Courtney Brohart, MPEd, BCBA Board Certified Behaviour Analyst Calgary, Alberta Phone: (587) 437-1866 Email: courtneybrohart@gmail.com

!  Myth: The child throws a tantrum because his brain is not yet fully developed

!  There is a purpose/function that tantrum behaviour serves in that child’s environment ◦  To either access something or to terminate/avoid

something !  We need to examine the social environment ◦  What happens immediately before the behaviour ◦  How does the social environment react after the

behaviour occurs

!  Challenging behaviour is anything that prevents an individual from leading a meaningful and functional life

!  It is not only behaviours that are harmful (to the individual or others) or destructive

!  It is any behaviour that prevents access to learning and full participation in all aspects of life !  For example, walking away from a peer when they come

over to play can be just as challenging a behavior as hitting a peer who comes over to play

!  These behaviors can often cause harm or damage, family and staff stress, isolation, and caregiver burnout

!  You may feel guilty or responsible, but it is important to know that you should not blame yourself for behaviors that you find difficult

!  It is important not to think of your child, or these behaviors, as ‘bad,’ but to learn how to better understand and respond to challenging situations to make them more manageable for everyone.

!  We can teach a more appropriate replacement skill that efficient and effective way to have the child’s wants and needs met

!  When discussing challenging behaviour, we must remember that these behaviors do not occur because the individual has a developmental disability ◦  ALL children exhibit challenging behaviours

!  Impairment associated with ASD may increase the likelihood of the individual developing challenging behaviours ◦  Difficulty in language/communication ◦  Difficulty in social interaction ◦  Lack of flexibility in play or routines ◦  Restrictive/repetitive behaviours

!  Although it may not seem logical or obvious: ◦  Behaviour always has a function ◦  Behaviour is maintained because it is working ◦  Behaviour is communicative

!  Challenging behaviours do not occur randomly, but happen in the absence of a more appropriate way of communicating or interacting with others and the world around them

!  Challenging behaviors can be explained in terms of the events that happen around it

!  Behaviour is broken down and separated into A-B-C’s to be analyzed to determine the function and replacement skill that needs to be taught

!  Identify what happened before the behaviour ◦  Where does the behaviour happen? ◦  With whom does the behaviour occur? ◦  When does this behaviour happen? ◦  What activity is the behaviour occur during? ◦  What are others doing when the behaviour occurs?

!  The antecedent is the trigger or event that happens before the behaviour

!  Behaviour is anything the person does that is observed ◦  It should be described objectively, clearly, precisely and

detailed as possible ◦  It should be measured !  A timed duration or frequency/counted

!  Identify what happens immediately after the behaviour

!  ALL behaviours have consequences !  In general: ◦  If something nice happens after a behavior, the behavior

is more likely to happen again (reinforcement) ◦  If something unpleasant happens after a behavior, the

behavior is less likely to happen again (punishment)

!  The 4 functions of behaviour 1.  To gain attention (social) 2.  To gain access to a desired item/activity (tangible/

edible) 3.  To escape or avoid a demand or activity (escape/

avoidance) 4.  To get automatic reinforcement (sensory/intrinsically

motivated behaviour) !  Functions of behaviour can be isolated but often

combined over time

!  Attention ◦  Do not give eye contact or speak to the child ◦  Reposition your body away from the child ◦  Keep doing exactly what you were doing

!  Access to item/activity ◦  Withhold the desired item until the child asks for it appropriately. ◦  Prompt an appropriate way of requesting (e.g., verbal requesting,

PECS) !  Escape/Avoidance ◦  Interrupt, response block the escape and redirect using a simple,

direct and clear instruction back to task until the task is complete !  Sensory/Intrinsic ◦  Block and redirect to a more functional activity in a neutral

manner or model an incompatible behaviour (i.e., can’t do both at the same time)

!  A replacement skill is an appropriate skill that is maintained by the same consequences as the challenging behaviour !  i.e., the both serve the SAME function

!  The appropriate skill can be used to get the same want or need met in a more appropriate way

!  It is likely that the challenging behaviour will return unless we met the need of the function

!  We also don’t want a different challenging behaviour to pop up in place if we don’t teach a replacement skill

!  The replacement behaviour needs to be more efficient than the challenging behaviour at accessing the reinforcer

!  The replacement skill has to be over learned, within the individual’s repertoire, and easy to access

1.  Faster: it has to get help, escape, attention, access to items/activities, internal reinforcement more quickly than the challenging behaviour ◦  For example, if hitting the teacher gets the student out of

work immediately but asking for a break requires the student to do 2 more problems, then it is less efficient than the challenging behaviour and won’t replace it

1.  E

2.  Easier: the replacement behaviour needs to be easier for the individual to implement than the challenging behaviour

◦  For example, if it’s easier to hit you than to find a communication device, scan the pictures to find the right vocabulary, and then hit the button to tell you I want you to move, then hitting you is going to prevail.

3.  More reliable: the replacement behaviour has to get reinforcement more frequently and more consistently than the challenging behaviour

◦  Needs to be easily understood and will get the needed response in most situations

◦  For example, if I’m teaching vocal speech to ask for attention and the student drops the final consonant sound and not easily understood by others, then it’s not going to be terribly reliable because it won’t be understood and reinforced across environments

!  Everyone exhibits challenging behaviours !  Behaviour ALWAYS has a function and it is

communicative !  It is important to know the ABCs of the behaviour

to determine the function !  There are 4 functions of behaviour !  Teach a replacement skill that serves the same

function

!  Carr, E.G., & Durand, V.M. (1985). Reducing behavior propblems through functional communication training. Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, 18(2), 111-126.

!  Cipani, E., & Schock, K. M. (2011). Functional Behavioral Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment. NY: Springer.

!  Cooper, J., Heron, T., & Heward, W. (2014). Applied behavior analysis. UK: Pearson.