Rbt-D

Front 1

D­01 Identify the essential components of a behavior reduction plan.

Back 1

Any behavior reduction plan MUST include a replacement behavior that will be reinforced, andbehavior analysts should consider using reinforcement as part of any intervention plan.

Front 2

D-01Identify the essential components of a written behavior reduction plan.

Back 2

Identify, describe, create a goal for a behavior in observable terms.Assess antecedent/consequence that may be maintain behavior.Identify hypothesis of function of behavior.Identify possible replacement behaviors.Select and implement antecedent/consequence based interventions.Create crisis intervention plan.Implementation, Modification, Generalization, and Maintenance Procedures.

Front 3

D-02Describe common functions of behavior.

Back 3

Social Positive: getting attention or access to something

Social Negative: escaping or avoiding someone/task/activity

Automatic Positive: stimulating the senses (without social attention)

Automatic Negative: attenuating pain (without social attention)

Front 4

D­02 Describe common functions of behavior

Back 4

The most basic conceptualization of “why” people do what they do is to: avoid something or to get something. This “why” is known as the function of behavior, which really means how the behavior’s consequences have shaped that behavior, either through reinforcement, punishment or extinction. This simple explanation of behavior can be used with lay people to more easily explain the concept. For most behavior analysts, these two basic concepts are expanded to four functions of behavior: Attention Escape/Avoidance Sensory Stimulation Access (to a preferred item or activity or condition) Sometimes even these basic concepts are difficult to understand and misunderstood. The functions are not meant to be judgments about a person’s character flaws or necessarily conscious desires. Instead, these are determined by analysis of what generally occurs as a consequence of behavior that tends to increase or maintain the behavior. I’ll attempt to illustrate each with examples.

Front 5

D­02 Describe common functions of behavior

Back 5

1. Attention ­

The consequence of hitting the desk with fist is for others to look at you. The consequence of saying, “You just don’t care” is for one to verbally deny this (argue). The consequence of running away is that someone chases you. The consequence of wearing a new suit is for others to notice and comment.

2. Escape/Avoidance ­ The consequence of daydreaming and doodling is to avoid work completion. The consequence of completing a task is to remove that item from your “to do” list. The consequence of putting your hat on is to avoid the cold. The consequence of having a boyfriend/girlfriend is that you feel less lonely.

3. Sensory Stimulation ­ The consequence of pinching yourself is to feel both pain and pleasure. The consequence of running a comb through your hair is the feeling of relaxation. The consequence of humming a song is the feeling of your lips vibrating that you find pleasurable. The consequence of hitting your head is a high magnitude of nerve reactions.

4. Access ­ The consequence of whining and complaining is that you get the ring that you wanted. The consequence of asking politely is that you are allowed to engage in the activity. The consequence of using a key is that the door opens. The consequence of wearing new clothes is that you increase your social status. Note: Many behaviors have more than one function. In the examples above, running a combthrough your hair may be stimulating and it may escape some anxiety. You may wear newclothes in order to gain social status (access) and to get attention. You can probably also see that some behaviors require others to meet their functions andothers do not. For example, to gain attention you need another person to notice or respond toyour actions. In order to pinch yourself, you do not need another person at all. The distinction between behavioral functions that are direct access and those that are sociallymediated, as well as the general function(s) of behavior should be discussed with yoursupervisor. Knowing (or making educated guesses about) the function(s) of behavior will drivethe type of intervention that is necessary and likely to be most effective.

Front 6

D-03Implement interventions based on modification of antecedents such as motivating/establishing operations and discriminative stimuli. Antecedent Based InterventionsMotivating OperationsDiscriminative Stimuli

Back 6

Antecedent: modifications are made to antecedents by manipulating some aspect of the physical/social environment before the behavior occurs to prevent/reduce occurrences of maladaptive behavior

MO: altering the value/effectiveness of a stimulus, object, or event (Deprivation/Satiation)

Discriminative: cue or stimulus that is present when a behavior is reinforced and can be changed/manipulated to alter behavior

Front 7

D­03 Implement interventions based on the modification of antecedents such as motivating/establishing operations and discriminative stimulus

