Cypress School Program

3835 Cypress Drive

Petaluma, Ca. 94954
FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIORAL UPDATE
Participant: Darin
D.O.B: 10/04/2000
Report Date: April 7, 2015 (IEP early IEP per family request)
Report Prepared By: Mark McLain, Special Education Teacher, Laura
Briggin, M.S., BCBA
REASON FOR REFERRAL/BACKGROUND:
Darin was referred to Cypress School due to his need for a program that could meet
his emotional, behavioral, social, and educational needs and goals.
Darin is a 14 year-old boy with a diagnosis of autism, hyperactivity and sensory
integration challenges. Darin was referred to Cypress School with a recent history of
aggression, bolting, enuresis and non-compliance/defiance at home and school.
Darin shows difficulty with a variety of adaptive behavior skills: transitions, delayed
gratification, social immaturity, a need to increase self-regulation and a need for
specific social skills education. Preventative strategies and replacement alternative
behaviors are being followed to provide the successful structure that Darin needs to
achieve his academic and social goals. These areas are being addressed in his
family home and will be addressed in the school as well. Skills that need to be
taught to replace the behavioral deficits include positive social/ emotional
functioning, task attending and completion, expanded communication skills and
adaptive behavior skills. There are four specific behaviors targeted and specified in
the Functional Behavioral Assessment, Behavior Prevention and Intervention Plan.
2014-15 Current Assessment:
Overall Darin has had a year with inconsistent and but gradual improvements. He
interacts with all his peers, sometimes helping or sometimes asking to see them.
Darin is actually quite social and wants to interact with his peers in various activities
throughout the day. The challenge Darin faces is that he has often times pulled his
peers hair and they are at times reticent to engage with him. The aggression has
reduced to one incident per day. A successful preventative activity is running each
morning which seems to improve his emotional and sensory regulation. We also
work hard at providing transitional activities so he is not bored and/or waiting. Darin
has had the most difficulty with am and pm transportation with our staff. This has
improved over the past month with a change of staffing.
Darin continues to enjoy the Van Washing, helping carry backpacks for students and
staff everyday, and he enjoys his morning runs to the local pond. He enjoys playing
drums, playing a variety of ball games, some coloring, going to the store,
purchasing at the store, vacuuming at the van wash and using the scrubber etc.
Darin successfully goes to the store and purchases on Thursdays and thoroughly
enjoys the Monday fieldtrips usually hiking or swimming.
He is also great at
helping with the garden: he scoops shovels of chips and dirt and helps water trees.

We are very much looking forward to summer with Darin as he had a blast last time
swimming and he truly loves being outdoors.
Darins toileting skills are quite
challenging at this time. He likes to go independently, but he will urinate on himself
(this is no longer including his face) and/or urinate on his staffing aide if they get
too close to him.
Academically he is continuing to work on addition and subtraction, improving his
reading skills to short paragraphs containing 3 - 4 word sentences, and science. His
skills are improving with time, although during behaviorally challenging periods is
attention to task is difficult. The challenge with his learning here is his inability to
stay in one place for a period of more than 5 minutes. His attention span is very
short, maybe 15 seconds at most. Once engaged with objects or manipulatives, he
can maintain a task from last years up to 11 minutes to this year up to 20 minutes.
He uses a written schedule and is very aware when his schedule changes.
Behavioral Deficits:
Interviews with Cypress School staff, behaviorist and Darins parents showed that
Darins aggression, bolting, non-compliance/defiance and enuresis were most often
specific to being in new environments, transitioning between activities, seated tasks
and demands being made.

Aggression was defined as incidents in which Darin hit, pinched, head butted,
scratched, hair pulled, grabbed, or kicked others.
Bolting consisted of Darin running away from his parents or adult supervision to
escape less-preferred activities or to access preferred activities or something he
sees that he likes.
Non-Compliance / Defiant consists of refusing to engage in activities,
refusing to move from one spot, sitting on the ground or standing against the
wall.
Enuresis will pee on self in bathroom, pee on himself (not including his face)
or pee on others to create escape.

