Writing Behavior Intervention Plans Behavior Behavior is what

Writing Behavior Intervention Plans

Behavior • Behavior is what an individual does (says, writes), not a “symptom” • Behavior is a unique to the individual and specific to the situation • We are mostly concerned with operant behavior (i. e. , “voluntary” behavior) • Although respondent behavior (“involuntary behavior”) such as emotional reactions are important to consider • Behavior is selected by its consequences

What is ABA? • • • Applied Behavior Analysis ABA, applied behavioral analysis, is simply the application of behavioral principles, to everyday situations, that will, over time, increase or decrease targeted behaviors ABA has been used to help individuals acquire many different skills, such as language skills, self-help skills, and play skills; in addition, these principles can help to decrease maladaptive behaviors such as aggression, self-stimulatory behaviors, and self-injury Maladaptive behaviors are replaced with pro-social, appropriate behaviors ABA is a science that has been around for over 100 years and has proven effective in modifying behavior of both humans and animals ABA is a discipline that employs objective data to drive decisionmaking about an individual’s program

Why does behavior occur? Behavior occurs for two reasons: To get something or To avoid something

Why does behavior occur? To get something……. . To avoid something…… • Attention from the teacher, peers, or parents • Attention • Sensory Stimulation • Preferred item or activity • Undesirable environment • Undesirable activity or task • Undesirable person

Behavior • Operant behavior is maintained by its consequences • The closer the consequence (reinforcement or punishment) is to the behavior the more likely it is to have an impact on that behavior • Reinforcement and punishment are most effective when delivered within 3 seconds of behavior

Functions of Behavior Function Attention Escape Tangible Automatic Example Student is on free time comes up to staff and hits them, staff stay “stop”, “no hitting”, “don’t do that” etc. Student is asked to complete a worksheet, student hits staff and drops to floor, student is removed from room Student reaches for toy during work session, staff blocks, student begins hitting staff, staff give them toy While alone a student eats Germ-X, next time see Germ-X eats it again Student has an earache, student hits side of their head/face, Pain Attenuation pain is relieved momentarily

POSITIVE REINFORCMENT Adding something to environment that increases likelihood of behavior occurring in the future increases behavior Student sits in seat quietly and receives candy, there is an increase in sitting quietly NEGATIVE REINFORCMENT Removing something aversive from environment that increases likelihood of behavior in the future Adds Adding something aversive to environment that decreases likelihood of behavior occurring in the future decreases behavior Removes POSITIVE PUNISHMENT Student shouts out and receives 20 extra math problems, there is an decrease in shouting out Student sits in seat quietly and homework is removed there is an increase in sitting quietly NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT Removing something pleasant from environment that decreases likelihood of behavior in the future Student shouts out and recess is taken away, there is a decrease in shouting out

Reinforcement • Reinforcement is anything that increases behavior • Reinforcement can be getting good things (e. g. , attention, toys, food) • Reprimands and negative attention can sometimes be reinforcers for children • Reinforcement can be getting rid of bad things (e. g. , demands, bedtime, putting on shoes) • Both good and bad behaviors are strengthened by reinforcement

Reinforcement vs Rewards • Reinforcement and rewards are NOT the same thing • Reinforcement is a SCIENTIFIC concept • Reinforcement exists without our manipulation • Reinforcement is an effect not a thing and “reward” is an everyday term used to describe an arbitrary item or thing that may or may not have any impact on behavior • Not believing in reinforcement is like not believing in gravity

Reinforcement vs Bribery • Reinforcement and bribery are NOT the same thing • Bribery: the giving of a reward to an individual to stop an inappropriate or misbehavior (Webster’s Dictionary) ** Positive reinforcement is the giving of something desired AFTER the APPROPRIATE behavior**

HOW DO WE CHANGE BEHAVIORS?

Changing Behaviors Using a 3 Prong Approach 1) Antecedent Interventions - Prevent behaviors from happening altogether - Visual prediction, coping skills and modification of work 2) Replacement Behaviors - teach appropriate behaviors 3) Consequence Interventions - provide reinforcement for appropriate behavior and put inappropriate behaviors on extinction

Antecedent Strategies • Things that are put into place prior to a behavior occurring • Used to set the student up for success

Predictability of Setting and Schedule 1. What am I going to do now? 2. What am I going to do next? 3. How much work do I have to do? How long will it take? 4. When do I get to take a break? 5. How long do I have to wait? 6. What do I get for working? When do I get it?

Time Prediction • • • Digital Timer Visual Timer Schedules Checklists Count downs

Visual Schedules • Use a symbol or word for each activity • Include every activity showing a whole day or part of the day • Utilize the Premack Principle (preferred, nonpreferred, preferred tasks) • Teach acceptance of changes • Refer to the schedule and let student take ownership of it

Examples of Visual Schedules

Work Prediction Schedules • Provides the learner with the number of tasks needed to complete before reinforcement occurs (typically a break away from the table) • Make sure there is still plenty of reinforcement during the work at the table • Student manipulates the work schedule like he/she would for their visual schedule

Token Economies • Conditioned reinforcer • Less susceptible to satiation • Immediate reinforcement of the response but delays the actual reinforcer • Provides the same reinforcement to the individuals who have different preferences

