From Behavior to Communication Empowering the SLP to

From Behavior to Communication: Empowering the SLP to Evaluate and Manage Challenging Behavior Marti Weiner, M. S. , CCC-SLP, BCBA November 12, 2015

My name is Marti Weiner. I am a licensed speech language pathologist in Kansas and Missouri, hold a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech and Language Pathology, and am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I have no relevant financial relationships within the products or services described, reviewed, evaluated or compared in this presentation. I have a nonfinancial personal relationship, in that I have a son with autism.

Why should I care about behavior? I’m the SLP…

Learnin g Pyramid Learnin g Academics, Language, Social Skills, Self Help Skills, etc. Attending Behavior Setting Events

Remember… A student can’t learn skills if he’s not attending A student can’t attend (be available to learn) if he’s engaging in challenging behavior Appropriate behavior is the prerequisite for attending and learning

Ok, as an SLP I need to know about behavior management, so. . . How do I make a student behave?

Here’s the bad news…You can’t make a student behave…

But here’s the good news…

Good news…SLPs can… -Identify why a student is choosing to engage in target behavior (what is he/she communicating? )

Good news…SLPs can… -Identify why a student is choosing to engage in challenging behavior (what is he/she communicating? ) -Assist in environmental modifications (manipulate antecedents and consequences)

Good news…SLPs can… -Identify why a student is choosing to engage in target behavior (what is he/she communicating? ) -Assist in environmental modifications (manipulate antecedents and consequences) -Use strategies to teach replacement behaviors

Identify why a student is choosing to engage in challenging behavior

Identify why a student is choosing to engage in target behavior All behavior is communicative (FUNCTION of behavior); “Why is he/she acting that way? ”

Assist in environmental modifications (manipulate antecedents and consequences) When we figure out what the student is communicating with his/her behavior (FUNCTION), we can proactively make changes to the student’s environment so that he/she CHOOSES to change his/her behavior

Use strategies to teach replacement behaviors Replacement behaviors become part of the antecedent modifications we can make to help the student CHOOSE to change his/her behavior

The Principle of Reinforcement

The Principle of Reinforcement (positive/negative) Punishment Extinction

The Principle of Reinforcement (positive/negative) Behavior Consequence Punishment Extinction Future Behavior

The Principle of Reinforcement (positive/negative) Behavior Consequence Future Behavior Punishment Behavior Consequence Extinction Future Behavior

The Principle of Reinforcement (positive/negative) Behavior Consequence Future Behavior Punishment Behavior Consequence Future Behavior Extinction Reinforced Behavior Ignore Burst Future Behavior

The Principle of Reinforcement (positive/negative) Antecedent Behavior Consequence Punishment Future Behavior Antecedent Behavior Consequence Extinction Future Behavior Antecedent Rf Behavior Ignore Burst Future Behavior

The Principle of Reinforcement Positive Reinforcement Antecedent Behavior Consequence Future Behavior Negative Reinforcement Aversive Antecedent Behavior Consequence Future Behavior

Negative Reinforcement

Identify why a student is choosing to engage in challenging behavior All behavior is communicative (FUNCTION of behavior); “Why is he/she acting that way? ” -To obtain a desired consequence (positive or negative reinforcement) -Uses cues (antecedents) to guide behavior choices

Remember: The Child controls his behavior We control the antecedents and the consequences When we pair the right antecedents and consequences with desired behavior, the child should choose to engage in that behavior

What is the Student Communicating (Function of Behavior)? Consequence I want to gain something I want to escape/avoid something I want to automatically reinforce myself

What is the Student Communicating (Function of Behavior)? Consequence I want to gain something

What is the Student Communicating (Function of Behavior)? Consequence I want to gain something Ø Object or activity

Matt and his paraeducator, Marti, enter the Resource room. Marti needs to get the math work materials ready, so she gives Matt his i. Pad to play games. When Marti has the materials ready, she says “OK Matt, it’s time to do math, so give me your i. Pad. ” Matt says “No, I want to finish this game. ” Marti says “Come on, Matt, it’s time to do your math, give me the i. Pad”, and she takes it away from him. Matt begins to verbally protest and knocks materials off the desk. Now other paraeducators and students are staring. Marti becomes flustered, hands the i. Pad back to Matt and says, “OK, you can have the i. Pad a few more minutes to finish your game. ”

I want to gain object/activity What does it look like? Gain Object/Activity Access to object/activity access removed Behavior escalates Access returned Behavior reinforced

If the child is communicating: I want to gain object/activity What do I communicate? “Catch them being good” Challenging behavior will not get you what you want, BUT…. Appropriate behavior will get you what you want

-Matt and Marti enter the Resource room. Immediately Marti says, “Matt we’re going to do math today. What do you want to work for? ” Matt picks i. Pad from a choice board of preferred items/activities. -Marti quickly gives Matt one easy math problem and as soon as Matt completes it, she says “Great, you just earned one minute of i. Pad. ” She sets the timer and gets the rest of the materials set up while Matt uses up his “earned” i. Pad time. -When the timer goes off, Marti says, “Matt, do you still want to work for i. Pad? ” Matt says yes. Marti says, “OK do you want to do five problems for two minutes of i. Pad, or ten problems for four minutes of i. Pad. ” -Matt picks ten problems for four minutes of i. Pad. Matt and Marti work on ten problems, and when they are finished, Marti sets the timer for 4 minutes and gives him his i. Pad.

