Understanding Behavioral Function

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• Think about behaviors you typically engage in and WHY you engage in them.

• What do you “get out of” the behavior?

• Why do you repeat the behavior?

• What events might result in you not repeating the behavior?

Focus on What We Can Do (environment)

• Explain the relationship of human behavior to immediate environmental events

• Help explain:• The way behavior functions• The environmental factors that influence it• How to use this information to design

interventions

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About Challenging Behavior(s)Demchak & Bossert (1996)

• Behaviors…• Serve a specific purpose or function for the

individual• Have communicative intent• Are directly related to events in the

environment that influence or reinforce such behaviors

• A single challenging behavior can serve multiple functions

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Principles of ABA(Glenn Latham, Ph.D.)

1. Behavior is largely a product of its immediate environment.

2. Behavior is shaped/ maintained by consequences.

3. Behavior is shaped better by positive (reinforcement) than negative (punitive) consequences.

4. Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.

5. Whether a behavior has been punished or reinforced is known only by the course of that behavior in the future.

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Consequences can affect behavior in three ways:

• Strengthen—increase the frequency or likelihood that the behavior will occur

• Weaken—decrease the frequency or likelihood that the behavior will occur

• Maintain—do not change the frequency or likelihood that the behavior will occur

• Neutral consequences have no effect on the behavior6

Reinforcement

• Basic and pervasive principle of behavior• “Positive” and “negative” do not mean “good”

and “bad”• Positive refers to addition of (+) events or stimuli• Negative refers to removal of (-) events or stimul• Both always result in an increase in the future

frequency of a behavior (reinforcement)• Negative reinforcement is not punishment

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Reinforcement Defined

• Positive Reinforcement• Presentation of a stimulus, behavior occurs

more often in the future

• Negative Reinforcement• Termination of certain stimuli, future

probability of a behavior is increased

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Examples of SR+/-

• You are standing outside when it begins to storm. You see a taxi without passengers and you hail the taxi, which stops to pick you up. Once inside the taxi you are no longer cold and wet. Your behavior of hailing a cab is maintained by….

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Elements of Behavioral Support

• Function-based• Prevention (antecedent manipulations)• Comprehensive intervention

• Multiple elements• Person-centered planning

• Systems change• Intervention at “whole school” level

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Horner, District Implementation of Effective Practices: www.pbis.org)

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Behavior Support• Behavior Support Plans (PBSP’s):

• ANALYZE

• PREVENT

• TEACH

• REINFORCE

• Use “Natural Consequences” where needed as part of overall teaching approach to problems

Grau (2008)

Sources of Reinforcement for Problem Behavior

• Positive Reinforcement• Social (attention, access to tangible materials)• Automatic (sensory stimulation)

• Negative Reinforcement• Social (escape from task demands)• Automatic (pain attenuation)

13Iwata, 2009

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Maintaining Consequences

Problem behavior

Get object/activity/

Sensation (SR+)Avoid object/activity/

Sensation (SR-)

Social/object or activity/physiological

Social/object or activity/physiological

www.pbis.org

Defining Antecedents & Consequences

Antecedent events – • What happens immediately before the

behavior

Consequent Events – • What happens immediately following the

behavior• May be programmed or naturally occurring

(does not imply punishment)

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Sample Problematic Antecedents Materials too complex / difficult Curriculum lacking in appropriate adaptations Student has lack of functional vocabulary to

communicate Meaningless repetition beyond criterion

(understimulation) Nonfunctional activity Pacing too slow / too fast Physical environment: For example, number of

students, noise Rate of physical prompting or verbalizations

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Alberto & TroutmanAlberto & TroutmanApplied Behavior Analysis for Applied Behavior Analysis for

Teachers, 7eTeachers, 7e

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Examples of Common Classroom Consequences

• Praise• Reprimands / corrective feedback• Change of activity, peers, seating• Awards• Time-out / removal• Redirection

JGCP-U of Kansas

Probable Functions of Specific Behavior Disorders

Positive NegativeReinforcement

ReinforcementBehavior Disorder Social Automatic Social AutomaticAggression + Ø + Ø

Tantrums + Ø + Ø

Noncompliance + Ø + Ø

Property Destruction + ? + Ø

"Stereotypies" ? + ? ?

SIB + + + +

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References

• Alberto & Troutman (2006, 2009). Applied Behavior Analysis for

Teachers.

• Durand, V.M. (1988). The Motivation Assessment Scale. In M.

Hersen & A.S. Bellack (Eds.), Dictionary of behavioral assessment

techniques. New York: Pergamon Press.

• Fox, J., Hales, C., & Blevins, L. (2001).Challenges in Developing

Interventions for Persons with Behavior Challenges in Schools

and Other Applied Settings: Functional Behavior Assessment to

Effective Intervention. Presentation at Tennessee Association for

Behavior Analysis - October 13, 2001.

• Grau (2008). The Nuts and Bolts of FBA’s. Retrieved October 13,

2008 from

http://www.cqcapd.state.ny.us/Presentations/FBAsAlbLaw5-9-08

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References

• Horner, R. District Implementation of Effective Practices: Using and RTI Model to Implement Functional Behavioral Assessment. Retrieved September 2008 from www.pbis.org.

• Iwata, B. (2009). Pennstate Autism Conference• Kerr & Nelson (2006). Strategies For Addressing Behavior

Problems in the Classroom. • Lewis, Scott, & Sugai (1994). Problem Behavior

Questionnaire.• O’Neill, R.E., Horner, R. H., Albin, R. W., Sprague, J. R.,

Storey, K., & Newton, J. S. (1997). Functional Assessment and Program Development for Problem Behavior. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.

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References

• OSEP PBIS site – www.pbis.org

• PATTAN www.pattan.k12.pa.us

• Sugai, G., Lewis-Palmer, T., & Hagan-Burke, S. (1999-2000). Overview of the functional behavioral assessment process. Exceptionality, 8, 149-160.

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