Behavior and Discipline Plans

     If a child is violent the options are few. Then he or she may need to be temporarily removed to an alternative setting. Parents should know that even in such a setting a child's IEP must be followed. The law states such a placement should be temporary as the child needs to be with nondisabled and appropriate peer role models as much as possible. Real violence is a level beyond what we will address in this article. Violence that presents harm to a student or fellow student requires professional intervention far beyond just a positive behavior plan and/or alternative discipline plan. However, behavior plans can dramatically assist a child in developing more appropriate behaviors over time. 

Below we shall take a look at the philosophy behind the law's support for positive behavior plans and alternative discipline plans. 

When does my child need a behavior plan?

     If a child has a pattern of inappropriate behavior, parents and IEP teams must be proactive before there is any kind of serious incident, real or perceived. Intervention should be swift, with a proactive approach. 

     As a child grows older, particularly by junior high, there are high expectations for social skills and communication skills. A child with a disability impacting those skills may well be far behind peers in developing those skills. Because of the higher expectations, the child is at higher risk for inappropriate judicial involvement or punishment, both of which are not going to help that child overcome a skills deficit. But those skills can be learned, if taught and positively reinforced in a systematic manner. 

    A thoughtful, carefully constructed behavior plan which is fully implemented by all staff at school and by parents at home can intervene to teach a child to more appropriate behaviors long before the behavior becomes serious.

     With today's zero tolerance popularity it is critical for parents to put into place protections for any child who has behavior issues arising from a disability. If you wait until a crisis happens it may be too late and the child ends up in the judicial system. Once there, a child has very few rights, unlike adults. The issue is best addressed before things reach that point. 

     There are protections in the law for our children whose behavior impedes their learning and/or the learning of others.  Parents usually are unaware of those protections. This is sad, because they were written to protect the child, and help him or her to new, more appropriate behaviors.   Special education law and 504 plans can include a behavior plan and/or an alternative discipline plan when a child has behaviors that interfere with progress in school. 

     When danger signals arise, such as receiving in-school suspensions, being sent out of the classroom frequently because of behaviors, out of school suspensions, etc.,  both school and parents have a responsibility to take a proactive stance. If the school does not suggest a functional behavior assessment the parents might consider a formal request for such an assessment. 

     There are certain phrases that parents should take as a warning sign of trouble brewing. Be wary if the phrase "has to learn responsibility" is used frequently regarding behaviors you believe are disability related. A child who lacks competency in the area of social behavior might be told to "act responsibly."  You might hear, "If the child was responsible he would get his work in on time."  As the parent of a child with disabilities you may find it much more productive to ask the team to substitute the word "competency" for the word "responsibility' and see if it makes sense. In other words, we want Johnny to be "more competent" in the area of assignment completion.  We want Johnny to be "more competent" in the area of social skills. There are far too many children in my advocacy experience who were directed on a path to disciplinary measures and the juvenile justice sytem because an incompetency was viewed as willful rather than an inability to perform as expected.

     The major change in behavior may be on the staff's part as they write time consuming slip after slip to the office. I have seen parents horrified at meetings to see a large stack of slips they did not know existed.  I would suggest parents request the school send a duplicate copy of any slip to their home.  If such slips have a repetitive pattern, both school and parents should meet and work proactively to provide any needed supports/services needed to help that child be more successful.   

Documenting Behavior Concerns

     If behavior is of concern to the school the parents can write a letter to the school, and offer to work with the school to reduce the behaviors of concern.  Once behavior issues are noted in writing, the child is afforded some protection, as the district has responsibility to identify children at risk and to serve them. If a school is unaware that a child has a disability that may involve behaviors it can treat that child as it would any other student in the event of an incident.  If the child is identified as a child with a disability, then the procedural safeguards in special education law would take effect.

     It would be helpful for a school that accumulates a disciplinary file to inform the parents, and keep them up to date as to the contents of that file.

Any disciplinary file, including those slips, now goes to court with the child if there is a proceeding. If there has been no proactive involvement, the chances are much greater that the child will be in trouble with the law at some point. While the new safeguards in IDEA may seem time consuming and frustrating to school officials, deeper inspection and understanding of the philosophy driving the laws shows a carefully crafted attempt at saving our at risk youngsters from harmful,unnecessary intervention with the law.Such involvement at an early age can mark a child for life, with negative attitudes and unrealistic expectations on the part of adults, both at home and at school. A downward spiral begins, with self fulfilling prophecy of failures a real possibility. We must be very careful to sort out the needs and to implement the supports necessary to help that youngster attain compentency in weak areas of performance.

What is a positive behavior plan?

      Behavior plans should be considered a tool to use before the need for manifestation hearings.  A positive behavior plan and possibly an alternative discipline plan are proven strategies for addressing chronic behavior problems. They should be utilized as a proactive tool, not just a reactive tool.  Intervention at the early stages of chronic behavior problems afford a child the chance to succeed. There could be far fewer referrals to juvenile authorities if parents and schools utilized early intervention taking a positive approach to teaching rather than just punishment.

    The law also stresses the use of positive interventions. Punishment does not teach a child to new behaviors. Punishment may stop the behavior temporarily, but it resumes once the child is over the fear factor. That is why traditional in-school suspensions, discipline slips to the office, and bad report cards do not change behavior for the better. They just do not teach to new, more appropriate behaviors. If they were successful we would not see a repetitive pattern of their use for a number of children.

     A thorough functional behavior assessment will pinpoint the function of the behavior, when and where it occurs, and contain a number of recommendations for the team to consider. The team then assists in determining, when the behaviors happen, what triggers the behaviors, what function or functions the behavior serves, how to reduce those triggers or antecedents, and what strategies will be used to help that child to more appropriate behaviors. Persons heading up such an assessment should have considerable training in the area of conducting such an assessment. It is not a simple survey, or one step process.

