The Key to Understanding
Behavior
Part 1
Bonnie Kimpling-Kelly
Ask any parent of a child with autism what their
top concerns are for their child, and “behavior” is typically one of
them. In this three-part series, I will talk about the keys to
understanding behavior and intervening in a way that reduces future
behavior. But before we get into detail we need to define behavior. For
the purposes of this series, behavior refers to maladaptive behavior or
behaviors that do not serve their functions well. Take for example the
child who is hungry and hit his mother. In most cases, this behavior
will eventually get the desired result because mom will work very hard
to figure out what it is her child needs. An adaptive behavior that
would earn a better and faster response would be to pull mom’s hand over
to the refrigerator door handle.
We will be looking at three kinds of behavior:
·
Aggressive/disruptive
·
Avoidance
·
Self-stimulatory
Aggressive behaviors refer to the behavior
the student exhibits that does harm to himself (also known as self
injurious behavior or SIB) or another person, such as throwing,
spitting, kicking, hitting, and biting. Example: Johnny hits his brother
because his brother got too close to him and made him uncomfortable.
Avoidance behaviors are behaviors that the
student uses in order to get out completing a task. Example: Julie runs
away from her teacher because she doesn’t want to complete a puzzle.
Self-stimulatory behaviors refer to
unproductive, repetitive behaviors that a child engages in. Example:
Brady likes to turn in circles and will do this for long periods of
time.
The first priority in behavioral
intervention is to determine which behavior(s) to conquer first. To
do this, ask yourself the following:
- Does the behavior result in injury (to the
child or someone else)?
- Does it interfere with learning?
- Is it disruptive or bothersome to you to the
point that it angers or annoys you or others?
- Does is cause stigmatization? (Does the
behavior make your child “stand out” in a crowd as “different” or
“disabled”?).
- Does it scare away potential playmates?
At my school, we use the following hierarchy:
- Self injurious behavior
- Aggression that injures sibling and peers
- Aggression that injures parents/caregivers
- Avoidant behavior (because it impedes
learning)
- Self-stimulatory behavior that is
stigmatizing or that is beyond your comfort level.
Most self-stimulatory behavior is bothersome to
parents. Worry first about the aggressive/avoidant behaviors and keep in
mind that as a child’s skill level increases, their self-stimulatory
behaviors will naturally decrease.
Once you have determined which behavior you are
going to target first, you will need to track the behavior. There are
many different formats for tracking behavior. The most important thing
about your tracking method is that is considers all variables: day of
the week, time, setting (at home, at school, at the grocery store),
activity (watching TV, completing one-on-one work, leaving a store),
intensity (was it a tap or a slap), duration (how long did the behavior
last) and consequences (what did you do, how did you react to the
behavior).
It is important to record data each time you
see the target behavior. It is also important to record data as soon
after it occurred as possible; this will ensure accuracy/completeness of
data. The more accurate your data, the more accurate your assessment and
intervention will be! Sample data forms on the web can be found at
http://www.polyxo.com/documents/ or you may email me at
bonnie@autismbehavioranalyst.com and I would be happy to send you a
copy of mine.
Next time we will talk about analyzing your
data, determining the functionality of the behavior and beginning to
develop a plan for intervention. If you start your data today, we ill
have a great baseline to work with!
Bonnie Kimpling-Kelly is
the President of A.C.T. Now, Ltd., and the
Program Director of P.A.T.H. Academy for Autism. She was the
teacher/behavior analyst for an A.B.A./V.B. community school for seven
years. Ms Kelly has presented on various topics surrounding autism
throughout Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. She is currently President of the
Autism Society of Northwest Ohio (ASNO), a sitting member of the Ohio
Autism Coalition (OAC). Professional memberships include the Association
for Behavior Analysis International, The Council for Exceptional
Children (CEC), and the Association for Positive Behavior Support
(APBS). With over 19 years of experience with individuals with ASD and
dual diagnosis and 13 years of experience specializing in ABA (I.B.I.),
Ms Kelly works with families throughout the tri-state area to develop,
implement and supervise in-home and school programs. Her articles have
been published in Living Today Magazine, Boomers Today Magazine, and the
Autism Advocate Journal.
