This cluster shows easy ways teachers and parents can help kids stay on task in class. It looks at quick daily check-ins, phone apps that remind students to behave, and tricks kids can use to watch their own actions. A BCBA can use these ideas to make simple plans that cut problem behavior and give teachers more time to teach.
Common questions from BCBAs and RBTs
CICO is a Tier 2 behavior support for students who need more than universal classroom strategies but less than intensive individual intervention. Students start and end each day with a brief check-in with a trusted adult and carry a point card that teachers score throughout the day. It works best for students whose behavior is maintained by adult attention.
Research suggests they are structurally the same. Both use daily adult check-ins and teacher scoring of target behaviors on a card. The names come from different research traditions, but the active ingredients are identical. You can borrow features from both without worrying about which one you are officially implementing.
Yes. Research shows that removing the point card and teacher feedback sessions while keeping only the morning check-in can still maintain behavior gains in general education classrooms. Start simple and add components only if data show you need more.
Some apps show promise, but fewer than half of studies using these tools meet rigorous design standards. Use apps as tools to support data collection and communication, but do not rely on them as your primary intervention. Pair any app with the adult feedback and relationship components that make CICO effective.
Wait until the student has met their daily goal consistently for at least three consecutive weeks before you start reducing check-in frequency. Fade gradually — move from daily to every other day, then to weekly — and monitor behavior closely at each step. If behavior drops, re-introduce the previous level of support and hold there longer before fading again.