Behavior Support Guide

How to Advocate for Effective Supports, Not Punishment

When behavior challenges persist, it’s often a sign that supports are misaligned, not that a child is “misbehaving.”

This guide helps families understand how behavior should be addressed within an IEP framework, shifting the conversation from discipline and removals to data-driven, skill-building supports.

Created by EmpowerED Advocates, this resource is designed to bring clarity and confidence to families navigating repeated behavior concerns.

What This Guide Helps You Understand

• Why behavior is communication, not defiance
• Common red flags that indicate behavior plans aren’t working
• What effective, compliant behavior supports should include
• The difference between reactive discipline and proactive intervention
• How to respond when schools rely on suspensions, removals, or informal consequences

This guide helps families recognize when behavior concerns are being addressed appropriately, and when they are not.

Who This Guide Is For

This resource is ideal for families who:

• Are experiencing repeated behavior incidents at school
• Have been told “nothing else can be done”
• See their child removed from class without improvement
• Want to understand how behavior should be supported within an IEP

What This Guide Is Not

• It is not legal advice
• It does not replace individualized advocacy or representation
• It is an educational, self-guided resource

Some families use this guide to prepare for conversations with school teams. Others use it to determine whether professional advocacy is the next step.

Need Additional Support?

If reviewing this guide highlights concerns about behavior plan effectiveness, implementation, or accountability, you may benefit from a paid IEP Strategy Session or Behavior Support Review.

➡ Learn About IEP Strategy Sessions