Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Behavior Services

As part of the TN-TAN network, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s TRIAD provides technical assistance for complex behavior support needs and associated training within Tennessee schools. TRIAD’s focus is to improve student and educator outcomes related to safety, engagement, and/or independence.

The majority of requests for technical assistance received are related to individual students presenting with severe and complex behavior, including aggression, self-injury, and elopement. TRIAD provides student-specific staff training, consultation, and ongoing coaching on individualized behavior assessment and intervention implementation, as well as the skill acquisition required to maintain communication, academic, and social growth opportunities for these students. Much of TRIAD’s evidence-based work is individualized to the needs of the students and educators TRIAD serves.

This session is designed for school-based professionals involved in the development and implementation of Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), including special education teachers, behavior specialists, school psychologists, and administrators. Participants will have the opportunity to assess the fidelity of their current FBAs and BIPs, engage in guided reflection, and consult with experts to enhance the effectiveness of their behavior support practices.

TRIAD offers tailored support for educator teams working with individual students who exhibit dangerous or challenging behaviors. These services are designed to align with the team’s needs, preferences, and capacity.

Key Components:

  • Root Cause Analysis: TRIAD consultants guide teams through identifying underlying issues contributing to the student’s behavior. This includes:
    • Reviewing the student’s Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
    • Defining behavioral goals: Focus areas may include reducing unsafe behaviors, minimizing the use of restraint or isolation, and promoting student autonomy and engagement with learning.
    • Exploring causes of behaviors that impact safety and learning
  • Data-Based Decision Making: TRIAD supports teams in:
    • Creating a customized data collection system
    • Analyzing behavioral data
    • Using data to inform and adjust intervention strategies

The ultimate goal is to improve student outcomes through informed, responsive, and individualized support.

The purpose of the BCBA Community of Practice is to create an interactive, collaborative space for school-based BCBAs to share resources, provide support to one another while navigating through school cases and to connect BCBAs to one another across the state of Tennessee. The topics covered in this group are dictated by the members’ current interest and needs with an emphasis on most effective practices for working in the school system.

Participant Requirements

  1. Currently working as a school based BCBA in a Tennessee school
  2. Currently supervising BCBAs in Tennessee schools
  3. Working towards your BCBA, and employed as a school-based professional to support students with challenging behavior, including designing and implementing FBAs and BIPs.

Format
Group meets once a month online to discuss specifics related to working as a school-based BCBA in Tennessee.

The Behavior Leadership Webinar Series provides a professional development community for school- and district-level staff who serve in administrative, consultative, or leadership roles with respect to student behavior. The goal of the webinar series is to create a space that fosters awareness, growth, and collaboration for leaders who serve or support others in serving students with exceptional behavior needs. Each webinar session will have a topic of focus, featured expert and practitioner panelists, and many opportunities to ask questions and engage in discussion.

Topics for the 2025-2026 series will include:

  • Trauma-Informed FBAs and BIPs
  • Autism Leading: Topic TBD
  • Including Families in Behavior Supports
  • Outside Applied Behavior Analysis Providers
  • Medical Underlying Causes of Behavioral Issues

Archived Webinars

Teacher with upset student
Sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Education, through the Tennessee Technical Assistance Network (TN-TAN) and available at no cost to LEAs in Tennessee.

The Educator Community of Practice (CoP) provided by the TRIAD Intensive Behavior team is a professional learning community that fosters growth and collaboration for teachers, behavior specialists, administrators, and other staff who serve students with complex behavior needs. For the 25-26 school year, each monthly meeting will provide training and collaborative troubleshooting on a different behavior intervention. Participants will learn how to implement and intensify various interventions including Functional Communication Training, Co-regulation, Point Sheets, Skill-based Treatment, and more. If you have been wondering how to implement or how to coach others to implement the interventions on your students’ Behavior Intervention Plans, this community is for you!

The TRIAD Intensive Behavior Back to School Event was a virtual professional development opportunity for educators across the State of Tennessee. The recorded sessions are available to watch now.

