BIP and FBA Templates with Examples and a Competing Behavior Pathway

A BIP template is a ready-made structure for a behavior intervention plan: the document that takes the function found in a functional behavior assessment (FBA) and sets out replacement behaviors to teach, antecedent changes, reinforcement, staff responses, a crisis plan, data collection and review dates, so every plan covers the same essentials.

The FBA comes first. It gathers records, interviews and direct observation, defines the behavior, and ends with a hypothesis about why it happens: to get attention, to get an item or activity, to escape or avoid something, or because the behavior is automatically reinforcing. The BIP then answers one question: what will we change so the learner no longer needs the problem behavior?

This kit gives you both: an FBA report template in 13 sections and a BIP template in 14 sections, as editable Word documents that open in Google Docs, a 14-page printable PDF, and a companion Excel workbook with a hypothesis matrix and a BIP fidelity checklist. Every section has grey guidance text telling you what to write.

FBA template sections: learner information and team, reason for referral, record review, indirect assessment, direct observation, operational definitions, baseline, setting events and antecedents and consequences, hypothesis statements, competing behavior pathway, optional functional analysis summary, summary and recommendations, signatures.

BIP template sections: plan details, target behaviors and definitions, hypothesized functions, replacement behaviors and teaching plan, antecedent and setting-event strategies, reinforcement, consequence strategies, crisis and safety plan, data collection and graphing, generalization and maintenance, fading plan, staff training and fidelity, review dates and criteria for success, consent and signatures.

This is a fictional, clearly labelled sample written to show how the sections connect. It is not a real student and not clinical advice.

Referral. Sam, a third grader, pushes materials off his desk and leaves his seat during independent writing. His teacher refers him because he is missing most writing instruction.

Functional behavior assessment example: the data.

Hypothesis (escape). When Sam is given an independent writing task of more than a few sentences, he will push materials off his desk and leave his seat in order to escape the writing task.

Competing behavior pathway. Desired behavior: completes the writing task and earns teacher praise and free time. Replacement behavior: hands the teacher a break card, which earns a 2-minute break (the same escape, with less effort).

BIP strategies (sample).

• Antecedent: split writing into three-sentence chunks, use a first-then board, offer sentence starters and a choice of pencil or keyboard.
• Teaching: teach the break card with modeling and rehearsal, prompt it at the first sign of frustration, and fade prompts over two weeks.
• Reinforcement: honor every break card at first (differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior); praise and a token for each chunk completed; then gradually increase the work required before a break.
• Consequence: if Sam pushes materials, staff calmly prompt the break card and keep the writing task in place, so the break follows the card, not the problem behavior.
• Data and review: count episodes per writing block and break-card use; graph weekly; review every two weeks; revise if there is no downward trend after 10 data points.

Goal (sample). One or fewer episodes per writing block for 10 consecutive blocks, with independent break-card use in at least 80% of opportunities. Track it with our behavior tracking sheet.

All examples are fictional samples. Each statement names the antecedent, the behavior and the outcome, so it can be tested.

A behavior can serve more than one function; write a separate statement for each and record which data support it. The kit's workbook weighs interviews, rating scales and direct observation by function to help you rate confidence.