If you've received ABA therapy services before, then you have probably heard of a behavior plan. Or if you are new to ABA, then your child will soon have their very own. Why do behavior plans matter anyway? Read on to find out exactly what you should know and what to do once you have one.
The official name of this document is a Behavior Intervention Plan, also referred to as a BIP or treatment plan. After the assessment and observation portion (called the Functional Behavior Assessment), a Behavior Analyst will write a custom BIP to help children replace challenging or socially inappropriate behaviors with adaptive ones. This treatment plan will be unique and individual to your child.
Writing a behavior plan is a lengthy and involved process, typically ranging from 25 - 40 pages long. The lead behavior therapist will take the data from the assessment and use it to create goals specifically for your child. This is where their experience and education pay off, as the information written in the plan will be implemented with your child. It is key to choose a company and behavior therapist that will take the time to do things properly and keep your needs in mind.
The standard components of a behavior plan include your child's demographics, medical history, and basic information. The therapist will recommend a number of hours for aba therapy dependent on your child's needs, typically 20 - 30, and state their reasoning for their recommendation. Further down there will be a write up of the challenging behaviors, including their function or cause and the data taken from the assessment. Also written here will be skills your child will work on developing.
Next will include the strategies to decrease the socially inappropriate behaviors and steps for the skills being worked on. This is the goal portion of the treatment plan, and the things written here will be implemented with your child during services.is also the collected data in sheets or graphs to monitor success. If applicable to your child, a safety plan may also be included.
Once the behavior plan is completed, it will be submitted to your insurance company for approval. This can take anywhere from 2-3 weeks, as adjustments may need to be made to meet their particular requirements. Once they give the green light, the ABA therapy is approved to begin.
Before starting services, your therapist should take time to thoroughly go over the treatment plan with you and answer any questions or concerns you may have. This meeting is critical to ensure providers and family are both on the same page.
Behavior intervention plans don't stop here, they are continually evolving. As the therapist and assistants administer services to your child, they will take data on your child's skills and behaviors. This data is used to keep track of progress and update the plan, making adjustments as needed. Collecting and analyzing data is critical to ensure the treatment effectively addresses target skills and behaviors. When changes are made to the treatment plan, this is called protocol modification. Please note that the ONLY person authorized to make changes and edit the plan, is the lead therapist working with your child.will learn about these updates and how to implement them at home during parent training meetings. Parent training meetings are also a place to ask any questions, bring up concerns, make recommendations, and talk about how your child is doing overall.
Every 6 months, an updated behavior plan will be resubmitted to your insurance company for reauthorization, which is a request for services to continue.
Because your child's behavior plan is considered a medical document, we follow HIPPA compliance and privacy laws. That means the only people with access to your plan are those who directly work with your child, and your insurance provider. You have full access to the behavior plan and can request an updated copy for any reason, at any time. The other people who will view your child's treatment plan is the lead behavior therapist on the case, and the registered assistants working with your child. Sometimes, other people will want access to the behavior plan such as a teacher, principal, relative etc. As a company, we will not grant access without explicit written consent. You, however, may give your copy of the plan to whomever you see fit!
To simplify, the behavior treatment plan is just a document that contains relevant information about your child and how they are progressing with aba therapy services. The lead analyst reviews and updates it as necessary, while the assistants follow the changes made during sessions with your kiddo.
If you have any questions about behavior intervention plans, or aba therapy in general please reach out! We are here to support your family in any way we can.
For more information about the basics of ABA, check out other blog posts.
We all love having ABA Therapy. I know I do! ABA therapy improves our child's life and as caregivers we are striving to do what is best for them. By putting their needs first, I constantly find myself asking the question 'what more can I do?' I'm sure you've found yourself asking this question too.
Well... for Training Tip Tuesday we wanted to discuss a tip about helping your child get more out of their ABA therapy!
Did you know that insurance companies now require BCBA’s to spend some session times training the parents and caregivers? With busy lives, a household to run, and often other kiddos to attend to, this may sound overwhelming.
However, the success of any ABA Therapy program depends on our families getting involved. Children need consistency and the best way to offer that is to carry the ABA techniques taught by providers over to family life after they leave for the day.
According to Heather Gilmore with Behavior Innovations,
"Parents who participate in ABA parent training will be supporting their child’s success in:
These are just a few of the benefits an involved caregiver enjoys!
The easiest and often overlooked technique we as caregivers can use with our kids is high energy positive praise . Kids naturally want to please, so when they know we are happy with a behavior they want to do that behavior again. Catch them being good as the saying goes! So practice positive praise, even praising the simple things makes a big difference.
Please reach out to us to begin this critical step to success. Relax and dive in. You are your child’s most important teacher.
Citations
Gilmore, Heather. "Parent Training in ABA: Why. Parent Involvement is Critical for Success." Behavioral Innovations, 24 September 2020, behavioral-innovations.com/blog/importance-of-parent-training-aba-therapy/#:~:text=Parents%20who%20participate%20in%20ABA%20parent%20training%20will%20be%20supporting,toileting%2C%20and%20following%20daily%20routines.
We use labels every day in the world we live in. Lucky, unlucky, right, wrong, bad, good, are just a few examples. They help us differentiate and categorize to make more informed decisions.
Dangers can occur however when we label people.
Have you ever looked at someone and thought 'oh yeah, she's crazy?' Or called someone a bully? Said someone was 'dramatic' or made another assumption without truly knowing them.
Psychology today said, "This label may be a reasonable reflection of who they are right now, but it also carries a belief that the behavior reflects a person’s essence."
Sometimes we get caught up in labeling behavior and the one behaving as 'bad'! We forget that most of the time we are all just doing our best.
Often, as a BCBA I go into a school or home and see kiddos acting out. It is no picnic for anyone to see and hear some of these tantrums. Then, when we are all stressed, the caregiver wants to know what punishment or consequence will be administered to the kiddo who is the one engaging in this behavior. My answer is the same. We need to focus more on what skill this child is missing that causes them to act like this. What do we need to teach to try to prevent this behavior in the future?
We as adults, teachers, parents and friends need to remember that when a kid acts out it is because he or she is missing something. It is also because they lack maturity to figure out a different way to get what they need and want. So, take a deep breath, count to 10 and then let our brains get to work!
What can I do to help this child learn a better way? What can I teach that will make things better. This is positive behavior support, this is positive parenting. Let us be problem solvers. Please feel free to reach out to us for more involved parent training and support.
Nicole Wagner, MS, BCBA
President
(P) 407.907.2077
(F) 973-888-1377
Psychology Today's article
'The Danger of Labeling Others (or Yourself) | Psychology Today'
Exciting News! Sunshine ABA Therapy is thrilled to announce the upcoming opening of our newest Behavior Clinic in Georgia this July 2023.
We are delighted to expand our reach and bring our exceptional ABA testing and therapy services to the wonderful community in Georgia. Our state-of-the-art clinic will be equipped with the latest technology and a warm, welcoming environment designed to provide the highest standard of care for children with developmental challenges.
Our team of highly trained and dedicated professionals will work tirelessly to help children unlock their full potential and achieve meaningful progress in their lives. At Sunshine ABA Therapy, we believe in the power of personalized and evidence-based interventions, tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and their family.
Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the grand opening of our Behavior Clinic in Georgia. We can't wait to embark on this new chapter and continue making a positive impact in the lives of children and families in the community.
