School & Education
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If your child’s behavior is getting in the way of their learning or the learning of others, you can ask the school to do a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and create a behavioral intervention plan (BIP). Your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team must consider using positive behavioral supports to help your child.
What is a Functional Behavioral Assessment or FBA?
An FBA is a study of your child’s behavior. By learning more about why behaviors happen, the IEP team can plan positive strategies to help. Through the FBA, the school can look at things like what happens before and after the behavior.
An FBA usually includes:
- Several observations of the child at different points of the school day,
- An interview with the child,
- Interviews with the child’s teachers, and
- A review of the child’s discipline reports.
When is an FBA done?
You can request an FBA if you are worried about your child’s behavior at school. If your child’s behavior is getting in the way of their learning or the learning of others, the IEP team must consider the use of positive behavioral supports to help.
An FBA must be done if:
- The "manifestation determination review" team decides that your child’s behavior was caused by their disability ,
- Your child is removed from school for more than 10 school days in a row,
- Your child has been removed from school for more than 10 school days throughout the school year, or
- Your child has been moved to an interim alternative educational setting.
What happens after the FBA?
After the school finishes the FBA, the IEP team meets to review the information about the child’s behavior. The IEP team will also use the information from the FBA to create a plan to help with your child’s behavior.
What is a Behavioral Intervention Plan or BIP?
A BIP is a plan in your child’s IEP to help with their behavior. The plan should say how the school will work to prevent behaviors and how they will handle behaviors when they happen.
The BIP should include positive behavioral supports for your child. The plan should also give your child enough support that they can stay in class and make progress on their IEP goals.
The BIP will include:
- A summary of the FBA,
- Known triggers of the child,
- Prior interventions or strategies that the school tried,
- Behavioral interventions the school plans to use, including strategies to help develop or strengthen more appropriate behaviors,
- Measurable behavior changes the IEP team expects to see,
- Specific ways behavior will be evaluated,
- A schedule to review your child’s progress, and
- Ways the school will share information with you.
Remember, as a parent, you are an important part of the IEP team. You know your child best. Be sure to share your thoughts about the BIP with the rest of the IEP team.
What if the BIP doesn’t help my child’s behavior?
Ask for an IEP team meeting to talk about the BIP. If the current plan is not working, the IEP team can change the plan. You may have to try different supports to find a plan that works for your child.
For more information on FBAs and BIPs, visit Equip for Equality.
