BIP:

Behavior Intervention Plan

for Dan Wilson
Fiona Moynihan
EDUC 430
 Target Behavior
Aggression displayed through the act of throwing objects:
The target behavior is defined as when Dan picks up an object and
uses force to propel the object across the room. Both when the
object hits someone and when the object does not hit someone is
considered this behavior.

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Hypothesized Function

ESCAPE

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 Basis for Determination
● Interviews
● QABF
● Observations
● Lagging Skill Inventory
● There is a correlation between the target behavior and when Dan is directly asked to
participate in class assignments.
● The chains of antecedents, behavior, and consequences illustrate that Dan is using the
behavior to escape work and the current consequences are reinforcing the behavior because
Dan is being allowed to escape the work.

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 Rate & Intensity

● Moderate Rate
○ Dan displays the target behavior usually a couple of days of the week, even sometimes multiple
times a day, but the behavior is not the most frequent of Dan’s behaviors.

● High Intensity
○ Dan has hit multiple people with textbooks since the behavior has developed, including teachers,
TAs, and other students.
○ No one has been significantly injured, but the risk has increased, and the hope is to intervene on
the behavior before its rate and intensity increases

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Antecedent Behavior
Interventions
 Choice-Making
Opportunities
● The Steps:
● Choice-making opportunities do not involve
○ In many of the observations, Dan was not given any
negotiations.
choices
○ Begins with offering the student two or more options. ● Consider incorporating the student’s suggestion
in a future opportunity.
○ Ask the student to make a choice
● Make sure materials are prepared for all options
○ Offering them time to decide
given because if a student’s decision is not
○ Wait for the student’s response followed through with, this strategy will not be
○ Reinforcing the option chosen by providing the effective.
necessary materials
○ If the student does not make a choice, prompt the
student to pick from the options once more.
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 Choice-Making
Opportunities:
Reasoning
● It is likely that if Dan is given choices, he may be more inclined to consider completing one of
the options rather than resorting to aggression to facilitate his escape of the work

● Dan remaining in the class is increased if one of the options is designed towards his
preferred options of instruction

○ Specific identification of Dan’s learning preferences will allow a better generation of

opportunities that Dan could be offered for instructions and tasks.

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 Behavior-Specific Praise
● BSP focuses on giving students specific and positive verbal feedback on their social and/or academic behavior

● The verbal feedback should include a description of the desired action, be specific to the student, and have a
positive praise statement.

● BSP should use a 4:1 ratio

● In beginning to implement BSP, think of the target behavior you are attempting to reduce and other behaviors
that you want to reduce that lead to that target behavior.

● Develop this list, consider the alternative and specific behaviors you would like to promote to help the student
progress academically and behaviorally.

○ The list should be specific and age-appropriate for Dan.

○ List of behaviors should be provided to all staff that works with Dan,

● Training on how to implement BSP should be provided

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 Behavior-Specific Praise:
Reasoning

● There was a good deal of negativity found surrounding Dan’s behavior

during observations
● If kept age-appropriate, the praise could greatly benefit Dan
○ A student in need of a sense of confidence

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Teaching Behavior
Interventions
 Functional Communication
Training
● Identify the function that motivates the behavior
● Identifying a function communicative response
○ Help Dan to learn to ask to take a break verbally
● Student will require training to use this phrase when they need a break.
● Reinforce the FCR while also limiting reaction to the target behavior
● Reinforcement can be faded out for the student’s use of the FDR.

