Using Functional Behavior Assessment to Select Coping and

Using Functional Behavior Assessment to Select Coping and Self-Management Skills ILCCBD 2016 Jesse (Woody) Johnson, Ed. D. , BCBA-D Northern Illinois University 1

“Self management therefore can be defined as the allocation of responding to one alternative over other concurrently available options that may differ in size, quality, social significance, personal gain, delay, history, or abstracted psychological functions. As a result, we conclude that when a person is self-managed, it is when that person has made a choice that yields a more optimal outcome on one or more of these dimensions than if an alternative choice was made. ” Dixon & Autman (2014) p 123 2

• Self-management and coping skills have been successfully taught to children and adolescents with EBD and ASD. • In school settings, these skills are often taught in small groups as part of an instructional package. • In many instances, instruction is not individualized to the needs of a specific student. • Problems with generalization are often reported. 3

General Case Instruction • General Case Instruction (Horner & Mc. Donald, 1982) was initially developed as a model for designing instructional programs for learners with developmental disabilities. The model provides a template for systematically assessing the environmental stimuli that set the occasion for specific adaptive responses. 4

• When planning to teach an alternative of functionally equivalent behavior, information for a functional behavior assessment is used to develop an instructional program with a range of positive and negative teaching examples based on the situations in which the challenging behavior occurs. 5

General Case Instruction • Identify Instructional Universe – (Where & When) • Identify Teaching Examples – (When & How) • Begin Instruction • Monitor Student Progress 6

Step 1 --Instructional Universe • Use information from Functional Assessment tools – What is function of behavior? – In what situations does challenging behavior occur? – When does challenging behavior occur? 7

Step 1 --Instructional Universe continued • Identify • situations where learner SHOULD use alternative behavior – common characteristics of these situations • situations where learner should NOT use alternative behavior and – common characteristics of these situations 8

Step 2 --Identify Teaching Examples • Using Functional Assessment tools – Develop list of specific situations • to teach, prompt & reinforce the alternative behavior. – WHEN • student will desire to use communicative alternative • POINT in the situation or interaction when student is LIKELY TO EXHIBIT CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR – from FBA 9

Step 2 --Identify Teaching Examples continued • Choose – positive & negative teaching examples • Positive – when student should use behavior • Negative – when student should NOT use behavior • Range of examples – promote generalized use of the alternative response by learner • Opportunities that predict challenging behavior – avoid challenging behavior by prompting communicative alternative 10

Step 3: Begin Instruction • When teaching new alternative behaviors – Avoid reinforcing challenging behavior • easier for student to continue using old behavior if it achieves same results. • Old behavior is more “efficient” • reinforcement history 11

Step 4 --Monitor Progress • BASELINE ASSESSMENT – Before intervention, gather target behavior data • challenging behavior • alternative behavior – Self-management or coping skill – Data from • ABC, Functional Assessment Direct Observation 12

Step 4 -- Monitor Progress continued • PROGRESS ASSESSMENT – After intervention begun, continue data collection • challenging & alternative behavior – frequency tally, momentary time sampling – permanent products – “Probe” assessments • assess regularly (2 - 3 times per week) • brief samples each time 13

Step 4 -- Monitor Progress continued • Compare: – graph of baseline & progress data • • Is challenging behavior decreasing? Is alternative behavior increasing? Meet aim by projected date? Peer comparison; Criterion of Next Environment • Other Questions – Need to create practice opportunities? – How well does student use alternative? – How much assistance required for student to 14 use alternative?

Stan • 17 year-old male with high-functioning ASD. FSIQ =118 • Stan as a student at a small private therapeutic day school for individuals with emotional and behavioral disorders. – Approximately 40 students, most with internalizing disorders. 15

• Stan had received numerous in-school suspensions due to challenging behavior. • An individual behavior intervention plan was in place but was not effective. • Staff reported that challenging behavior could occur at anytime for no reason. 16

• Target Behaviors – Yell at peers – Verbally disrespectful to peers and staff – Swearing and inappropriate language – Refusal to follow directions – Kicking walls, desks, and furniture – Throwing objects in the classroom – Leaving the classroom without permission – Leaving the school without permission 17

