For districts to support students with disabilities who have behavior support needs, they must also prioritize providing equitable and just behavior support systems for all students. It is a persistent myth that students with disabilities and extensive behavior support needs should only receive individualized behavior supports.99 Students with disabilities benefit significantly from being fully included in all tiers of the school or district’s multitiered system of supports (MTSS), including tiered positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS).
RREI Demonstration Site Finding: To Support Students with Disabilities, Address Tier 1 and School Culture
To provide a learning environment in which a student with extensive behavior learning needs can succeed, district and school leaders must examine their universal systems and ensure they are inclusive and evidence-based. Based on input from demonstration sites in the Inclusionary Practices and Reducing Restraint and Eliminating Isolation projects, schools and districts that effectively prevent and respond to student interfering behavior:
- Foster a culture in which staff feel shared responsibility for each student (whether or not they have a disability)
- Ensure all students feel a sense of belonging at school, including in general education classrooms and shared spaces
- Provide Tier 1 social/emotional/behavioral supports to all students, including students with extensive support needs
- Support staff in understanding that behavior is communication so that any efforts to shape interfering behavior reflect the student’s agency, belonging, and authentic needs
Improvement in these areas can reduce student interfering behavior across classrooms, schools, and districts. For guidance on building and refining systems and practices for the social, emotional, and behavioral health of all students, refer to Sections 2 and 3 of this manual.
99 OSPI (2024). Extended myths & facts about inclusionary practices in Washington: Myth #9 (page 19).