Antecedent-Based Interventions and Behavior Change

Antecedent-Based Interventions and Behavior Change Lauralee Keach, MA, BCBA HowardCenter

Goals for Today Introduce the principle of antecedent interventions and the role they play in behavior change procedures Review Sds and MOs/AOs Review various types of antecedent strategies Practice identifying and implementing effective antecedent interventions

What are Antecedents? • The stimuli, events and conditions that precede a behavior and set the occasion for the behavior to occur. • When antecedent A is present, if you do behavior B, then consequence C will follow. • Three types of antecedents: cues, setting events and motivating operations

Sd (Discriminative Stimulus) • A stimulus becomes a cue (discriminative stimulus) for a particular behavior if it is repeatedly present when the behavior is reinforced. The strength of a stimulus to cue a particular behavior is related to the strength of the reinforcer that follows the behavior. To build strong cues, deliver strong reinforcers in the presence of the cues.

Setting Events • The context, conditions or situational influences that affect behavior. • A setting event is anything that does not directly trigger the behavior but occasions the behavior to occur. • Examples - An event that occurred in the near distant past (sitting on the bus next to someone who was screaming) - Environmental Conditions- loud, a lot of people, bright lighting - Person delivering the demands: preferred or nonpreferred? History of reinforcement?

Two Types of Motivating Operations • Establishing Operation • Increases the reinforcing effectiveness of a consequence • Food deprivation increases the reinforcing effectiveness of food • Sleep deprivation… • Being deprived of a favorite toy… • Increases the current frequency of the behavior • Food deprivation evokes behaviors that have been reinforced with food in the past • Sleep deprivation… • Not having access to a favorite toy for a while… • Abolishing Operation • Decreases the reinforcing effectiveness of a consequence • Food consumption decreases the reinforcing effectiveness of food • Sleeping… • Playing with a favorite toy all day… • Decreases the current frequency of the behavior • Food consumption abates behaviors that have been reinforced with food in the past • Sleeping… • Playing with a favorite toy all day…

Unconditioned Motivating Operations (UMO’s) – Temperature Changes

Unconditioned EOs

Unconditioned AOs

Conditioned Motivating Operations (CMOs) • Motivating variables that alter the reinforcing effectiveness of other stimuli, objects or events, only as a result of the organism’s learning history • Alter the momentary frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced by those other events (like UMOs)

CMO –Example CMO: Peanut butter and bread with no knife Response: “knife” Reinforcer: knife

MO vs. SD • How are they similar? • They both precede behavior • They both evoke operant behavior (but for very different reasons) • How do they differ? • Sds have to do with the availability of a reinforcer (has the reinforcer been delivered in the presence of that object in the past?) • MOs have to do with the effectiveness of a reinforcer (Is the “reinforcer” reinforcing at that moment in time?)

Video of Motivating Operations • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY6QDUML5g0&feature=player_embedded#t=86s

Why Focus on Antecedents? • Alters events prior to the occurrence of problem behavior • Decrease the likelihood of problem behavior • Increase the likelihood of desired behavior • May be less disruptive to the environment than reactive procedures • Relatively easy to implement correctly • They are educative: new skills may be acquired in the absence of the challenging behavior

Functional Behavior Assessment • The goal of antecedent-based intervention is to identify factors that are prompting learners to use interfering behaviors as well as what might be reinforcing their use of these behaviors during particular activities. • The factors of setting events, antecedent stimulus, the behavior and the consequence are identified through the implementation of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA).

Functional Behavior Assessment cont. • The results of the FBA will guide the selection of intervention strategies based on the function of the behavior and will vary according to the needs of the individual • Functions of Behavior: - Attention - Escape/Avoidance - Tangible - Automatic

Antecedent-Based Interventions • Behavioral Momentum • Visual Supports • Environmental Accommodations • Demand/Task Adaptations • Provide choices • Functional Communication Training

Behavioral Momentum • A procedure used to increase compliance • Includes presenting at least 3 requests for high probability responses in succession followed immediately by a request for a low probability response. Once the momentum of compliance is started, it is more likely to continue with low probability responses • Provide verbal praise for compliance with the high probability requests to maintain the behavior • The key to successfully implementing behavior momentum is immediately providing positive reinforcement for compliance with the low probability request.

