Effective Behavioral Intervention
Bonnie Kimpling-Kelly
Often, children with autism use inappropriate
behavior in order to get their needs met. This can be very frustrating
for parents and teachers to handle because these behaviors can interfere
with teaching as well as other activities of daily life. The fact is,
people do what works for them. Whatever behaviors a child is exhibiting,
are continuing to occur, because on some level, the behavior is working
for them. The key then, is to discern what need is being met, manipulate
the strength of the need or teach the child a more appropriate/effective
way to communicate the need. In addition, we must teach the child that
the negative behavior will no longer work.
The three main functions of behavior are:
- To gain attention or access to desired items
- To avoid or escape a situation or demand
- To feel good
(Occasionally, the function will be pain
attenuation. It is for this reason that we recommend annual checkups and
screenings for vision, dental, and hearing).
The first step is to determine the
functionality of the behavior. The functionality of a behavior is the
purpose it serves the student. When asked, parents or teachers may give
their impressions that the child is strong-willed, sick, hungry, or
spoiled by Grandma. Of course we all have our “off” days due to a
variety of reasons, but if a behavior is consistent, then there is a
relationship between the behavior and the antecedent or the consequence.
Your job then is to figure out what that relationship is and intervene
appropriately. It is important to recognize that the team should not be
focusing on who or what is to “blame” for the behavior. Doing so can
cause defensiveness and hurt feelings whish are never healthy for a team
or a family. No one intentionally teaches a child to misbehave. Instead
the team should approach this process as a problem-solving exercise;
approaching it as a team to collect information necessary to effectively
address the problem behavior.
Once the team has collected a significant
amount of data, the team should review the information to search out
patterns in the events occurring prior to and after the behavior. Review
your data sheets. Make sure the data is recorded exactly as the behavior
was observed (not an impression of what caused it). Once the
relationship is determined, a plan can be developed to address the
behavior. Behavior reduction procedures typically involve:
- Manipulation of the antecedent event(s)
- Removal of the reinforcer that is maintaining
the behavior
- Teaching the student an alternative behavior
to serve the same function as the behavior
If a behavior is being reinforced
inconsistently, it will be even harder to extinguish. Take for example
the compulsive gambler who is reinforce inconsistently (sometimes they
win, sometimes they lose). Is the student tantrums as a way to request
desired items, it is essential that he/she never gain access to these
items by having a tantrum ever again. Unfortunately, when a student is
given what they want when they tantrum even on occasion, it is more
likely that they will tantrum in the future when they want something.
Be forewarned! Typically, we will see an
increase in the student’s behavior when we first begin denying access to
the reinforcer. A tantrum might escalate in intensity or duration. This
is called an extinction burst and is actually a sign that the
intervention is effective (you have correctly pinpointed the function of
the behavior). It is important to hang in there until this extinction
burst cycles through. Do not assume that the extinction burst means that
our intervention is ineffective (or making it worse)! Quite the opposite
is true!
Sometime, even after a behavior is stopped by
not allowing accessing to the reinforcer, the child will randomly
exhibit the behavior again. Continue to extinguish the behavior or it
may come back in full force and be more resistant to extinction in the
future. It is critical that everyone involved with the student
(babysitters, Grandma, etc.) is informed of the intervention and
procedures to avoid reappearance of the behavior.
Next time, we will go into more specifics in
terms of proactive (before the behavior occurs/preventative) and
reactive (after the behavior occurs) approached to behavior.
-
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.
P.A.T.H. Academy
is for preschool aged children with A.S.D. (Autism Spectrum
Disorder).
Programming runs from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm (year
round).
Location: Eastland Baptist Church,
1229 E. High St., Bryan, OH 43506
Tuition and fees may be 100% covered by the Autism
Scholarship Program with appropriate referral
Lyntha Core, Program Coordinator at
(419)799-0455
Bonnie Kelly, Program Director at
(419)633-0068
