TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Rationale for Developing Positive Behavioral Interventions
• Overview of Functional Behavioral Assessment
• Addressing Student Problem Behavior is a Team Effort
• A Method for Developing, Implementing and Monitoring a Positive Behavioral Intervention Plan
• Obstacles to Effective Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behavioral Intervention Plans and Supports
• Conclusion
• Additional Information on Functional Behavioral Assessment and Positive Behavioral Intervention Plans
• Appendix A:
  Functional Assessment/Behavioral Intervention Checklist
• Appendix B:
  Positive Behavioral Intervention Plan Planning Form
• Appendix C:
  Forced-Choice Reinforcement Menu
• Appendix D:
  Sample Crisis/Emergency Plan
• Other Available Resources

RATIONALE FOR DEVELOPING POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS

Traditionally, teachers have dealt with student behavior that interferes with classroom instruction by using various kinds of negative consequences (e.g., verbal reprimands, time-out, and suspension). The goal, of course, has been to reduce, if not eliminate the immediate problem. However, experience has shown that these usually are not the most effective or efficient means to eliminate problem behavior. "Reactive" approaches that follow inappropriate behavior, such as punishment, are not only time consuming, but they fail to teach the student acceptable replacement behaviors and also may serve to reinforce the inappropriate behavior. Many teachers have thus begun to introduce various programs to teach students more acceptable, alternative responses. For example, social skills programs have been an especially popular way to teach appropriate behavior; however, decisions regarding which behavior to teach a student usually are based on the program's curriculum, rather than on what skill a student demonstrates he or she lacks. As a result, understanding why the student misbehaved in the first place is seldom addressed.

Today, there is growing recognition that the success of an intervention hinges on: 1) understanding why the student behaves in a certain way; and 2) replacing the inappropriate behavior with a more suitable behavior that serves the same function (or results in the same outcome) as the problem behavior. Intervention into problem behavior begins with looking beyond the misbehavior and uncovering the underlying causes of the misbehavior. Examples of statements that consider "why" a student misbehaves are:

• Charles swears at the teacher to get out of completing a difficult assignment.
• Juan makes jokes when given a geography assignment to avoid what he perceives as a boring assignment and to gain peer attention. Knowing what compels a student to engage in a particular behavior is integral to the development of effective, individualized positive behavioral intervention plans and supports.

Generally, the logic behind functional assessment is driven by two principles. First, practically all behavior serves a purpose: it allows students to "get" something desirable, "escape" or "avoid" something undesirable, or communicate some other message or need. Second, behavior occurs within a particular context. It may occur in certain settings (e.g., in the cafeteria), under certain conditions (e.g., only when there is a substitute teacher), or during different types of activities (e.g., during recess). Because of these two things, students will change the inappropriate behavior only when it is clear to them that a different response will more effectively and efficiently accomplish the same thing. For this reason, identifying the causes of a behavior-what the student "gets," "escapes," or "avoids," or is attempting to communicate through the behavior-can provide the information necessary to develop effective strategies to address those behaviors that interfere with learning or threaten safety. This can be accomplished by means of a functional behavioral assessment.