The ABCs of Childhood Behaviors Chelsea Siler, M.S., M.Ed. & Harmony McNEllEy, M.Ed.

Overview Goals for today: Understand behavior as a form of communication Understand that all behaviors serve a purpose for a child Identify antecedents and consequences of behaviors in young children Plan intervention strategies based on our deeper understanding of the WHY behind children’s behaviors

Defining Behavior “Challenging behavior is any behavior that interferes with a child’s learning, engagement and social interactions with peers and adults.” Ask for audience examples & add reference Chazin, K.T. & Ledford, J.R. (2016)

Behavior as Communication Every type of behavior has meaning, and is serving a purpose for a child What would the child be trying to tell us, if they were using a form of communication other than an (undesired) behavior?

4 Main Functions of Behavior Attention (can be positive or negative!) Gaining access to something the child wants (toy, food, activity, etc.) Escape/avoiding something a child doesn’t want to do (often a task/activity) Sensory Input

Diving Deep into the WHY of Behavior Understanding what happens BEFORE a child misbehaves, as well as what happens AFTER, can help us understand why a child is engaging in a behavior, and how to address it. Antecedents: What is happening right before a child engages in an undesired behavior? Think of these as “triggers” for the behavior Consequences: What happens immediately after the behavior? What is the child doing? How are people responding to the child? How is the behavior serving the child?

Diving Deep into the WHY of Behavior Think about the bigger picture... A setting event makes it more likely that an antecedent will occur Provides context for the behavior Often things we have no control over! Helps with compassionately understanding what’s going on in a child’s world

Example #1 Andre, 28 months, is playing at his daycare center during free choice time. He loves legos, and has been happily playing at this activity station with a few other children for about 10 minutes. His teacher announces to the class that it’s time to go outside to play! Andre screams, falls to the floor and starts crying loudly. The teacher encourages her aide to take the rest of the children outside while she tries to calm him down, rubbing his back, giving him a hug, and reminding him that he can play with legos again later. After a few minutes of trying her best to comfort him, she tells him that he can bring a small basket of legos outside to play with. Andre quickly calms, and walks outside with her. He plays with legos for the duration of recess, and several other children come join him in this activity.

Example #1 Antecedent: Behavior: Consequence:

Now What? Responding to Behavior Goal: decrease undesired behavior while also increasing more appropriate behaviors (i.e. ways of communicating wants and needs) When we think about responding to a child’s behavior, there are three specific things we want to be thinking about: Prevention Teaching Reinforcement

Prevention Preventing behavior (or minimizing it’s likelihood) requires that we look at the antecedents/triggers, and come up with strategies based on our understanding of what happens before the behavior. This can involve: Changing our own behavior Changing the environment in some way

Prevention Strategies: Attention When you’ve determined that the function of the behavior is about getting attention from someone: Catch them being good! Find moments to give a child positive attention when they are behaving appropriately If their desire is attention from another child, give them attention when they are interacting well with others If they are most interested in attention from an adult, create moments to have special time together

Prevention Strategies: Gaining Access to Toy/Item When you’ve determined that the function of the behavior is about gaining access to an item they want: Think about how to set up your classroom environment. Are there multiple copies of highly desired items? Have you made your expectations clear about when certain toys can be used? Make it clear to all children how they can get access to toys. What are the expectations for sharing/taking turns? Does the child have a form of communication that they can use with an adult to get something (i.e. word, sign, picture, etc.)?

Prevention Strategies: Escape/Avoidance When you’ve determined that the function of the behavior is about escaping or avoiding a situation/activity: Find age-appropriate ways for them to have control over the activity Offer choices! Think about predictability and routine How is the transition to the activity? Does the child need support with this? Make sure that the activity is developmentally appropriate Have you made your expectations for the activity clear for all children?

Teaching Since we know that behavior is a form of communication, and is serving a purpose for a child, we need to think about teaching a different way for the child to communicate Think about: What are other ways the child is able to communicate? What skill are they lacking in order to get their wants/needs met?

Teaching Strategies: Attention Teach how to seek attention from a peer or adult in a more appropriate way Consider their communication abilities. Are they using words? Gestures? Signs? Help the child practice this during times when they are NOT already engaged in inappropriate behavior for attention Verbal: “Watch me!” “Can I have a hug?” “Hi!” Non-verbal: Pat on the leg, point, picture exchange, etc.

Teaching Strategies: Gaining access to a toy/item Teach them how to appropriately request the item that they want Consider their communication abilities. Are they using words? Gestures? Signs? Think about different settings/routines. Do they need to do something different to ask for more food at snack, versus asking another child for a toy? Practice this when they are not already engaging in inappropriate behavior Gradually increase the amount of time they need to wait before they gain access to what they are asking for

Teaching Strategies: Escape/Avoidance Teach the child how to ask for a break from the activity, or how appropriately show that they are all done with it. What kind of supports do they need to be at the activity? Consider their communication abilities. Are they using words? Gestures? Signs? As you are teaching this new strategy, permit breaks (or ending the activity) as soon as a child appropriately requests. Slowly build up so that they can tolerate shorter breaks/staying at the activity for longer periods of time.

Reinforcement As a child is practicing and learning a new strategy for getting his needs and wants met, we encourage their practice and effort by reinforcing/rewarding what they are doing. This makes it more likely that the behavior will occur again in the future. They are reinforced by getting access to whatever it is they are asking for/seeking. Think about the functions of the behavior: Attention Access to a toy/activity Avoiding an activity

Examples of Reinforcement Attention: When they appropriately seek attention from someone, they get it! This can include verbal praise, time together, hugs, hi-5, etc. Access to a toy/item: When they appropriately request, give them immediate access to what it is they asked for. Escape/Avoidance: Honor an appropriate request for a break to be all done. When the child is engaged in the task, praise them for their hard work, good behavior, etc.

Behavior: Communication vs. Sensory Occurs regardless of circumstances Dependent on antecedent occurring Unpredictable/out of the blue Predictable No response to positive behavioral supports Responds to positive behavioral supports that address function Function: escape/avoidance Function: attention, access to an item, or escape/avoidance Kay, S. & Quint, N., (2016)

Video Example At your table, discuss: What is the challenging behavior? What is the antecedent? What is the consequence? What do you think the function of the behavior is? Attention? Access? Escape/avoid? What would you do to prevent this from happening next time? What new skill would you teach the child? How would you reinforce them using the new skill? Is there any other information that would be helpful to have to understand the behavior?

Problem Solving Together At your table, discuss a challenging behavior from a child that you have experienced recently. Using the approach we’ve modeled today, come up with some ideas for how you can approach this situation the next time it happens. Think about the ABCs (antecedent, behavior, consequence) What’s the function? Think about strategies to prevent, and strategies to teach How would you reinforce?

References Chazin, K.T. & Ledford, J.R. (2016). Challenging behavior as communication. In Evidence-based instructional practices for young children with autism and other disabilities. Retrieved from http://vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu/ebip/challenging-behavior-as- communication Kay, S. & Quint, N., (2016) Making Sense of Meltdowns: How to Identify and Intervene for Children with Sensory Based Distruptive Behaviors. Powerpoint presentation. November 2, 2016