The Arc of Washington County
Self-Study Course
For
Independent Support Coordinators
Writing Behavioral Objectives
Lesson 2: The Four Parts of a Behavioral Objective
Bob is a 27-year-old man who likes to joke and kid around with his friends and staff in the
sheltered workshop where he has worked for the past four years. He is short for his age but
people rarely notice his height because of his outgoing and energetic nature. He is quick to smile
and laugh although those who know him well report that if someone is sad, he will pat him or her
on the back and give them a serious but comforting nod of the head. He speaks; however, it is
difficult to understand him unless you have known him for a long time. Even then, friends
sometimes report they don’t understand what he is saying, they simply shake their heads in
agreement until the topic turns to something they understand. He rarely gets angry; however,
when this happens he swears loudly. People have no difficulty understanding the words he uses.
Recently, Bob’s Support Coordinator asked him if he would like to work at another job in the
community and to everyone’s surprise he said he would like to work at a local restaurant because
he liked to eat there, the staff were friendly, one of his friends got a job there, and it was only ten
minutes walking time from his house.
Bob also wanted to learn how to make breakfast for himself and two housemates, get the
groceries for the week without help, and balance his checkbook. Bob also wanted to
independently ride the bus to and from the shopping center and go to movies with his friends.
After three weeks, Bob’s support team helped him apply for and obtain a job working three days
a week at a local restaurant. He selected a Job Coach from two he was offered. He was scheduled
to work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week from 8 a.m. to Noon. The manager said
additional hours might be available based on Bob’s performance. The Job Coach agreed to teach
Bob how to get to and from his job; however, sometimes another staff person might have to fill
in. In addition to other behavioral objectives, they asked the Support Coordinator to write a
behavioral objective for walking to and from work.
Bob’s Support Coordinator wrote a behavioral objective for Bob that looked like this:
When prompted by staff, Bob will walk to the Lunch Box Restaurant within ten minutes without
assistance, without breaking any safety rules, for twelve consecutive mornings.
In this example, the behavioral objective answers four important questions:
1.
What observable, measurable behavior will Bob do to demonstrate the achievement
of the objective?
Answer: Bob will walk to the Lunch Box Restaurant
Can this behavior be seen and documented? If the answer is “Yes,” it is an
observable and measurable behavior.
2.
How well, or to what criterion, must Bob perform the behavior?
Answer: Bob will perform the behavior within ten minutes and without breaking any
safety rules
Please note: These are two criteria (plural of criterion) that the Support Coordinator
and person established for successful performance of the behavior. “Criterion”
means the standard by which the behavior will be judged or measured. The Support
Coordinator and Bob could have chosen other standards; however the team wanted to
balance the time it takes to get to work and safety considerations with the time Bob is
required to “clock in.” Because the distance is short, Bob and the support team
decided the time it took to walk to work and making sure two streets were crossed
safely were the best criteria.
3.
Is one successful performance of the behavior sufficient evidence that the person can
do it reliably and consistently?
Answer: No, Bob will be required to perform the behavior to the criterion above on
twelve consecutive mornings. This is the second part of the criterion. Bob may have
walked to work the first attempt in 8 minutes, stopped at both street corners because
cars were at the corner without any assistance. Does this mean that all assistance can
be withdrawn and he is ready to walk to work on his own? Maybe and maybe not.
HOWEVER, Bob may have had what all of us call “beginners luck.” Perhaps
tomorrow, without any cars at the crossing or some other event might result in
different results. If he is careless and walks out in front of a car, there is a great risk
of injury. The second part of the criterion is designed to avoid luck and injury by
requiring that the behavior be repeated for twelve consecutive mornings. Support
and supervision will continue until Bob has performed the behavior successfully for
twelve mornings in a row.
4.
Are there any special conditions under which the person must perform the behavior?
Answer: Yes. Bob must walk to the Lunch Box Restaurant without assistance.
As the example above demonstrates, a behavioral objective gives the person and support team a
clear idea of what the person wants to accomplish (the behavior), how everyone will know when
the behavior is successfully achieved (the criterion) and what special conditions, if any, need to
be present when the behavior is performed.
In the example above, Bob will learn a behavior that increases his self-sufficiency from a Job
Coach or others who have a common goal in mind. Bob will not be expected to perform this
behavior without supervision until he had given evidence that he is capable of it. The degree of
risk is, therefore, minimized.
Behavioral objectives always have at least three components: the behavior and the two-part
criterion by which the behavior will be measured. In addition, if there are special conditions
under which the behavior occurs, these are also carefully specified.
Lesson 2 Self Test
(Answers are provided at the bottom of this page)1
In the following examples, identify the underlined part of a behavioral objective by writing
“Condition,” “Criterion,” or “Behavior.”
__________ 1. At 10:00 a.m. Alice will stop working and walk to the break room without
reminders 10 consecutive work days for her 15-minute “coffee break.”
__________ 2. When asked, Jim will tell the name of the current day for three consecutive
weeks.
__________ 3.
As part of morning dressing, Ralph will put on socks without assistance
insuring the tops of the socks are pulled up completely without stretching or
tearing the socks on five consecutive days that socks are normally worn.
__________ 4. Mary will eat a daily balanced diet insuring foods are eaten from four basic food
groups including: milk or milk products, such as cheese; vegetables and fruits;
grains, such as cereals, rice, or bread; and meat, poultry, or fish five out of
seven days a week for four consecutive weeks.
__________ 5. Unless she is ill, Susan will go to work on days she is supposed to be there
every day for three months.
__________ 6. When shopping, George will give a salesperson the exact amount of bills and
coins required to purchase an item costing more than one dollar.
Proceed to Lesson 3
1
1. Behavior, 2. Criterion, 3. Condition, 4. Criterion, 5. Condition, 6. Behavior