Understanding Challenging Behaviours Georgina Robinson POPARD

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Understanding Challenging BehavioursGeorgina
RobinsonPOPARD
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Learning Outcomes

• Identify the differences between Traditional
  Behaviour Management and Positive Behaviour
  Support

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Learning Outcomes2

• 2. Identify the steps involved in a functional
  behavior assessment

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Learning Outcomes3

• Understand the relationship between a functional
  behavior assessment and a positive behavior
  support plan

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Part One

• Understanding
• Challenging
• Behaviours

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Traditional Behaviour Management versus

• Positive Behavioural Support

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Past versus Current Understanding of Behavior
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Traditional Behaviour Management vs.Positive
Behaviour Support

• What is Traditional Behaviour Management?
• Views the problem as within the child. Does not
  address how the environment impacts the childs
  behaviour
• Focus is on reducing behavior through reactive
  plans (punishment focus), dont teach the child
  what to do only what not to do.
• Philosophy of expecting positive behavior
  regardless of the environment

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ADHD? BEHAVIOR DISORDER? OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT
DISORDER? DISRUPTIVE, RUDE AND AGGRESSIVE How
can I stop him from doing that? What should I do
when he does that? I dont know how to deal with
this! I cant control this child! Can a child
like this change?


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Positive Behaviour Support

• What is Positive Behaviour Support?
• Process for understanding the purpose of
  challenging behaviours and developing a plan that
  promotes the development of new skills while
  reducing the individuals need to engage in
  challenging behaviour.
• Dunlap, Vaughn, ONeill, 1998

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Why is he doing this? What is he trying to
communicate? I wonder what sets off the
behavior? Lets look at the activities and the
schedule? What is the function of this behavior?
Does he want attention? Does he want to avoid
something? Does he get something when he does
this? I can help the teacher understand whats
going onShell be able to handle this.
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Step OneThe Functional Behavioral Assessment
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The Six Phases of a Functional Behaviour
Assessment

• PHASE 1 Collecting Historical and Background
  Data
• PHASE 2 Determining the Target Behaviour
• PHASE 3 Conducting Direct Observations
• PHASE 4 Generating a Hypothesis
• PHASE 5 Verifying the Hypothesis
• PHASE 6 Determining the Function of the
  Behaviour
• Source Functional Behavioral Assessment An
  Interactive Training Module
• (2000) Liaupsin, C.J., T.M. Scott et al.

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Phase 1 Collecting Historical and Background
Information

• Two methods for collecting the students
  historical and background information include
• Records or File Review
• Structured Interviews

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Phase 1 Collecting Historical and Background
Information

• Record or File Reviews Include
• Diagnostic/medical records
• Psychological reports
• Reports from other specialists (OT, PT, and
  Speech Language Pathologists)
• Developmental Profiles
• Behavior or Educational Support Plans
• Incident Reports

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Phase 1 Collecting Historical and Background
Information

• Structured Interviews may examine
• Further historical information
• Settings, events and persons where the behaviour
  occurs
• Settings, events and persons where the behaviour
  DOES NOT occur
• Potential Reinforcers
• What the Problem Behaviour Looks Like.

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Phase 2Determining the Target Behaviour

• Defining the target Challenging Behaviour
  consists of two parts
• A General Category of Behaviour
• Specific Descriptors
• Based upon the work of
• Liaupsin, C.J., T.M. Scott et al. (2000)

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Phase 2Determining the Target
BehaviourStatement of Target Behavior Examples

• General Category Specific Descriptors
• Physical Aggression pushing, pinching, hitting
• Verbal Aggression loud voice, swearing,
  insulting comments to peers and adults
• Disruptions vocalizations (e.g. eeee or other
  repetitive noises) singing interrupting the
  teacher

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Phase 2Determining the Target Behaviour
Statement of Target Behavior2

• Unclear definitions include
• Terms that are judgmental (e.g. intimidating,
  rude, annoying etc.)
• Statements that are too general (e.g. physical
  aggression)
• Terms that are not observable or measurable (e.g.
  always, never)

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Phase 2Determining the Target Behaviour
Statement of Target Behaviour3
Group Activity Write a Statement of Target
Behaviour for a Student of Choice
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Phase 2Determining the Target Behavior
Statement of Target Behaviour4
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Phase 3Conducting Direct Observations

• Direct Observations may help to
• Describe the behaviour
• Identify antecedents of the behavior
• Identify consequences of the behavior
• Suggest functions of the behavior
• Suggest further questions

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Functional Behavioral Assessment

• What do the problem behaviors look like?
  (Behavior)
• What appears to set off the problem behavior?
  (antecedent or trigger)
• What function does the behavior serve?
  (consequence or function)
• What are the setting events for the behavior?
  (setting events)

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What happens BEFORE the behavior occurs?