  Parents of children with behavior issues should never ignore or neglect getting professional psychological help for their child. The problems will not get better with time or maturity, if the behavior is disability related. In fact, the issues become more serious with age, as more sophisticated demands are made in the upper levels of education.   

If possible, it is wise to enlist the aid of independent psychological services for evaluation and counseling. A person who has specialized training and expertise in the area of behaviors is crucial to the evaluation and writing of behavior plans. School psychologists usually have a huge case load and simply cannot devote the time necessary for in-depth evaluations and services, although they can certainly enhance a team's consideration of behavior issues.   

Building a Partnership

     Parents and schools must share responsibility in helping children develop new behavior skills.  While poor parenting can certainly exacerbate behaviors so can neglect or inappropriate treatment in the school setting, by staff and peers. Schools must realize that a child's behavior is not necessarily just "a family problem".  Medical as well as emotional and psychological conditions can be at the root of some behaviors. Learning disabilities left undiagnosed or addressed can be a large part of a child's frustration and acting out.  

    Parents must support their child's education on the home front, participate in school sponsored activities, communicate frequently with staff, and above all attend any meetings regarding their child's education. Children need to know that their parents and the school have formed a strong partnership.

   The responsibility falls on the shoulders of the entire team and not just the child to achieve positive end results.  Both parents and school district share responsibility to properly identify the child's needs and to draw up a logical, well thought-out positive approach to changing the behavior. School and home must work together as a team, all following the same game plan.

What are the ABC's of Behavior?

     A good behavior plan always addresses several issues, called the ABC's of behavior. They are the antecedent (what was going on just before the behavior) the behavior itself, and the consequence (what happens as a result of the behavior). Often the team, including the parents of course,  does not establish the antecedent. What was going on immediately before the behavior happened? Did something happened during a time of transition (change)?  Was teacher  distracted, attending to a myriad of details other than the class, or this child?  Is teacher proactively involved in teaching nondisabled children that all children are to be respected for differences, not just sameness?

     The team will try to identify the function of the behavior. For instance, does the child want attention? Does the child want to escape? Determination of the function of a behavior should be under the guidance of a person with expertise in the area of behaviors. It should never be left to guess work. A thorough functional behavior assessment is based on scientific data, not guesswork.

     Then there is the consequence to the behavior. Was it ignored? Was the child punished? How? Did it prevent a recurrence? What intervention was successful in preventing recurrence?

 Sensory Sensitive Issues

     Another factor often overlooked is that children with disabilities are often prone to tactile sensitivity.  This can mean being overly sensitive to layered clothing, touching, a hot room, a noisy room, a busy room, certain fabric textures,  becomes overheated in P.E., or overwhelmed and over stimulated by large crowds.  This sensitivity is important to explore, for such irritants can trigger frustration and anger.  At one IEP meeting a very savvy, well meaning teacher suggested one response for a behavior plan was to touch a child's shoulder as a way of reassurance. I asked the mom if the child liked to be touched and she said "Oh no, she would throw a fit". Explore this area carefully. A surprising number of people, including children, do not like to be touched in such a manner. Other children may be genuinely distressed by fire alarms, bells ringing, bright lights, certain smells, the feel of clothing, too tight, too loose, too hot, too cold, etc. 

Tracking Interventions

      I.D.E.A. makes it clear that if there are serious behavior issues there needs to be a professional behavior assessment, and all interventions that are tried must be documented on paper, including which ones worked and which ones were not successful. This approach can pinpoint any problem behaviors and can start a child on the road to competency.

     As with any science, objective measurement of the desired effect must be documented carefully. It is not unusual for a savvy teacher to find some simple accommodations and modifications that will relieve stress induced behavior.  In other cases, the team may need to find assistance and support for the teacher. The implementation of such interventions, as well as their success or failure, should be measured and documented for future reference. While such an approach may seem an added burden to teachers, how wonderful it will be for future teachers to know just what has been successful in the past! In the long run, life will be simpler for everyone.

Keys to a Successful Behavior Plan

     A good plan identifies individually meaningful rewards, puts in place contingency plans, ( for example, what to do if a sub does not know about a plan), and is totally focused on providing the supports, services, and cooperation necessary to teach the child to new behavior. Now  is the time to try positive strategies that will actually teach your child to more appropriate behaviors. If punitive measures have been used before, you might  point out that obviously that method did not change behaviors for the better, or the team would not be meeting. A positive behavior plan must be considered a teaching tool, not a punitive device.  

    When writing such a plan, the team  should not overlook identifying the child's strengths and interests. This is just as important as identifying the function of the problem behavior. It is amazing what can happen when the focus shifts from poor behavior expectations to building on a youngster's strengths. This strength does not have to be in the area of academics.  Such a strength could be in any number of areas, including art, dance, photography, animals, pottery, mechanical, automotive, etc. Recognition in front of peers of a child's particular hobby or an area of interest,  can be a very powerful reward.  A mentor in the community, with a common area of interest, can be a very positive force in such a child's life. Even one hour or two a week can make a dramatic difference in the life of the child. I believe this should be a one-on-one activity to help the child build self-esteem. How empowering for a child to know one individual has taken a personal interest and wants to help build on his or her unique strengths!

     Such a positive approach to behaviors requires time and energy. But the team will have the satisfaction of seeing lifelong positive behaviors begin to develop. Social skills improve, self esteem grows, and confidence builds.  These are attributes that every child should have as they prepare to enter the adult world and workforce. We can give them no greater gift.

Information at this site should not be construed as legal advice. If legal advice is needed, be sure to contact a lawyer who specializes in special education law.

 

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