Six-year-old Sam had a tough fall. He was leaving class, tearing up worksheets, and having big meltdowns around writing time. The school's answer was a behavior chart with sad faces, happy faces, and a loss of recess when he got too many sad faces.
Sam's mom, Dana, noticed something. The meltdowns were not random. They happened when it was time to write. And losing recess, the one time Sam could move his body and reset, made the next morning harder.
Dana had spotted the single most important idea in behavior support: behavior is communication. Sam was not being "bad." He was telling everyone, in the only way he had, that writing was too hard and he needed help.
A good IEP behavior plan listens to that message, and then it teaches a better way to say it.
Green light: what best practice looks like
Behavior is treated as communication, and the plan teaches replacement skills (like asking for a break, or asking for help).
If behavior is getting in the way of learning, the team considered a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).
Proactive supports (changing the environment, teaching skills, giving choices) come before and more often than punishments.
If a BIP exists, it is referenced somewhere in the IEP.
FBA and BIP in plain English
An FBA is an investigation. The team looks at what happens right before the behavior, what happens right after, and what the child gets or avoids because of it. The goal is to figure out the function, or the "why." Usually it is one of a few things: getting attention, getting something, getting away from something, or getting sensory input.
A BIP is the plan that comes from it. It lays out how the adults will change things to prevent the behavior, what skills will be taught instead, and how adults should respond.
If the plan does not match the "why," it will not work. If Sam is escaping writing, a plan that takes away recess is solving the wrong problem.
Stop sign: three red flags
A BIP with no FBA. That is a plan written without finding out the reason. It may be a guess.
No mention in the IEP. If a behavior plan is needed, it should be referenced in the IEP so it is part of the legal document.
Consequences only, with seclusion or restraint mentioned casually as ordinary tools. Those are serious safety matters and should not be tossed in lightly. If you see them in a plan, slow the meeting down and ask a lot of questions.
Rest area: questions to ask
"Can you explain what the data tells us about why my child is doing this?"
"What does the ABC data show about triggers and function?" (ABC stands for antecedent, behavior, consequence: what happened before, during, and after.)
"Which replacement skills will be taught, and by whom?"
"What data will tell us the plan is working, and when will we review it?"
"I would appreciate it if consequences never replace instructional supports."
That last line is gentle, but it carries weight. It tells the team that you expect your child to be taught, not just corrected.
What happened with Sam
Dana asked for an FBA. The team watched Sam for a few weeks and found what Dana suspected: the behavior happened in writing, and it worked, because it got him out of the task.
The new plan taught him to ask for a break with a card, gave him a pencil grip and shorter writing tasks, and added movement time before writing. The sad-face chart went away.
Two months later, Sam still has hard days. But he has a skill now.
U-turn: when behavior gets worse
Sometimes a plan is not working. That does not mean anyone failed. It means we learned something. Try:
"Let's adjust the behavioral supports and add skill practice, then schedule a quick review."
If you are ever worried about your child's safety, say so clearly, ask for the meeting to be reconvened, and get everything in writing.
If you remember one thing: behavior is communication, so a good plan teaches a better way to say it.
Want the whole map? Download the free IEP Roadmap checklist and check out our IEP Parent Training.
If you would like someone to look over your child's IEP with you, learn about our IEP Advocacy services. I offer a free 15-minute consultation if you want to talk it through.
Casey Gressmen, MBA, MEd, BCBA, LBA, is a licensed special education teacher and board certified behavior analyst and the founder of Phoenix Rising Behavior and Academic Consulting.
