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How Behavior Analysts Think

Presented by Marrea Winnega, PhD, BCBA

marreaw@autismhomesupport.com Cassie Herman, MS, BCBA

cassieh@autismhomesupport.com Board Certified Behavior Analysts

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• Behavior analysis can be applied across our lifespans

• Most of the early applied research was on adults with either developmental disabilities or mental health issues living in institutions

• Disclaimer: – BCBAs have a variety of skills

• We all know the basic principles

– Some have specialized in: behavior reduction, skills acquisition, precision teaching, verbal behavior, etc.

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Dictionary • TEACCH = Treatment & Education of Autistic and

Communication Handicapped Children; North Carolina; 1970s – Method: Structured Teaching

• ABA = Applied Behavior Analysis – Autism intervention by Lovaas (since 1960s)

• VB = Verbal Behavior – part of Behavior Analysis

• PBS = Positive Behavior Support

• FBA/BIP

• BCBA = Board Certified Behavior Analyst

• PhD = Doctor of Philosophy

• BCBA-D = BCBA with PhD in Behavior Analysis

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Applied Behavior Analysis/ABA

The natural science approach to studying socially important human behavior.

Applied Behavior Analysis employs methods based on scientific principles of behavior to:

- build socially useful repertoires and

- reduce problematic ones (Cooper,

Heron, & Heward, 1989)

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What is behavior?

• Everything an organism does

– Watch me. What did I do?

• Any measurable change of an organism in its environment

• Response = single instance of behavior

• Examples:

– Running

– Making popcorn

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Examples of Behavior • Asking for directions; asking someone out to

dinner

• Throwing or catching a softball

• Eating ice cream; refusing desert when offered

• Buttoning one’s shirt; doing one’s laundry

• Making eye contact while asking someone to dance

• Practicing playing guitar or piano

• Doing aerobics, pilates, etc.

• Completing a homework assignment

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Examples of Behavior

• Throwing toys

• Running to close a door

• Grabbing materials

• Slapping another person

• Slapping one’s own face

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External vs. Internal Behaviors

• Previous slides: External behavior – behavior we can observe

• Internal behavior – stomach growling; thinking about chocolate

• When a student is slow to respond, we may say he is tired – we are inferring this

• Putting head down on the desk intermittently – Tired? Bored? Escape? Whatever is reinforced?

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Basic Assumptions

• Determinism

– Behavior is orderly and occurs for reasons

• Behavior is based on

– Genes

– History

– Current environment

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Reinforcement

• Step outside of school and think about when we use the phrase ‘to reinforce’

• Originally, ‘reinforcement’ was considered general strengthening of a behavior

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Reinforcement

• A consequence

• Presented contingent on a response

• Increases the future likelihood of that response (strengthening piece)

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Operant 4 Term Contingency A/MO BC

Antecedents (signals)+Motivating Operations (evokes) Behavior Consequence

Motivating Operations - momentarily alter the VALUE of the consequence AND: momentarily EVOKE (or abate) behaviors that have

been followed by that consequence For example: Evokes behaviors to access something (food,

water, sleep, activity*, etc.) because have not had it for some period of time OR Abates these behavior when satiated. Other examples – becoming too warm or too cold*; engaging in behaviors to decrease pain*

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Reinforcement

Reinforcers SHIFT! And that is ok.

What we want or like at one moment will change especially when we are satisfied with it or satiated

Adult example: Hard day at work. Don’t want to cook. Go to favorite restaurant. Then I’m full and done eating – satiated. I go home and watch a movie or my favorite television show or read a book. I don’t eat dessert because I am full.

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Reinforcement

Student example 1: Student requests chips and we have him work for chips now. When he does well, he gets 3 or 4 chips at a time. He gets chips for every 3 to 5 responses.

When he has eaten the bag of chips, he will be full and no longer want the chips.

And now he will be thirsty. Reinforcer shifts to preferred beverage (could be water, milk, juice or pop – whatever student likes).

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Analysis of Verbal Behavior

• Basically, this approach takes into account the complex and specific environmental conditions that surround different types verbal behavior

• Example:

Motivation: Students “wants” juice

Teacher (antecedent): “What do you want?” (and juice is available)

“Juice” = request (or mand) Juice (response)

Reinforcer = getting juice (consequence)

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Verbal Behavior

• Teacher: “What is it?” (antecedent)

• Learner: “Juice”

“Juice” = labeled juice (response)

• Reinforcer/consequence = socially mediated, non-specific reinforcement, the child does not get the juice in this situation (this is a label or “tact”).

Topography/form of verbal behavior is the same “juice,” reinforcer is different

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Verbal Behavior Different functions of verbal behavior do not

automatically generalize/transfer:

***THIS IS THE KEY ***

Essential functions:

to request,

label,

answer questions,

receive or give information.

