How to Create a Behavior Modification Plan for Students With Behavioral Disabilities

Based on 1997 amendments to the Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA), public-school administrators and special educators are required to assess and evaluate the need for behavior intervention or modification plans for students with disabilities whose behavior impedes their learning or the learning of classmates. Below you will find a brief introduction to assessing negative behavior and creating interventions to correct negative behavior in the classroom.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Identify the inappropriate behavior in concrete terms, naming it with verbs in the present tense. For example: "The student pushes other students when walking in line to and from activities outside of the classroom."
2. Assess the behavior directly. Observe the student in different settings and note where the behavior does and does not occur.
3. Document specific actions prior to the onset of the behavior, during the behavior and as a consequence of the behavior.
4. Assess the behavior indirectly. Interview the student and other teachers concerning the behavior and situations prior to and following the behavior.
5. Consider all observations and interviews when devising the intervention program.
6. Decide if the student displays similar or different behavior in various settings and if the same stimuli (teacher directions, setting or workload) result in similar behavior.
7. Determine what the student avoids or gets as a result of the behavior. If the student makes irrelevant comments when the teacher asks him or her to read aloud, then the student avoids reading and gets teacher and peer attention.
8. Create an intervention plan addressing the specific skill or performance deficits that the student displays with the negative behavior.
9. Make changes in the difficulty level of instruction and materials to address skill deficits.
10. Address performance deficits by making changes in the classroom setting and eliminating outside distractions. Try moving the student's seat to a quieter area of the classroom.
11. Offer explicit and intense instruction on appropriate ways to receive teacher or peer attention.
12. Evaluate the intervention system immediately. Keep anecdotal records of the student's behavior or graph the occurrence or nonoccurrence of the behavior to keep track of the effectiveness of the intervention.

Tips & Warnings

• Print the behavior management assessment charts and observation forms from the Related Sites for help in assessing and evaluating student behavior.
• Buy books on behavior modification plans and systems so that you will have a variety of methods from which to choose.
• Consider a reward or self-evaluation system to monitor and reinforce student behavior.
• When using a reward system, include instructions on how to appropriately express feelings of frustration and the need for attention.
• Access the Related Sites for a more detailed explanation of the 1997 IDEA amendment and for more specific intervention plans.
• If a behavior modification system does not work, it needs to be reviewed and revised immediately in order to benefit the student and promote learning.
• Avoid interventions that simply control behavior. Punishments such as suspension, detention or the removal of privileges may prevent negative behavior but do not address the causes of the behavior.
• Avoid using outdated materials to design behavior modification plans, as some earlier methods have been shown to be ineffective.