Download FBA-BIP

Functional
Behavior
Analysis
Orv C. Karan, Ph.D.
Professor of Education
University of Connecticut
Introduction

Behavior Problems: Fitting square pegs into
round holes
What is a Behavior Problem?
 Relative to the accepted codes of conduct of the
situation/setting/culture the person’s behavior:
 Can be excessive
 Can be deficient
 Often a combination of too much of one type of
behavior and not enough of another
 Can be crisis
Behavior Problems
 Like truth, beauty and a contact
lens are often in the eye of the
beholder
 Often called interfering or target
behaviors
 Require interventions that: (1)
minimize or eliminate problem
behaviors, and (2) result in
socially acceptable behaviors
One’s behavior is determined to be
acceptable/problematic relative to:
 Laws
 Rules and policies
 Moral, ethical and professional
codes of conduct
 Cultural, ethnic and religious
practices
 Peer and reference groups
Competency-deviancy hypothesis
The more competent a
person is perceived to be
the more deviant society
allows them to be
-Celebrities, famous
athletes, people of wealth,
etc.
The less competent a
person is perceived to
be the less deviant
society allows them to
be
-People who are poor,
disabled, homeless,
institutionalized, etc.
School behavior management approaches
 Rules and policies
 School awards
 Detention
 Principal’s office
 Suspension
 Expulsion
Classroom behavior management
approaches
 Public acknowledgement vs. public humiliation (mild)
 Level or point system with access to privileges
 Group dependent, group inter-dependent and group
independent practices
Teacher Assessments
 Start on the first day of class
 Called “sizing up” and its done by instinct
and intuition
 Have effects that are quite stable
 Can have profound effects on students’
perceptions of themselves and their
interactions with their teachers
Some student characteristics that
influence teachers’ perceptions of
their abilities
 Eye contact
 Facial expressions
 Way they dress
 Body posture
 Way they sit in class
 Way they talk in class
 Cooperativeness
All behavior is communication
 Applies to all individuals in human
interactions
 Cannot not communicate
 65% or more of all communication is
non-verbal
Examples of perceptions of other’s intent
 “He knows what’s he’s supposed to do but
chooses not to do it”
 “He’s just being manipulative”
 “She’s testing me”
 “She’s lazy”
 “She’s disrespecting me”
 “He understands everything”
 Road rage
How well do you perceive the
truth?
FINISHED FILES ARE
THE RESULT OF YEARS
OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY
COMBINED WITH EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS
Communication cautions
 Communication styles differ from person to
person
 Others may not mean what we believe they
do
 Many times different ways of talking or
behaving are causing a problem
 Layers of communication are always at work
in communication
 Anything one says or does can send
messages that become part of the meaning
we impart to our interactions
Communication/
Miscommunication (Complimentary
Schismogenesis)
Emotions /
Feelings
Interpretations
Perceptions
Interpretations
Action /
Behavior
Feelings /
Emotions
Perceptions
Sensations
Action /
Behavior
Sensations
B = f (p,e)
 Behavior is a function of the
person in his/her environment
 Environmental variables are
better predictors of behavior than
are individual characteristics or
traits
Function v. Form
Function of behavior is more
important than its form
What is the student communicating
with his/her behavior?
How is that student’s behavior
being interpreted by others?
How are others reacting to the
student?
What happens to the student’s
behavior?
