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What Causes Negative Behaviors and What to do About Them

What Causes Negative Behaviors and What to do About Them. by Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA and Cindy A. Sundberg ( www.marksundberg.com). Common Negative Behaviors for Children with Autism. Looking away, non-responding, non-compliance Self-stim (rocking, mouthing objects, etc.)

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What Causes Negative Behaviors and What to do About Them

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  1. What Causes Negative Behaviors and What to do About Them by Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA and Cindy A. Sundberg (www.marksundberg.com)

  2. Common Negative Behaviors for Children with Autism • Looking away, non-responding, non-compliance • Self-stim (rocking, mouthing objects, etc.) • Falling to the floor • Running from adults • Climbing on tables, counters, bookcases, etc. • Screaming, yelling, loud noises, etc.

  3. Common Negative Behaviors for Children with Autism • Crying • Tantrums (combination of behaviors) • Property destruction • Hitting, pushing, biting, etc. • Self-injurious behaviors

  4. Behavioral Psychology can be a powerful tool to understand and change negative behaviors • The three-term contingency (An ABC analysis) AntecedentBehaviorConsequence Child doesn’t want Runs from adults Delays going inside to come inside and gets chased

  5. What Causes Negative Behaviors? • There are many possible causes of negative behaviors • The first task is to identify what is causing the specific behavior • Use the three-term contingency to identify the cause of a behavior • Define the behavior (start small--1 or 2 behaviors) • Identify the antecedents (the events before the behavior) • Identify the consequences (what happened after the behavior) • AntecedentBehaviorConsequence

  6. What Causes Negative Behaviors? • Many negative behaviors are caused by inadvertent reinforcement • Negative behaviors may get attention, reaction, reprimands, etc. • Negative behaviors may get access to reinforcers • Negative behavior may allow one to avoid undesirable activities

  7. What Causes Negative Behaviors? • Negative behavior may allow one to escape undesirable activities • Negative behavior may be fun (Self-stim, destruction, climbing) • Positive behaviors don’t have the same effect as above • No alternative skills to achieve the same reinforcer (Expressive language)

  8. What is Reinforcement? • Reinforcement is anything that increases a behavior • Reinforcement can be getting good things (e.g., attention, toys, food) • Reprimands and negative attention can sometimes be reinforcers for kids • Reinforcement can be getting rid of bad things (e.g., demands, bedtime, putting on shoes)

  9. What is Reinforcement? • Reinforcement increases good and bad behavior • Most reinforcement occurs naturally and unplanned • Understanding how reinforcement works is essential to reducing negative behaviors

  10. Both good and bad behaviors are strengthened by reinforcement

  11. How to Change Negative Behaviors • First identify the cause and frequency of the behavior • Reinforcers are your behavior change tools: Identify and control them • Three parts to the intervention • Prevention (antecedent intervention) • Teach and reinforce (positive) replacement behaviors • Change the consequence after the problem behavior (reduce negative behavior)

  12. Minor Negative Behaviors • Behavior: Loud voice, knocking things off the table, taking other’s toys for attention, fidgeting, whining, mild pouting, sulking, etc. • 1st step: Identify the cause using an ABC analysis: For example, seeking attention • Intervention: • 2nd step: Prevention: Identify high probability settings and time of problem behaviors, and re-schedule competing activities (e.g., phone calls, bill paying), plan activities that will engage the child

  13. Minor Negative Behaviors • 3rd step: Teach positive behavior: Reinforcement: Deliver reinforcement for appropriate behavior, on a consistent basis (e.g., 10-30 times per hour) • 4th step: Reduce negative behavior: Extinction: Ignore minor negative behaviors. Choose your battles wisely.

  14. Attention Seeking: Minor Negative Behaviors • Other possible causes of minor negative behaviors • Weak expressive language • Provide mand training • Manding is asking for reinforcers with words, signs, or PECS • It is often very easy to teach a child to mand (see Sundberg & Partington, 1998)

  15. Attention Seeking: Minor Negative Behaviors • Other possible causes of minor negative behaviors • The curriculum is too hard, out of developmental sequence, or of little value to the child. • Use an assessment tool to identify a developmentally appropriate language and social skills curriculum

  16. How to use Reinforcementto Reduce Negative Behaviors • Make sure you really have a reinforcer • Deliver the reinforcer immediately after good behavior • Set up lots of opportunities for good/correct behavior (Don’t just wait for them) • Use a variety of reinforcers • Deliver some reinforcers free (pairing)

  17. How to use Reinforcementto Reduce Negative Behaviors • Smile, be sincere, laugh, goof around, have fun with your child • Some kids will require lots of reinforcers per hour (30-50) • Engagement usually is reinforcing! • Lack of reinforcement for positive behavior may increase negative behavior

  18. Examples of Reinforcers that Many Children Like • Social/physical reinforcers: attention, smiles, hugs, praise, funny faces, high fives, tickling, rough housing, chasing clapping hands, praise, a good laugh together, thumbs up, pats on the back, etc. • Activity reinforcers: playing a game, going to the park, reading a book together, pushes on a swing, riding a bike, wagon rides, swimming, adventures, put up a tent in the yard, watching a DVD, helping cook, etc. • Material reinforcers: food, drink, toys, bubbles, balloons, crayons, musical toys, playdough, cars, sand play, etc.