• Setting Events
• Conditions, events, or sensations that increase
  the probability that a problem will occur (sick,
  tired, drugs, diet.)
• Antecedents or triggers
• Elicit a specific condition or lead directly to
  the occurrence of the behaviour (e.g., teacher
  asks student to come to circle)

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Possible Setting Events or Antecedents

• Curriculum/Instructional
• Unpredictable schedule or changes in routine
• Difficult tasks (too easy or too hard)
• Curriculum is not meaningful
• Little or no reinforcement in the setting
• Slow pace of instruction
• Lack of choice-making
• Lack of task variation
• High rate errors.

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A Closer Look at PossibleSetting Events2

• Environment
• Uncomfortable temperature (hot or cold)
• Inappropriate lighting
• Noisy environment
• Number of people present
• Inadequate space around the child
• Uncomfortable seating
• Arrangement of toys and materials

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A Closer Look at PossibleSetting Events3

• Biological/Medical/Personal Variables
• Sickness
• Allergies
• Medications (effects and side effects)
• Fatigue
• Hunger/Thirst
• Mood (e.g. angry, anxious)
• Time of day

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A Closer Look at PossibleSetting Events4

• Social
• Presence of staff amount of staff attention
• Presence of peers amount of peer attention
• Presence of particular staff (preferred and
  non-preferred
• Changes in staff
• Disagreements with family, staff, or peers
• Proximity of family, staff, or peers.

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Antecedents or Triggers

• What is happening right before the behaviour
  occurs? What sets off the behaviour?
• What activities, classes (e.g., music, circle,
  free play) and school settings
• What time of day or day of week
• Observable events (e.g. what the teacher or peer
  says or does)
• Sensory Issues (not necessarily observed)

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CONSEQUENCE/OUTCOME

• The consequent events or reactions of others that
  happen directly after the behaviour occurs.
• THE OUTCOME
• Looking through the lens
• of the child
• What happens after I engage in the challenging
  behaviour? What did I gain? What did I avoid?

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Behaviour as Functional

• Behaviour serves a Purpose
• GET/OBTAIN
• Or
• ESCAPE/AVOID

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Identifying the function

• One problem behavior can serve multiple purposes
• Function is more important than form
• For lasting change to occur, the intent or
  purpose of the behavior needs to be understood
  and acknowledged

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Function Obtain
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Function Avoid
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Phase 4Generating the HypothesisThe Hypothesis
Statement

• The Person Does ..
• (challenging behaviour)
• When..
• (trigger)
• Which Results In
• (outcome)
• This is Most Likely to Occur When..
• (setting events)
• (Seip, J., C.F. Lester, A. Krueger, 2001)

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Phase 4Generating the HypothesisThe Hypothesis
StatementExample

• Joe begins to tell jokes and throw spitballs
  (challenging behaviour) when he is in circle time
  with his peers (trigger). Joes teacher becomes
  frustrated, which delights his peers and they
  continue to giggle (consequence), Joe gets
  attention from his peers (outcome).This is more
  likely to occur when Joes dad is out of town
  working (setting event).

