Behavior Intervention Plans and Schools

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Jump to topics on this page:

• What Is a Behavior Intervention Plan? 
• Getting a BIP for Your Child
• What Is a Functional Behavioral Assessment?
• Getting Involved in the BIP Process
• If the BIP Isn’t Working
• Helpful Links
   

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Is your child struggling with their behavior at school? Maybe they’re having a hard time following the rules or getting along with others. This can be a tough place for parents to be.

Often, children with disabilities or special health care needs use their behavior to tell us something isn’t okay with them. But that doesn’t mean they know why they’re acting a certain way, especially for children who are younger or earlier in their development. 

If your child is having a lot of meltdowns, disrupting class, being aggressive, refusing to do schoolwork or using very inappropriate language at school, and what you and the teacher have tried isn’t working, it’s probably time to look into a Behavior Intervention Plan or BIP, sometimes also called a Behavior Support Plan or BSP. 

This page explains what a BIP is, how to work with the school to get one and how to stay involved in the process to ensure the BIP helps your child.

What Is a Behavior Intervention Plan? 

A BIP is a written plan designed to help children use more positive behaviors. It says how the adults in your child’s life, like parents, teachers, school staff and other caregivers, will support your child and teach them skills to solve problems and better ways to get their needs met at school. It can help a child replace problem behavior with positive behavior. 

A good BIP focuses more on the rewards your child will get for positive behavior than on anything negative that might happen after a problem behavior. It should include information on what the teachers, school staff or other caregivers are expected to do––and what your child is expected to do.

Your child’s BIP should include:

• Results of their FBA or Functional Behavioral Assessment, explained later on this page.
• A list of their specific behaviors––and which ones are important to work on first.
• Things that trigger or lead to your child’s negative behavior so that adults can avoid those things.
• The behaviors you and the school want to see more of—and the ways teachers and school staff will support those behaviors.
• What happens when there’s a problem behavior.
• Who is responsible for helping with each part of your child’s BIP.
• What will happen if your child’s BIP isn’t working.
• A plan for updating or ending the BIP when your child meets their behavior goals.

Here is an example of a BIP from Understood.org:

• The student will be rewarded with computer time if the teacher notices him working well in a group.
• The student will ask for breaks when needed.
• The teacher will minimize competition in the classroom.
• The counselor will teach the student self-calming activities.
• The student will be removed from a group after one warning about their behavior until they can show self-control.

A BIP might also give you ideas on how to make a behavior plan at home. We have stories from parents on creating a behavioral intervention plan at home and on using and understanding positive behavior support in everyday life. 

Getting a BIP for Your Child

Here are the steps to get a BIP:

1. You and your child’s school agree a BIP is a good plan for your child. You might bring the idea up to the special education teacher or school administrator—or they may talk to you. You can also ask about a BIP at your child’s Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meeting. Your child’s school is supposed to get your agreement before starting the BIP process
2. Your child’s school will do a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA). Read more on those below.
3. Based on the FBA, your child’s school will create a BIP. If your child has an  Individualized Education Program (IEP) or plan for 504 accommodations, the BIP should be included in that. 
4. You should have the chance to review and sign off on a BIP just like any other part of your child’s IEP or 504 plan.
5. After everyone has tried the BIP for a period of time, you and your child’s school will meet to talk about whether or not the BIP is working. Then you can make any needed changes.

What Is a Functional Behavioral Assessment?

The first step in developing a behavior support plan for your child is to figure out the cause of their problem behaviors:

• Are they happening because your child doesn’t have certain skills? For example, a child might hit or yell at another child who confronts them or isn’t doing what they want because the child doesn’t know another way to respond.
• Does the behavior give your child something that they want? For example, a child might call out or make noise in class to get extra attention from a teacher or other children.

An FBA identifies the purpose or “function” the behaviors serve. This means why the behavior is happening.

An FBA is usually done by someone the school hires who has a background in applied behavior analysis. This might be a psychologist or a behavior specialist. They will probably interview your child, the teacher, the school staff and you. They will try to identify triggers or causes for the behavior and any skills they think your child needs to learn or strengthen. It gives you and the school new information and ideas to help your child at school and maybe at home too. 

Getting Involved in the BIP Process

Your child’s school should review the BIP often and change it if needed. After all, your child is always growing and changing; things that worked at first might not work later. 

Here are questions you can ask to help your child:

• How often will we be reviewing my child’s plan?
• How do we know if my child’s BIP is working?
• Is there anything I can do at home to help with the BIP?

Different schools involve parents at different levels in the BIP process. They might only ask for your agreement for the FBA and to sign off on the BIP. Or they might ask you many questions about what your child’s behavior looks like at home. 

You and your child have the right to ask questions and share your opinions about how the plan will work. After all, you are the biggest expert on your child and will probably have a lot of ideas.

If you need help working with your child’s school to get a BIP that is right for your child, call or email the TIER trainer at your regional education service center (ESC). 

Learn more about ESCs and other government-funded organizations that can help your child and family on our Government-Funded Organizations page. If your child’s school doesn’t seem to be following the BIP, see our page on Your Child’s Right to a Public Education for ideas on what to do next.

If the BIP Isn’t Working

Sometimes your child’s BIP isn’t working as well as everyone planned. 

Reasons why a BIP might not be working:

• The team thought your child’s behavior was happening for one reason, but it wasn’t the real reason.
• Your child’s reward system for positive behavior got old. Many children get used to rewards and need a new, more exciting reward.
• Your child’s needs changed. Maybe they want to do more things on their own now or other children start encouraging problem behavior. Maybe your child developed new skills or they have new frustrations the BIP should include.

If you think your child’s BIP isn’t working, it needs to be adjusted. You can talk to your child’s teacher or a school administrator and ask for a review meeting. You’re an important part of your child’s educational and behavior support team—and you and the school should work together through a BIP to help your child learn and have more positive experiences at school.