Behavior Intervention Plan

Student: Student A Grade: 1

Age: 6 DOB: XX – XX - XXXX
School: Sample Elementary
Date of Plan: January 2021

Reason for Referral:

A Behavior Intervention Plan was deemed appropriate at this time due to teacher
concerns of Student A’s inappropriate behaviors in the classroom. Student A will
frequently become frustrated, angry, whine, and begin to cry and yell loudly, which has
resulted in his removal from the classroom on at least one occasion. The purpose of this
functional behavior assessment is to determine possible functions, or reasons, for this
behavior.

Assessment Measures:
Review of records
Functional Analysis Screening Tool (FAST)
Teacher Interview
Direct behavioral observations
Behavioral data collection (ABC chart and Partial Interval Recording Form)

Background Information:
Information from this section was obtained from Student A’s 1st grade teacher, Mrs.
Jonas, who has had Student A in her general education classroom since the beginning of
the school year. Mrs. Jonas considers Student A’s greatest strength to be in reading, and
states that although he sometimes displays a lack of confidence in his reading ability, he
will usually do well with some one-on-one assistance. Regarding areas of concern, Mrs.
Jonas stated that Student A requires constant redirection when asked to work on any task,
and has trouble beginning a task without receiving one-on-one support. For example,
when working on tests, Student A will need constant reminders to sit down, complete
questions, etc. Student A experiences the most difficulty with math, which Mrs. Jonas
states that he easily becomes frustrated with, especially when learning new concepts. She
states that he will begin to have meltdowns when frustrated with his math work and will
sometimes give up and shut down when working with challenging problems. Mrs. Jonas
is most concerned with Student A’s failure to appropriately express his feelings when
upset, and his tendency to resort to loudly crying during class. Mrs. Jonas stated that this
will typically occur when Student A has his hand raised to participate but is not called on.
On one occasion, Student A cried so loudly that he had to be removed from the
classroom.

Student A’s behavior will occur across multiple settings but may happen most frequently
during Writing. During this period, the classroom aide takes a lunch break, and Mrs.
Jonas is the only adult in the classroom. Less one-on-one attention during this period
could result in an increase in behaviors since there is no aide present. Writing also takes
place right after Student A’s lunch period, which may suggest some issues with
transitioning. On another occasion, when instructed to line up for recess, Student A
became noticeably upset and hid himself inside one of the bookshelves in the classroom.
Mrs. Jonas reported that at the beginning of the school year, Student A would engage in
crying behaviors about 4x/day, which has since been reduced to about 1x/day over the
past few weeks. Mrs. Jonas states that Student A will sometimes have “good days” where
there are no crying outbursts, but these behaviors still occur multiple times throughout the
week and appear to be extremely disruptive.

There is no current motivational system in place for Student A, but Mrs. Jonas and the
classroom aide have tried multiple methods to reduce these negative behaviors. Previous
methods include ignoring Student A when he is becoming noticeably upset, speaking to
him in a firm voice when delivering directives, and threatening to remove an item/object
that he enjoys using. These methods have not resulted in any significant or lasting
reduction in Student A’s crying behaviors. Consequences of Student A’s problem
behaviors will almost always include teacher attention, redirection, reprimands, and has
included removal from the situation on at least one occasion.

Operational Definition of Target Behavior:

When the student’s hand is raised and he is not called on to participate, the student will
listen to the responses of classmates and wait quietly to participate when given another
opportunity. The student will continue to attend to instructions, remain on task, and ask
the teacher appropriate questions.

Hypothesis:
Based on teacher reports and observations, the function of Student A’s behavior is to gain
teacher attention. When X Student A is not called on and his hand is raised, he may resort
to crying, whining, grunting, staring at the teacher, and will sometimes lay on the floor
when he gets extremely upset and frustrated. The louder Student A’s crying becomes, the
more likely he is to receive adult attention. Although Student A is typically ignored when
grunting and sometimes even whining, the loud crying would often result in the
classroom aide coming to his side and speaking with him about his behavior. Student A’s
first grade teacher also confirms that right before these behaviors occur, he is not called
on to participate or answer a question when his hand is raised. Because an increase in
crying leads to an increase in adult attention for Student A; his behavior is being
positively reinforced. The function of this behavior will instead be reinforced by the
following procedures.

