Functional Assessment and Treatment Process for Decreasing Problem Behaviors

1. Chapter 13 Functional Assessment

2. Treatment Process - Decreasing Problem Behaviors 1. Identify and define problem behavior(s) 2. Initiate data collection 3. Complete functional assessment - Hypotheses about antecedents and consequences 4. Treatment development and implementation 5. Evaluation

3. 5. Evaluation(con’t) Was treatment effective? (Did problem behaviors decrease/desirable behaviors increase?) YES - Promote maintenance & generalization NO - Was treatment done correctly? YES Repeat step #3 (Functional Assessment) NO Do it right

4. Behavioral Model • Behavior is influenced by antecedents and consequences A  B  C - Consequences: reinforcement, extinction, punishment - Antecedents: SD, S-delta, EO • Behavior is influenced by competing behaviors (concurrent operants) - Desirable behaviors vs undesirable behaviors

5. Functional Assessment: What to Assess? • Antecedents: SDs SΔs EOs - When, where, with whom, what circumstances or situations does the behavior occur? - Social and environmental antecedents • Behavior: Problem behavior Alternative behavior Response effort • Consequences: Positive or negative reinforcement - What does the person get or get out of following the behavior? - Social and environmental consequences Schedule of reinforcement Magnitude of reinforcement Immediacy of reinforcement

6. Categories of Reinforcement (Functions of Problem Behaviors) • Social positive reinforcement attention, praise, reactions, activities, things (mediated by others) • Social negative reinforcement escape from tasks, activities, interactions (mediated by others) • Automatic positive reinforcement sensory stimulation (not mediated by others) • Automatic negative reinforcement relief from pain, anxiety, or other aversive stimulation (not mediated by others)

7. Examples • A 4 year old’s tantrums antecedents: requests during preferred activities consequences: escape from requested activity • A 4 year old’s tantrums antecedents: told he can’t have something consequences: gets the thing he asked for • 10 year old’s hair pulling antecedents: alone, negative thoughts and emotions consequences: relief from negative thoughts/emotions • A 6 year old autisitc child’s hand waving antecedents: not engaged in a task or interaction consequences: visual stimulation

8. Examples • 17 year old’s hair pulling/manipulation Antecedents: Alone, watching TV Consequences: tactile stimulation • 17 year old’s hair pulling Antecedents: watching TV, mom busy in the room Consequences: attention • 8 year old’s wrist biting Antecedents: during tooth brushing, sore gums Consequences: escape fro tooth brushing • 18 year old’s binge eating Antecedents: aloe, sad, negative thinking Consequences: relief from negative feeling/thoughts

9. Functional Assessment Methods 1. Indirect (informant) assessment - behavioral interview - questionnaires and rating scales 2. Direct observation assessment - scatter plot recording - descriptive A-B-C recording - checklist recording of A-B-Cs - interval recording of A-B-Cs 3. Experimental manipulations (functional analysis) - manipulate antecedents and/or consequences - evaluate a number of possible functions or - test hypothesis from descriptive assessments

10. Conducting a Functional Assessment • Begin with an interview or other indirect assessment method • Develop a hypothesis about the antecedents and consequences (the function of the behavior) • Conduct direct observation assessments • Confirm or modify original hypothesis based on direct observation assessment • If assessments are consistent, develop and implement treatment that addresses the function of the behavior • If indirect and direct assessments are not consistent, conduct further functional assessments • Conduct functional analysis to confirm hypothesis or resolve inconsistency between indirect and direct assessment