Communicative Functions of
Behavior
 Self-regulation
 Reflecting an emotional or physical state
 Responding to something
 Wanting to influence the environment
 Having fun
 Skill limitation
Rationale for using Functional
Behavior Analysis (FBA)
 Mandated by IDEA
 To try identifying the function of behavior
 Best practice
Genesis of FBA
 Thorndike’s Law of
effect, i.e., building S-R
connections through
trial an error
 Watson’s work led to
idea that the
presentation of some
stimuli will cause
behavior to occur
(respondent behavior)
 Pavlov
Genesis of FBA continued…
 Skinner’s work showed that
behavior was driven by
consequences that follow it
(operant behavior)
 Bijou’s work led to A-B-C
approach which is the foundation
of FBA
Legal Aspects of FBA
 In response to disciplinary action for a
child with special needs the IEP team
must meet within 10 days to develop
an FBA plan to either develop, review
or revise an existing BIP
Key elements of FBA
 Behavior is operationally defined
 Behavior can be predicted to occur
 Function of behavior is defined
 A behavior intervention plan is designed
Forms of FBA
Functional
Behavior
Analysis
Indirect
FBA
Direct
descriptive
FBA
Indirect FBA often includes
 A review of records
 Behavior rating scales
 Adaptive Behavior Scales,
Academic Assessments and
Social Skills Assessments
 Interviews
Steps in a Direct FBA
 Generating an operational definition
 Determining an appropriate behavior recording
procedure
 Observing and recording the behavior
 Observing and recording the associated
antecedent and consequent variables
Key characteristics of functional
analysis
Focus on overt behaviors of applied
(social or clinical) significance
Assess behavior through direct
observation to identify patterns
Use environmental events to influence
the behavior
Identify, evaluate and demonstrate the
factors responsible for behavior change
Characteristics of a functional
analysis
 Reflects a way of understanding behavior and
using causal information to identify effective
interventions
 Goal is to identify the conditions that control the
occurrence and maintenance of behavior by
determining the function or purpose that the
behavior serves
Observing and recording
behavior
 Starts with an operational definition
 Defining and recording behavior is a two step
process
 Focus on identifying observable behavior or the
relevant characteristics displayed by the student
 Direct observations of the student
Choice of Measurement
Procedures
 Frequency recording
 Duration recording
 Interval recording
 Three types
 Whole interval
 Partial interval
 Momentary Time Sampling
 Permanent Product Recording
 Playcheck recording
Stages of Acting Out Behavior
Peak
Agitation
Trigger
Recovery
Calm
Going beyond the immediate
environment
 Often, students are upset about events
outside the immediate setting which
makes them more vulnerable to acting
out in the setting even though that’s
not what really set the behavior
problem in motion
 These are called “setting events”
 Without having some idea of the
influences on the student’s life outside
of school the likelihood that one’s inschool BIP will be effective is not good,
particularly for more extreme types of
behavior
“No person is an island”
Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Microsystem
Family
Friends
Classes
School
Mesosystem
Interaction of
student with
various
microsystems
Interactions
of
microsystems
with each
other
Exosystem
 Indirect effects on student by
decisions/settings that have an
impact on his/her life
Building a behavioral-ecological
model of behavior
 Thinking outside the box!
Behavior
 What the person does and the extent to which this
represents a match or a mismatch between the person
and the expectations placed on that person either
overtly or subtly by his/her surroundings
“The Winner”
Norman Rockwell
Saturday Evening Post, May 23, 1953
Person Variables
 Developmental level
 Cultural, racial, ethnic, gender roles
 Learning style
 Learning history
 Sensitivity to stimulation
 Resilience and/or frustration tolerance
 Disability
 Nutrition
 Activity level
 Reaction to medication
Antecedent ObservableProximal/Distant
 Possible triggering, i.e., setting,
events that occur prior to the
behavior and that are observable
 Proximal-occur just prior to the
behavior (e.g., called on in class)
 Distant-occur at other times
before the behavior (e.g., an
altercation with a peer on the
bus)
Antecedent CovertProximal/Distant
Possible triggering thoughts/feelings
that occur prior to the behavior and
are not typically observable
Proximal-occur just prior to the
behavior (e.g., perceive a peer’s
disrespect)
Distant-Recollections from earlier
times prior to the behavior (e.g.,
remembering something that was
said last week that generates anger
now)
Overt ConsequencesProximal/Distant
 Possible consequences that follow
the behavior and which are
observable
 Proximal-Occur temporally close to
the behavior (e.g., student gets out
of assignment)
 Distant-Occur temporally distant to
the behavior (e.g., student gets to
buy desired item for which s/he has
been saving)
Covert ConsequencesProximal/Distant
 Possible thoughts/feelings that
occur after the behavior which are
typically not observable
 Proximal-occur just after the
behavior (e.g., “Boy, am I stupid”)
 Distant-Anticipation of
consequences that will or may
occur as a result of the behavior
(e.g., “I’ll probably get grounded
for a week if they find out” or “I will
violate my parole if I hang with my
buddies past curfew”)
Putting the pieces of the
behavioral-ecological model
together
AOpd
P
ACpd
CCpd
B
COpd
A Behavioral-Ecological Model of Behavior
with all of its parts
Micro System
The Student’s Family, School, Peers &
Neighborhood
Mesosystem
Interchanges Among student
and/or his/her micro system
AOpd
ACpd
P
B
CCpd
COpd
Before implementing a
behavior change approach
 Answer the who, what, when,
where, why questions
 Ascertain the communicative
function of the behavior
 Obtain baseline measures of the
frequency, intensity and/or
duration of the behavior
Individual interventions vs.
Environmental modifications
 Too often we use a “shoehorn”
approach in dealing with students’
behavioral issues, namely we do
things intended to make the student fit
what’s available rather than looking at
how to make environmental
modifications that fit the student.