What antecedents and consequences were changed? -No “unearned” i. Pad time; “What do you want to work for? ” -Brief amount of work, “catch them being good”, brief reward -Timer used as a cue to “prime” the student for transition back to work - “Controlled choice”

What is the Student Communicating (Function of Behavior)? Consequence I want to gain something Ø Object or activity ØAttention

Matt is a student in a center based classroom and Marti is his paraeducator. She has been working on vocabulary words with him, and giving lots of positive praise. Now Marti has to set up the next activity, so she gives Matt a preferred book to look at and busies herself with materials preparation. Matt begins to throw the book against the wall. Marti stops what she is doing, sternly says “don’t do that Matt”, picks up the book, hands it to him and returns to her materials prep. A minute later Matt throws the book again. Marti repeats giving the book to him, reprimands him and tries to go back to her work, but again, Matt throws the book. Marti decides to sit down and look at the book with Matt. She will try to get the activity ready in a few minutes.

If the child is communicating: I want to gain attention What does it look like? Gain Attention No access to attention Challenging behavior given Behavior reinforced attention

If the child is communicating: I want to gain attention What do I communicate? “Catch them being good” Inappropriate behavior will not get you what you want, BUT…. Appropriate behavior will get you what you want

Matt is a student in a center based classroom and Marti is his paraeducator. She has been working on vocabulary words with him, and giving lots of positive praise. Now Marti has to set up the next activity, so she gives Matt a preferred book to look at and begins materials preparation. However, every few seconds Marti gives Matt positive praise for doing such a nice job looking at his book. She even temporarily stops her materials prep after a minute to go over alongside Matt and comment on something in the book. She then goes back to materials prep, continuing to provide positive praise periodically, until the next activity is ready.

What antecedents and consequences were changed? -Giving high rates of positive praise (attention) for the appropriate behavior -Not giving student the chance to engage in challenging behavior before attention was given

What is the Student Communicating (Function of Behavior)? Consequence I want to gain something Ø Object or activity ØAttention Ø Control

Matt is a student in a center based classroom and Marti is his paraeducator. Marti has been working on articulation skills with Matt. He is earning tokens towards a reinforcer, which he chose from a reinforcer choice menu, and Marti is praising him for working so hard. Suddenly Matt shoves all of the picture materials off of the table. Marti says, “Matt you need to pick those up”, but instead Matt falls on the floor and starts throwing the materials across the room. Marti doesn’t know what to do. She knows Matt likes the reinforcer he chose, and she doesn’t know how to get him back to the table to do his work.

If the child is communicating: I want to gain control What does it look like? Gain control: Child has access to object/activity/attention engages in challenging behavior Adult reacts to behavior, student continues to engage in behavior (As long as adults are reacting to the student’s target behavior, he/she is being reinforced…will continue to engage in the behavior(s) in order to get the reaction)

If the child is communicating: I want to gain control What do I communicate? “Appropriate behavior will earn you shared (some) control” I will use controlled choices throughout your day I will use a reward system of highly motivating reinforcers I will create clear, concise, consistent directions for you… I will watch for opportunities to praise you that are not perceived as “control”

Matt has a work system that consists of several colored folders. Each folder contains a subset of the pictures that Matt needs to practice. Matt chooses the reward he wants to work for from a choice menu, which is time playing a favorite computer game. Matt is then allowed to choose the first folder he wants to work on. Marti and Matt practice the pictures in the first folder. Marti intermittently comments on how well he is working. When Matt finishes those pictures, he picks the second folder, and so on, until all the folders are completed. When the last folder is finished, Marti offers the reinforcer that Matt chose. She sets a timer, and when the break ends, the folder process is repeated until the end of speech therapy. At the end of the session, Matt was prompted to check his daily schedule.

What antecedents and consequences were changed? -Controlled choices: order of folders -Reward system -Clear, concise, consistent directions: What work? How much work? When will the work be finished? What happens next? -Opportunities for praise not perceived as “control”

What is the Student Communicating (Function of Behavior)? Consequence I want to gain something Ø Object or activity ØAttention Ø Control I want to escape or avoid something

What is the Student Communicating (Function of Behavior)? I want to gain something Ø Object or activity ØAttention Ø Control I want to escape or avoid something ØTask difficulty

Matt is a student in a center based classroom and Marti is his paraeducator. The SLP has instructed Marti to work on 10 new receptive vocabulary words with Matt gives a couple of incorrect answers in a row, then his behavior begins to escalate.

