Get on the Road to Driving Improved Behavior!

When behavior starts to present itself in the school environment it can show up in many different forms and degrees of severity. The dreaded “note” home or call from the school about behavioral concerns can consequently result is a few sleepless nights for parents. Thus, I want to share some insight into practices used to help identify behavior trends and root causes. My intention in sharing this information is to help more parents increase their confidence when discussing behavior challenges as an equal member of their child’s IEP team.

First, recognizing that behavior is a form of communication is one step closer to correcting the behavior. Equally as important, is to engage a trained professional in behavior intervention as part of your child’s IEP team. In addition, you may want to become familiar with The ABC’s of Behavior and The 4 Functions of Behavior. These are two commonly used practices when working through behavior challenges. Exploring and implementing these practices in both the home and school environment can help identify and reduce undesirable behavior. Now let’s take a closer look at these two practices.

 

The ABC’s of Behavior

 

The ABC’s of behavior looks closely at 3 specific actions:

• Identifying what triggered the behavior.
• Capturing the reaction of the child. What did the child do?
• The action taken in response to the behavior.

Data collection during these behavior periods is key to tracking trends and to better understand what is triggering the behavior. This is a critical step in working towards more positive outcomes. Parents can also do this at home by keeping logs of the occurrences and asking and answering the above 3 questions. In fact, the school may ask parents to participate in this process in order to better understand how behavior is being handled at home. Let’s now dive into what may be driving the behavior by exploring the 4 Functions of Behavior.

4 Functions of Behavior

 

This principle outlines the 4 major reasons behind what is driving the behavior also referred to as S.E.A.T. (Sensory, Escape, Attention, Tangible).

Once the “why” behind the behavior has been identified, the next step is to work with the child’s IEP team to identify and implement appropriate strategies, modifications, and accommodations around the “why” in order to promote more positive behavior outcomes. Furthermore, it is important to recognize that the primary focus in developing a behavior intervention plan should not be on your child changing their behavior. The focus should be on strategies to reduce or eliminate the triggers causing the behavior. A well put together and executed plan should organically result in improved behavior outcomes from your child.