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Promoting Social
Emotional Competence
Individualized Intensive
Interventions:
Replacement Skills
Adapted for Kindergarten-Grade 1 from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
by Genetta Gross, Margret Thorstenson, Melissa Binkley & Elizabeth Vorhaus
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Challenging Behavior
What we are referring to when we say “challenging
behavior” is:
• Any repeated pattern of behavior that interferes with
learning or engagement in pro-social interactions with
peers and adults.
• Behaviors that are not responsive to the use of
developmentally appropriate guidance procedures.
• Prolonged tantrums, physical and verbal aggression,
disruptive vocal and motor behavior (e.g., screaming,
stereotypy), property destructions, self-injury,
noncompliance, and withdrawal
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Why Children Engage
in Challenging Behavior
• Challenging behavior communicates
• Used instead of language by a child who has
limited social or communication skills.
• Challenging behavior works
• Challenging behavior results in the child gaining
access to something (i.e., obtain/request/power)
or someone or avoiding something or someone
(i.e., escape/protest).
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Behavior Support Plan
• Behavior Hypotheses- Purpose of the behavior, your
best guess about why the behavior occurs
• Prevention Strategies- Ways to make events and
interactions that trigger challenging behavior easier for
the child to manage
• Replacement Skills– New skills to teach throughout
the day to replace the challenging behavior
• Responses- What adults will do when the challenging
behavior occurs to ensure that the challenging
behavior is not maintained and the new skill is learned
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Behavior Hypothesis
• Expands on the behavior equation and incorporates
what you have learned from observations and
interviews
• Includes information about:
• Function of the behavior
• Triggers of the challenging behavior
• Description of the challenging behavior
• Responses that maintain the challenging behavior
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Terrance’s Hypothesis Statement
To avoid sharing or to maintain solitary use of toys or
activities, Terrance uses physical aggression. When
children attempt to use toys he has played with or is playing
with, Terrance will hit and kick them. Adults remove the
injured child from the area and provide Terrance with
negative attention (e.g. scolding). Terrance maintains use
of the toy or activity.
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Not Sure About the Hypothesis?
• What would make the challenging behavior stop? Is it
something you would provide or allow the child to access?
Or is there something to remove? Or can you allow the
child to leave?
• If still unsure, collect more data in the same context.
• Some challenging behavior may have the same form but
serve multiple functions.
• Some challenging behaviors may begin around one
function (e.g. escape) and continue to serve another
function (e.g. gain attention).
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Behavior Support Plan
• Behavior Hypotheses- Purpose of the behavior; your
best guess about why the behavior occurs
• Prevention Strategies- Ways to make events and
interactions that trigger challenging behavior easier for
the child to manage
• Replacement Skills– New skills to teach throughout
the day to replace the challenging behavior
• Responses- What adults will do when the challenging
behavior occurs to ensure that the challenging
behavior is not maintained and the new skill is learned
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Teaching Replacement Skills
• Teach alternative behavior to challenging behavior.
• Replacement skills must be efficient and effective (i.e.,
work quickly for the child).
• Consider skills that child already has.
• Make sure the reward for appropriate behavior is
consistent.
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Functional Equivalence
• Identify an acceptable way that the child can deliver the
same message.
• Make sure that the new response is socially
appropriate and will access the child’s desired
outcome.
• Teach the child a skill that honors that function of the
behavior (e.g., if child wants out of activity, teach child
to gesture “finished”).
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Escape
(e.g., activity, demands, social interaction)
Possible Replacement Skills
• Request break
• Say “No”
• Set goals
• Say “All done”
• Request help
• Identify and express
• Follow schedule
feelings
• Use supports to follow
rules
• Anticipate transitions
• Participate in routine
• Choice
• Self-management
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Obtain
(e.g., attention, object, activity)
Possible Replacement Skills
• Follow schedule
• Request attention
• Participate in routine
• Choice
• Self-management
• Ask for a hug
• Request help
• Ask for a turn
• Teach delay of
• Ask for item
reinforcement
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Scripted Stories
• Scripted stories provide a script for the child about
social situations and expectations.
• The story is written from the child’s perspective.
• The story includes descriptive, perspective, and
directive sentences.
• The story must match the child’s symbolic and
receptive communication level.
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Scripted Stories
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Social Skills Instruction
• Determine skill to be taught; be specific (what does the
behavior look like?).
• Ensure that opportunities to teach and practice the skill
are available.
• Decide on method of instruction (e.g. role play, prompt
and acknowledge positive behavior, etc.).
• Teach skill.
• Provide opportunities to practice skill.
• Reinforce skill use in natural contexts.
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Self-Management
• Identify an observable behavior that the child will self-
manage.
• Visually display behaviors for the child.
• Provide instruction to the child on the targeted skill.
• Give child a mechanism to monitor engagement in the
behavior through a checklist or chart.
• Provide positive attention to the child for engaging in the
behavior and using the self-monitoring system.
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When You Can’t Honor the Function
of the Challenging Behavior…
• Teach tolerance for delay in achieving the reinforcer (e.g.
help the child stay engaged by giving a signal about how
long to hang in “two more songs, then all done.”)
• Provide choices (“You can put a sticker or a stamp on your
chart, but you need to take meds.”)
• ‘First, then’ contingency (“First, wash hands with the wipes
or at the sink. Then, snack.”)
• Provide preferred items as distraction (“Sit in car seat; you
can have teddy bear or you can have blanket.”)
• Teach child to anticipate and participate (e.g. provide a
transition warning and a visual schedule so the child can
anticipate the transition and actively participate.)
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Designing Replacement Skill
Instruction Procedures
• Select a skill to teach.
• Select a method of instruction.
• Follow steps of instructional procedure systematically.
• Teach throughout the day.
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Activity: Action Planning
• Take some time to fill out your Action Plan
• Include in your Action Plan:
• Identify 1-2 children in your classroom who will
benefit from replacement skills
• Decide which skills will work best for them
• Decide how you will put those skills into action
HO : Action Plan
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Questions?