Write Your Own Behavior Plan

From Terri Mauro,
Your Guide to Parenting Special Needs.

A good Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) can make a big difference in how a student with special needs acts and reacts in a school setting. However, getting the appropriate school personnel to do the necessary behavior analysis and put a plan together can be a frustratingly lengthy process. You may want to try proposing a behavior plan of your own -- particularly if you have a good relationship with your child study team, and your child's teachers are as frustrated by the delays as you are. At the very least, seeing behavior plans that others have put together can help you be an active participant in the planning process. Here are some examples of successful behavior plans -- and blank forms that some school districts use to make them.

Sample Plans for Specific Disabilities

�?ADHD
�?Asperger syndrome, elementary school
�?Asperger syndrome, middle school
�?Autism
�?Autism
�?Bipolar disorder
�?Fetal Alcohol Effects
�?Learning Disabilities/ADHD (Format #3) (PDF)
�?Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Format #1) (PDF)

Sample Plans for Specific Behaviors

�?Aggressive behavior (Format #2) (PDF)
�?Aggressive behavior (PDF)
�?Avoiding demanding tasks (PDF)
�?Disruptive classroom behavior
�?Hyperventilating, biting, hitting (PDF)

Blank Forms

�?Behavior Intervention Plan (PDF)
�?Behavioral Support Plan
�?Positive Behavior Support Plan
�?Positive Behavioral Intervention Plan

Request that your behavior plan be made a part of your child's IEP, as a parent addendum if not a part of the official program, so that anyone who works with your child will be made aware of it.

You'll want to specifically bring it to the attention of new teachers and aides as well, since not everybody reads the IEP as thoroughly as they should.