Behavior
All children demonstrate behaviors
All children demonstrate challenging behaviors at times
Behavior is a form of communication
Behavior has individual forms & meanings
Impacted by contexts & cultural norms for the situation
Examples of Challenging Behaviors?
Saying/shouting "no"
Refusal to engage in required activity
Leaving the area
Hitting self or others, spitting, biting, removing clothes
Throwing objects, pushing away furniture, damaging environment
Withdrawal, passivity, opposition
Official definition of Challenging Behaviors
Behavior emitted by a learner that results in
self-injury or injury to others
, causes
damage to the physical environment
,
interferes with the acquisition of a new skill
, and/or
socially isolates
the learner
4 main purposes, or functions, of challenging behavior
Escape (already presented/engaged with task)
Avoidance
Tangible (object/item)
Sensory
Be prepared for challenging behavior by:
Ruling out pain or illness
Establishing predictability and consistency
Creating a calm atmosphere
Attending to & acknowledging appropriate behaviors
Using 'do' statements (vs not to do)
Keeping perspective of:
- Child's cognitive abilities
- Communication
3 main approaches to behavior management
Prevent
the challenging behavior from happening
Support
desired behaviors
Intervene
when challenging behaviors occur
Ways to Prevent Challenging Behaviors
- Minimize aversive events
- Sharing control (provide choices, collaborate with child)
- Provide an environment that promotes successful engagement
- Increase communication effectiveness (e.g. pictures, sign, gestures, words, simple directions)
- Clarify
Strategies to support positive behaviors
Contingency methods/Premack Principle
- If you do this (therapy)... then you can do this (something fun!)
Token economies
- Earn tokens for desired behaviors; Need to explicitly clarify the specific behavior, value of tokens
Positive Reinforcement
- ABC -
Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS)
Range of behavioral interventions that aim to reduce challenging behaviors AND promote development of socially appropriate behaviors
Improve QOL for children by ?desired behaviors and ?challenging behaviors
3 levels - prevent (school-wide), targeted group
Functional Behavioral Analysis- Steps
5-step process:
1. Team building and goal setting
2. Functional assessment of behavior
3. Hypothesis development
4. Development of a comprehensive support plan
5. Implementation and outcome monitoring
Team building and goal setting
What desired behaviors/outcomes do we want to see?
Consider child's strengths and areas for growth
Comprehensive functional assessment of specific behavior
Clearly & explicitly describe the challenging behavior(s)
Understand the purpose/function of the behavior
Determine when the behavior does & does not happen
ABC data sheets can be helpful
Develop hypothesis about the behavior
Identify antecedents & consequences
Develop comprehensive behavior support plan
4 elements:
1. Functional assessment of behavior* including hypothesis
2. Specific individualized intervention strategies
3. Strategies to be used throughout the day- includes positive behavioral strategies aimed at preventing challenging behaviors, AND s
Implementation and outcome monitoring
Team monitors effectiveness of plan
Meets and adjusts plan as necessary