Behavior Support Referral: Why, When & How?

What is a “behavior challenge”?

·       If a child is displaying behaviors that significantly inhibit the learning of that child or others, it should be considered a behavior problem or behavior challenge.

What do I do when a behavior challenge is happening in my class?

1.    You as the teacher should document how severe the problem is. 

a.      Begin with defining the behavior in observable and measurable terms (for example, don't describe a behavior simply as "disrespectful," as we all might have a different idea of what that looks like.  Define exactly what it looks like, such as "throws books onto floor and yells "this is dumb!"")

b.      Take some initial data.  The easiest way to record would be a scatterplot, and the most descriptive would be A-B-C (antecedent-behavior-consequence) data.  Whatever the form of the data, be sure that time and activities are included in the measurement.  See the data section of this site for more information.

c.       Most problem behaviors are often a result of confusion, frustration, or some other underlying problem or skill deficit.  When developing an intervention, remember that it must be based on the function of the behavior, which is determined through a functional behavior assessment using your baseline data.

2.     Develop a research-based behavior intervention plan (you may contact the child staffing team for ideas).  Document each intervention that you try in your classroom.  You should document:

a.      Exactly what the intervention entailed (what staff did to prevent the behavior, and what staff did if the behavior occurred).

b.      How the student’s data changed once your intervention was in place.

3.    If these strategies are unsuccessful, you should bring the student’s name to the Child Staffing Team (CST) for further discussion and suggestions.  The behavior support specialist may be consulted for recommendations or feedback as part of the CST planning process, but will not be directly involved with the student.

4.   Implement the CST recommendations & document changes for the appropriate amount of time. 

a.      A form is available to document implementation.  Be sure to include the start/stop dates of the plan, the target behavior (defined in observable and measurable terms), whether or not the plan was implemented consistently, and the protocol of the plan (what actions staff take to prevent the behavior from occurring and what actions staff took when the behavior occurred).

b.      The appropriate amount of time to implement a plan will vary per student.  One rule of thumb is to have at least 10 data points to determine if the data is changing.

5.    If the student continues to struggle despite the implemented strategies, the CST may fill out the behavior support referral form.  The behavior support specialist will look over the previous data and interventions, then schedule a time to meet with counselor, teacher and other team members.

a.      The consultation will vary by the student’s needs.  For some cases, the behavior support specialist may only meet with the team and make recommendations for a behavior plan.  Other cases may require direct observation by the behavior support specialist, and others may require parent meetings or ongoing monitoring.

6.    The behavior support specialist will have periodic contact with guidance counselors to check the progress of students who behavior plans have been implemented for.

How do I contact the Behavior Support Specialist?

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