If the child is communicating: I want to escape task difficulty What does it look like? Escape from task difficulty: Child is given an instruction with insufficient levels of prompting or support to allow him to be successful Behavior escalates

If the child is communicating: I want to escape /avoid task difficulty What do I communicate? “ I’m going to give you the help you need” I will modify the task so you can be successful. When you do the work, I will reward you.

Escape from Task Difficulty: Point “Gobbletygook”

What antecedents and consequences were changed? -Pair one target of new learning with mastered learning -Mastered, target, on deck -Providing whatever level of prompting is needed to allow a student to be successful in his response

What is the Student Communicating (Function of Behavior)? Consequence I want to gain something Ø Object or activity ØAttention ØControl I want to escape or avoid something ØTask difficulty ØTask duration

Matt is a student receiving supports in the Resource room and Marti is his paraeducator. The Resource teacher tells Marti to teach a new reading unit before the student goes to recess. Marti begins to work on the unit, which is several pages long. Marti only gets through the first page, and the student begins engaging in behavior. Marti knows she has to get through three more pages. She keeps reminding Matt that as soon as they finish, he can go to recess. The student returns to work briefly, but soon engages in behavior again. Marti keeps telling him that they need to finish the work in order to go to recess, but it does not get the student redirected. Eventually it’s time for recess. Marti is exhausted, so she ends the work and sends the student outside with his class.

Typical Visual Work Schedule WORK Reward Typical Speech Therapy Session FIRST WORK THEN BREAK What is communicated to the student by the adult? “Do an unspecified amount of work for an unspecified amount of time and I will arbitrarily decide when you get a break”.

If the child is communicating: I want to escape task duration What does it look like? Escape from task duration: Child is not given reinforcement proportional to the task demands Behavior escalates

If the child is communicating: I want to escape /avoid task duration What do I communicate? “ I’m going to give you reinforcement more frequently” I will break down the task into smaller units of work, with brief breaks inserted between each unit, so you will be more motivated to continue to work.

WORK Brief Reward WORK Reward

WORK Break WORK Break

What is the Student Communicating (Function of Behavior)? Consequence I want to gain something Ø Object or activity ØAttention ØControl I want to escape or avoid something ØTask difficulty ØTask duration ØCommunication breakdown

Matt is a student receiving supports in a center based classroom and Marti is his SLP. This morning Marti has to get through a new language activity with Matt instead of their typical activities. She uses his usual “First (Work) Then (Reward)” icons with Matt. Marti also is using a token board with Matt but because the activities are new, she keeps forgetting to give him tokens, so then she gives him a lot of tokens at once so he can have a break. While Matt’s on break Marti realizes it’s getting close to lunch so she cuts short Matt’s break. Matt engages in protest behavior, even though Marti has shown him his “First/then” icon along with his token board an icon for his next break.

If the child is communicating: I want to escape communication breakdown What does it look like? Escape from communication breakdown: Child is given unclear cues about changes in activity, along with variable reinforcement Behavior escalate

If the child is communicating: I want to escape communication breakdown What do I communicate? “ I’m going to clearly communicate to you what you need to do” -I will teach “change” to you as a specific skill -I will reinforce at high rates when you are learning a new skill -I will never take away an earned reinforcer

Matt is a student receiving supports in a center based classroom and Marti is his SLP. This morning Marti has to introduce a new language activity with Matt instead of their usual activities. Marti introduces the “Something new” icon. She uses a token board with 3 instead of the usual 10 tokens. Every time Matt earns three tokens he earns a brief break. Marti knows she may not get through all the new work today, but her goal is to get through as much of the work as possible without behavior. Marti watches the clock, and when it’s time to earn his 5 minute “end of speech therapy” break, she has enough time left to honor that reward. As Matt becomes familiar with the new activity across time, Marti will gradually increase the token to break ratio.

What antecedents and consequences were changed? -Icon for “new” or “change” -Use brief periods of work interspersed with breaks -Once reinforcer is earned it is not taken away -Can use “Magic time” if timer is used to transition between activity/break/activity

A word about Communication Breakdown, other functions of Behavior, and “Information” Stories…

INFORMATION STORIES Work best when…. The function of behavior is Communication Breakdown “I’m going to use information in this story to repair the communication breakdown and help you understand what is happening…” Are least effective when… “I don’t like the way you’re behaving; the story is about what I want, not about what you want; I will tell you how I expect you to behave, but give you no incentive to choose to change your behavior

Functions of Behavior Gain item/activity Gain attention Gain control Escape/avoid task difficulty Escape/avoid task duration Escape/avoid communication breakdown Automatic Reinforcement

THANK YOU! mweiner@usd 232. org