Fairs, water fountains, toy cars, music, asking questions and talking
On a special gluten free, casein free diet.very specific only eats foods
sent from home.
Plan Justification
Through this assessment it can be clearly documented that Darin exhibits the
majority of his aggression during demands, and when he desires something he sees,
when he wants to escape, wants attention or access to a more preferred activity. It
is recommended that school staff receive training in recognizing antecedent
situations, as well as expand the list/amount of Darins preferred sensory integration
tasks and reinforcers.
School staff will use a systematic timed incremental
behavioral shaping procedure using chaining of increasingly longer less-preferred
tasks with access to preferred reinforcers and sensory modulating activities in the
absence of aggression.
The purpose of this current plan was to apply the results of the current review to the
target behaviors of Aggression, Bolting, Enuresis and non-compliant/defiant
behaviors for Darin. The plan is justified by the significant restrictions to Darin
accessing the least restrictive school activities and school placement that has been
the result of these behaviors. It is hoped that with positive supports in place, Darin

will experience an enhanced quality of life, access to less disabled peers and
greater independence in community and school activities in the future.
By modifying the daily schedule/increasing discrimination and modulation of
sensory information, obtaining preferred objects/activities/attention/sensory
stimulation, accepting alternative activities when denied or delayed access and
escaping/avoiding and stopping demands and interactions or aversive sensory input
tasks, and learning how to transition between activities Darin gains relevant,
effective and efficient work skills. The plan is justified as it will reduce inappropriate
problem behaviors; contribute to Darins overall habilitation, independence,
productivity, acquiring more reinforcing consequences and increase more positive
and normalized interactions with his family at home.
As Darin will engage in up to 20 minute preferred tasks and generally does not
engage in five minutes of less-preferred tasks - school staff will incrementally
increase less-preferred tasks from a three minute baseline to the goal of a fiveminute baseline.
Ecological management includes consistent activity setting - quiet, calm
environment; individual desk and chair; consistent staffing; more prompting when
other participants are making loud noises; and visual cue to chain less-preferred
task completion; accessing preferred reinforcers followed by a sensory task with
verbal praise reinforcers.
As Darin is successful, (i.e. no inappropriate behavior and increasing positive
replacement behaviors), the length of the interval will be increased.
Skill/Communication Deficits:
Darin has specific needs to replace the behavioral deficits with adaptive skills and
communication goals. The skill and communication deficits that have been seen
historically and at present include - adaptive skills, self-regulating, waiting,
transitioning between preferred to non-preferred activities, responding to unfamiliar
environments, and communicating wants and needs.
Antecedent and Ecological Factors:
Analysis of ABC recording data and direct observations showed that
incidents of Aggression, non-compliance/defiance, enuresis and Bolting
were most likely to occur during the following times:

In the presence of situations where Darin has to discriminate and process

sensory information and/or modulate sensory information.
1. hyper response to sensory input - Darin may become agitated within a
second of an uncomfortable physical feeling and
2. hypo response - Darin may become agitated when expected to process
verbal information immediately.

When Darin wants sensory stimulation, objects, activities and attention

- the behaviors occur when he is denied or delayed access to something
desired

When Darin wants to escape, avoid, and stop aversive sensory input,
demands, and interactions. When Darin is in the vicinity of a loud,
unexpected noise (another participant tantrumming, emergency vehicle
sirens, etc), he (may) respond negatively

Following the end of a preferred activity and/or transitioning between

activities

When Darin is beginning the less-preferred task

When Darin is engaging in less-preferred task
When Darin has to transition between more and less preferred activities
When Darin wants to eat a fellow participants food and is thwarted from
grabbing the food

Analysis of ABC recording data and direct observations showed

that incidents of Aggression, non-compliance/defiance, enuresis and
Bolting were less likely to occur during the following times:

Spring of 2014 implemented running program precedes morning

school work

In the absence of emergency vehicle sirens, and loud

participants.

During quiet periods.

When
Darin
is
engaged
in
sensory
motor
activities/reinforcements: riding a scooter, swinging, and jumping in
the OT room or partaking in similar activities at the park, engaging in
tactile stimulatory activities

When Darin is given choices and communication opportunities

Listening to music

When Darin is engaged in an art project

Specific preferred table work was noted by ABC analysis and

interviews to be: paper shredding, sticker to target, discrimination
tasks involving reinforcers using the iPad.

