A while back, a group of clients found their way to me with a very common set of circumstances. They had bright children, but they needed support with things like emotional regulation, social skills, communication, executive functioning, or sensory regulation.
We were able to resolve several of these cases using our basic procedures, which involved meaningfully participating in IEP meetings by documenting our concerns in a parent input statement, clearly articulating our requests, providing data to support our requests, and effectively managing communication.
For various and sundry reasons (most of which had to do with the school staff being challenging to deal with and dismissive), one case was a little more difficult to resolve.
I was especially bothered by this case because the way that it was being handled made it go from bad to worse. 📉
Rutabaga was a bright student. Her mother was doing everything she could outside of school to support her, including multiple therapies and home support.
She had a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) in place at school.
Unfortunately, it was not a well-developed plan with specific strategies that targeted Rutabaga’s specific needs. This was the type of BIP that was just a “check off the box to say it’s completed” type of BIP.
Because of the poor BIP and the way school staff were handling Rutabaga, she missed a significant amount of instructional time.
The reason this case went from bad to worse is that we now had TWO problems on our hands instead of just one – the previously identified emotional regulation and social skills issues AND academic deficits from the missed instruction. 😫
Now, if you’ve been snoozling on addressing your child’s emotional or behavioral concerns because their grades are still ok, I’d like to gently urge you not to do that.
As you can see from this story, these non-academic issues can develop into academic problems if not addressed appropriately.
This newsletter is part of a series where I have addressed unofficial suspensions, Manifestation Determination Reviews (MDRs), and Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs). We’re rounding out the series by focusing on the importance of having a GOOD (not just any) Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP). If you’d like more information on what that looks like and how to get it, check out my blog post on Behavior Intervention Plans.
Dr. Brandi
www.youriepsource.com
The Go-To Guide for Your Special Education Journey
P.S. - This newsletter wraps up my four-part series on behavior. You can check out the rest of the newsletters with links to my detailed blog posts in this gallery. While you’re there, consider buying me a coffee if this information has been helpful to you.