starting point.
On (this date), we will be helping (STUDENT'S NAME)'s team to address his/her challenging behaviors through the implementation of a Functional Behavior Assessment and the development of a Positive Behavior Support plan. We are going to use a systematic, structured process to do this work. This process is part of a tiered system of support with Tier 1 being considered more universal classroom supports, Tier 2 being more targeted supports for individual students, and Tier 3 supports which includes the Functional Behavior Assessment and a team approach, being reserved for the few students who need intensive and individualized supports.
There will be a facilitator, PERSON'S NAME) and a recorder (PERSON'S NAME) at the meeting.
This first meeting, which we call Meeting 1, takes about 1 hour to complete all the items on the agenda. Participants include the general education teacher(s), the special education teacher who supports the student, an administrator, the parents (if they wish), speech, occupational and physical therapists and other adults that have a stake in that student’s success. The facilitator and recorder helps to guide the team in the creation of a plan for assessing the behavior. Once the assessment plan is created at Meeting 1, the team will collect information in order to help understand the function of the behavior.
Once the information is collected, generally in about two weeks, team meets again to create a hypothesis about the function of the behavior and then to build a plan to address that message. This is called Meeting 2 and it generally takes about 2 hours. Again, there will be a facilitator and a recorder. The behavior plan includes ways to prevent or reduce the behavior through the use of environmental supports, teaching new skills to students to replace or address the function of the behavior, and the identification of reactive strategies (how the team will respond when the behavior occurs) which are intended not as punitive consequences but instead to get the student back to learning mode as quickly as possible. Finally, the team will discuss how to assess progress with behavior change through the use of a data collection system.
The team will implement the plan and continue to collect data. A review meeting with the team will be scheduled for about two weeks out. At this meeting, the team determines whether the plan is working or needs adaptations. The initial Review meeting takes about 45 minutes but going forward, it can be completed in 30 minutes. For most students who need Tier 3 supports, it takes extended time to effectively address, correct, and change difficult behavior.
There will be a facilitator, PERSON'S NAME) and a recorder (PERSON'S NAME) at the meeting.
This first meeting, which we call Meeting 1, takes about 1 hour to complete all the items on the agenda. Participants include the general education teacher(s), the special education teacher who supports the student, an administrator, the parents (if they wish), speech, occupational and physical therapists and other adults that have a stake in that student’s success. The facilitator and recorder helps to guide the team in the creation of a plan for assessing the behavior. Once the assessment plan is created at Meeting 1, the team will collect information in order to help understand the function of the behavior.
Once the information is collected, generally in about two weeks, team meets again to create a hypothesis about the function of the behavior and then to build a plan to address that message. This is called Meeting 2 and it generally takes about 2 hours. Again, there will be a facilitator and a recorder. The behavior plan includes ways to prevent or reduce the behavior through the use of environmental supports, teaching new skills to students to replace or address the function of the behavior, and the identification of reactive strategies (how the team will respond when the behavior occurs) which are intended not as punitive consequences but instead to get the student back to learning mode as quickly as possible. Finally, the team will discuss how to assess progress with behavior change through the use of a data collection system.
The team will implement the plan and continue to collect data. A review meeting with the team will be scheduled for about two weeks out. At this meeting, the team determines whether the plan is working or needs adaptations. The initial Review meeting takes about 45 minutes but going forward, it can be completed in 30 minutes. For most students who need Tier 3 supports, it takes extended time to effectively address, correct, and change difficult behavior.