Reduce self-injury while using the replacement request
When to use this goal
A reduction goal for students whose behavior plan defines self-injurious behavior (head hitting, biting own hand, scratching) and includes a function-matched replacement. Base the choice on event recording and the FBA. Use only with a BCBA or school psychologist on the team and a replacement goal from replacement-behavior. Medical causes (pain, ear infections, dental issues) must be ruled out first.
- Baseline
- Collect at least 5 days of event recording with the plan's definition and a counting rule (each hit is one count, or each burst separated by 10 seconds is one count); write the rule down. Record antecedents and what followed. Share the data with the family and the nurse; a sudden rise often has a medical cause.
- Tips
- Only valid with a replacement goal in place: replacement-behavior bh-rep-001 or bh-rep-002 (escape), bh-rep-004 (attention), bh-rep-006 (items), or bh-rep-018 (protest). For behavior that appears to be automatically reinforced, the plan needs a BCBA and a different approach, and this goal may not fit. Protective equipment, if any, is a plan decision made with the family, never a goal. This goal never describes restraint or seclusion.
- Limits
- Frequency ignores intensity and injury; record injuries separately and review the plan if they rise. A low count with high intensity is not success. Not for use without an FBA and a qualified team member.
Original IEP Atlas template based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. ID bh-saf-017.
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Goal
By the annual IEP review date, across the school day with the replacement request taught and honored and the behavior plan in place, the student will reduce self-injurious behavior as defined in the behavior plan (hitting own head, biting own hand, or scratching own skin) to no more than 3 times per school day, with the replacement request honored every time it is used, across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries, as measured by frequency recording collected daily, every occurrence, summarized weekly.
Baseline: 15 times per school day.
- Condition
- Observable behavior
- Criterion
- Measurement method
Measurability check11 of 11 met
Met: Observable behavior. Stated as an action.
Met: Condition. Stated.
Met: Unit fits the behavior. Frequency fits this behavior.
Met: Explicit criterion. Number and unit stated.
Met: Mastery rule and schedule. Both stated.
Met: Method produces the metric. Frequency (event) recording gives frequency data.
Met: Review timeframe. Stated.
Met: Baseline and target compatible. Same unit, change in the right direction.
Met: Aligned with area of need. Still about Safety Behaviors.
Met: Level of support. Defined.
Met: Blanks filled in. Nothing left to fill in.
Checks structure and wording only. Whether the goal fits the student is the team's call.
Short-term objectives (optional)
When are objectives required?Required for students on alternate assessments (34 CFR §300.320(a)(2)(ii)); some states require them for everyone.
Paste into your IEP system
Most district systems have a separate box for each part of a goal. Copy them one at a time, or all at once as labeled text.
- Area of need
- Behavior & Classroom Expectations - Safety Behaviors
- Baseline
- 15 times per school day.
- Annual goal505 characters
- By the annual IEP review date, across the school day with the replacement request taught and honored and the behavior plan in place, the student will reduce self-injurious behavior as defined in the behavior plan (hitting own head, biting own hand, or scratching own skin) to no more than 3 times per school day, with the replacement request honored every time it is used, across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries, as measured by frequency recording collected daily, every occurrence, summarized weekly.
- Timeframe
- By the annual IEP review date
- Condition
- Across the school day with the replacement request taught and honored and the behavior plan in place
- Behavior
- The student will reduce self-injurious behavior as defined in the behavior plan (hitting own head, biting own hand, or scratching own skin), with the replacement request honored every time it is used
- Criteria
- No more than 3 times per school day, across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries
- Evaluation method
- Frequency recording
- Schedule
- Daily, every occurrence, summarized weekly
Copied as plain text, with straight quotes and plain dashes.
Matching data sheet
Frequency & rate tracker. Records the count and the observation length.
Frequency & rate tracker
Frequency- Student label:
- Target:
- no more than 3 times per school day
- Mastery rule:
- across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries
- Collection schedule:
- daily, every occurrence, summarized weekly
- Method:
- Frequency (event) recording
- Data collector:
Goal: By the annual IEP review date, across the school day with the replacement request taught and honored and the behavior plan in place, the student will reduce self-injurious behavior as defined in the behavior plan (hitting own head, biting own hand, or scratching own skin) to no more than 3 times per school day, with the replacement request honored every time it is used, across 4 consecutive weekly data summaries, as measured by frequency recording collected daily, every occurrence, summarized weekly.
| Date | Observation period (start–end) | Minutes observed | Activity / context | Count (tally) | Rate per minutecount ÷ minutes (only if periods vary) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preview shows 4 of 12 rows.
- Count each occurrence of the defined behavior per school day.
- Keep the observation length the same each session. If it varies, compare rate per minute, not raw counts.
- Write the behavior definition at the top of the sheet so all data collectors count the same thing.
The CSV opens in Excel or Google Sheets, with formulas. Sheets print blank; no student data is stored.