Session 1: Training School Staff to Implement Behavior Plans with High Fidelity
Preparing school-team members to implement Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) with fidelity is a challenging but essential component of student support. This one-hour workshop equipped participants to develop staff training plans that are efficient, effective, and compliant with State requirements.

Session 2: Trauma Informed FBAs and BIPs
This session discussed signs of trauma in school-aged children and how trauma history can impact students’ behavior at school. The values of Trauma Informed Care (TIC) were explored including safety, empowerment, skill-building, collaboration, relationship-building, and family/community.

Download and print behavior resources below produced by VKC TRIAD. If you need materials in an accessible format, please contact kc@vumc.org or call (615) 322-8240.

FBA/BIP and Supporting Documents

A functional behavior assessment (FBA) involves evidence-based processes for understanding the factors in a student’s environment that are influencing the occurrence of dangerous and/or interfering behavior. Information from an FBA often directly informs a behavior intervention plan (BIP), which helps all members of the team implement consistent evidence-based practices aimed at reducing dangerous and/or interfering behavior while simultaneously ensuring that students and staff are safe and that student needs are met to the extent possible.

Here we offer some materials to (a) help develop FBAs, (b) use FBAs to inform BIPs, and (c) incorporate additional safety and rapport building practices into BIPs.

This 46 minute video provides an opportunity for viewers to

  • Examine the State Board of Education FBA and BIP requirements
  • Investigate the components of an FBA compliant with Tennessee regulations
  • Distinguish the components of a BIP complaint with Tennessee regulations

This 32 minute video provides an opportunity for viewers to

  • Distinguish between baseline data collection options available for a compliant FBA within the state of Tennessee
  • Critique a sample FBA using rubric on data collection metric
  • Judge sample FBA using rubric regarding systematic observation

This 24 minute video provides an opportunity for viewers to

  • Examine SMART goals within a BIP
  • Critique a sample BIP using rubric on replacement behavior
  • Evaluate a progress monitoring plan to make decisions and adjustments to intervention

Interested in additional FBA/BIP training? Please view this document for directions on how to access our online FBA/BIP training.

Crisis Management

Managing a crisis in a school setting can be stressful. The resources below include supports for approaching crisis situations in a way that honors the dignity of the individuals in crisis as well as others who may be present.

This 14 minute video includes an overview of why intervening early in the cycle of escalation to de-escalate challenging behavior is an ideal approach.

Behavior Supports

Educators and families frequently have questions about the best way to support students with behavioral goals. The videos and tip sheets below highlight some strategies to consider when addressing these goals.

This 25 minute video provides learners an opportunity to

  • Apply knowledge of common mental health concerns in IDD
  • Analyze how some evidence-based mental health strategies could be used with students in their buildings
  • Develop a preliminary plan to use select mental health resources with educators, students, and families

This 22 minute video provides learners an opportunity to

  • Examine the intersection of trauma and intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • Recommend basic trauma-informed strategies for use with students in schools
  • Distinguish TRIAD’s approach to trauma-informed care

This 40 minute video provides views an opportunity to

  • Recognize several of the common underlying reasons for challenging behavior in school.
  • Follow a process for determining which underlying reasons for challenging behavior are most likely through an analysis process.

This 6 minute video provides viewers an opportunity to evaluate how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) describes free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in regards to students engaging in severe challenging behavior.

Manifestation Determination

Manifestation Determination Reviews (MDRs) can be part of a student’s school experience. Please view our resources below for additional information about MDRs.

This 52 minute video provides information specific to Manifestation Determination Reviews

  • Change of Placement
  • The MDR Process
  • Zero Tolerance Offenses and Interim Alternative Educational Settings
  • MDRs for Non-IDEA Students
  • Prior Written Notices

TRIAD is a proud member of the Tennessee Technical Assistance Network (TN-TAN) through the Tennessee Department of Education. TRIAD, the autism institute at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, provides training, consultation, and coaching services for supporting educators and developing school and system-wide supports to address needs specific to autistic students, Pre-K-12.

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