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Kristen Garlock
Towson University
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
Background Information:
Lillie is a Kindergarten student at Berkshire Elementary, who has an IEP for cognitive
delay. She is in an inclusion classroom with 18 students, one classroom teacher, an additional
adult and a classroom helper who is in the room for two hours every day. Lillie is currently at a
pre-A reading level, which is below level for Kindergarten as students should currently be
reading on a B level. Berkshire is a PBIS school that has recently started an initiative to use
restorative practices school wide. Restorative practice is a program that teaches students virtues
through modeling in order to build character and increase student success. Teachers use
restorative language to encourage students rather than negative reinforcement. For example, if a
student is not completing his or her work, a teacher would say Please show self-discipline and
responsibility by completing your assignment instead of saying, You must complete your work
now or you will do it at recess. Lillie, has a particularly difficult time showing self-discipline
and responsibility. She needs many reminders to stay on task and often refuses to participate in
classroom activities.
Lillie refuses to complete work and demonstrates self-injurious behavior when she is
unhappy. When Lillie refuses to do her work, she is often very disruptive to the class by
engaging in a temper tantrum that involves screaming, crying, kicking chairs and banging on
tables. Lillie also has shown a little aggression towards peers and adults by acting as if she is
about to hit someone or swatting her hand at the individual. This occurs toward the teacher and
additional adult the most, but she has only made physical contact once. Lillies self-injurious
behavior includes pulling her own hair, scratching at her face or slapping herself. Her parents
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
have said they do not see this much at home, but have agreed to have Lillie seen by Kennedy
Literature Review:
1. Minshawi, N. F., Hurwitz, S., Morriss, D., & McDougle, C. J. (2015). Multidisciplinary
This document suggests that SIB (self-injurious behavior) is used by individuals as a way to
communicate a need for a specific type or reinforcement. The research conducted in this article
use experimental functional analysis of behavior (EFA). In this methodology, the antecedents
and consequences surrounding the problem behavior are carefully controlled and manipulated
over time in order to collect data on situations in which the behavior is most likely to occur. This
article states, as a result of the research, that the most common communicative functions of SIB
are to obtain social attention from others, gain access to tangible items in the environment, avoid
interventions are one way to address SIB. These reinforcements are provided to encourage
desirable behavior and thereby reduce incidents of SIB. These reinforcements entail giving
attention, rewards or some other stimuli to the individual after the appropriate behavior has
been displayed. An example may be that the student is able to have access to his or her favorite
game after completing a task, which may encourage compliance in the future. Negative
reinforcement may be used as well. This entails removing negative stimuli to increase the
presence of desirable behavior. An example may be to provide the student with a break from
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
work after a set amount of time has passed. This article helps develop ideas on how to
2. Oliver, C., Petty, J., Ruddick, L., & Bacarese-Hamilton, M. (2012). The Association between
This article suggest that students who demonstrate self-injurious behaviors may demonstrate
other behaviors and have poorer impulse control. It also suggests that the development of
adaptive behavior is correlated with age. After reading this article, a conclusion can be made that
it is important to teach Lillie self-help skills and communication skills. With proper
communication, self-help and coping skills, Lillie may have other outlets to relieve her anger and
3. MacLure, M., Jones, L., Holmes, R., & MacRae, C. (2012). Becoming a Problem: Behaviour
and Reputation in the Early Years Classroom. British Educational Research Journal,
38(3), 447-471.
This article discusses how being good is not black and white. Children need to do interpretive
work to understand what they are expected to do, or refrain from doing, in order for their
behavior to be assigned to the category of good. An example of an awards assembly was used
to make the point that praising students for being good requires them to think back on what
they did to warrant the praise. This article discusses the importance of being aware of mixed
messages and double meanings. It also states that the early years of education are an important
time for students to learn appropriate feelings and attitudes through modelling and rehearsing.
After reading this article, a conclusion can be made that Lillie would benefit from social stories
and other roleplaying situations in which she learns how to express her feelings appropriately.
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
1156-1169.
This article discusses the impact of a program called INSIGHTS where parents and teachers
learn how to recognize the consistent behavioral style a child exhibits across settings as an
expression of temperament. This allows parents and teachers to explore the combination of
warmth and discipline strategies for a particular child that matches his or her temperament. In the
classroom program, the goal is to expand the childs self-regulation as well. The children were
introduced to puppets with 4 different temperaments. They were to explore how the puppets
temperament effected the puppets response to situations. Then they worked with the puppets to
apply problem solving strategies when confronted with daily dilemmas. This program was
effective in reducing disruptive behaviors. The program also increased student engagement in
reading and mathematics. Lillie could benefit from a social skills program such as this to help
5. Dufrene, B. A., Parker, K., Menousek, K., Zhou, Q., Harpole, L. L., & Olmi, D. J. (2012).
Direct Behavioral Consultation in Head Start to Increase Teacher Use of Praise and
22(3), 159-186.