Behavior Intervention Procedures:

Preventative Measures (to be used before the target behavior occurs)

● The teacher will continue to provide verbal reminders to students throughout the
day of classroom rules and expectations. This includes participating in class by
using “quiet hands”, following directions, and listening to comments made by
other students during discussions.
● The teacher will continue to provide positive reinforcement to students when
engaged in appropriate behaviors and on-task.
 ● The teacher will frequently direct questions towards the entire class during
discussions.
● Student A will utilize the “Check-in-Check-out Program”. Student A will receive
a note card with a set of goals for each class to be kept at his desk. At the
beginning of class, Student A will review these goals with the teacher. At the end
of class, Student A will “check out” with the teacher and discuss whether or not
all goals were met. The bottom of the card will list the days of the week, with
empty boxes underneath that will either be filled with a checkmark to indicate all
goals being met, or an X to indicate that all goals were not met for that day. The
goals should be as follows, with modifications made as needed:
o 1. I will use quiet hands when Mrs. Grace asks the class a question.
o 2. I will use quiet hands when I need help with something at my desk.
o 3. I will listen closely when my classmates are speaking.
o 4. If I don’t get a chance to give an answer when Mrs. Grace asks a
question, I will wait quietly until I have another turn.
o 5. If I didn’t get a chance to share something important during class, I will
speak with Mrs. Grace after class about how I am feeling (upset,
frustrated, angry).

Strengthen Appropriate Behavior

● Differential Reinforcement of High Rates of Behavior (DRH): When Student A
raises his hand quietly to participate, or attends to his classmates as they speak, he
will immediately receive verbal praise. Eventually, the amount of verbal praise
given to Student A will be reduced, allowing for less emphasis on external
reinforcements.
● Using the Check-in-Check-out Program, Student A will be verbally praised at the
end of each day that he meets all of his goals.
● Upon Check-out on Fridays, Student A will receive verbal praise, as well as some
reward (3 minutes to enjoy an activity of his choice, stickers, line leader, etc.), as
long as all goals were met for at least 3 days out of the week. Reward should be
delivered immediately after Check-out on Friday.

Replacement Skills
● Provide Student A with verbal reminders and visual cues to remain quiet when
others are speaking.
● Student A will, in turn, learn to self-monitor his behavior through cues and
reminders.
● Student A will communicate with the teacher at the end of class if he felt upset
that he was unable to share an important thought during a discussion.

Procedure (to be followed after the target behavior occurs)

● If Student A becomes agitated and engages in the target behavior, first use verbal
cues to remind him of using “quiet hands” and being a good listener.
● If Student A continues to engage in target behavior, do not provide any
reinforcements.
 ● Place an “X” in the box located underneath the day of the week on Student A’s
Check-in-Check-out notecard, rather than a check mark.
● Once Student A can regain focus and attend to classroom instructions, provide
verbal praise, reinforcing the appropriate behavior.

Potential Risks of these Procedures

Student A’s frequency of the target behavior may increase for a period of time after
implementation of this intervention, but the behavior should not be reinforced at any
point. If the behavior becomes unmanageable and/or a great distraction to the rest of the
class at any time, Student A should be instructed to sit in the hallway for a few moments.

Measurement/Data Collection Procedures:

Progress will be monitored through the Check-in-Check-out program on a weekly basis.
The teacher should have Student A’s note card at the end of each day, tracking the
number of X’s or checkmarks received each week. The entire procedure will be explained
to Student A so that he understands what behaviors will and will not earn him a
checkmark for each day, and what his reward will be if he is able to maintain appropriate
behavior throughout the week. Once the behaviors reach an acceptable level, the Check-
in-Check-out program can be used less frequently, such as every other week, to reduce
Student A’s need for external reinforcements. The teacher and/or aide will review
Student A’s progress monthly, and make modifications as needed.

Procedural Integrity:
The School Psychologist will thoroughly explain the above procedures to the first-grade
teacher and/or teacher’s aide in order to ensure the integrity and precise implementation
of this treatment plan.

_______________________________________
School Psychologist

_______________________________________
Classroom Teacher

_______________________________________

_______________________________________
 References

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T.E., Heward, W.L. (2007). Applied Behavior Analysis, Second
Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.