8: Working with the School

Working with the School

Video Script

Through the last seven modules, we’ve talked about how using positive behavior supports can help a student with persistent behavior problems at home or in school. We’ve looked at important components of good functional behavioral assessments – FBAs – and behavior intervention plans – BIPs. We’ve talked about the legal support for FBAs and BIPs in schools. Now let us address one last, but still important topic – how parents and teachers working together is an important contributor to success. If your child has an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, you can request that a behavior plan be a part of the IEP. As discussed in Module 7, the IDEA says that if a child’s behaviors interfere with his learning or that of others, it is recommended practice to consider conducting an FBA. Parents or educators may need to bring this to the attention of the school-based IEP team, which may include general education teachers, special education teachers, administrators, and support personnel such as speech/language pathologists, school psychologists, or occupational therapists. And it always includes the parents. Parents can specifically request that a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) be conducted and a behavioral intervention plan developed. Ideally, your child’s behavior intervention plan will be developed by the school team and you, working together, so that the strategies can be used both at school and at home It is the consistent and persistent implementation of the plan that makes it work. Change will not occur over night, but if you and the school follow the plan, we think you will be pleased with the results. As with other parts of the IEP, the team should set clear goals for the changes in behavior they hope to see. The focus of the plan should be on positive measures that are designed to help, not punish, your child. For example, the plan should outline how the child will be taught appropriate behaviors and reinforced for those appropriate behaviors instead of only describing what discipline will occur for engaging in the problem behaviors. The plan should not confuse preventing problem behaviors with “giving up” or “giving in.” For example, if Jose’s problem behaviors tend to occur after he has been working for approximately 15 minutes, giving him a break after ten minute is not the equivalent of allowing him to skip the remaining work. Rather, the break is used to help ready Jose to be productive once the break is over. As for other parts of the IEP, the behavioral component should include a plan for monitoring the child’s progress and making changes as needed. Regular assessment contributes to real progress on academic, social, and behavioral goals. The progress monitoring, if done correctly will track the problem behaviors and the replacement behaviors of the child. We encourage you to set up regular channels for communication between home and school. It is important that these include successes and gains made on goals, and not just concerns about behaviors although it is important that these too be discussed honestly and openly. We have now discussed how positive behavioral supports can help decrease persistent problematic behaviors. We talked about the importance of a functional assessment and an explicit plan. We noted that the IDEA explicitly discusses positive behavioral supports, and that you can request the inclusion of behavioral goals as part of your child’s IEP. We know that this approach can work. We also know that a series of brief video modules and our work sheets can help you get you started, but there is often much, much more to learn. You will find several links on our website for resources about positive behavioral supports, including sample assessment tools and plans. We wish the best for your children and you, and thank you for choosing to spend time with our program.

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Working with the school through IEP meetings

As mentioned in the video, functional behavioral assessment data can be used to generate a behavior intervention plan that can be incorporated into your child’s individualized education program (IEP). You may discuss this with your child’s/student’s IEP team.

In an effort to maximize the effectiveness of the IEP team process, the Exceptional Parent has compiled tips for a successful IEP meeting targeted toward parents and educators. These tips will be discussed in the next two sections. Implementing these recommendations will help you prepare for discussions about functional behavioral assessments and behavior intervention plans at your child’s/student’s IEP team meeting.

Parent tips for IEP meetings

Before the meeting:

Organize all of your child’s academic and therapy information in one file to bring with you to any meeting. Generate ideas for goals that you feel would be appropriate based on your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Obtain drafts of all assessment and IEP documents prior to the meeting. All team members should have access to the same information prior to the start of the meeting.[1]
Educate yourself on special education law and the special education process.[2]

During the meeting:

If you do not understand something, ask for an explanation. Ask for the school-based members to discuss the assessment and IEP information at a pace that allows you to ask questions.²
Ask the school-based team members what you can do at home to support your child’s IEP.
Finally, determine how often you would like information about your child’s progress and make that request.[3]

After the meeting:

Monitor your child’s progress and communicate any questions or concerns you have about your child’s program.[3]

[1] Moody, A.K. (Winter 2010-2011). Empowering families to be collaborative participants in IEP meetings. Childhood Education, 87, 129-130.

[2] Fish, W. W. (2008). The IEP meeting: Perceptions of parents of students who receive special education services. Preventing School Failure, 53, 8-14.

[3] Tracy, A. E., & Maroney, D. I. (2000). Getting the most out of IEP meetings. The Exceptional Parent, 30, 70.

Is the school required to conduct an FBA in this situation?

Answer: No.

The behavior was not considered a manifestation of Temple’s disability, so the school system only needs to conduct an FBA as deemed appropriate. In this situation, it may be more appropriate to provide the family with some drug rehabilitation resources.

Teacher tips for IEP meetings

Avoid using jargon-based language
Become acquainted with community resources and present those as your school system allows
Encourage a strengths-based approach to the IEP process by informing the parent when something positive happens, relaying the message that the child is likeable, and utilizing the child’s strengths when developing the IEP.[1]
Although it is efficient to draft objectives prior to the meeting, remember that those objectives are just drafts and encourage parent participation in revising the objectives if appropriate.[2]
Educators have an enormous amount of knowledge about special education law and the special education process. Take time to educate parents on this information so that they will be fully informed of their rights.[2]

[1] Moody, A.K. (Winter 2010-2011). Empowering families to be collaborative participants in IEP meetings. Childhood Education, 87, 129-130.