This article suggests that the use of pre-correction and praise decreased disruptive behavior. The
results found that as the rate of praise increased, there was a decrease in disruptive behavior. The
rate of praise was about 1.59 praise statements per minute. The more Lillie is coached on what is
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
appropriate behavior for certain situation and the amount of praise she is given, may reduce the
On a typical day, Lillie is with the teacher from 8:45am-2:00pm and returns at 2:50 until
dismissal at 3:15pm. Lillie is out of the classroom with her classmates for special from 2:00pm-
2:50pm. Lillie has missed many days of school this year and currently has a Required Parent
Conference scheduled for Tuesday, February 21st to discuss her attendance. This has made
routines very difficult for Lillie. Her behaviors seem to begin as soon as the academic day starts
and she is expected to work. There is currently an Additional Adult, Ms. Tammy, who works
with Lillie and another student in the classroom. On day 1, Ms. Tammy was asked to record her
observations on an ABC chart instead of her typical notebook. Beginning at 9:14, which is when
morning meeting is coming to an end and Calendar Math is beginning, Lillie was asked to sit in
her square and turn her body to the board. She refused to do so and instead sat with her back to
the teacher. She stood up, jumped in her square and then sat back down only to take off her shoes
and begin to play with the Velcro. Mrs. Tammy and the teacher attempted to redirect Lillie and
remind her of positive rewards, but Lillie laid flat on the rug, began talking to herself and refused
to get up. When the class moved on to Word Work, Lillie continued to be noncompliant. When
asked to make the /c/ sound, Lillie laugh, looked away, laid on the rug and yelled, Its pickles.
She then settled down for a few minutes until students were given dry erase boards and markers.
She slammed the marker on the board, which resulted in the board being taken away. Lillie then
begin to scream and was moved to the calming space in the back of the room. She attempted to
scratch and hit Mrs. Tammy as well as slamming the desk, throwing items and stomping her feet.
Lillie was ignored for this behavior in an attempted to give her time to calm down, however, her
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
behavior escalated and she begin to beat herself on the head with closed fists. After Lillie calmed
down, she was able to move on to center time. When center time was over, Lillie was asked to sit
on the rug for story time. At this time, she began to swing her arms, pull her hair and hit her head
On day 2, Lillies behavior began at 9:15am when students moved onto Calendar Math.
She refused to sit on the rug and instead began making noises, swinging hands and walking
around the classroom. She was able to again join in for centers when she calmed. However,
when told to clean up and move onto another activity, Lillie began to stomp, glare at the teacher
and refused to complete what was asked. After about five minutes, Lillie finally complied and
moved onto another center activity. When it was time to completely clean up and return to the
rug, Lillie again refused to do so and begin to scream, cry and walk around the classroom. These
behaviors consistently happen daily during structured activities such as Calendar Math, Word
Work, Reading and Math. She is much more compliant during centers, which is when she is able
to choose what she would like to do. However, she does not complete the activity correctly
On day 3, Lillies behavior began once again when the class transitioned from morning
meeting to Calendar Math. She refused to participate and sat on the rug crying. Students were
picked up at lunch and Lillie refused to do any work because she wanted to get on the computers.
When it was time for her group to get on the computers, she was unable to do so because she had
not joined the group for the math lesson. She was told to sit on the rug in order to complete her
work, but Lillie blew raspberries at the teacher, stomped her feet and then laid on the rug crying.