 Assimilation vs. Accommodation
Individualized behavior
intervention plans
How
Why
Where
Who
What
When
Who has the behavior that
needs to change?
 The student
 Others, e.g., classmates,
friends, teachers, family, etc.
What needs to change?
 The student’s behavior
 The environment(s) in which the
behavior occurs
 The behaviors, attitudes, values
and/or beliefs of others
When?
 During what timeframe is a
change/improvement expected?
 Are those to be involved in
behavior change ready, willing
and able during the identified
time?
Where?
 Artificial vs. natural situations
Why?
 Because student wants to
change
 Because family and/or others of
significance want the student to
change
 To conform to rules/policies of
school/society
Types of behavior problems for which
FBA is most commonly used
 Behaviors that preclude the teacher from teaching or
prevent other students from learning
 Verbal aggression/abuse or physical
aggression/abuse
 Noncompliance
 Property destruction
General guidelines
 Is this a personal choice but harmless?
 Will this be a source of embarrassment or
disappointment?
 Will this be a danger to the person or others?
How?
 Make your best guess as to the function of the behavior
 Determine where to target your intervention
 Design the intervention based on your analysis of its
function
 Obtain baseline measures of the target behavior before
you initiate the intervention
 Implement the intervention
 Monitor its implementation and its effects
 Adjust as needed
 ABA is a continual process of developing hypotheses
and then testing them
If the focus of the intervention is
on the individual
 Methods for increasing desired
behaviors
 Methods for decreasing
undesirable behaviors
 Methods for dealing with out-ofcontrol behaviors, i.e., crisis
management
Methods for increasing
desired behaviors
 Positive reinforcement/negative
reinforcement
 Behavioral contracts
 Token economy
 Premack Principle
 Karan Principle
 Modeling the desired behaviors
 Covert approaches
 Professional Counseling
 In the moment counseling, i.e., incidental
counseling or teaching moment
Video clip http://www.youtube.com/watc
?v=92EowaMhXyU
Methods for decreasing
undesirable behavior
 Extinction
 Response cost
 Negative consequences
 Time out
 Overcorrection
 Covert approaches
 Thought stopping
 Covert negative self-statements
 Professional counseling
 In the moment counseling, i.e., incidental counseling or
teaching moment
Self-Management Techniques
 Self-monitoring
 Self-assessment
 Self-reinforcement and selfpunishment
 Self-control training
 Biofeedback
Cognitive therapies
 Rational-emotive therapy
 Covert conditioning
 Exposure treatments
Maintenance, Generalization
and Transfer of Training
 Altering the frequency of rewards
 Programming naturally occurring reinforcers,
e.g., natural consequences
 Fading the contingencies
 Expanding the stimulus control
 Duration of the intervention
 Shifting to self-management methods
Methods for dealing with out-of-control
behaviors, i.e., crisis management
 Ignoring
 Redirecting
 Feedback
 Instructions
 Active Listening
 Stimulus change
 Inter-positioning
 Physical management
Issues, Flaws and Considerations
 Be tuned into your own emotions to determine whether the
behaviors of concern are violating your principles and/or
pushing your buttons
 Try to be objective and functional rather than emotional and
reactive,
 Just because it feels right to you does not mean it is
 Try to act therapeutically and not react emotionally
 Don’t be afraid to lose battles and keep your eye on the bigger
picture
 Should not be about winning or losing and it should never be
about who has more power
Issues, Flaws and Considerations
 Punishment only teaches a child what not to do, it
doesn’t teach him/her what to do
 Often leaves child feeling the desire for revenge
 Medication may be helpful but one must remember
that even though the student’s problem behavior
may only occur for a relatively small percentage of
the child’s day the medication is in his/her
bloodstream 24 hours a day
 Are you aware of the effect your communication
style may be having on the student?
Issues, Flaws and Considerations
 Is the student’s disability contributing to the behavior?
 The more intense the student’s behavior the more
likely it will be perceived as problematic even if it
doesn’t occur very often
 If the student was your relative would you be
comfortable with the approach and believe it to be in
your relative’s best interests?
 Have your earned the right to design an intervention by
knowing the student and the student’s situation well
enough
The biggest flaws with most
behavior intervention plans
 Unrealistic expectations
 Much too complicated (need to “Keep it
simple stupid” or KISS)
 Blaming the victim
 Not being correctly implemented
 Not being monitored or evaluated and
changed accordingly as needed
There are no cookbooks
 Every situation/child is different
 Function over form
 Above all else, do no harm
 Plan with your head not your
emotions