What to Do When Interventions Don’t Work

You’ve identified a need. You’ve put support in place. You’ve collected data, tracked progress, and followed the plan. But… the student still isn’t making gains.

Now what?

It’s a frustrating but common reality in special education and intervention work: sometimes, what we put in place doesn’t work. And while it can be tempting to double down or move the student to a more restrictive setting, it’s worth pausing to ask: Have we done everything we can to understand what’s going on?

When an intervention isn’t producing results, it’s not always about effort. Often, it’s about alignment.

Here’s what to do when a student isn’t responding to support:

Revisit the data, but go deeper. 

Not all progress is linear. Look beyond the surface-level metrics and ask: 

• Has there been any progress at all, even in small areas?

• Is the student showing signs of frustration, boredom, or disengagement?

• Are we tracking the right data points?

Sometimes the issue isn’t the intervention itself, but the way we’re measuring progress or the lack of consistent implementation.

Review fidelity of implementation. 

Even the best intervention won’t work if it’s not delivered as intended. Ask:

• Is the intervention being used consistently across settings and providers?

• Are staff trained in how to implement it?

• Is it happening with the frequency and duration required for impact?

Inconsistency is one of the biggest reasons supports don’t stick. Before switching strategies, ensure the current one has had a fair shot.

Check the match between the intervention and the need. 

Is the support actually addressing the root issue? For example:

• A student struggling with decoding won’t benefit from more comprehension questions.

• A student with anxiety might shut down when pushed too quickly into group activities, even if the task is academic.

Take time to reassess the “why” behind the behavior or academic gap. This might mean redoing a skills inventory, updating the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), or gathering new teacher and family input.

Make space for student voice. 

If the student is old enough, ask them:

• What’s working for you?

• When do you feel most successful?

• What makes this hard?

Students often have insight into their learning experience that we miss from the outside. Their input can reveal important factors—like emotional barriers, sensory needs, or unclear expectations.

Adapt—don’t abandon. 

When an intervention isn’t working, the goal isn’t to throw it out, t’s to adjust. That might mean:

• Increasing support in one area while fading it in another

• Layering in visual prompts, peer supports, or behavior reinforcement

• Swapping materials or formats without changing the skill focus

Sometimes the smallest tweaks lead to the biggest breakthroughs.

Bring the team together. 

Intervention shouldn’t be a solo effort. Revisit the student’s plan with the IEP team, MTSS team, or intervention specialists. Collaborate to ask:

• What else could be impacting progress?

• What haven’t we tried yet?

• What would it look like to go slower or to support differently?

When teams reflect together, solutions tend to come into clearer view.

No intervention is perfect. And no student responds exactly the same way twice. When things aren’t working, it’s not a failure—it’s a signal to shift.

Effective support isn’t about getting it right the first time. It’s about staying curious, staying collaborative, and staying committed to figuring out what will make the difference.

Because when we adjust with intention, students don’t just get more support, they get better support. And that’s when the real progress begins.