Lillie finally sat with Mrs. Tammy to complete the activity after about ten minutes of this
behavior. At 3:10pm, as students are packing up to go home, Lillie is told to sit on the rug and
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
wait for her name to be called. However, Lillie refused to do so and began barking at the teacher
Activity: Whole class instruction Class Period: Calendar Math, Word Work,
Centers, Reading
Activity: Whole class instruction Class Period: Calendar Math, Word Work,
Centers, Reading
Activity: Whole class instruction Class Period: Calendar Math, Math, Dismissal
In reviewing Lillies records it was discovered that Lillie attended pre-school at Berkshire
Elementary last year. At this time, Lillie was referred to team and received an IEP for cognitive
delay. Mrs. Duffek was her Pre-K teacher and currently still teaches at Berkshire. Lillies
attendance was a problem in Pre-K as well. Typically in Pre-K, students who have poor
attendance can be removed from the program, however, no families were on a waiting list and
Lillie was receiving Special Ed services so she was able to remain in the program. Lillies family
has been approached about her attendance this year. They have discussed that shes been
struggling with illnesses this year and her asthma has been acting up as well. The teacher has
recommended that the parents bring Lillie to school as long as she does not have a fever. That
way if there is an issue, the school nurse can send her home. Lillies attendance makes it difficult
to improve her behavior as any system that is put in place has to be restarted when Lillie is out
for two or more days. She has not become very familiar with routines as she rarely has a full
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
week of school. These concerns will again be discussed with parents at the Required Parent
Conference on Tuesday.
Lillies functional intention behind her behavior is to avoid and or escape non-
preferred tasks and activities. The observations that occurred during classroom instruction
have supported this hypothesis because Lillies target behaviors occurred during structured
activities. She was able to eat breakfast and complete morning meeting without displaying the
target behavior. When the class transitioned into academic time, such as Calendar Math, the
behavior began. Lillie also displayed the target behavior when not allowed to use the computer
and instead was instructed to join her class on the rug. These behaviors were not displayed
during recess or lunch. They were also not displayed when Lillie was given time on the
computer. These observations support that the behavior is a way for Lillie to escape or avoid
Replacement behavior:
a. Lillie should remain in her space and attend to the task for an appropriate amount
of time before a break is given. Lillie will be redirected to the task at hand and
reminded of the timer, which is set for 10 minutes. If Lillie is not attending to the
task, her timer will be restarted and she will not receive her break. Lillie will be
given break choices of: bouncing and rolling on the ball for one minute, taking a
walk to the hallway to complete the push poem for one minute or swirling in the
a. The replacement behavior will be taught one-on-one using the additional adult,
Ms. Tammy. Ms. Tammy will review behavioral expectations with Lillie prior to
a task or activity. Then she will show Lillie the timer that is set to ten minutes and
a. The replacement behavior will be taught at the beginning of the day at the
expectations at the beginning of any task or activity in order to ensure that she
1. Lillie will continue to receive positive points using ClassDojo when she is on task
and or participating in class. She will have the opportunity to earn rewards based off
the number of points she receives. If Lillie receives 10 points by the end of the day, she
may pick something from the treasure box. If she receives at least 30 points by Friday,
2. Lillie will continue to be given the opportunity to use the chill space in the classroom
when she becomes agitated and needs time to calm. This space includes a box of
soothing toys such as a stress ball, a stuffed animal, a colorful liquid motion toy and a
poster with self-calming strategies. There is also a 2 minute sand timer in this space so
that Lillie can monitor the time spent there before returning to her work.
3. A personal visual schedule will be introduced to Lillie along with the replacement
behavior. This schedule provides pictures of the activities and subjects that Lillie is to
complete and the order in which the activities or subjects are to be completed. When the
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
activity or subject is completed, Lillie may move it to the finished pocket and identify
The charts below provide a visual representation of the data that has been collected
regarding Lillies target behavior. The first chart shows the baseline data collected during
the three day observation period. The second chart shows the data that was collected during
implementation. Comparing the two charts will provide insight into how well the
Baseline Data
12
10
8
Day 1
6
Day 2
4
Day 3
2
0
Work Avoidance
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
7
6
Long range observational data
5
Axis Title
4
3
2
1
0
Work Avoidance
Day 1 3
Day 2 3
Day 3 4
Day 4 6
Day 5 6
Day 6 4
Day 7 3
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10 6
Day 11 4
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14 5
Day 15 3
Day 16 1
Day 17 1
The data in the chart above is difficult to analyze as there were many factors which
effected the proper implementation of this behavior plan. The first two days were
showing a decrease in the target behavior. Then Ms. Tammy was out for the next three
days so there were two different people working with Lillie. These two individuals were
aware of the behavior plan, but they were not as comfortable with implementing the plan
as much as Tammy was. When Ms. Tammy returned the behaviors decreased, but the rate
remained the same as the first two days. Then Lillie was absent for two days, which
resulted in the target behavior manifesting more frequently when she returned again. The
last two days occurred after two snow days. On Friday, we celebrated St. Patricks Day,
which was a fast paced day with fun filled activities that Lillie seemed to enjoy.
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
Notes: Had to visit the reflect space once during center time. The additional adult working with
Lillie today had a difficult time working patiently with her. Lillie acted out a bit more today.
