What is the antecedent intervention?
Behavior specialists define behavior contingency into three terms. The ABC contingency means
antecedent, behavior and the consequence. Consequence should happen immediately when the
behavior occurred. It can be a reinforcer or a punishment. Although, the antecedent is the event
or stimuli coming just before the behavior that affects and manipulates the behavior. In my
opinion for behavior therapist is much easier to focus on reactive strategy when trying to
decrease the problem behavior like provide the punishment. However, using a proactive strategy
like antecedent intervention many times can prevent the maladaptive behavior to occur. The
antecedent events or stimuli are classified as contingency dependent (stimulus control) or
contingency independent (MO);(Cooper, p.496) Behavior specialists use antecedent strategies,
usually paired with other treatments, for example, extinction and DRA, to “decrease the
effectiveness of reinforcers maintaining the problem behaviors and a corresponding reduction of
those behaviors.” (Cooper, p.488)
Noncontingent Reinforcement is an antecedent intervention in which reinforcer is delivered on
a fix-time or variable-time schedule, which is independent of learner’s behavior. In that case,
reinforcers are available freely and frequently, that’s why the reinforcement can effectively
diminish the problem behavior. This enriched environment with positive stimuli can be described
as an abolishing operation (AO) “reducing the motivation to engage in the problem behavior.”
(Cooper, p. 489) For example, the boy starts to scream whenever he needs to practice reading
the sight words. To reduce the duration and rate of screaming, the behavior therapist uses the
NCR with negative reinforcement. Materials are removed and the boy is turned away on a FT 10second schedule of escape. That means the boy has a break from the instructional request every
10 seconds of the session. The FT is thinned each time the boy achieved the criterion for two
consecutive sessions. The main goal of the NCR procedure is to decrease the problem behavior –
screaming, and to increase compliance.
High – Probability Request Sequence. The therapist uses this strategy to build the behavior
momentum and learner’s ability to be compliant. The therapist chooses easy 2-5 short tasks “with
the learner has a history of compliance.” (Cooper, p.492) It is important to provide highprobability request tasks immediately before the low-p request. In other words, if you know that
you want to provide difficult/ not-preferred task for the client, it is good to start build the
behavior momentum by providing easy instructions first, before adding to the session the
challenging SD- task. As a therapist, I use a High-p request sentence to check what is my client's
ability of complying at that time. For example, one of mine client has elopement history when
the SD – time to go to your desk, is provided. To avoid that elopement, I start the transition with
easy step instructions. Like “Give me five” – one step imitation – two-step imitation steps. For
each correct response, the child receives the verbal praise as a social reinforcer. Because I know
that other instructions like “Stand up”, while the child is sitting on the carpet, can be more
challenging, I provide preferred sensory reinforcers like squeezes, after the child follows my
instruction to stand up. If the child is compliant during these easy steps, I tell him to go to the
desk. Also, the positive reinforcement, usually 2-3 minutes iPad time, is provided when he
successfully is sitting on the chair at the table. If building the behavior momentum takes more
time and the client doesn’t follow my instruction fast, then he gets low preferred reinforcer –
access to the squishy toy for 1-2 minutes, while sitting at the table.
Functional communication training (FCT) is a differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
“because the intervention develops an alternative communicative response as an antecedent to
diminish the problem behavior.” (Cooper, 494). In contrast to the two previous antecedent
technics, the FCT shows the alternative behaviors that are sensitive to the EOs. In this technic,
we don’t change the EO. The alternative communicative response produces the reinforcement
that has maintained the problem behavior. The communicative response, like words, picture
cards, sign, etc.; is functionally equivalent to the problem behavior. For example, one of my
clients had limited communication skills. Most of the time he was screaming, instead of showing
the picture card while requesting. To prevent the problem behavior while requesting, I used FCT.
Whenever he wanted to get access to the toy or food, he needed to give me a picture card with
the desired item. He immediately received the preferred item/food. Before communication
training, I made sure that all desired toys and favorite snacks are available and easy to deliver to
my client. The continuous schedule of reinforcement made the FCT more effective during the
early stages of this training. When the child was screaming while looking or pointing at the
desired stimulus, the access to the toy or snack was withheld. Also, I gradually reduced the verbal
prompts “to remove any prompt dependence associated with the intervention.” (Cooper, p. 495)