Back 7

This is very often difficult to do without some serious thought and discussion with yoursupervisor. It’s helpful to think of a discriminative stimulus as a “signal” that reinforcement is (ormay be) available. In contrast, motivating operations increase or decrease the power of areinforcer in value and in behavior that has led to obtaining reinforcement in the past. It is alsohelpful to think of motivating operations as states of satiation or deprivation in which a personacts to obtain something because they want it more than they might otherwise, or wantsomething less because they’ve had enough. As always, an example might help to illustrate this idea: I wake up in the morning after only 4 hours of sleep. I want more (establishing operationbecause of sleep deprivation ­ value altering effect). I look at my e­mails and read that my firsttwo appointments have been cancelled (discriminative stimulus that signals the availability ofmore sleep). I set my alarm for two more hours of sleep (establishing operation because ofsleep deprivation ­ behavior altering effect). In the last part of the example, note that I could set my alarm for two more hours at any time ofday. I have the ability to do this whenever my alarm is near. However, the current motivatingoperation in effect makes the reinforcer (more sleep) more valuable. This is because I’mrelatively deprived of sleep. In addition, my meetings were cancelled. I could go back to sleepanytime, but now the reasons for getting up have been removed (reinforcements for a jobwell­done, punishments for not making the meeting, etc.). In short, going back to sleep is notmore available; it’s more desirable. Take away: Motivating Operations ­ Look for deprivation or satiation. Also, ask yourself if abehavior could be performed at any time, but is momentarily more desirable. This is an MO.

Front 8

D­03 Implement interventions based on the modification of antecedents such as motivating/establishing operations and discriminative stimulus

Back 8

Discriminative Stimuli ­ A “signal” or “cue” that has, in the past, indicated that reinforcement iscoming or currently available. Changing motivating operations usually involves satiation or deprivation. That means that whenyou restrict access to items or activities, they may become more reinforcing. Conversely, whenthe environment is saturated with an item or activity, it may reduce unwanted behaviors bymaking the behavioral consequence less reinforcing. Example: Allowing any student to leave class and run a lap around a predesignated area at anytime may reduce elopement, leaving one’s seat or fidgeting. If students are running more, they are likely to “want” to sit and attend more. Conversely, when a young student has been sittingfor an hour, the idea of recess outside is a more powerful reinforcer. Changing SD s can involve removing ones that have tended to trigger undesirable behavior,morphing the SD enough so that it no longer elicits the target behavior, or adding newdiscriminative stimuli to encourage other behaviors. Example: Say that you notice a student who resists writing by saying, “This is stupid” andripping his paper. The teacher normally gives the student a piece of paper and a prompt, “You’dbetter get some writing down today if you want any recess time, mister.” If you were to removethe SD altogether (no writing prompt) you would likely not see the target behavior (teachers hateit when I mention that idea). Instead of removing the discriminative stimulus altogether, though,what if you change the approach to: “I want you to write in invisible ink today about your favoriteanimal.” This change, when repeated, may become an SD for writing behavior, rather than alikely aversive condition. Adding to a stimulus condition such as changing the desk, verbalprompt, the tone in which it is said, the addition of a smile and light touch, a new notebook, etc.may encourage a different response. One personal example of adding new SD s is to encourage going to the gym by inserting a newstimulus condition. Previously, I’d come home and instantly feel too tired to consider going tothe gym. In order to change this, I’d put out my gym clothes the night before, take them to workand change into them before leaving the office. At first, I would have to set an alarm to remindmyself to get out my clothes and change. The alarm and the presence of my gym clothes thenresulted in a visit to the gym. Through repetition, these stimuli became a habituated “signal” thatit was time to workout. Developing new habits in the way described above is much easier when one or morediscriminative stimuli are presented and a behavior follows.