FBA (Direct Observation) • Most incidents of challenging behavior occurred as part of an escalating sequence (beginning with yelling and swearing and escalating quickly to kicking walls/ furniture and attempting to leave the school • Challenging behavior usually occurred in situations in which Stan made a suggestion of a request that was not followed by others, when he made a statement to which others did not agree, or when others made a statement to which he did not agree • Episodes usually ended when Stan was sent to a time out area by the teacher, or left the classroom without permission (if he left the room without permission he was asked to go to the time out area. • The hypothesized function was escape from aversive peer interactions 18

Alternative Behavior • Stan was taught a strategy to use in situations when he had a conflict or disagreement with peers. • The skill sequence for “negotiating” was selected from the “Skill Streaming” curriculum since the school was familiar with this program. 19

Skill Streaming - Negotiating 1. Decide if you and the other person are having a difference of opinion (you are getting tense or arguing). 2. Tell the other person what you think about the problem (state your position). 3. State your perception of the other person’s position. 4. Ask the other person what he/she things about the problem. 5. Listen openly to his/her answer 6. Think about why the other person might feel this way 7. Suggest a compromise (be sure the proposed compromise take into account the opinions and feelings of both persons. 20

General Case Instruction • Information from the FBA was use to develop an instructional program for teaching the skill sequence for “negotiating” • A set of role play scenarios were developed to cover the range of situations in which the challenging behaviors were observed to occur. • Examples included situations in which Stan should perform the skill (positive stimulus case) and situations in which Stan should do sometime other than the negotiating skill (negative stimulus case) 21

EXAMPLE “Stan” I. Identify the Instructional Universe Stan is working with other students on a group project. Stan makes a suggestion to the group and the group decides to follow someone another person’s suggestion Positive Stan is working with a peer (or group) and another person makes a suggestion that Stan does not agree with. Stimulus Case During class discussion, another student makes a statement or comment with which Stan does not agree During class discussion Stan makes a statement of comment and another student disagrees

EXAMPLE “Stan” I. Identify the Instructional Universe The “negotiation” steps were followed after a disagreement and a compromise was agreed upon The “negotiation” steps were followed, a compromise was Negative not agreed upon, the teacher was asked to arbitrate and he/she made a decision Stimulus Case The “negotiation” steps were followed after a disagreement, a compromise was not agreed upon, the teacher has been asked to arbitrate; Stan and the others are waiting for the teachers decision 23

“Mindfulness” Training • Since Stan often escalated very quickly, the team concluded that he would be more successful with negotiating if he first engaged in calming/relaxation exercise. • A self-calming stagey was adapted from “Meditation on the Soles of the Feet” (Sing, et. al, 2007) • A narrated video was developed to be used in training sessions and later in the classroom on a i. Pod • The calming strategy was incorporated into the role play sessions on negotiating. 24

Meditation on the Soles of the Feet Video 25

Self-Monitoring Component Hassle Log Date: …………… When: � Morning. � Afternoon. � Night. Place it Happened? ………………… What Happened? � I said something and someone disagreed. � Someone said something and I disagreed � I didn’t like what someone else was doing. � Other: …………………… Who was that ‘someone’? ……………………… How did you feel at the time? � Frustrated. � Frightened. � Rejected. � Sad. � Belittled. � Confused. � Annoyed. � Ashamed. � Angry. � Other: …………………… How intense were your feelings? (circle) 1 2 3 4 not intense slightly fairly intense very intense extremely What did you do? � Med on Soles of Feet. � Swore � Kicked Something � Followed “Negotiating” � Yelled. � Walked away � Tried Negotiating. � Threw something � Left the classroom � Other: …………………………………. . How well did your reactions work for you? (circle) 1 2 3 4 not at all slightly fairly well very well excellent 5 5 26

Conclusion • The intervention package was very effective for Stan. As Stan’s independent use of “mindfulness”, "negotiating”, and self-monitoring strategies increased, frequency of episodes of more intensive challenging behavior decreased from 12 -15 times per week to an average of less than one incident per week. • Since the calming strategy and the negotiating strategy were implemented as a package, it is not possible to determine the extent to which each component contributed to Stan’s improvement. • General Case Instruction has clear potential and a model for designing instructional programs to teach coping and self-management skills. 27