When given extra time to process verbal input

After receiving brushing, crashing and joint compression

Hypothesized Function of Behavior:

Based on the review of records and analysis of current behavioral data at school and
home, Darins Aggression, Bolting, non-compliance/defiance and enuresis are
hypothesized to function as: accessing negative and positive attention from staff
and participants, to escape from aversive sensory input, demands, less preferred
activities and transitions and to access preferred foods, sensory stimulation, and
preferred activities.
Incidents of Aggression, bolting, enuresis and non-compliance/defiance occurred
during times when he was transitioning between activities, staff failed to remove
the aversive stimuli; when staff denied or delayed access to preferred food, objects,
activities, attention and sensory stimulation; when staff prompted Darin to follow
PECS schedule which had a less preferred task presented; when staff provided
choices between two less preferred tasks; when staff expected an immediate
response to verbal requests and when staff were abrupt in transitioning from one
activity to another.
Reinforcer Assessment:
Reinforcers were assessed through
observations of Darins preferences.

interviews with the family, staff and

Darin responds well to sensory-based

activities, tangible treats and social feedback (Great job buddy! paired with a high
five). Incidents of aggression, bolting, enuresis and non compliance/defiance were
less likely to occur during times when Darin was receiving positive reinforcement
through social feedback, choices of the preferred activities and when the
environment was quieter.

Positive Behavior Support and Intervention Plan

Participant: Darin Li
D.O.B: 10/04/2000
Plan Date: April 7, 2015 (IEP early IEP per family request)
Plan Prepared By: Laura Briggin, M.S., BCBA
Interviews with School staff, behaviorist and Darins parents showed that Darins
aggression, bolting, non-compliant/defiance and enuresis behaviors were most often
specific during high sensory activities with other children around and/or demands
being placed on him.
Measurable Positive Replacement Behavioral Goals:
Goal One: Functional Replacement Skills
Baseline Level: With 1:1 support, Darin is able to participate in functional
academic and/or community tasks an average of up to 20 minutes on
preferred activities and four minutes on less preferred activities without
displaying target behaviors.
Goal: Darin will engage for longer periods with preferred and less-preferred tasks as
independently as possible.
Objective: Darin will be able to work for increasingly longer periods on academic
and/or community tasks increasing from 20-24 minutes on preferred and from 4-8
minutes on less preferred activities without displaying any of his listed target
behaviors.
Plan: Program staff will provide the PEC schedule each day reviewing it with Darin.
Staff will present a choice between sensory tasks and verbal praise as
reinforcement, followed by choices of less-preferred tasks, followed by choices of
most preferred activities and preferred leisure activities (going and seeing a
fountain with its running water, getting to play with his toy car, etc.)
Goal Two: Measurable Behavioral Reduction Goals
12-13 Level: Darin averages Aggression 3 to 4 per day, Bolting 1 per
week, Non Compliance/Defiance 2 to 3 per day, Enuresis 1 to 2 per day
13-14 Level: Darin averages Aggression averaging 1 per day, Bolting
averaging 1 per week, Non Compliance/Defiance averaging 2 per day,
Enuresis averaging 2 per week
Goal: Darin will learn to self-regulate for longer periods as independently as
possible

Objective: Darin will have reduced and/or replaced aggression, noncompliance/defiance, enuresis and bolting by 50% of the current levels with
functionally incompatible goals of habilitation, independence, productivity,
communication and living skills. A functional emphasis on verbalizing and/or using
the break and help cards when he cannot tolerate the activity and/or environment
will continue to be utilized.
Behavioral Objectives #1 Aggression
Skills Replacement Plan
I. Reinforcers for Darin:
Attention, Activities and Items that when given to Darin are likely to produce
compliant behaviors while reducing aggression

1. Darin will be given reinforcing activities to promote compliance.

1. Social praise, attention from preferred adults - high fives, pats on the back,
praise, smiles.
1. Participation in a preferred activity during antecedent situations - breaks,
music, opportunities to go see a working water fountain, opportunities to go
to a fair/
1. Participation in a preferred activity following compliant situations swinging,
using the trampoline, musical instruments, outside play, ball play.
2. SNACKS SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN AS REINFORCERS UNLESS DIRECTLY FROM
HIS LUNCH SENT FROM HOME !! Darin is on a very strict diet and should only
be eating food that is prepared for him from home.
II. Instructional Methods that when used with Darin is likely to produce
compliant behaviors to safety situations
CHOICES, choices, choices - Give two choices per each activity and reinforcement.
Give Darin the time and space to make his choices known through PECS and
gestures, while encouraging verbal responses through positive reinforcement.

1. 1.
2. 2.

