Schools Can Reduce Problem Behavior by Students with
Disabilities Through Effective Interventions
Advocates' Report Questions Congressional Plan to Undermine
Program
WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 16—Schools that have proactively
addressed the reasons behind problem behavior of students with disabilities,
as required by federal special education law, have been "rewarded...with
fewer behavior problems and an atmosphere of learning instead of constant
power struggles," according to a new report by the Bazelon Center
for Mental Health Law.
In the report, Suspending
Disbelief: Moving Beyond Punishment to Promote Effective Interventions
for Children with Mental or Emotional Disorders,
the national advocacy group summarizes administrative and judicial
decisions finding that many other school districts have balked
at the requirement, leaving students with disabilities in "a
downward spiral of escalating punishments."
Impending reauthorization of the federal law has brought pressure by
these recalcitrant school systems to repeal its disciplinary protections
for students with disabilities. The Bazelon Center opposes repeal, saying
that "Congress should support and strengthen the emphasis in the
law on a proactive and preventive approach."
The report analyzes the requirement in the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) that before considering suspension or exclusion
of a student for behavior associated with a disability, a school must
1) perform a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) to identify the underlying
cause of the student's behavior and, based on the results of this assessment,
2) design a plan for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS),
with approaches to reduce future problematic behavior and "supports" to
help the child maintain positive changes.
Congress "deliberately inserted these concepts" when amending
the IDEA in 1997, the report emphasizes, to reflect research documenting
25 years of successful use of FBAs and PBIS to reduce inappropriate behavior.
With schools' proper use of these tools for all children, students with
the potential for behavioral problems "have a far greater chance
of succeeding in school—and with it, a much better chance to succeed
in life," the report states.
"We have produced this document to inform the work of attorneys
and advocates for children with disabilities and policymakers—local
and national—who are truly committed to seeing all children succeed
in school," said the reports's author, Bazelon staff attorney Tammy
Seltzer. "They can help recalcitrant school districts move off the
dime."
The report cites the successful use of positive behavioral intervention
programs by school systems around the country. In a Florida school, for
example, one year's use of a nationally recognized program reduced special
education referrals by 61 percent, discipline referrals by 16 percent,
out-of-school suspensions by 29 percent and grade retentions by 47 percent.
Suspending
Disbelief is available on the Bazelon Center's website in PDF file
format (You will need the
free Acrobat Reader to view and print the report). For a print
copy, send $5 (postage is included) to the Publications Desk at the
Bazelon Center, 1101 15th Street N.W., #1212, Washington D.C. 20005.
For information, 202-467-5730 ext. 110; pubs@bazelon.org.
You can also make
a secure online purchase of the document.
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For information about FBAs/PBIS: Tammy Seltzer, 202-467-5730 ext. 116, tammy@bazelon.org
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is the leading national
legal-advocacy center representing people with mental disorders, working
to protect and advance the legal rights of adults and children with
psychiatric or developmental disabilities and ensure their equal access
to the services and supports they need for full participation in community
life.
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