Behavior Support Planning

January 31, 2013Karen O’Brien

Assumptions and Objectives• Assumptions

▫ You are already implementing School-wide PBIS

▫ You already conduct functional behavioral assessments

▫ You are already working with teams to build behavior support plans for individual students.

• Objectives▫ Define a process for moving from assessment to

behavior support plan.▫ Determine Desired & Replacement Behaviors; Select

Prevention & Teaching Strategies & Positive/Negative Consequences

▫ Practice writing BSPs

Main Messages

• Know the “foundation” information BEFORE building a plan:

What, Where, When, Who, Why (FBA information) For complex plans build information about social, family,

medical and contextual issues that may be influencing behavior.

• Make the plan fit the student and the context Efficient, tailored support Make behaviors irrelevant, inefficient & ineffective

• Implement individual behavior support plans within school-wide systems.

• Establish a plan to monitor and evaluate the plan on a regular basis

Tertiary Prevention:Specialized

IndividualizedSystems for Students

with High-Risk Behavior

Secondary Prevention:

Specialized GroupSystems for Students

with At-Risk Behavior

Primary Prevention:School-/Classroom-Wide Systems for

All Students,Staff, & Settings

~80% of Students

~15%

~5%

School-Wide Positive Behavior

& Intervention Supports

•Behavior support is the redesign of environments, not the redesign of individuals

•Positive Behavior Support Plans define changes in the behavior of those who will implement the plan. ▫A behavior support plan describes what

we will do differently.

A Context for PBIS

Behavior Support Elements

Problem Behavior

Functional Assessment

Content of Support Plan

Fidelity of Implementation

Impact on Behavior and Lifestyle

*Team*Specialist

*Hypothesis statement*Competing Behavior Analysis *Contextual Fit

*Implementation Plan

*Technical Adequacy* Strengths

* Preferences

* Lifestyle vision

Behavior Support Elements

Problem Behavior

Functional Assessment

Content of Support Plan

Fidelity of Implementation

Impact on Behavior and Lifestyle

*Team*Specialist

*Hypothesis statement*Competing Behavior Analysis *Contextual Fit

*Implementation Plan

*Technical Adequacy* Strengths

* Preferences

* Lifestyle vision

Outcomes of a Functional Behavioral Assessment• Operationally defined problem behavior(s)

▫ By response class

• Identify routines in which the problem behavior is most and least likely to occur

• Define the antecedent events (triggers; setting events) that predict when the problem behavior is most likely

• Define the ONE consequence that contributes most to maintaining the problem behavior in that routine.

• Summary Statement of findings.

Setting Events TriggeringAntecedents

MaintainingConsequences

ProblemBehavior

FBA Summary Statement

12 34

Head Hit

In room with Noise and/or too many people

Avoid noise/peopleAllergies

Identifying Maintaining Consequences

Given a Problem Behavior

Get: Object, Activity, Sensation

Avoid: Object, Activity, Sensation

Social Physiological Social Physiological

Precise Event

Precise Event

PreciseEvent

PreciseEvent

Object/Activity

Object/Activity

PreciseEvent

PreciseEvent

Video

What about Power, Control, Choice,

Revenge?These are large social

constructs that do not help in the design of specific behavior

support. Each can be narrowed to “what you get” or “what you

avoid.” To make functional assessment functional the

outcomes must be very specific and precise.

Use FBA to Design Effective Support:The Design of Effective Environments

• Make problem behaviors irrelevant▫ Aversive events are removed▫ Access to positive events are more common

• Make problem behaviors inefficient▫ Appropriate behavioral alternatives are acceptable▫ Appropriate behavioral alternatives are taught

• Make problem behaviors ineffective▫ Problem behaviors are not rewarded▫ Desired behavior(s) ARE rewarded

Using FBA to Design Effective Support:The Simple BSP

•How can we prevent problem situations?•What should we teach as an alternative

behavior?•How to increase reward of appropriate

behavior?•How to minimize reward of problem behavior?•Are negative consequences for problem

behavior needed?•Are safety routines needed?•What data to collect?

▫Are we doing the plan?▫Is the plan working?

Selecting an “alternative behavior”•Alternative behaviors:

▫1. Produce the SAME outcome as problem behaviors

▫2. Are socially appropriate▫3. Are as (or more) efficient than problem

behavior Amount of physical effort Speed of effect Number of times performed to get reward

Setting Events TriggeringAntecedents

MaintainingConsequences

Desired Behavior TypicalConsequences

Problem Behavior

Replacement Behavior

Tease, Taunt peers

Seat work, Alone

Obtain Attention from peers

Minimal peer contact

Do work Complete work, Get more work

?

Mitch

Which of the Following are Appropriate Alternative/Replacement Behaviors?

▫Jason is nine and cries when asked to do difficult tasks. The crying is maintained by avoiding or escaping the tasks.

•Possible Replacement Behaviors:▫More token rewards for doing tasks▫Asking for a break from tasks▫Asking to do something other than the

tasks▫Requesting adult attention▫Asking to have soda after tasks are done

Which of the Following are Appropriate Alternative/Replacement Behaviors?

▫Jason is nine and cries when asked to do difficult tasks. The crying is maintained by avoiding or escaping the tasks.