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
Notes: The additional adult who worked with Lillie today did not follow the plan very well even
with directions and reminders.
Notes: Lillie went to the bathroom and refused to come out because she had a wet spot in her
pants. This was after being absent for two days.
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
Notes: The schedule was different due to celebration of St. Patricks Day. Many activities were
planned so the day was fast paced with little down time.
Notes: Needed reminder of expected behavior and rewards throughout the time
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
Notes: Needed reminder of expected behavior and rewards throughout the time
After analyzing the data, I believe that the behavior supports put in place have helped to
decrease the frequency of Lillies behavior. While the rate of the behavior fluctuated during the
time of implementation, the last few days of data collection showed a large decrease. There were
many factors that caused this fluctuation during data collection. (1) Lillies attendance has been an
issue all year. There have been several conversations with her parents and even a Required Parent
Conference with the principal. Even after these meetings, Lillie still missed several days during
the data collection period. Her absences were also accompanied by two snow days. This meant
that Lillie did not have a full week of school during the data collection and implementation period.
(2) During the this time, the Additional Adult working with Lillie had to miss three days due to
surgery. Therefore, there were two new adults who worked with Lillie on the days. These staff
members were not familiar with her behaviors nor the behavior plan. (3) Another factor may be
that the time of data collection did not vary. Data was collected during the same time frame every
day, however, it was observed that Lillies behavior became more frequent after lunch and
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
especially during specials. (4) Specials have been difficult for Lillie all year. This may be because
her behavior plan is not always implemented the same way during this time. The teachers are aware
of her plan and know that Ms. Tammy, the additional adult, is to handle the implementation. With
that being said, many of the teachers grow impatient with Lillie and do not have a space for her to
calm down in the classroom. This makes it difficult for the behavior plan to be implemented
perfectly. (5) Lastly, Lillie did not have a token economy to accompany her reinforcement plan.
After taking an Applied Behavior Analysis course, it was suggested that students respond best
when there is also a token economy in place. This means that Lillie is being acknowledged for
demonstrated the desired behavior, not just being rewarded for NOT demonstrating the target
behavior. In the past, Lillie has had a sticker chart that was filled in when Lillie completed her
work. For this behavior plan, Lillie should have been receiving stickers when she completed a task,
this includes participating in class. When Lillie has collected 6 stickers she should receive a larger,
more desired reward. (6) For the token economy and the differential reinforcement of other
behaviors to be successful, it would be best to complete a preference assessment with Lillie. This
assessment would determine her most preferred and least preferred reinforcements, which would
allow the reinforcements to be used appropriately and remain meaningful. This assessment was
not done prior to implementing Lillies behavior plan, but could be used to adjust the rewards.
Reflection
Upon reflection of this project, I believe that I have grown in my ability to notice patterns
in student behavior. I was able to recognize behaviors that were attention seeking and those
that were out of frustration or anger. While Lillies behaviors ranged, most revolved
around her work completion as she did not want to complete tasks in the classroom. This
project was eye opening in regards to how I approach behavior in the classroom. It can be
Running header: Behavior Intervention Plan
very difficult to encourage students to complete work when they are set on not doing
anything they are asked. While this process has been slow for Lillie, when she has been
consistently coming to school and had the same consistent help in the classroom, she has really
shown a lot of progress. However, recently her behaviors have grown aggressive towards the
adults who are holding her accountable. This has really escalated since the implementation of
this plan which tells me there may need to be some adjustments. In order to maintain this plan,
it would most likely be extremely beneficial to Lillie, and the adults working with her, if
social stories were incorporated. These stories would be about expressing feels
appropriately and should be reviewed with Lillie throughout the day in hopes of lower the
frequency of aggressive behaviors. Along with including the social stories, there are other
things I would change if this process was repeated. I would have liked to observe Lillie for
longer periods and collect data on her behaviors during math as well as reading (1). I
believe that my ability to properly implement the plan and Lillies response was different after
lunch as the flow of instruction and activities differs in the afternoon as opposed to the morning.
There is less whole group instruction as well as less breaks. Collecting data during this time may
have given me more insight into how to adjust the plan so that it met Lillies needs throughout
the entire day. I would have liked to complete a preference assessment with Lillie in order to
properly choose reinforcements that will motivate Lillie (2). This would also allow me to
include a token economy to accompany Lillies behavior plan and reward her for demonstrating
the replacement behavior. Lastly. I would like to meet with the special area teachers to
throughout the entire day (3). This would hopefully lower the frequency of problem behaviors