A behavioural plan of intervention is an individualized program designed for a specific child that focuses on identifying areas where the child needs intervention. It is developed and written by a behaviour consultant in collaboration with the parents of the child, and includes input from professionals who are members of the child's team (e.g., speech language pathologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist).

Families receiving Autism Funding: Under Age 6 are required to submit a behavioural plan of intervention within 120 days of signing a Direct Funding or Invoice Payment agreement. Although a behavioural plan of intervention is not required for children over age six, it is recommended that intervention is always guided by a plan that is regularly reviewed.

A behavioural plan of intervention is needed to put in place effective and suitable interventions for a child. The initial plan also establishes a baseline that states "where the child is now" and looks towards "where we want to go." It is a "roadmap" that outlines how intervention will proceed. Through regular reviews, progress along the way is measured. It is important that parents are part of the planning and review processes.

A Behavioural Plan of Intervention should:

• Be completed within the framework of best practices.
• Be based on a developmental curriculum, which includes identifying global goals for all areas of development (academic, communication, social skills/play skills, motor/sensory functioning and independence/life skills).
• Identify specific goals within the global goals.
• Include input from specific professionals who are on the team, as appropriate.
• Identify the specific teaching strategies or methods to be used to achieve each goal.
• Use ongoing data collection procedures to monitor the child's progress and make adjustments to the child's program based on this information.
• Use a functional approach to challenging behaviour.
• Identify team members (including their contact information) and their responsibilities to ensure collaboration, communication, and accountability.
• List dates for regular review and updating of the plan, based on the child's individual needs (some children may require reviews as often as monthly).
• Include strategies for generalization and maintenance of acquired skills across different environments and ensure that these are regularly addressed, monitored, and updated.
• Identify required equipment.

For more information on developing a behavioural plan of intervention, see the Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI) Clinical Standards. These clinical standards relate to the EIBI Program, but may also be useful for other intervention programs.