Functional Behavior Assessments & Behavior Intervention Plans
History
Functional Behavior Assessments (and their companion Behavior Intervention Plans {BIPs}) were originally used with developmentally delayed populations because they were useful in identifying and correcting observable patterns of problem behavior. In 1997, FBAs were included in the reauthorization of IDEA; they are required to be used with students with behavior problems who have IEPs, regardless of whether behavior is the reason for the IEP. A consistent format for FBAs was not included in the 1997 rewrite, however; this has resulted in a wide variety of interpretations of FBAs and BIPs.
More recently, use of FBAs and BIPs has expanded to use with students outside the special education population. Because of their utility in the school setting, school-wide behavior programs such Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) have included FBAs and BIPs in their program. Research lagged behind widespread implementation of these plans, but recent research shows their effectiveness in the school setting.
What Are They?
Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans are used to reframe a difficult student behavior: instead of labeling it as a problem, the behavior is viewed as a signal. The student is engaging in the behavior in order to meet his/her needs. An FBA looks at the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to determine why a particular behavior is continuing. This wide-angle view of behavior allows school staff to look at what happened before the behavior (antecedent), look at the behavior in an observable and measureable manner, and determine what is they pay-off for the behavior (consequence). From this analysis, a hypothesis is developed about why the behavior is occurring and a plan (BIP) is developed. This plan can then be tested for its effectiveness and further refined. A BIP includes teaching new behaviors, altering the environment to prevent problems, and identifying ways for the student’s need (identified as the consequence) to be met with a more pro-social behavior.
How Do These Apply to School Counselors?
These plans are intended for only Tier III interventions with individual students whose needs have not been met by Tier I and Tier II interventions. A counselor will likely serve on a team that includes a special education teacher and a school psychologist as well as the classroom teacher. One of these professionals (likely the SpEd teacher) will be leading the FBA planning for special education students. It is helpful to be aware of the research behind and use of these plans in the school setting and there are many resources on this Weebly site that can help with that learning.
Formal plans are time-consuming and take a lot of staff resources to implement correctly. Therefore, these plans are usually limited to students with IEPs. However, formal plans are not necessary to THINK functionally about behavior as counselors in order to support classroom teachers who are struggling with difficult student behaviors. It may be helpful the look at the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences, develop a hypothesis, and make an informal plan to address the behavior.
Included in this site are samples of FBAs and BIPs, links to helpful websites, and research articles exploring the efficacy of these plans.
Functional Behavior Assessments (and their companion Behavior Intervention Plans {BIPs}) were originally used with developmentally delayed populations because they were useful in identifying and correcting observable patterns of problem behavior. In 1997, FBAs were included in the reauthorization of IDEA; they are required to be used with students with behavior problems who have IEPs, regardless of whether behavior is the reason for the IEP. A consistent format for FBAs was not included in the 1997 rewrite, however; this has resulted in a wide variety of interpretations of FBAs and BIPs.
More recently, use of FBAs and BIPs has expanded to use with students outside the special education population. Because of their utility in the school setting, school-wide behavior programs such Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) have included FBAs and BIPs in their program. Research lagged behind widespread implementation of these plans, but recent research shows their effectiveness in the school setting.
What Are They?
Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans are used to reframe a difficult student behavior: instead of labeling it as a problem, the behavior is viewed as a signal. The student is engaging in the behavior in order to meet his/her needs. An FBA looks at the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to determine why a particular behavior is continuing. This wide-angle view of behavior allows school staff to look at what happened before the behavior (antecedent), look at the behavior in an observable and measureable manner, and determine what is they pay-off for the behavior (consequence). From this analysis, a hypothesis is developed about why the behavior is occurring and a plan (BIP) is developed. This plan can then be tested for its effectiveness and further refined. A BIP includes teaching new behaviors, altering the environment to prevent problems, and identifying ways for the student’s need (identified as the consequence) to be met with a more pro-social behavior.
How Do These Apply to School Counselors?
These plans are intended for only Tier III interventions with individual students whose needs have not been met by Tier I and Tier II interventions. A counselor will likely serve on a team that includes a special education teacher and a school psychologist as well as the classroom teacher. One of these professionals (likely the SpEd teacher) will be leading the FBA planning for special education students. It is helpful to be aware of the research behind and use of these plans in the school setting and there are many resources on this Weebly site that can help with that learning.
Formal plans are time-consuming and take a lot of staff resources to implement correctly. Therefore, these plans are usually limited to students with IEPs. However, formal plans are not necessary to THINK functionally about behavior as counselors in order to support classroom teachers who are struggling with difficult student behaviors. It may be helpful the look at the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences, develop a hypothesis, and make an informal plan to address the behavior.
Included in this site are samples of FBAs and BIPs, links to helpful websites, and research articles exploring the efficacy of these plans.