In 2018, Jordan Griffin—who is a student with autism—moved from New Mexico and began attending a new school in Palm Beach, FL. However, his new teachers were unequipped to deal with his behaviors, resulting in two incidents within his first three months there. Additionally, his Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) was designed for New Mexico and needed to be updated to better suit his needs in his new environment, including his need for personalized speech and communication therapies.
Jordan’s parents contacted Disability Rights Florida regarding behavioral services and supports for him at school. We worked to request educational records and participated in several meetings in which we helped to develop a more supportive behavior plan, attained additional speech evaluations, and updated his Individual Education Plan (IEP). An agreement was reached between the school and the parents to put into place both a safety and behavior plan; these provide a specific list of steps to take in response to Jordan’s actions to best ensure his safety and wellbeing. Since this accomplishment, Jordan is currently doing very well in school as the teachers and staff are working collaboratively with his parents.