Support and Teach! Once you have identified the conditions eliciting (antecedents) and maintaining (consequences) of the behavior you have a better understanding of the function(s) that the behavior serves for the child. With that knowledge, you now have the information needed to develop a comprehensive plan for supporting the child and reducing the problem behavior. The steps listed here provide the basic outline for developing a comprehensive “positive behavior support plan”. 1. Identify the triggers producing the behavior. 2. Build in added supports to lessen triggers. 3. Reduce the reinforcing consequences that maintain the behavior. 4. Identify the function the behavior serves. 5. Develop a more appropriate behavior (that serves the same function), to replace the inappropriate behavior. 6. Practice, preview and review replacement behavior. 7. Watch for prime times; intervene early and cue/redirect to replacement behavior. 8. Reinforce heavily for choosing desirable response. 9. Keep it positive and supportive as possible. Follow this outline and you have a well designed positive behavior supports plan. The two biggest components of the plan are (1) eliminating, modifying, and otherwise lessening the impact of the antecedent conditions presenting the behavior and (2) teaching better ways (alternative behavior) to obtain the same goal (function) as that of the negative behavior. Every good support plan should include these two variables. Changing the antecedent conditions triggering the behavior: 1. Eliminate the trigger: If possible and/or appropriate, eliminate the conditions that lead to the behavior. “If certain tasks lead to acting out, eliminate the tasks.” 2. Modify the trigger: If you cannot eliminate the trigger, can you modify it to reduce the negative impact it is having. “Can you modify the tasks to make them less stressful?” 3. Build in added supports: If you cannot eliminate or modify the triggers, what support or assistance can you give the child to help them cope with triggers. “Can you add extra assistance to make the tasks less stressful?” Always look for ways of changing the conditions to better match the needs and skill level of the child. Often the demands (expectations) of the situation are greater than the child’s abilities to deal with them. First reduce the demands, than teach better skills in dealing with them. Next, teach a more desirable behavior to replace the negative behavior: 1. How do you want the child to act under these conditions? What function does the negative behavior serve for the child (get what he wants, express frustration, get out of doing something, obtain attention, etc.)? Make sure the replacement behavior serves the same purpose. Replacement behavior needs to as effective, if not more effective than the negative behavior. 2. Role play and practice the replacement behavior when calm. If possible role play common conditions (antecedents) to practice replacement behavior. Make it fun and rewarding! 3. Before entering vulnerable situations (common antecedents) , preview how to use replacement behavior to cope with the situation. Walk through it before experiencing it. 4. During the situation, help coach the child in using the desirable response. If negative behavior starts to occur, redirect to desirable response and reinforce heavily for responding. Make sure the desired response is reinforced much more strongly than the negative behavior. If the desired response is both more effective, and more efficient, than the negative response, then it will become the preferred response. 5. Afterwards, review how it went! Focus on the good points! Reinforce heavily with praise and positive attention. If your plan does an effective job in modifying the antecedent conditions triggering the behavior, as well as teaching better ways of dealing with the triggers (replacement behavior), then you are on your way to reducing the problem behavior. Discipline should be educational in teaching better ways of getting your needs meet, not just punishing problem behavior! For further discussion regarding teaching of replacement behavior, please view the photo presentation “Reducing Problem Behavior” This series on discipline can be found in the green book, Autism Discussion Page on Anxiety, behavior, school and parenting strategies.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 20:16:47 +0000
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