Example of Token Economy

Behavior Mapping • • • Creates a map of behavior choices Teachers cause and effect Present information visually Allows for the child to “correct” a bad choice Teaches compromise and problem solving skills

www. behaviormappingmaker. com

Interventions For Increasing Desirable Behavior

Replacement Behaviors • Teach the student what you want them to do instead of the challenging behavior Challenging Behavior Replacement Behavior Hits and screams to make difficult work go away Requests help to complete work Grabs preferred toy from another student Asks other student if he can have a turn with toy Shouts out in class for attention Raises hand to gain attention

Differential Reinforcement • Increasing the occurrence of a desirable behavior in others by systematically arranging for improvements to follow such behavior • By arranging for reinforcers to occur more following one behavior relative to one or several others differential reinforcement has two effects – 1) strengthens the favored behavior – 2) weakens other behavior that is functionally similar

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA) • Reinforce one topography of behavior in lieu of an existent and problematic form of the behavior • Pinkston, Reese, Le. Blanc, and Baer study of aggression in school children – Baseline conditions teachers provided responses to peer aggression with admonishment (e. g. “Don’t do that”) and paid little attention to appropriate social interaction this resulted in relatively higher rates of aggression – Teachers were then taught to no longer attend to the child who aggressed but rather to provide attention when the children engaged in desirable peer interactions – Simple manipulation resulting in increase of appropriate peer interactions and decreased occurrences of aggression

Differential Reinforcement of High Rate Behavior (DRH) • Providing reinforcement only if a minimum number of responses are emitted prior to the end of a specified time interval • Ingham and Andrews study of treatment of stutter free speech – Increase rate of speech – Given a token for reaching progressively higher rates of spoken words per minute

Differential Reinforcement of Low Rate Behavior (DRL) • Providing reinforcement for a response only when it occurs below a certain threshold • Useful for maintaining a response at a particular moderate or low rate

Prompting • Antecedent stimuli that increase the probability of a desired response – Verbal prompts – Physical guidance – Gestural prompts – Modeling prompts • Avoid prompt dependence by vary prompts and fading them as soon as possible • Prompt fading – gradually removing a prompt

Interventions For Decreasing Problem Behavior

Antecedent Interventions for Decreasing Problem Behavior • Events or conditions that are manipulated prior to the occurrence of a behavior • Two Categories – Default interventions – do not depend on function – Function-based interventions – based on function of behavior

Default Interventions • Antecedent exercise – Sensory diets – Physical/Sensory play • DRO – differential reinforcement of other behavior • Enriched environment – Access to preferred activities and tangibles • Protective equipment

Function Based Interventions • Noncontingent Reinforcement – Presentation of an event or stimulus identified as as reinforcing consequence for problem behavior on a time-based or response-independent schedule – Vollmer et al. study of attention maintained SIBs • Presenting attention on a time-based schedule and withholding attention following problem behavior • Produced an immediate and substantial decrease in SIBs • Functional Communication Training (FCT)

Function Based Extinction Procedures • Extinction - Discontinuation of reinforcement of a response • Rarely used in isolation

Extinction of Problem Behavior Maintained by Social Positive Reinforcement • Fyffe, Kahng, Fittro, and Russell study of inappropriate sexual behavior – FA showed attention contingent behavior – FCT to request attention – Inappropriate sexual behavior ignored except to block

Extinction of Problem Behavior Maintained by Socially Mediated Negative Reinforcement • Escape • Approximately 33% to 48% of problem behaviors are maintained by negative reinforcement (removal of demands) • Extinction of negatively reinforced behaviors requires that the escape or avoidance of the demand is discontinued • Wait out or physical assistance

Extinction of Automatically Reinforced Behavior • Self-stimulatory behaviors or sensory reinforced behaviors • Sensory Extinction – Blocking of source of reinforcement – Rincover study of stereotypical object spinning • Thick carpet placed over surfaces • Response Blocking – Mazaleski, Iwata, and Rodgers study of automatically maintained hand mouthing • Gloves used to block sensory input

Extinction Burst • Temporary increase in the frequency, intensity or duration of a target response that can occur with the onset of extinction • Can be detrimental for two reasons – 1) if target behavior is dangerous even a temporary increase in frequency, intensity, or duration may result in greater injury or destruction – 2) Temporary elevation in behavior may make implementers less inclined to follow through with a treatment because if is too aversive to watch high levels of dangerous behavior

Extinction Burst • Characteristics – Response Variation - display novel or diverse behaviors – Aggression – Emotional Behavior – agitation – Spontaneous Recovery

Factors that Influence Efficacy of Extinction • Baseline schedules of reinforcement – Behavior that is intermittently reinforced during baseline is more resistant to extinction than behavior previously maintained on continuous reinforcement • Amount, delay and magnitude of reinforcement in baseline

Extinction Burst 20 BEHAVIOR REINFORCEMENT 18 Baseline 16 Extinction 14 12 Tantrum Candy every time 10 8 6 4 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 20 18 Baseline 16 Extinction 14 Tantrum 10 th Candy every time 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Competing Behaviors Pathway

Info for BIP

Writing Set Up for BIP • Client information – Likes, dislikes, items for success • Functional Behavior Assessment results • Preventative Procedures and Positive Behavioral Teaching Strategies – Explanation reinforcement system • Behavior Intervention Strategies – – Function Antecedent Strategies Replacement Behaviors Behavior Response Strategies • Generalization of Skills and Fading Protocol • Crisis Plan • Monitor and Evaluation Plan

Client Information

FBA Summary

Preventative Procedures and Positive Teaching Strategies

Behavior Intervention Strategies

Generalization and Fading Protocol

Crisis Plan

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan