Behavior Workshops for K-12

Save the Date!!

The Department of Education/Special Education Programs is sponsoring three, one day behavior workshop. These workshops will be held:

September 8, 2008 Sioux Falls

September 9, 2008Aberdeen

September 11, 2008 Spearfish

These workshops will walk participants through the process of conducting a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), using the FBA to write an effective Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) and give participants specific behavior strategies for working with student with behavioral issues.

About the presenter:

Heather Robbins has been enthusiastically working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders for more than twenty years. She holds a K-8 Elementary Education License, a K-12 Special Education License, and has been certified as a Behavior Support Specialist through the Arizona Behavior Initiative. Heather began her career in San Antonio, TX, where she worked for seven years in a psychiatric facility teaching grades 1 through 12. Upon receiving her M.A. in Education, Heather spent eight years working as a special education teacher for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, followed by six years as a Behavior Support Specialist for the BIA, serving as an early adopter of Positive Behavior Support practices and guiding several schools to full implementation of PBS. From 2003 to 2006 Heather worked in conjunction with Dr. Jeff Sprague from the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior (IVDB) at the University of Oregon to bring PBS practices to BIA schools in NM, AZ, SD and MN. Currently Heather consults with schools in AZ, CA, NE, NM, SD, and WY and works for IVDB with schools in GA,LA, NC and TX.

  • Anyone who works with student with behavioral issues is encouraged to attend.
  • Registration is not yet available, more details on times and location are posted at
  • Registration will be required and space is limited to 100 in Sioux Falls and Rapid City and 75 in Aberdeen.
  • Questions? Please contact Becky Cain at or by phone at 280-3568.

Notice is further given to individuals with disabilities that this training is being held in a physically accessible place. Handicapped parking is also available. Please notify the Department of Education, Office of Educational Services & Support withintwo weeksof the trainingif you have special needs for which this agency will need tomake arrangements. Call about requests for alternative formats and/or interpreters: Disk, Braille, Large Print, Interpreter, or Other (please specify). Also note if you need any special medical or dietary needs, contact Merle Doolittle at 605-773-3678.