Heather Maurin, MA, EdS, PPS, LEP, BICM
School Psychologist-Stockton Unified School District
THE ABC’S OF APPLIED
BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
WHAT IS BEHAVIOR
Every behavior has a purpose. There is no
behavior that is done that does not serve a
function.
| Behaviors are only contextually appropriate or
inappropriate.
| Behavior does not exist without being related to
the environment.
|
y
Behavior is an interaction of a person’s behavior
with the environment in which it occurs.
APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
|
What is ABA?
The strategic and intentional application of scientific
principles of human behavior and learning.
y The purpose is to predict, influence and modify the
occurrence of certain behaviors.
| Teach or increase desired behaviors
| Reduce or eliminate undesired behaviors
y Used to analyze the environmental factors that
influence behaviors, learning and motivation.
y
APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
|
Another way to think about ABA:
If behavior is changing and learning is occurring,
ABA is in happening!
y If a child can learn maladaptive behavior, the same
child can learn adaptive behavior!
y Behavior is interactive. It is related to the
environment and interacts with other’s behavior (it
does not occur in a vacuum).
y
OPERANT CONDITIONING
|
This is the A-B-C model of behavior
BF Skinner
y Antecedent is the cue, signal or condition that
influence the occurrence of the behavior…basically it
is what happens right before the behavior occurs.
y Behavior: An observable act that a person does.
y Consequence: The outcome and/or feedback that
occurs immediately following the behavior.
y
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Ivan Pavlov
| Unconditioned Stimulus (US)-Unconditioned
Response (UR)
| Conditioned Stimulus (CS) repeatedly paired
with the Unconditioned Stimulus (US) results in
a Conditioned Response (CR).
| “Little Albert” and “Pavlov’s Dogs”
| Can be used to teach. Pairing something
pleasurable (CS) with something neutral (US),
will result in a (CR).
|
ANTECEDENTS (ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS)
|
In Teaching: Setting the stage for learning.
y
|
Includes materials, setting, time of day, person or people
present, how and what directions are given.
In Problematic Behavior:
Conditions or demands that “trigger” maladaptive behavior.
y This can be instruction, materials, a sensory experience, a
person or people, past experience, etc.
y These must be looked at and interpreted to predict future
behavior.
y
|
Example:
y
Woman enters a room filled with smoke and screams “fire”.
CONSEQUENCES
|
Results in an increase or decrease in the
future likelihood of the behaviors.
y
|
Reinforcing Consequences increase the likelihood
of any behavior that produces positive outcomes.
Positive Reinforcers: Providing something
that increases the likelihood of the behavior
occurring.
y
Positive Reinforcer Examples: Receiving a
paycheck for working, being called on when you
raise your hand, getting a soda out of a vending
machine.
CONSEQUENCES-CONTINUED
|
Negative Reinforcers: Removing an aversive
stimulus which increases the likelihood of the
behavior occurring again.
y
|
Negative Reinforcer Examples: Taking an Ibuprofen
to remove a headache, giving a tantruming child a
candy bar to remove the sound of the scream.
Punishing Consequences decrease the likelihood
of any behavior that produces non-preferred
outcomes.
Examples of punishers: Response-Cost: Your
response will cost you something. Extinction: When a
behavior does not achieve the desired response.
y Punishing does not mean that aversives are used.
y
ABC’S OF SKILL TEACHING
|
REINFORCEMENT IS KEY TO
MOTIVATION!!!!!!!
y
Rewards (items or activities) that follow attempts at
a target skill, that result in and increase in attempts
or trying in the future. This creates an eager learner!
|
y
When teaching a new skill this is particularly important to
establish success.
Bribes vs. Paycheck: You know what you are earning
and therefore you are motivated to attain it!
SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT
When teaching a new skill a 1:1 Fixed Ratio of
Reinforcement is important to establish success
(this is when each time a desired behavior occurs
it is rewarded).
| When maintaining a skill a lower ratio of
reinforcement can be used (i.e. interval, variable).
A variable schedule is very powerful when
maintaining desired behavior.
|
FUNCTIONS OF BEHAVIOR
|
There are two main functions to behavior:
y
1) To gain access to a “reinforcer”
|
y
|
With some children, the reinforcer they are gaining may be
self-stimulatory.
