Using Positive Behavioral Supports to Understand the Purpose of Behavioral Problems

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Using Positive Behavioral Supports to Understand
the Purpose of Behavioral Problems

• Best Practices 2005
• By Ken Prohn for
• Karena Cooper-Duffy, Ph.D.
• Western Carolina University

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Agenda

• Collect information on current challenges you
  face in working with individuals with behavior
  problems.
• What is Positive Behavioral Supports?
• What are the functions of behavior?
• How might you be asked to participate in a
  Positive Behavioral Support Plan?
• Suggestions for working with different
  individuals.
• Applying Positive Behavioral Supports to
  different individuals.

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What behavioral problems do individuals with
disabilities demonstrate?
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What do you do when the individuals demonstrate
these behaviors?
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How do you feel when working with an individual
who demonstrates challenging behavior?
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Good News!!!

• Positive Behavioral Supports can help to reduce
  behavior problems in people with disabilities!!
• So what is Positive Behavioral Supports?

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Positive Behavioral Supports is based on several
premises (Westling)

• All behavior is a function of either the
  environment or physiological conditions.
• Many behaviors are communicative
• Many behaviors serve functional or
  multi-functional purposes.
• Many behaviors are related to environmental
  conditions
• Problem behaviors are effectively addressed
  within a quality of life context

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Why is positive behavioral supports important to
use?

• 1997 amendment of IDEA now mandate functional
  behavioral assessment for those students with
  behavioral disabilities who exhibit behaviors
  leading to a change in school placement or that
  constitute a pattern of misbehavior.
• No longer used only with low incidence populations

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Principles of positive behavior supports
Horner, Dunlap, Koegel, Carr, Sailor, Anderson,
Albin, ONeil (1990)

• Change the things that are triggering the
  behavior.
• Minimize punishment
• Increase individual interests and skills
• Have an emergency plan
• Study the behavior with a functional behavioral
  assessment to determine the function.
• Support the persons dignity

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Possible functions of challenging behavior

• Access attention -
• Escape
• Illness
• Access a tangible
• Cultural difference
• Sensory stimulation
• Skill deficits
• Learning styles

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How do we understand what the individuals
behavior means????

• Elements of positive behavior supports
• person centered planning
• functional assessments
• hypothesis testing
• Implementation of a comprehensive plan.

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Person Centered Planning McGill Action Planning
System

• What is the persons history?
• What are the persons dreams?
• What are the persons nightmares?
• Who is the person?
• What does the person need now?

• What are the persons strengths, gifts talents?
• What is challenging to the person and others?
• What are the goals?
• What action do we take to achieve these dreams?

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Functional Assessment ( Scott Nelson, 1999)

• Is a systematic method of assessing the purpose
  or function of an individuals behavior in
  relation to its context (ie, environment) so that
  appropriate interventions can be designed to meet
  the the unique needs of the individual.
• Benefit is to design a proactive (preventative),
  positive, individualized behavioral support plans
  for individuals with challenging behavior.

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1. Complete a survey or questionnaire

• Motivation Assessment Scale (Durand Crimmins,
  1992)
• Individual interview
• Behavioral rating scale

• When does the behavior happen most?
• What does the person get after demonstrating the
  behavior?
• If alone would the behavior still occur?

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2. Collect information with ABCs

• Count how many times a person bites
• Time a tantrum
• Time how long crying occurs.
• See how long it takes a person to sit down when
  asked.

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3. What is your best guess??

• Why is this behavior happening?
• What will make the behavior stop happening?

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4. Design an ongoing intervention for school and
community

• Select an appropriate functional replacement
  behavior
• Directly teach that behavior self-management
• Facilitate access to the same functional outcome
  for the person
• Possible ways to address individual behaviors

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Attention

• Give attention before the person needs it.
• Give high rates of attention for behavior.
• Ignore inappropriate requests for attention
• Teach the person to ask for attention with a
  picture card.
• Teach the person to participate in activities
  that offer high rates of attention.
• Avoid giving attention after the behavior.

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Escape

• Offer the person a choice of activities
• Teach the person a way to ask for a break
• Offer short options of non-preferred tasks.
• Use a picture schedule to show what task is next-
  non-preferred then the preferred task.
• Structure the environment so that the trigger is
  removed.
• Avoid time out!!

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Possible skills to teach

• Anger management
• problem solving
• negotiations
• assertiveness
• requesting a break
• requesting assistance
• self management

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Case study with Karl
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Return to the list of behaviors listed at the
beginning of the session.

• Identify possible reasons why some of these
  behaviors are occurring.
• What can you do differently when interacting with
  a person who demonstrates some of these
  behaviors?
• How might you feel when working with a individual
  whose behaviors are reduced or eliminated?