Spring 2014 running program added before academic period

Gradually assimilate Darin to new environments and tasks and
reinforce him in small increments for approximations to desired behavior.
3. 3.
Remind Darin, when necessary, of reinforcement for compliance to
instructions or completion of task.
4. 4.
Use repetition to help Darin become comfortable in situations
(especially when they are new).
5. 5.
Be patient with Darin. He gets easily frustrated when he is not
understood. Encourage him to use his words slowly and clearly.
6. 6.
Clear expectations - FIRST ____(WORK ACTIVITY) THEN _____
(PREFERRED BREAK ACTIVITY).
7. 7.
Task analyzed instruction - keep it simple.
8. 8.
Give warnings about transitions, and explain what will happen next
(including reinforcement if necessary).
9. 9.
Use pictures to help with transitions.
10. 10.
Use activities that involve manipulatives.
11. 11.
Provide activities which are novel and visual.
12. 12.
Use activities that have distinct ending.
13. 13.
Provide activities that include stimulating responses (but be careful not

to over-stimulate).
14. 14.
Avoid lengthy waiting periods.
III. Replacement/Alternative Behaviors (skills to teach replacement of
aggression, etc.)

1. Prompt Darin to use his words to convey communications such things as I

like/dont like this, I want, one more time please, I need a break".
1. Help Darin with the correct response to the instructor's question, so that he
can actively participate in the activity or ask to take a break or ask for an
alternative activity.
IV. Preventative Strategies (strategies to prevent aggression, etc.)

1. 1.
2. 2.

Staff will gradually assimilate Darin to new environments.

Darin will be informed of reinforcement for successful completion of
task or transition.
3. 3.
Praise Darin for following instructions- especially in front of other peers
and staff - "Darin show Tosh what you did!"
4. 4.
Reinforce Darin immediately for compliance.
Behavioral Objective # 1, Aggression Intervention Plan:
1.
2.

If Aggression occurs, staff will redirect Darin to complete task and remind him
of available reinforcement.
Staff will not discuss the inappropriateness of these behaviors.

Emergency Intervention Procedures:

If the situation arises where Darin is endangering others by aggression, with a
physical prompt to take the break/PECS card, staff will support Darin with a TRACE
safety escort intervention. This will be a single staff, t-shirt grasp while escorting
Darin to a quieter area. Darins family, case worker and Program administrator will
be called that day to discuss the situation and what plans were carried out. (A
special incident report will be sent to all members of the ID team, specifying the
exact TRACE procedures that were used, length of incident, prevention for next time
etc.) Program administrator, aide, Behaviorist and Clinical Director will meet after
Program to discuss the incident and additional preventative and safety measures if
required.
When and Where These Interventions Will Be Used:
These strategies should be used as a final measure but should be implemented
consistently when indicated throughout all of Darins school day, only when less
intrusive intervention failed and there is serious risk of harm to self or others. When
possible all other less restrictive interventions will be attempted before an
emergency intervention is utilized.
Prompt Positive Replacement Behaviors At The Precursor Behavior Level:
Staff will support Darin to work on replacing incidents of aggression, noncompliance/defiance, enuresis and bolting with positive replacement behavioral
goals that are functionally incompatible with the behaviors and support Darins
goals of overall habilitation, independence, productivity, communication and living
and participating in a least restrictive environment. These goals for Darin include

supporting a fully functional communication system to express preferred activities,

living skills and social/behavioral skills and to improve access and interaction with
peers.
As Darin is successful, (i.e. no inappropriate behavior and increasing positive
replacement behaviors), the number of replacement behaviors will be increased.
Staff will support Darin to decrease incidents of aggression, noncompliance/defiance, enuresis and botlting by using shaping and chaining. Staff will
reinforce Darin with preferred reinforcers for each increasingly long interval of lesspreferred tasks. Staff will reinforce Darin with less preferred reinforcers for each
sensory task.
Staff should praise Darin for performing increasingly longer periods of less-preferred
tasks followed by a preferred reinforcer and the regular five-minute sensory tasks.

Positive Functional Replacement Behaviors:

These alternative skills will aid Darin in self-regulation and communication while
honoring the function of the target behavior.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Requesting sensory stimulating objects, activities and reinforcers

Requesting a break
Going to a designated safe area
Engaging in deep breathing
Using functional communication
Requesting help from adults appropriately
Requesting attention and social interaction appropriately
Requesting sensory stimulating objects and activities