Front 9

D-04Implement differential reinforcement procedures.Differential Reinforcement (DR)DRI

DRA

DRO

DRL

Back 9

DR: reinforcing a desired behavior while withholding reinforcement for an undesirable behavior

DRI: DR of Incompatible Behaviors

DRA: DR of Alternate Behaviors

DRO: DR of Other Behaviors

DRL: DR of Low Rates

Front 10

D­04 Implement differential reinforcement procedures (e.g. DRA, DRO)

Back 10

Differential Reinforcement of OTHER behaviors (DRO)­

Guidelines: ­ A time interval is usually set in which reinforcement is contingent on the target behavior notbeing observed. Particular moments can be used instead of a time interval, much likemomentary time sampling ­ initial time interval should be set at least as frequently as the target behavior occurrence, sothat reinforcement for non­engagement is contacted ­ be careful not to reinforce other inappropriate behavior accidentally­ gradually increase interval when problem behavior begins to decrease ­ decrease the interval in settings or times when the target behavior is more of a problem (i.e.,increase the reinforcement for engagement in behavior other than the target behavior) ­ extend DRO to other settings and times of day after problem behavior is reduced significantlyin treatment settings ­ reset the interval if the target behavior occurs during the interval­ provide reinforcement when the target behavior does not occur during the interval Example: A girl who picks the skin of her palm is given a token (good for 1 minute of CandyCrush ­ a video game) for every 15 minutes that she doesn’t pick her palm. Differential Reinforcement of ALTERNATIVE behaviors (DRA)­ ­ Should be a functional alternative to the target behavior ­ Reinforcement of the alternative behavior is usually begun with a continuous schedule and faded later ­ Probably the most common differential reinforcement technique ­ Often paired with extinction of the target behavior Differential Reinforcement of INCOMPATIBLE behaviors (DRI)­ ­ DRI is actually a DRA procedure that uses a replacement behavior that cannot beperformed at the same time as the target behavior. Example: A client has a habit of yelling out phrases from his favorite movies about 10 times perhour. An incompatible behavior might be to have the client whisper the movie phrases, act themout quietly or hum the parts. DRI/DRA Guidelines: ­select behaviors already in the learner’s repertoire (when possible), behaviors should requireequal or less effort than the problem behavior, behavior should be emitted prior to interventionwith sufficient frequency and the DRA/DRI should be likely to produce reinforcement in thenatural environment when the intervention is completed. ­Select potent reinforcers with the same consequence (function) maintaining the targetbehavior ­ reinforce the alternative/ incompatible behavior on a continuous schedule initially andgradually thin ­ place problem behavior on extinction

Front 11

D-05Implement extinction procedures.

Extinction

Extinction Burst

Spontaneous Recovery

Back 11

Extinction: reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior is discontinued resulting in a decrease in the frequency of behavior

Extinction burst: a predictable, temporary increase in the rate and intensity of a behavior when an extinction procedure is first used

Spontaneous recovery: a behavior reappears after it has decreased or stopped entirely during extinction procedures

Front 12

D-06Implement crisis/emergency procedures according to protocol.

Prevention

Reaction

Back 12

Hair pulling: put hair up, wear hat, safe distance

Biting: long/thick clothing, safe distance

Throwing Objects: clear area, avoid dangerous items, work behind/beside client

Scratching: long/thick clothing, safe distance, clip nails

Lifting: provide stools, use environment to prevent eloping, climbing

Strike: block and move

Grab: use weak point of grab, leverage and momentum

Front 13

D-06Implement crisis/emergency procedures according to protocol.RestraintsIncident

Back 13

Restraints: last resort when a person is a danger to self or others, discontinue quickly as soon as safe, report to supervisor and HR departmentIncident: anything that causes an employee or client damage, report to supervisor immediately and contact HR department

Front 14

D­06 Implement crisis/emergency procedures according to protocol

Back 14

Protocols are often part of a plan when self­injurious behaviors are involved or harm to othershas either been observed or suspected from the intervention plan. You should not only discussthese plans with your supervisor, but role­play the application of them as they may involvephysical redirection or restraint. You may require specific training in these procedures and allpossible contingencies should be considered and covered by the emergency plan. It isimportant to review this procedure with your supervisor at least weekly if the emergencyprocedure is used during the previous week and at least monthly in order that the emergencyintervention remains clear to you, your supervisor, clients and/or caregivers.