2) To escape or avoid a “punisher”
Functional means that the behavior is purposeful
or useful for the student.
INTERVENING WITH
ANTECEDENTS AND
CONSEQUENCES
When ABA is typically used, we often focus on
changing the consequence in order to change the
behavior (i.e. providing a reinforcer if the desired
behavior occurs)
| Manipulating the consequence can be ineffective
at times, specifically when the behavior is selfstimulatory (i.e. hand flapping). In these
situations, altering the antecedent may be more
helpful.
|
FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION
|
Form vs. Function
Communication can take many forms: pointing,
signing, visual pictures, vocalizing, hand leading.
y Function is defined by why the person is doing it.
y
FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION
|
Speaker Skills:
Requests
| Asking for desired item/activities, asking for help,
asking to get out of a situation.
| These are influenced by an internal desire for
something or an internal desire to escape/avoid
something (Antecedent).
| The consequence is that the desired item or
escape/avoidance of the aversive stimulus is achieved.
y Affirming/Rejecting-yes/no
y There are many ways to increase speaker skills.
y
SHAPING/TASK ANALYSIS
Shaping is the process of using successive
approximations towards a desired behavior
(example: newborn baby)
| Task Analysis is breaking down a large task
into smaller pieces (example of TA).
| This is how we take a large objective and break
it into smaller, achievable pieces.
|
y
Forward Chaining (Brushing Teeth) vs. Backward
Chaining (Learning Name)
CHAINING AND BEHAVIORAL
MOMENTUM
|
Behavior chaining can be used when attempting
to get a child to demonstrate a behavior that is
typically difficult or non-preferred.
One form of chaining is called behavioral
momentum.
y This is when you start with a mastered or easy task
to start momentum until you get to the more
difficult task (easy-easy-hard-easy-easy-hard)
y (Example: blowing nose)
y
MODELING
|
Modeling is a technique used to teach a new or
desired behavior. It is a powerful way to teach a
behavior that is not being learned readily by
verbal instruction.
Peer Modeling
y Teacher Modeling
y Vicarious Reinforcement
y
PRE-MACK PRINCIPLE
“Grandma’s Rule”
| If you do this (less preferred task), then you get
this (highly preferred)
|
y
This indicates what the individual is working for
prior to requiring them to perform a difficult or lesser
preferred task.
STRATEGIES TO INCREASE
LISTENER SKILLS
|
Use Transition Objects
y
CD to transition to music time, Paintbrush to signal
art time, lunch box to indicate lunch.
Communication, First_____, Then______
| Visual Schedules
| Use schedules to teach flexibility with
“Surprise”
| Work Systems
| Task Analysis
| Wait Cards
| Visual timers (timetimers.com)
|
CHALLENGING AND ALTERNATIVE
BEHAVIORS
Behaviors are only considered contextually
appropriate or inappropriate.
| When behavior is considered contextually
inappropriate, alternative behavior which meets
the same function can be taught (FERB).
| This allows the function to be met while the
behavior is considered appropriate to the
context.
|
Function-based Behavior Intervention Competing Pathways Summary Statement
Child:
Date:
Intervene
(Alter
antecedents
further)
Setting
Events
Desired
Alternative
Typical
Consequence
(general positive
behavior)
(educational
outcome desired)
Intervene: shape, model and
cue, alter environment to
support positive behavior
Triggering
Antecedents
Prompt
Problem
Behavior
React:
divert
Maintaining
Consequence
s
(If this periodic
event happens...)
React:
divert
Prompt
Intervene: teach FERB and
reinforce and prompt as needed
Acceptable
Alternative
Allow maintaining
consequences
(Functionally
Equivalent
Replacement
Behavior)
http://www.pent.ca.gov/frm/forms
.html
RESOURCES
Competing Pathways Chart-PENT
| Tough Kid Toolbox by William R. Jenson
| Pre-Referral Intervention Manual (PRIM) by
Stephen B. McCarney
| www.pent.ca.gov
| http://www.interventioncentral.org/index.php/beh
avorial-resources
|