Behavioral Objective #2 Bolting

Skills Replacement Plan
Continue with Behavior Objective #1s plan. Darin has a history of bolting away
from an activity area without regards to safety, in search of a preferred activity and
to escape a non-preferred activity. Do not present reinforcement until Darin has
returned to scheduled activity and Darin has displayed some level of compliance.
Behavior #2, Bolting Intervention Plan:
For Bolting associated with non-compliance, use the same plan as with Behavior
Objective #1.
Emergency Intervention Procedures:
For Bolting associated with non-compliance, use the same plan as with Behavior
Objective #1.
Behavioral Objective #3 Non-Compliance/Defiance

Skills Replacement Plan

Continue with Behavior Objective #1s plan. Darin has a history of sitting on the
floor, standing against a wall, saying NO and refusing to move and engage in any
sort of activity. Remind Darin of his schedule using FIRST, THEN statements. Do
not present reinforcement until Darin has returned to scheduled activity and Darin
has displayed some level of compliance.
Behavior #3, Non-Compliance Intervention Plan:
Use the same plan as with Behavior Objective #1.
Emergency Intervention Procedures:
For non-compliance, use the same plan as with Behavior Objective #1.

Behavioral Objective #4 Enuresis

Skills Replacement Plan
Continue with Behavior Objective #1s plan. Darin has a history urinating on
himself, sometimes even in the bathroom while he is there to use the toilet. He will
at times purposefully urinate on his clothing while in the restroom and/or pee on the
floor in the restroom and then lie down and roll around in it. Remind Darin of his
schedule using FIRST,
THEN statements. Do not present reinforcement until
Darin has returned to scheduled activity and Darin has displayed some level of
compliance.
Behavior #3, Enuresis Intervention Plan:
Use the same plan as with Behavior Objective #1.
Emergency Intervention Procedures:
Non needed.
Positive Structured Environment and Instruction:
Ecological management will include consistent setting - quiet, calm environment;
individual desk and chair; consistent; more prompting (assistance to escape) when
other participants are making loud noises; and visual cues to chain non-sensory task
completion; accessing preferred reinforcers followed by any sensory task
completion; accessing verbal praise reinforcers. Frequent choices of work tasks,
rewards and sensory activities and snacks. Using words, TEACCH schedule board,
gestures, verbal imitation, and verbalization/PECS (especially use of the visual
cue/break/PECS card.) Visual and verbal reminders of the rewards he is earning.
Visual and verbal cues regarding how close he is to finishing (Time timer).
On high risk days, Darin will receive a more enriched sensory activity program with
increased praise and access to the break/PECS card. It is helpful to use a behavioral

momentum approach: to have Darin do simple known and preferred sensory

activities and to slowly embed increasing demands with short less preferred
activities. Staffing may involve dispersing Darins instruction and supervision
between the teacher and at least two educational specialist/aides. Give Darin high
rates of positive attention including non-contingent verbal praise, smiles,
engagement and affectionate touch as well as social attention and interaction for
the absence of the targeted behaviors and for the presence of positive behaviors.
To help ease transitions use visual and verbal review of the classroom schedule and
Darins individual schedule. This will enable Darin to engage in an activity, transition
to the next activity and predict activities for the day. Include strategies for building
demand situation skills by providing visual and verbal modeling and cueing, visual
choice boards (and other adaptive devices if found to be useful). Simple tasks are
blended with more challenging tasks and the ratio will be lowered if the challenging
tasks are causing undue stress.

Positive Replacement Behaviors

Positive replacement behaviors will be practiced, modeled, prompted and reinforced
consistently (throughout each activity) in order to develop appropriate functional
positive replacement behaviors. From school observations, OT and Speech reports
and family interviews, Darin appears to have two significant sensory problems
requiring antecedent management and replacement of positive replacement
behaviors - poor discrimination of sensory information and poor ability to modulate
sensory information.
School staff will teach appropriate functional positive replacement behaviors directly
related to antecedent and ecological issues through incremental gradual shaping
and reinforcing of non-sensory task completion chained with preferred reinforcers
and preferred sensory tasks. Staff will use the highest prompt levels necessary to
successfully prompt engagement in replacement behaviors especially in the
presence of the targeted behaviors. Darins daily schedule will include
frequent/multiple opportunities to engage in replacement behaviors across settings,
staff and activities to support generalization. Staff will support, prompt and cue
Darin to use his break/PECS card and/or his words.
Staff will consistently teach Darin, that when he sees the less-preferred task on his
PECS schedule, that upon completion of gradually longer intervals he will access the
more preferred reinforcers and preferred sensory tasks and reinforcers. Darin will
have opportunities to learn new skills, for social inclusion, for access to meaningful
activities and for basic participation in the community.