Behavioral Momentum • Behavioral effects of high-p request sequence suggests the abative effects of an AO by • Reducing the value of reinforcement for non-compliance to low-p requests • Reducing the aggression & self-injury typically associated with low-p requests • Provides non-aversive procedure for improving compliance by diminishing escape-maintained problem behaviors • May decrease excessive slowness in responding to requests & increase time used for completing tasks

Behavioral Momentum • Apply the high-p request sequence by • Selecting 2-5 short tasks with which the individual has a history of compliance • Present the high-p request sequence immediately before requesting the target task (i.e. low-p request) • Present the low-p request following in the same manner that all high-p requests were presented

Behavioral Momentum • Use potent reinforcers • Social praise may not be enough to increase compliance if motivation for escape behavior is high • Use of high-quality positive stimuli immediately following compliance may increase effectiveness of the intervention

Behavioral Momentum Example • hp: Sam, please help me hand out the papers • hp: Thanks, Sam. Now help me straighten the chairs. • hp: You did a great job with the chairs! Please erase the board for me. • lp: Now Sam, please do the 10 problems on your math paper. • Sam, I like the way you sat down and got right to work on your math paper. You just earned 2 points!

Visual Supports • Do you have a calendar that you use to help organize your life? • Do you have a list of things to do on your desk or refrigerator? • Do you ever read a sign to tell you what line to stand in or what door to exit from? • Have you ever followed a recipe in a cookbook? • Do you ever attach a note to your bathroom mirror to remind you to do something?

Visual Supports cont. • Visual supports enable a learner to keep track of daily activities and develop an understanding of time and sequences. • Any tool presented visually that supports the individual as he or she moves through the day • Includes pictures, written words, gestures, objects within the environment, visual boundaries, schedules, labels, organization systems and scripts

Advantages of Visual Supports • When individuals are given the opportunity to learn with visual supports they: • Complete more tasks themselves therefore increasing their independence • Learn more rapidly • Demonstrate decreased levels of frustration, anxiety and aggression related to task completion • Adjust more readily to changes in their environments

Visual Supports- Examples

Visual Support Example • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wZysUeboMk&feature=player_detailpage#t=60s

Environmental Accommodations • The physical arrangement or characteristics of a setting may cause or contribute to interfering behaviors. The goal of this antecedent strategy is to alter the environment so that the specific triggers that prompt the learner to engage in the interfering behaviors are no longer present in that setting

Environmental Considerations • Lighting: is it too bright or too dim? • Noise level: is it too quiet or too loud? • Preferential seating: Should the student sit in the back or front of the room? Near a door or window? • Proximity to others/peers: Are there peers who the student may be more successful sitting near? Less successful? Does proximity to others increase or decrease the probability of interfering behavior? • Use picture posters or schedules to help learners understand what to do within or across activities • Ensure that the environment is neat and orderly • Making changes and additions to activities/tasks on a regular basis to maintain engagement • Use pictures and labels to identify areas in which different behaviors are expected (e.g. quiet voice during individual work time, laughing and talking in the play area) • Arrange the setting where specific activities may occur (using carpet squares during circle time to mark individual spaces, specific table for academic tasks)

Functional Communication Training • FCT emerged from the literature on functional behavioral assessment (FBA) as a systematic practice to replace inappropriate behavior or subtle communicative acts with more appropriate and effective communicative behavior or skills • Always implemented after an FBA has been conducted to identify the function of an interfering behavior • The interfering behavior is analyzed to determine what the learner is trying to communicate • A replacement behavior is taught that is easy for the learner to use and serves the same purpose as the interfering behavior but in a more appropriate way

Example of a Break Card Procedure • Used for 9-year-old student with high-functioning ASD • Interfering behaviors (making loud noises, leaving his seat, non-compliance) in the classroom were determined to be escape maintained • A break card procedure was introduced to provide him an appropriate means of asking to leave the classroom

Example of Break Card

Activity: Getting Ready to Implement Antecedent-Based Interventions • Possible Functions: • Attention • Escape/Avoidance • Tangibles • Situations likely to evoke challenging behavior: • Desired object is not available or is removed • Difficult/Nonpreferred Task • Diverted/Minimal attention • Task requires extended duration of engagement • Eric is painting a picture when he suddenly throws his paintbrush on the floor. Every time Eric does this, his teacher tells him he is done painting and he has to leave the table. 2. Maria is enjoying free time on the computer in the classroom when her teacher directs her to get off the computer and go to her desk for math class. Maria screams at the teacher and refuses to get off the computer. Her teacher tells her she can continue on the computer as long as she’s quiet during math class.

Antecedent-Based Interventions and Behavior Change