This means: When children with autism learn a label, it does not transfer to requests

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Verbal Behavior - Skinner

• Any oral and non-oral forms of communication

• Mostly maintained by social reinforcement

• Forms include: Speaking, signing, pointing, writing, gesturing, touching, Braille, texting, emailing, beeping your horn at someone to get out of your way, etc.

• Excludes: Typing on a typewriter

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Verbal Operants A:

Antecedent B:

Response C:

Consequence Verbal Operant

Want car “car” Receive car Request/Mand

See/feel car “car” Praise/juice* Label/Tact

Hear “car” “car” Praise Echoic (Duplic)

“We ride in a” OR “Name a vehicle” OR “Something with wheels is a”

“car” Praise *optional

Intraverbals: Function Class Features

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Intraverbals

• Song fill ins

• Animal fill ins – a cow says ___

• Associations

• Answering questions about things out of sight

• Conversation

• Reading comprehension

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Foundation of Verbal Behavior Interventions

Acquiring positive instructional control

We need to have the learner want to learn from us!

We need to establish rapport and work on getting the child to respond consistently with our instructions

We do this through:

1. reinforcement

2. pairing (establishing yourself as a reinforcer),

3. requesting and

3. practicing instructional control/cooperation

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The VB-MAPP & ABLLS-R

• Assessment tools • Curriculum guides • Tracking systems

• Both are based on the behavioral analysis of language as described by B. F. Skinner in his book Verbal Behavior (1957)

• Both use Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities

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Both:

• Provide criterion referenced information regarding a child’s current skills

• Can serve as a basis for the selection of educational objectives

• Provide a skills tracking system:

– to observe and document a student’s progress in the acquisition of critical skills and

– to identify skill areas that remain in need of further development.

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Both:

• Have been designed to assess a variety of language skills

• Account for a student’s motivation

• Account for the student to attend to both verbal and nonverbal stimuli

• Emphasize generalization of skills

• Provide an extensive list of skills*

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ABLLS-R vs. VB MAPP ABLLS-R

• 544 Skills, 25 skill areas not always in developmental order

• Skills not developmentally balanced across verbal behaviors (mand, tact, listener responding, echoics, and Intraverbals

• No placement system

• Course sequence 26 years old!

VB MAPP • 170 behavior milestones across 3

developmental levels; focus on language and social skills

• Based on typical language development milestones

• Identifying milestones for a sharper focus and clearer direction

• Field test data from approximately 75 typically developing children

• Field test data from over 200 children with autism

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5 Components of the VB-MAPP

• VB-MAPP: Milestones Assessment – 170 verbal behavior milestones across 3

developmental levels (0-18 months, 18-30 months, 30-48 months) and 16 different verbal operants and related skills

• VB-MAPP: Barriers Assessment – 24 common learning and language barriers faced by

children with autism

• VB-MAPP: Transition Assessment – Evaluates a child’s ability to learn in less restrictive

educational environment across 18 different skills

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5 Components of the VB-MAPP

• VB-MAPP: Skills Task Analysis and Tracking

– Breakdown of the different skill areas

– Checklist for skills tracking

• VB-MAPP: Placement and IEP Goals

– Recommendations for program development based on the student’s VB-MAPP profile

– Over 200 IEP objectives directly linked to the skills and barriers assessments

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Changing Behavior

Rules of thumb:

• We will all do what is easier.

• Discussion: Hitting, laying on the floor vs. speaking (Number of muscles used to hit or lay on the floor vs. speak)

• Safety first

ALWAYS!!!

Understand the function of the behavior

Teach a new/replacement behavior before decreasing a behavior

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Common Functions of Behaviors (A part of FBA/BIPs, too)

Function

• Escape

• Edible

• Tangible

• Pleasing to the person

• Attention

Alternative Behavior

• Teach to ask for breaks

• Teach to ask for food

• Teach to ask for what student wants

• Provide in another more appropriate form

• Provide attention throughout the day

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Alternative Behaviors TEACH:

• Social skills

• Communication

• Relaxation

• Self-management, self-regulation

• Negotiation

• A more acceptable age-appropriate behavior

“Consequences” (discipline) do not teach the student. If they could do it, they will do it.

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Reality of Behavior Change

• Behavior does not change overnight

• We can only focus on 1 or 2 behaviors at a time

• Behavior plans evolve – they are a work in progress

• Quick fixes reinforce our behavior and do not change behaviors in the long run

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The 2 Week Rule

1. Graph the data.

2. Did the behavior change in the expected direction?

3. If not, modify what you are doing. Discuss with me.

Time out for months – did not change behavior so why doing?

