Maryland Positive Behavior Support Training

Universal strategies do not always work because sometimes the situations that people encounter are more complicated and the strategies needed require more intensive supports.

Organizations that design tier 2 strategies use quality of life, incident reports, and other types of data to monitor the support people receive and intervene as soon as challenges arise. Intervening early before a person’s quality of life is affected or serious challenges escalate can prevent misunderstandings, injuries, and other negative outcomes. 

Tier 2 interventions address more minor challenging behavior or situations where more person-centered strategies are needed to improve quality of life. The types of Tier 2 interventions can be organized into four major areas:

1. Person-centered & quality of life,
2. Social and behavioral supports,
3. Emotional wellness, and
4. Health and wellness.

Examples of Tier 2 Interventions

• Practice key social and communication skills
• Increase prompts and reinforcers to better support a person
• Work on social skills needed for developing meaningful friendships
• Help a person find work that they enjoy and find fulfilling
• Learn to use a coping strategy for managing strong feelings like anger, fear or frustration
• Focus on a plan for a health or wellness
• Change how a task is completed so that it is easier to understand