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Phase 5Verifying the Hypothesis

• Joe tells jokes and throws spitballs
  (challenging behaviour) when he is in class with
  his peers (trigger). This happens even when
  participating in group Math activities (liked
  activity). Joes teacher becomes frustrated and
  his classmates start to giggle and pay attention
  to him (consequence).
• Antecedent close proximity to peers
• Behaviour telling jokes and throwing spitballs
• TEST teach in an isolated setting
• teach in group setting

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Phase 6Determining the Function of the Behaviour

• Does the behaviour help the person GET or OBTAIN
  something?
• Does the behaviour help the person ESCAPE or
  AVOID something?
• Verified by testing the hypothesis

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FBA Joe
What function does the behavior serve? Gets
Attention From peers
What are the setting events for The
behavior? When dad is out of town
working
What appears to set off the
behavior? Surrounded by peers who are not
paying attention to him
What do the Problem Behaviors
look Like? Telling jokes throwing
Spitballs
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Case Study Hands On
Thomas
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Functional Behavioral Assessment

• What do the problem behaviors look like?
• What appears to set off the problem behavior?
• What function does the behavior serve?
• What are the setting events for the behavior?

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What do the problem behaviors look like?

• Disruptions yelling and screaming
• Physical aggression hitting, biting
• Disruptions rolling around on the map during nap
  time

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What appears to set off the problem behavior?

• Clean up song, especially CD
• Teacher requests to clean up, especially when he
  hasnt finished setting up the train set
• Teacher grabbing toys and putting them in the
  bucket
• Hand-over hand approach
• Teacher threats
• Teacher holding and rocking

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What function does the behavior serve?

• Escape or avoid tearing down of train set
• Escape or avoid aversive music and touch
• Escape teacher reprimands

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What are the setting events for the behavior?

• Tired, difficulty getting to sleep at night at
  home
• Coming down with illness
• Sensitivity to noise, touch proximity of adults
• Changes in routine

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Part Two

• Building the Plan

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Positive Behavior Support Plan

• Setting Event Strategies
• Antecedent or trigger Strategies
• Teaching Strategies
• Consequence Strategies

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Setting Event Trigger Strategies

• Change the Context to Make
• the Behaviour Unnecessary
• Environmental Considerations
• Visual Supports
• Physical
• Time
• Materials
• People social issues
• Sensory
• Curricular task adaptations
• Biological (e.g. hunger, thirst, sleep)

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Environmental Considerations

• Physical
• Room arrangement
• Personal work space
• Sound, lighting, and other distractions
• Seating arrangements

Visual Supports

• Sensory Issues
• Visual
• Lighting
• Auditory
• Ambient sound
• Gustatory Olfactory
• Personal care products
• Odours
• Tactile
• Clothing
• Place in line
• Touching
• Vestibular
• Need for movement
• Proprioceptive
• Positioning/postural support

• Time
• Premacking
• Scheduling

• People/Social
• How we talk
• Accessibility of typical peers
• of people
• Attitudes

• Materials
• Labeling/colour coding
• Where is it stored?
• Accessible or not?
• Interesting to the student
• Functional

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Teaching StrategiesWhat does he need to learn
to do?

• Communication
• Social
• Coping
• Relaxation
• Self-Monitoring

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Listen
YOUR topic
Topic Meter
Class Topic
Any other topics
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Visual Schedules
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Task Timers(Transition Strips)
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3
2
1
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Visual Cues
Zone meter for when to talk or not
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Increasing Expected Behaviours

• Strategies to consider
• Reinforcement
• Shaping Behaviours
• Prompting

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Reinforcement

• Reinforcement can be
• Positive
• To increase behaviour, add pleasant
• stimulus after the behaviour occurs.
• Negative
• To increase behaviour, remove
• unpleasant stimulus when target
• behaviour occurs.

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Reinforcement

• DRO Differential Reinforcement of Other
  Positive Behavior
• DRL Differential Reinforcement of Lower Rates of
  Behavior.
• DRI Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible
  Behaviors.

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Decreasing Behaviours Non-Positive Approaches

• Time Out Removal from reinforcement
• Effective Use
• Social Attention seeking behavior
• Over when child pulls him/herself together.
• (Never more than 1 minute per childs age)
• Disadvantages
• Not effective on escape behaviors.
• Does not work with children who self-stimulate.
• Does not teach any new behaviours.
• Increases anxiety and aggression

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• The best emergency management procedure is to
  avoid the emergency in the first place.
• Tom Willis

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• The definition of insanity is doing the same
  thing over and over and expecting different
  results.

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Case Study Hands On
Thomas
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Positive Behavior Support Plan

• Setting Event Strategies
• Antecedent or trigger Strategies
• Teaching Strategies
• Consequence Strategies