Science of Behavior

Erin K. McNerney, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Autism Spectrum Therapies

714-641-1120

www.autismtherapies.com

Functions of Behavior

• Behavior = Communication

• All behaviors have a function – that is they occur for a reason – there is something the individual gets out of the behavior.

• Develop a hypothesis of the function by analyzing the A-B-C’s

Functions of Behavior

• Attention - Gain access to the attention of a peer/adult

• Tangible - Gain access to desired item/activity

• Escape/Avoid - A difficult or aversive demand, task, or activity is removed or avoided

• Automatic- Provide one self with stimulation that is pleasurable.

Function of Challenging BehaviorDeveloping Hypotheses

Function– To gain access to social

experiences

– To gain access to desired activities or items

– To escape or avoid unpleasant situations

– To gain access to sensory experiences

Communicative Intent– “Pay attention to me.”– “Look what I’m doing.”

– “I want to keep playing with this.”

– “Can I have a turn with that?”

– “I don’t want to do this.”– “It is too hard for me.”

– “This feels good.”

What is ABA?

• Applied Behavior Analysis is a field of study devoted to producing socially significant change in the behavior of animals and humans. • Focuses on objectively defined, observable behaviors of social

significance

• ABA is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning to improve behavior.• Seeks to improve the behavior under study while demonstrating

a reliable relationship between the procedures employed and the behavior improvement.

What is ABA?

• Applied: Addresses socially significant behaviors

• Behavior: Precise measurement of observable behavior

• Analytic: Demonstrated control over the occurrence and non-occurrence of the behavior

Baer, Wolfe, & Risley (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, (1), 91-97.

A-B-C’s of Behavior

• Antecedent: A stimulus that precedes a behavior and may exert discriminative control over that behavior.

• Behavior: Any directly measurable thing an organism does.

• Consequence: A consequence is what follows a behavior. A consequence has to be contingent upon a particular response. The response must be emitted before the consequence.

General Principles-

Reinforcement

• A consequence which increases behavior is called reinforcement.

• In ABA, reinforcement is managed.• Reinforcement procedures are

systematically applied for the purpose of strengthening existing and teaching new behaviors.

Reinforcers

• Reinforcing stimuli are events/items delivered contingent upon a specific behavior and as a result increase or maintain that behavior.

• Reinforcers increase or maintain the behavior of the specific person involved.

Reinforcement

• Positive Reinforcement – A behavior increases/maintains when a stimulus is applied

• Negative Reinforcement – A behavior increases/maintains when a stimulus is removed

Reinforcement & Punishment

Reinforcement Punishment

Stimulus

Presented

Stimulus

Removed

Positive Reinforcement

Positive

Punishment

Negative

Reinforcement

Negative

Punishment

What is Positive Behavior Support (PBS)?

PBS is an empirically validated technology of intervention that is applied on behalf of students whose behavior is regarded as challenging or problematic.

Its purpose is to produce “socially important and durable behavior change”.

Its focus extends beyond the student and includes systems change activities, environmental alterations, skill instruction activities, and behavioral consequence activities.

(Sugai et al., 1999)

Systems Change Includes:

• Provide with strategies to reinforce behaviors

• Provide with strategies to reduce undesired behaviors

• Teach peers/adults how to elicit desired behaviors

Positive Behavior Support

Hughes's Bill - Assembly Bill 2586• Safe healthy environment for all children

regardless of physical, mental, emotional conditions.

• Teachers of children with special needs require training and guidance in positive ways for working with the children

• Procedures for the elimination of maladaptive behaviors shall not be those deemed unacceptable (i.e.: causing pain or trauma)

Causes of Autism?

• A number of other possible causes have been suspected, but NOT proven.  They involve digestive tract changes, diet, mercury poisoning, vaccine sensitivity, and the body's inefficient use of vitamins and minerals.

Vaccines?

• 1999 British Medical Journal– Autism rates continued to climb in areas where

vaccinations were not increasing• 2008 – Archives of Disease in Childhood

– Looked at 98 children with autism, 90 typical children and 52 children with special needs but no autism.

– No association between those who received vaccine vs. those who had not

• 2001 - Institute of Medicine expert panel reviewed 14 epidemiological studies, all demonstrating an absence of relationship between MMR vaccine and autism

Vaccines?

• 2005 Japan (Honda)– Between 1988 and 1996 MMR vaccines

dropped but autism rates rose

• 2002 Denmark– Study of 537,000 children between 1991 and

1998 found same autism rate in vaccinated and unvaccinated children

Educational & BehavioralInterventions

• Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT)• Pivotal Response Training (PRT)• Positive Behavior Support (PBS)• Picture Exchange Communication System

(PECS)• Speech Therapy• Occupational Therapy• Physical Therapy

Non-empirically validatedInterventions

• Gluten/Casin free diet

• Auditory Integration Training

• Vitamins

• Miller Method

• Facilitated Communication

• Sauna therapy

• Son-Rise Program

• Chelation Therapy

• Sensory Integration

• Floor Time

• Hyperbaric Chamber

• Die Off - yeast

Resources

• Companies with good Social Skills Materials– Lingui-systems– Pro-ed– Super Duper– Child’s Play/ Child’s Work– Different Roads to Learning

• Social Language Books– Meer 1 / Meer 2– Help– Teach Me Language– Skillstreaming– Teaching friendship skills

www.sopriswest.com

• Therapeutic Games– Talking, Feeling, Doing– Kids on Stage– Choose– In Control– The Anger Solution Game– Furious Fred– Stop, Relax, Think

• Books– See other resource

handouts– Visual Strategies to

Improve Communication– Visual Strategies to

Improve Behavior

AUTISM SPECTRUM THERAPIES

Orange County

Long Beach

Los Angeles

San Gabriel Vally

San Fernando Valley

San Diego

Contact Information

Erin K. McNerney, Ph.D., BCBA-D

1526 Brookhollow Dr. Ste 76

Santa Ana, CA 92705

714-641-1120

www.autismtherapies.com