Effective Behavior Intervention Plans

                The article I chose to review for this week’s blog is Developing Effective Behavior Intervention Plans: Suggestions for School Personal.  This author from this article discusses the steps of how to design a BIP.  The author also talks about some common errors with the BIP process and how to avoid those errors. 

                The first step that is required to develop a BIP is to complete a functional behavior assessment (FBA).  An FBA consists of an observation and interviews that determine the antecedent, behavior, and consequences.  According to Killu, “the underlying theme to the FBA is that all behavior has a function and occurs for a reason.  The primary outcome of the FBA that summarizes these findings is a hypothesis statement that describes the problem and the variables correlated with its occurrence and the non-occurrence.” (Killu, 2008) 

Killu offers these 12 steps to develop a hypothesis: “(1) consensus on the problem behavior, (2) a precise definition of the target behavior, (3) a review of the student’s records and past interventions, (4) interviews with the student or all relevant parties, (5) team discussion, (6) assessment scales, (7) direct observation and measurement of the target behavior, (8) scatterplot data, (assessment of antecedents to and consequences of the target behavior, (10) identification of reinforcers, (11) examination of the ecological context to the problem behavior, (12) analog experimentation of the proposed hypothesis.” (Killu, 2008)

                The next step in the development of an effective BIP is to assess antecedent variables and setting events.  According to Killu, “setting events may occur just prior to a target behavior, or even days before.  They may involve environmental factors (e.g., method and delivery of instruction, curriculum, the physical setting, number of people in the environment), physiological factors (e.g., illness, medical conditions, side effects of meds) or social factors (e.g., family circumstances, interactions with peers on the school bus).” (Killu, 2008)  The third step is to establish the validity of reinforcers.  Killu addresses that many BIPs focus on rewards and consequences that are contingent upon the occurrence of desired behavior.  However, there is a drawback from this method according to Killu.  Killu states that “unless the future occurrence of the behavior increases after the reward is presented, reinforcement has not occurred.” (Killu, 2008) Killu suggests using negative reinforcement, like positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement can increase the future probability of a response.  The difference between the two is negative reinforcement is followed by taking away or reducing a stimulus.  Killu concluded “that the important consideration for reinforcement and punishment is that they are not things, but rather effects and these effects impact the occurrence/ nonoccurrence of desirable and undesirable behaviors.” (Killu, 2008)  The fourth step in the process is to describe and specify target behaviors and intervention strategies.  One problem that occurs often is that when one describes a problem behavior, it is too general or too specific.  According to Killu, “a description of a target behavior should be so specific that an individual unfamiliar with the student should be able to identify the student and the target behavior when it occurs.  The term operational definition has been used to describe the precision with which target behaviors should be identified.” (Killu, 2008) The target behaviors need to measurable and clear, and the characteristics of the response should be the same.  The fifth step in the BIP process is to consistently collect data.  Killu states, “If a student’s behavior warrants implementing a BIP, it stands to reason that steps must be taken to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan in changing the behavior.  Without observation and measurement, there is no standard, objective method for determining the effectiveness of a BIP.” (Killu, 2008) To have an effective BIP, the student’s behavior needs to be observed, measured, and recorded before, during, and after the implementation of the BIP.  The sixth step the author discusses is to implement the plan accurately and consistently.  There are certain issues that may contribute to the BIP’s integrity, procedural integrity, which is the accuracy and consistently of implementation and can result in a poorly defined target behavior or a poorly developed plan.  The next step in developing an effective BIP is to program for generalization and maintenance.  Simply implementing a BIP does not guarantee that a student’s behavior change will sustained or extend into other environments.  In order for the BIP to be effective, the student may need to be taught self-monitoring and self-management skills to maximize the success of the BIP.  The last step in the process is to provide sufficient time, staffing resources and supports.  Teachers should allow time for progress to be made from the student.  Also, sufficient personnel must be on board to implement the BIP, they need to be supplied with materials to implement the programming, ongoing consultation, or training. 

                Overall, I found this article useful and worth reading.  The author was clear about the steps to take when developing a BIP.  I really liked how the author gave specific examples of how to measure and collect data when creating a BIP.  Also, I liked that the author discussed using negative reinforcement, which I agree can be very useful when trying to change a behavior.  I believe that in some cases, taking away privileges or a stimulus can be more effective than rewarding positive behaviors.  Another part of this article I liked was that the author provided a BIP checklist that could be reproduced and used by teachers.  The checklist in the article gave bullet points of the process and the essential BIP elements. 

                In conclusion, I found this article interesting and informative, I would recommend this article to special ed. teachers and gen ed. teachers.  The steps of how to write and implement a BIP were clear and to the point, and the checklist at the end of the article was an excellent resource.     

References

Killu, K. (2008). Developing Effective Behavior Intervention Plans: Suggestions for School Personnel. Intervention In School And Clinic, 43(3), 140-149.