Staff Use Guide: Parent Support Sign for Public Behavior Moments

The Parent Support Sign is a discreet communication tool that reduces social load during a public behavior moment so staff and caregivers can focus on the client.

• Public behavior moments where attention from bystanders interferes with support
• Transitions and recovery in community settings
• Caregiver-led outings the team is supporting

• As a discipline tool
• To label a client publicly
• To replace the individualized behavior plan
• In private one-on-one therapeutic settings where it adds no benefit

• Do not name diagnoses publicly
• Do not photograph clients in distress
• Position the sign — not the client — as the communicator

• Stay at the client's level
• Keep your body open and non-restrictive
• Create a calm buffer between client and bystanders

• “We're alright — thank you for the space.”
• “We're supporting our family right now.”

• Diagnostic labels
• Apologies that frame the client as the problem
• Anything you would not want documented

Always defer to the client's individualized BIP, safety plan, and BCBA's guidance. The sign supports the plan — it does not replace it.

• Antecedent, behavior, consequence
• Environmental factors
• Supports used and client response
• Caregiver involvement

• New or escalating behaviors
• Safety incidents
• Changes to the support plan
• Requests for modifications

• Safety always comes before strategy
• Follow the agency's crisis procedure
• Document and debrief after any incident