  19. Ignoring Bad Behavior: Extinction • Be prepared for an extinction burst • Eye contact is often attention (reinforcement) • Don’t show facial reactions • Don’t argue, scold or talk (attention) • Don’t show anger (attention) • Act absorbed in some other activity, walk away • Give your child attention shortly after the bad behavior stops

  20. More Serious Negative Behaviors • Behavior: Tantrum, hitting, throwing, scratching, falling to the floor, etc. • 1st step: identify the cause of the behavior for that child • Some possible causes: Adult demand (e.g., go to bed, eat at the table, academic work), remove/denial of reinforcers (turn off TV, come inside, can’t have desired activity) • OFTEN, THE CHILD HAS LEARNED THAT NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR WILL REMOVE OR DELAY A TEACHER’S OR PARENT’S DEMANDS

  21. More Serious Negative Behaviors • 2nd step: Prevention, expressive language training, and curriculum change • 3rd step: Intervention: Teach positive behavior • 4th step: Intervention: Weaken negative behavior

  22. More Serious Negative Behaviors • 2nd step: Prevention • Identify high probability problem areas • Initially avoid demands that compete with powerful motivators • Verbally prepare the child if possible • Use “if-then” contingency for more verbal children • Take activities and reinforcers to Drs office, store, airplane or car trips, friends houses, etc.

  23. More Serious Negative Behaviors • Ask for the same behavior under less “high probability” times, and reinforce • Break demand into small steps and reinforce each step • Make your expectations clear, and be consistent • Reinforce approximations • Establish time limits for reinforcers • Use extra time as reinforcers for no tantrums

  24. More Serious Negative Behaviors • Step 3: Teach the positive behaviors • Obtain the most powerful reinforcers for that child • Carefully control and deliver those reinforcers after positive behaviors • However, periodically deliver free reinforcers (pairing) • Create a hierarchy of demands beginning with the simplest tasks (“clap hands” might be an easy demand) • Provide lots of opportunities for the child to comply and be successful

  25. More Serious Negative Behaviors • Gradually increase the demand, always reinforce • Work in short sets of demands throughout the day • Work in all environments • Transfer control to other adults (generalization) • Gradually begin to include high problem area demands (e.g., giving up reinforcers) • Occasionally give back the reinforcer when given up • Always end the interaction on a positive note

  26. More Serious Behaviors andNoncompliance • 4th step: Weaken the negative behavior • Extinction: Do not remove the demand • Follow through with the demand • Be prepared for an extinction burst • Make your expectations clear • Caution: Removing the demand will make the problem worse

  27. More Serious Negative Behaviors • Make sure negative behavior DOES NOT get reinforced in any way • Do not promise reinforcers for stopping • Do not show reinforcers when engaging in negative behaviors • Do not try and “talk a child down” (reinforcement) • Be calm, firm and non-emotional. Do not get caught up in an argument or power struggle

  28. Be Organized and Plan Ahead to be More Effective • Anticipate your child’s needs before his bad behavior forces you to meet his needs • Avoid situations that you think might make the child irritable (e.g., staying out past their bedtime, shopping for a long time) • Start your program in an environment that you can control (not at church, in a store, etc.) • Teach others who work with the child how to use these behavioral techniques

  29. Summary • Most negative behavior is learned behavior • Use the four steps to reduce a negative behavior • 1st step: Use the three-term contingency to identify what causes the behavior • 2nd step: Prevent behavior problems (Change the task or demand levels, increase prompts, increase reinforcers for approximations) • 3rd step: Actively teach positive behaviors and continue to build on them • Identify a wide variety of reinforcers and frequently deliver them for good behavior

  30. Summary • 4th step: Change the existing consequences for negative behavior • Negative behavior often gets reinforced more often than positive behavior • Don’t reinforce the problem behavior • Ignore minor misbehavior • Change is often gradual • Learn as much as you can about Behavior Analysis, it is a powerful tool for improving the lives of children with autism and their families

  31. Thank You! For an electronic version of this presentation visit: www.marksundberg.com

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