what is the problem?

-is the beh occuring too frequently or not often enough?

-provide a name for the beh and a good specific def

is there a medical explanation?

how often the prob occur?

-once def is created start a baseline, collect data in a consistent manner, try to determine average daily freq.

-provides a way to quickly analyze data visually

-clearly indicates if the data is stable

-shows trends

-FBA questionnaire

-ABC sheet with beh. vignette

-structured ABC sheet

-questions about individual, want to know services they're getting, 12-1-1 class or 6-1-1 class, who's in the room when beh occurs, as much info as possible, env. factors,

-not judgemental only observational

-once you have identified, defined, and measured the problem try to guess how the prob beh was learned

-most analysts classify beh into 4 main  functional classes

broken down into two categories

-pos reinforcement vs. neg reinforcement

then broken down into 2 diff forms of stimulus delivery

-automatic vs. socially mediated

-socially mediated, pos reinforcement

-socially mediated, neg reinforcement

-automatic, pos reinforcement

-automatic, neg reinforcement

-"GET"  something!

-reinforced with adding something positive by another person

ex. tangivles, activities, attention, verbal reprimands

-"ESCAPE" something

-reinforced by another person removing an unpleasant stimulus

ex: removal of demands, delay in routine, staying home from school

positively reinforced by adding something pleasurable without the help of anyone else

ex: scratching, tapping foot, playing with a toy, staring at a fan, thumbsucking

Note: many beh's that first appear to be automatic are actually social

reinforced by removing something neg without the help of another person

ex. rubbing an ache, moaning to drowned out loud noice, flopping on floor to stop walking

-identify and define targets for beh change

-identify relevant factors that may inform or influence intervention

1.screening -> background, meds, placements

2. defining probs or criteria for achievement -> low IQ

3. pinpointing target beh -> what do we want them to do

4. monitoring progress

5. follow-up

-targets could inlude either:

skills to increase/learn or problem beh's to decrease/eliminate

indirect

-interview participant

-interview sig. others (find out what, when, how, avoid why questions, move from general to specific, find out how involved they are)

-rating scales, questionnaires, checklists (descriptions of specific beh's, can be done alone or with interviewer, typically likert scale assessment, ask about antecedents and consequences)

direct

-tests (IQ)

-direct observations (anecdotal observation or ABC)

-standardized tests (limitations: do not specify target beh's, do not provide direct measure of beh, limits on who can administer)

-natural env

-direct and repeated

-identifies potential target beh

-preferred method

-ABC recording (descriptive, temporally sequenced, description of beh patterns, objective observation, repeat over several days)

-scatter plots (descriptive, temporally sequenced, description of beh patterns, objective, repeat over several days)

-ecological assessment (data on individual and env, physiological conditions, physical env: lighting seating noise temp, interactions with others, home situation, reinforcement history)

-describe env stim

-describe beh

-describe consequences

-functional analysis/experimental manipulation

-caution/awareness: reactivity (students perform diff when being watched), observer drift (changes in way employ def. over time), observer bias

-manipulate antecedent and consequent events

-if they are screaming find out why, try giving attention, try taking work away, try giving access to what they want

-targets should be prioritized and have social validity

-skills that will result in more reinforcement for child in the future

-skills that are functional and age-appropriate

-unacceptable to change beh primarily for benefit of others

determine habilitation:

-degree to which a person's beh repertoire maximizes short and long term reinforces or minimizes short and long term punishers

-relevance of beh after intervention (produce Rf)

-necessary pre req skills for a useful skill

-increase access to env's where other beh's can be learned and used

-predispose others to interact more appropriately

-it is a beh cusp or pivotal beh

-what will replace target beh's

-focus on beh, not end target (weight loss vs exercise and diet)

-age appropriateness

beh cusp

-beh's that open person's world to new contingencies (crawling, phonetic reading, kicking a ball)

-socially valid-accepted by society

-generativeness - produces new, related beh's

-competes with inappropriate responses, which should decrease

-impacts others and they support it

pivotal beh's -> once a beh is learned it produces changes in other untrained beh

-self initiation-approach others -> pivotal to emergence of untrained response classes (asking questions increases convo, etc)

-dangerous (injury to self or others, bolting near a street)

-frequency (chances to use new beh, occurence of prob)

-longevity

-potential for high rates of reinforcement

-importance (hygiene, skill development, independence)

-stigmatizing (reduction of neg attention form others: flapping)

-reinforcement for sig others (caution: should not be primary!)

-likelihood of success: empirical support, clinicians experience with target intervention, env beh's, resources available, cost benefit

-operational def: complete info

-requires accuracy: must be explicitly defined, ongoing evaluation

-ensures that interventions are consistently applied