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Structured Teaching

• Antecedent “manipulations” – things to do on the “front end” or before the behavior occurs

• Additional ones at end of handout

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TEACCH Educational Principles

• Follow the child’s interests, strengths and developmental level

• Conduct careful, ongoing assessment

• Provide meaning within the activity

• Realize that lack of participation results from lack of understanding

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The TEACCH Sequence of Teaching

1. Assessment

2. Direct teaching using structure (pre teach)

3. Move to independent setting – such as to play area or group area

4. Add social gradually while keeping the structure

5. Go back to 1

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Structuring the Environment

Structured Teaching:

Physical setting

Schedules

Work Systems/To Do Lists

Tasks – visually clear

Above: Functional routines and strategies

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Individual Schedules

• A visual cue or cues • Indicates what activities will occur and in

what sequence • Allows the child to predict what will happen

next • A routine to teach flexibility and to cope

with change • Eases transitions • Builds independence

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Individualization

• Type

• Length

• How organized

• How does child get to the schedule

• How child manipulates

• Personalize it

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Transition/Object Schedule (objects the student uses first when arriving at the location)

• Art = Dot paint or Playdoh or a Paintbrush

• Library = Book

• Coins = Pop/snack machine

• Recycle job = Bottle

• Gym = Tennis Ball

• Snack = Cup

• Lunch = Plate

• Bathroom = Diaper; Toilet paper

• Brush teeth = Tooth brush

• Exercise Room = Head or wrist band

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Ultimate Goal

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Independent Work System/ To Do List

• Glue that holds pyramid together

• Teaches sequencing

• Provides generalization across settings

• Systematic strategy

• Builds independence

• Answers four questions

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Work Systems/To Do Lists Answer: Four Questions

• What do I do?

• How much do I do?

• How will I know I’m finished?

• What happens next?

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Finished Basket

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Cockpit with Work Strip

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Work Strip Numbers are used

because the student like numbers

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Left Shelf of Cockpit

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Work Strip Written words to be matched to the character

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Shelf

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Shelf

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Tasks

• Concepts

• Academics

• Social skills

• Play

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Social Shoebox A strip with a question is placed in the library pocket.

After it is answered, it goes in the slot, a “disappearing put in”

Shoebox Sample Questions • What did you eat for lunch? Dinner? • What did you do after school yesterday? • What movie did you watch after school yesterday? • What is your favorite movie? • Where do you like to eat? • What is your favorite food? • What is your favorite TV show? • What is your favorite video game? • What did you do over summer (winter or spring)

break? • What should you say when you meet someone for the

first time?

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Additional Information

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Form vs. Function • Form/Topography

– What a behavior looks like

– Some behaviors look the same but produce different results

• Function

– What results the behavior produces

– Some responses serve similar functions but do not have the same form

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Form vs. Function Examples

Same form/Different function:

• Putting arm up to gain attention

• Putting arm up to disrupt classroom

• Putting arm up to relieve pain

Same function/Different form:

• Pushing a door open with your foot

• Using your hip to open the door

• Using your hand to push open the door

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Outcome of Reinforcement

• Under similar circumstances in the future, the behavior will occur again

• What this means for us

– If a behavior continues to occur, it IS being reinforced

– If the behavior was not being reinforced, it would occur less often (and eventually stop occurring)

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Factors affecting Reinforcement

1. Rate – How often a response is reinforced; more frequent when teaching new behaviors or skills.

2. Immediacy – not too delayed or will not change behavior. What is the last behavior that “contacts” reinforcement?

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Factors affecting Reinforcement

3. Quality – How ‘good’ the reinforcer is. It can vary with the quality of the student’s response. Godiva chocolate vs. a Hershey’s kiss

4. Quantity – how much of the reinforcer is delivered and how long.

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Factors affecting Reinforcement

5. Effort – how much effort does the student make? Quality, quantity and/or rate should also be related to the student’s effort.

6. Saliency – does the reinforcer last beyond one trial? If not offer 2-3 preferred objects.

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What to consider when a behavior does not continue to occur

Several possible reasons:

• It is not being reinforced (the consequence is not reinforcing)

• It is not being reinforced enough

• Other reinforcers for other responses are more powerful – think competition between reinforcers

• Changes in current motivation

• Punishment or threat of punishment may be overpowering

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Opposite of Reinforcement

• Behavior Reduction

– Skinner used the word “punishment” meaning that the response from the environment (including people) decreases the future likelihood of the behavior

We ONLY use this after ALL positive approaches including modifying the work and physical environment have been tried

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What is Punishment?

• It is a consequence like reinforcement

• Occurs when a consequence to a behavior results in a DECREASE in the likelihood of the behavior occurring again in the FUTURE under similar circumstances.

• A punisher is that “consequence” that results in a decrease in the behavior.