•Possible Replacement Behaviors:▫More rewards for doing tasks▫Asking for a break from tasks▫Asking to do something other than the

tasks▫Requesting adult attention▫Asking to have soda after tasks are done

Which of the Following are Appropriate Alternative/Replacement Behaviors?▫Leslie is 12, has severe intellectual

disabilities, does not use words, and hits her head. Head hitting is maintained by adult attention during work periods.

•Which is the best Replacement Behavior▫hide under her desk and be ignored▫sign for “more” to another student▫take completed work up to show the teacher▫move to sit by another student▫engage in stereotypies

Which of the Following are Appropriate Alternative/Replacement Behaviors?▫Leslie is 12, has severe intellectual

disabilities, does not use words, and hits her head. Head hitting is maintained by adult attention during work periods.

•Which is the best Replacement Behavior▫hide under her desk and be ignored▫sign for “more” to another student▫take completed work up to show the

teacher▫move to sit by another student▫engage in stereotypies

BEHAVIOR SUPPORTPLANNING

COMPETING PATHWAYS

Make Problem BehaviorIrrelevant

Make Problem Behavior

Inefficient

Make Problem Behavior

Ineffective

And Positive Behavior

More Effective

Antecedent Events Behavior Consequence

Antecedent Strategies Behavior Strategies

Consequence Strategies

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BEHAVIOR SUPPORTPLANNING

COMPETING PATHWAYS

On Mondays when he has had little

sleep

Daily nongraded quiz on previous night’s

homework

Verbal protests, walks out of

room.

Avoids doing quiz &homework discussion.

Do quiz withoutcomplaints.

Discussion about answers & homework.

Turn in with name &sit quietly w/o interrupting.

Make problem behavior irrelevant.

Make problem behavior irrelevant.

Make problem behavior inefficient.

Make problem behavior ineffective.

Make desired behavior effective

BEHAVIOR SUPPORTPLANNING

COMPETING PATHWAYS

On Mondays and/or when up all of the

night before.

Daily nongraded quiz on previous night’s

homework

Verbal protests, slumpin chair, walks out of

room.

Avoids doing quiz &homework discussion.

Do quiz withoutcomplaints.

Discussion about answers & homework.

Turn in with name &sit quietly w/o interrupting.

Give time to review

homework.

Give quiet time before starting.

Give easy “warm-up” task

before doing quiz.

Precorrect behavior options &

consequences.

Teach options to problem behavior:

1. Turn in blank2. Turn in with

name3. Turn in with

name & first item done.

4. Turn in with name &

50% completed.

With first sign of problem

behaviors, remove task and

request completion of

task next period.

Remove task based on step in

task analysis (STO).

Provide effective verbal praise &

other reinforcers.

Practice writing BSPs

•Form groups of 2-3 people•Use the sample FBA summary statement

to:▫Select a replacement behavior▫Record desired behavior and consequence▫Brainstorm ideas for antecedent, behavior,

and consequence strategies

Five steps to helping a team build a better plan of support

•Summarize the FBA Build Agreement

•Clarify core features of BSP Effective environment

•Ask questions to define intervention options

Not just one option•Select options with strong “contextual

fit” Not just “effective” but “doable”

•Define how the BSP will be implemented

Five Steps in Leading a Team from FBA to a Behavior Support Plan• 1. Summarize FBA

Setting Events-> Antecedents -> Behavior -> Consequence

• 2. Define goals of BSP process: Make problem behavior irrelevant Make problem behavior inefficient Make problem behavior ineffective Do all this in a contextually appropriate manner

• 3. Lead discussion to identify options Ask questions, don’t give solutions Paraphrase, elaborate, integrate Always bring group back to FBA logic Produce multiple ideas (elements)

Leading a Team from FBA to BSP• 4. Given an array of possible BSP elements, shift

discussion to contextual fit.▫What elements are feasible, acceptable, sustainable?’▫What is the smallest change that will produce the

largest effect?▫ -----------------------------------------------------------

• Contextual Fit Defined:▫The extent to which the people who will implement a

behavior support plan find the elements of the plan Consistent with their personal values Consistent with their professional skills Consistent with the resources available in the setting Consistent with the available administrative support

Leading a Team from FBA to BSP•5. Transform ideas for BSP elements

into a formal plan for implementation▫Who will do what, when, and how will we

know?

• Assessment (FBA, Person-Centered Plan, Wraparound) Operational Descriptions, Routines, FA Hypotheses

• Complete the competing behavior pathway flowchart

• Include the following strategies and/or interventions:

• Prevention• Teaching/Education• Rewarding desired behavior• Extinguishing problem behavior• Corrective consequences for problem behavior (if

needed)• Define safety/emergency procedures (if needed)

• Set goals

• Evaluate and Monitor for Improvement on a regular basis

Outline of a Behavior Support Plan

Summary• Invest in building consensus around FBA summary

statement.

• Recruit strategies that are local, practical, but still consistent with FBA…(Lead don’t tell). Recruit local knowledge

• Using Competing Pathway to build efficient plans (the smallest changes that produce the largest effect)

• Ensure that the plan includes procedures for getting implementation to occur.

• Always include procedures for evaluation▫ Are we doing what we said we would do?▫ Is the process having an effect on the student?