| Does your child with autism or another disability have | | | | FBA, you will have an idea what your child receives by |
| behavioral difficulties at school that interfere with their | | | | continuing to have the negative behavior. |
| education? Would you like to learn a few things that | | | | Tip 4: Use the information from the FBA to develop a |
| you and can do, to improve your child's school | | | | positive behavioral plan. |
| behavior? This article will discuss a few things that you | | | | The plan could include a token system, if this is |
| and school personnel can do together to increase your | | | | appropriate for your child. This is not a plan to punish, |
| child's positive school behavior. By improving their | | | | but to increase positive behavior, which in turn will |
| school behavior, their education will also be positively | | | | decrease negative behavior. The positive behavior plan |
| affected. | | | | must be used consistently if it is to be effective. |
| Tip 1: Learn about the ABC's of your child's behavior. A | | | | IDEA 2004 requires that IEP teams consider the use |
| stands for Antecedent; what is occurring in the | | | | of positive behavioral supports and plans if a child's |
| environment before and at the time of the behavior. B | | | | behavior interferes with their education. A lot of |
| stands for the specific behavior that your child is | | | | information on FBA's is available from various disability |
| having. The behavior must be described in concrete | | | | organizations. |
| terms. For example: Mary hits children in her class | | | | Tip 5: Update the positive behavioral plan as often as |
| when she cannot be first in line. C stands for | | | | needed so that it continues to be effective in |
| consequences; what happens because of the | | | | increasing your child's positive behavior. |
| behavior. Does your child get out of hard academics, | | | | Tip 6: Insist that a daily behavior sheet be developed, |
| or do they get to go to the principal's office, whom | | | | and sent home daily with your child. The sheet should |
| they like etc? | | | | be on one page and contain: name, date, behavior to |
| Tip 2: Have school personnel track the behavior for | | | | be worked on, token system if needed, how well the |
| one week, determining what the ABC's are. You need | | | | child did on that particular day, any rewards won, and |
| to know where the behavior is occurring and where it | | | | also a section for positive comments only. This will |
| is not. This will help you in the next step of figuring out | | | | keep you up to date on your child's behavior, in case it |
| what your child is receiving from the behavior. | | | | deteriorates! Keep the behavioral sheets in case a |
| Tip 3: Have a trained special education person conduct | | | | dispute develops later with special education personnel. |
| a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) on your child, | | | | You must insist, that your school district not use |
| to determine what the child is getting from the | | | | punishment, to try and improve your child's school |
| behavior. The person conducting the FBA, must come | | | | behavior. Punishment only works in the short term to |
| up with a hypothesis of what your child is gaining from | | | | change behavior; but you want a long term solution to |
| the behavior. Some school districts use checklists, | | | | behavioral difficulties. The use of these tips will put |
| which do not come up with a hypothesis and are | | | | your child on the right track to improving their school |
| therefore useless. At the end of a correctly developed | | | | behavior. |