1. UNDERSTANDING WHY PROBLEM BEHAVIORS OCCUR Presented by Phillip Tse

2. Introduction  Children may display disruptive behavior because of physical pain or discomfort.  Children display disruptive behavior because the child often can not, or does not use necessary language to express frustration or desires.  To gain attention  Escape/Avoid Work  To get tangibles  Self-stimulatory behavior

3. Possible solutions  Break down the activity into steps or provide a simpler task for the child.  Replace the problem behavior with a functional, appropriate behavior.  Implement a functional assessment, which focuses on why the child is behaving a certain way as well as providing information for parents/teachers to implement strategies that will decrease the behavior.

4. Please remember  Each child has unique and individual patterns of responding and interacting.

5. Motivating factors in problem behaviors  Positive consequence  The teacher refusing to give the attention, cookies, toys, or free play but eventually caves in.  Escaping or avoiding a situation  The task may be irrelevant and/or difficult.  Self-stimulatory behavior  Not having enough appropriate environmental interactions.

6. Recording problem behaviors  Provide a new behavior that will make the greatest impact on the child’s life.  Find possible reinforcements that will help decrease the disruptive behavior.  Record data on recording sheet.

7. Preliminary Exercise  List specific behaviors of concern.  Bite others—grabs arms with both hands and quickly bites lower arm one time.  Tantrum—for at least 15 minutes, he cries while laying on floor, kicking and refusing to get up.

8. Setting and Antecedent of the Behavior/BEFORE  When the behavior occurs, first mark the specific situation or event that occurred immediately before the problem behavior.

9. Result or Consequence of the Behavior/AFTER  What the child experienced immediately after the behavior.  Removed from the area.  Given attention  Given something

10. Recording Sheet Example 1 Date: ____________ Name: ___________ Definition of Behavior: _______________________ DateTimeAntecedentBehaviorConsequenceFunction of Behavior

11. Recording Sheet Example 2  Before Told to do something Change of activity Moved Alone Interrupted Told “No” Notes:

12. Recording Sheet Example 2  After Given attention Given something Lost something Removed from area Ignored Punished Request withdrawn

13. Recording Sheet Example 2  Why Get out of… Transition… To obtain… Attention Avoid (person/place) Other: Specify

14. Investigating the function of the behavior  Look for consistencies or patterns  Time: when it occurs  Place: where it occurs  Does the behavior occur when a specific situation is presented to the child?  Is the child usually given something in response to the behavior?

15. Preparing for an intervention  Fading the problem behavior by eliminating the troubling stimuli  A child tantrums to escape from work. Possible solution: Provide the child to work on simple tasks while praising for his attempt.  Provide a series of easy tasks with more difficult task interspersed periodically.

16. Preparing for an intervention  Understanding the function of the behavior followed by giving the child a more appropriate way of meeting that function. FunctionAppropriate behavior AttentionTap hand once, give eye contact, using verbalization Escape/AvoidanceManding for break/help, making curricular accommodations or instructional modifications Obtaining tangiblesManding/requesting appropriately (verbal, sign, picture exchange, etc)

17. Common concerns  The length of time required to teach a functionally equivalent behavior varies across individuals.  Replacement behavior should be easy and as effective as the undesired behavior.  Assess specifically in what situations the desired behavior does occur.  Reassess whether there are multiple cues for the same behavior.