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 Functional Communication
Training: Reasoning
● Based on a lagging skills inventory, it appeared that Dan has an emotional
regulation skills deficit
○ Difficulty when it comes to staying calm enough to reason
○ Tendencies towards feeling irritable, fatigued, and anxious
● This teaching strategy could help Dan to learn how to regulate his behavior
● It is also essential that all staff is informed
○ Will only be effective if it remains consistent across all school
environments

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 Recognizing and
Labeling Emotions
● Use emotional level rankings may be beneficial like “feeling good”, “a little upset”,
“upset”, “very upset”, and “angry”
● Ask Dan what different situations would make him feel these different levels of
emotions.
● Help Dan reorganize his responses, so the situations align with more
appropriate emotional responses.
● Focus on practicing coping skills in controlled opportunities before advancing to
a natural classroom environment

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 Recognizing and
Labeling Emotions:
Reasoning
● Help Dan to understand the appropriate emotional response and coping skills
that can help him modify his behavioral reactions
● Observations of Dan suggest that he lacks language processing skills,
specifically the ability to express his thoughts, needs, and feelings
● Possibility that Dan does not know how to label the emotions he is feeling and
then knowing how to communicate those emotions

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Consequence Behavior
Interventions
 Noncontingent
Reinforcement
● Noncontingent escape would be an approach for Dan that involves providing him with
breaks from work on a time-based schedule
● Must be schedule-based, not as a response to the problem behavior.
● Once Dan’s aggressive behavior is less intense, it may then be safer to use just extinction
procedures with planned ignoring.
● Steps:
○ Identify the reinforcer for the target behavior.
○ Develop a schedule for the NCR
○ Avoid responding to the target behavior.
○ After a reasonable period for the student, begin thinning the frequency of the NCR.
■ Keep the reduction gradual to prevent a resurgence in the target behavior.
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 Noncontingent
Reinforcement: Reasoning
● Dan is escaping work at very high rates

● Desire to escape is what is leading to his aggressive behavior (throwing objects)

● Beginning with a noncontingent may be an effective consequence strategy.

● Extinction may not be the right place to begin because Dan’s behavior is dangerous
and may be safer once the intensity of the behavior declines.

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 Positive Contingent
Reinforcement

● Similar to the application of noncontingent reinforcement, begin by identifying the target behavior
that is desired to be reduced and the behavior you hope to replace the negative behavior

● Next, develop possible options for Dan to select from as the positive contingent

● Establish the criterion for the positive behavior that would allow Dan to access the reinforcement.

● Early on, implementing the reinforcement often will be beneficial, but begin to thin the
reinforcement overtime.

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 Positive Contingent
Reinforcement: Reason

● Reinforcement should be selected to fit Dan’s interest

● Interests can be used as a potential reinforcement for Dan by offering him time to
engage in these activities if he has completed the desired behavior of completing
work.

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 References
● Behavior-Specific Praise in the Classroom. (2016). Tennessee Behavior Supports Project at Vanderbilt University. Retrieved from
https://vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu/assets/files/resources/psibehaviorspecpraise.pdf

● Carr, J., Severtson, J., & Lepper, T. (2008). Noncontingent reinforcement is an empirically supported treatment for problem behavior exhibited by
individuals with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30(1), 44–57. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2008.03.002

● Curran, C. M. (2003). Encouraging Appropriate Behavior. The IRIS Center. Retrieved from
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf_case_studies/ics_encappbeh.pdf

● Jolivette, K., Wehby, J. H., Canale, J., & Massey, N. G. (2001). Effects of Choice-Making Opportunities on the Behavior of Students with Emotional and
Behavioral Disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 26(2), 131–145. doi: 10.1177/019874290102600203

● Katzenback, J. B., Shuster, B. C., Shafer, B. H., Lloyd, B. P., & Carter, E. W. (n.d.). Behavior-Specific Praise Tip Sheet. Tennessee Behavior Supports Project at
Vanderbilt University. Retrieved from http://tennesseebsp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Behavior-Specific-Praise-Tips.pdf

● Trump, C. E., Pennington, R. C., Travers, J. C., Ringdahl, J. E., Whiteside, E. E., & Ayres, K. M. (2018). Applied Behavior Analysis in Special Education:
Misconceptions and Guidelines for Use. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 50(6), 381–393. doi: 10.1177/0040059918775020

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