Who Is on the BIP Development Team for Students with IDD? A Case Study of One School District.
Students with IDD are almost never asked to help write the behavior plans that control their school day.
01Research in Context
What this study did
One school district let researchers peek at 87 behavior plans for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The team counted who sat on each BIP writing team. They looked for the student, parents, teachers, aides, and bosses.
What they found
Kids with IDD were at the table in fewer than five of every 100 plans.
Parents, teachers, and administrators filled almost every seat.
How this fits with other research
Anonymous (2019) saw the same gap in IEP meetings. Parent wishes reached goals only two-thirds of the time.
Beck et al. (2021) asked parents of students with ID what blocks learning. Parents gave clear answers, yet schools still leave them out.
Petursdottir et al. (2019) showed a behavior plan can cut disruption by 85%. That plan was written by adults only — proof the plan can work even without the student, but is that fair?
Why it matters
If the student is missing, the plan may miss what truly matters to them. Invite the student to the next BIP meeting, even for five minutes. Ask what rewards they want and what settings feel hard. Their answers can turn a good plan into their plan.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
There is little known about the behavior intervention plan (BIP) team composition for students with intellectual disability, developmental delay, and/or autism (i.e., IDD). We sought to understand whether students with IDD are included as part of the team to develop their BIPs and who is involved and the correlation with quality of the BIP. We reviewed and statistically analyzed records from 87 BIPs from one large school district. Of the records reviews, most BIP teams included a parent or guardian, administrator, general education teacher, and special education teacher. Less than 5% of BIPs included a student with IDD. Implications for policy and practice are provided. Specifically, federal and state policy guides are needed to ensure that BIP teams include both the individual with IDD and their parents or guardians, along with individuals with expertise in supporting students with IDD.
Behavior modification, 2026 · doi:10.1177/01454455251397904