Behavioral interventions and their evaluation have been part of the federal regulations for twenty years. NASP has published thousands of pages of excellent support documents to help practitioners implement the vision of IDEA '97. This article is designed to help review that effort and the materials related to it. It is very clear that school psychologists are critical among school personnel in evaluating the need for and designing positive behavioral interventions. School psychologist are the designated related service and qualified professional for what is now codified in IDEA '97.
School psychologists are responsible for functional behavioral evaluations.
School psychologists working with others are necessary for designing the individualized education program's goals, including behavioral goals and the interventions necessary to help the child reach those goals. The evaluation must employ technically sound instruments to assess the contributions of cognitive and behavioral factors among others and the assessment must address all areas of suspected disability. Consistent with NASP policies and best practices, IDEA '97 implies that evaluations be rich in recommendations and that those recommendations be provided to help design IEP goals and objectives to ensure success, including success in the general curriculum. The recommendations school psychologists present, therefore, should be specific enough to meet measurable instructional and behavioral needs confirmed by the assessment. The purpose is to answer questions about how to best address the instructional needs related to the child's disability.