• Not just “discipline,” behavior must change!

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Interventions/Consequences that decrease our value

• Reprimands (Is this giving attention?)

• Overcorrection

• Blocking (so student can communicate)

• Response Cost

• Time out* vs. Time in – Planned Ignoring (vs. Pivot Praise)

– And Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

*Time out length – cannot be decreased

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Interventions that decrease our value

• Why?

– Side effects: Student becomes more emotional or aggressive

– Counter control (example of Ross)

– Can increase the behavior in a different setting/classroom

– Increases our use of them – appear to be effective in short run BUT we become a conditioned aversive

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Rules of Using Behavior Reduction Procedures

According to Behavior Analysis Best Practice

• Use after all viable positive interventions have been unsuccessful

• Behavior severe/serious risk to self or others; risk of punishment procedures outweigh behavior risk

• It is necessary to make it possible to teach a functionally equivalent behavior (blocking)

• It is used in addition to positive procedures

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Changing Behavior

• Teach the new behavior

• Practice the new response

• Review the new behavior frequently and throughout the day across different settings

• Reinforce the new response with the best quality/quantity of motivators

• Make learning the new behavior fun

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Changing Behavior

• Reinforce an alternative response

– Speaking instead of whining

• Reinforce an incompatible response

– I cannot flap my hands if I am sitting on them

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And Remember that

• We inadvertently increase behaviors we do NOT want

• And decrease behaviors we DO want

– Asking to go to the bathroom instead of walking out of the room

– Raising a hand before speaking

– Working independently

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Shaping Behavior

Target behavior: Random verbalizations and vocalizations

Motivator: foreign language dictionary

Student works and asks for the dictionary. He worked well and received the dictionary. However, the rule is he must be quiet while looking at the dictionary. State rules before he receives the dictionary.

When he makes noise, the dictionary is moved away; when he stops making noise, he is given it back

Will one day with one person change his behavior?

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Student is not doing his work/ Increasing work production

• Some students do not like to work or do not like new work

• Try increasing motivators

• Try ‘fading in’ the work

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Fading in means

• Gradually introducing a task

• May involve the adult engaging in the task (or completing the worksheet) as the student observes – First day – student observes and receives a

reinforcer

– Second day – student does a small part of the task (one problem; one step) and receives a reinforcer

• Includes reducing the task – Put 5 problems on a page instead of 10 to 50

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Fading in - Example

Student does not like doing his worksheet and asks for

computer or break

Fade in the worksheet:

1st day: 1 problem then computer or break (brief); another

problem then computer; another problem then computer

2nd day: 2 problems then computer or break (brief); another

2 problems then break; another 2 problems then break

3rd day: 3 problems then longer break or time on computer;

another 3 problems then computer; another 3 problems

then computer

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“Ignoring” means: Not 100% ignore

• Do not react to the student’s behavior

• Do not talk to the student

• Keep an eye on the student without making eye contact

• Keep the student safe

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Avoid Power Struggles

DO NOT ARGUE and DO NOT GET INTO

POWER STRUGGLES

- Walk away and think about what the student needs to do - Bargain/Bribe - Offer choices - Divert attention – try visuals

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Meltdowns

• Reactive strategies must be individualized

• Keep everyone involved safe

• Do NOT talk – the child thinks you are saying, “Throw a bigger tantrum.”

• Use visuals – show the one used for relaxation

• Marty Murphy tells us that she cannot find her words when she is stressed

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Try Antecedent Manipulations

• The High-P Intervention/Behavior Momentum - Sandwich hard tasks between easy. Example: Easy task, easy task, hard task, easy task. Get student on a positive roll

• Frequent “non-contingent” attention/catch being good

• Enriched environment (many engaging activities)

• Meet physical “needs” – such as needing to eat

• Give choices

• Whisper; use a calm tone of voice

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Antecedent Manipulations

• Intersperse tasks (Variety of tasks)

• Modify teaching methods; use more visuals – e.g., written words; photographs; online videos

• Try rapid paced instruction

• Ask permission (“Can I ask you a question?”)

• Do NOT talk as if not there and do NOT mention the bad behavior

• Move location of activities

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Antecedent Manipulations • Change activity times or rearrange routine

• Make the schedule predictable

• Inform student of what is next – e.g., give 5 min, 1 min warnings

• Prompt incompatible/alternative behavior – e.g., hands on desk instead of flapping them

• Clear instructions – written step by step or photograph or video modeling

• Change physical factors

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Books • The Verbal Behavior Approach by Mary Lynch

Barbera

• Motivation & Reinforcement by Robert Schramm

• Teaching Language to Children with Autism or other Developmental Disabilities by Sundburg & Partington (represents over 25 years of research and revision of the program)

**A Work in Progress by Leaf and McEachin

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