Title: Increasing Compliance and Decreasing Problem Behavior
1Increasing Compliance and Decreasing Problem
Behavior
- Tammy Hammond Natof, M.A., B.C.B.A.
- Facing Autism ABA Ireland, 2005
2How behavior is learned
- All behavior is learned (strengthened) through
reinforcement - Positive Reinforcement The presentation of a
stimulus increases the likelihood that the
response will occur - Negative Reinforcement The removal of a stimulus
increases the likelihood that the response will
occur
3Problems with calling reinforcement positive and
negative
- Is food a positive reinforcer?
- Behavior strengthened from presentation of food
(positive reinforcement) - Behavior strengthened from consumption of food
reducing hunger (negative reinforcement) - Is money a positive reinforcer?
- Behavior strengthened from presentation of money
(positive reinforcement) - Behavior strengthened from ending a moneyless
period (negative reinforcement)
4Alternative for describing reinforcement
- Instead of thinking in terms of presenting or
removing a stimulus, talk about changes from one
stimulus condition to another (Baron Galizio,
2005) - Change in condition can include one or more of
the following - Change in social attention from others
- Access to tangibles
- Sensory stimulation
- Change in demand situation
- Improved biological condition
5Designing an intervention
- Determine the function of the behavior
- Change in social attention from others
- Access to tangibles
- Sensory stimulation
- Change in demand situation
- Improved biological condition
- Each aspect of intervention must match the
function - Using extinction
- Strategies for shaping compliance
- Improving communication
6Increasing Compliance
- Extinction
- If the behavior is happening to
- Gain attention, Access tangibles
- Escape demands, Escape attention
- Can you restrict attention or tangibles?
- Can you maintain demands or attention?
- Caution Child should not gain access to the
desired outcome immediately after the problem
behavior stops. This may create a chain, where
the child learns to tantrum and then stop in
order to get it.
7Increasing Compliance
- Shaping compliance
- If the behavior is happening to
- Gain attention, Access tangibles
- Escape demands, Escape attention
- Can you develop and use a shaping procedure?
- To gradually increase distance, duration,
difficulty, etc. before providing access to the
item - If child engages in problem behavior on any of
the steps, use extinction - If child continues to have difficulty with
current step, go back to the previous step or
make a modification
8Increasing Compliance
- Examples of shaping compliance
- Tolerating removal of preferred item or activity
- Tolerating no
- Accepting that the item is not available
- Waiting
- Tolerating a delay in reinforcement
- Shaping difficulty of demands/instructions
- Shaping duration of completing instructions
9Increasing Compliance
- Improving communication
- Functional communication training
- How to request appropriately
- How to get attention from others appropriately
- How to indicate biological conditions (e.g.,
pain) - Complaining appropriately
- Complaining in a socially acceptable way
- Negation
- How to say no at appropriate times
10- When the therapist arrives, Tina seems happy to
see her and immediately goes to the therapists
bag to see what toys she has brought with her
today. The minute Tinas mom says goodbye and
begins to leave the room, Tina falls to the floor
and begins to scream and kick.
Gain Attention
11Increasing Compliance with Separating from a
Parent/Caregiver
- Extinction
- Child does not gain access the parent while
engaging in problem behavior - Caution Child should not gain access to parent
immediately after the problem behavior stops.
This may create a chain, where the child learns
to tantrum and then stop in order to see the
parent.
12Increasing Compliance with Separating from a
Parent/Caregiver
- Shaping Compliance
- Tolerating separation from parent
- Gradually increase distance away from parent
- Waiting
- Gradually increase time away from parent
- Tolerating no
- Shape by first giving an alternative, then
gradually fading to a simple no, not right now. - If child engages in problem behavior on any of
the steps, use extinction - If child continues to have difficulty with
current step, go back to the previous step or
make a modification
13Increasing Compliance with Separating from a
Parent/Caregiver
- Improving communication
- Functional communication training
- How to request for parent appropriately
- How to get attention from parent appropriately
- Complaining appropriately
- Complaining about it in a socially acceptable way
14- When Arnie arrives to the classroom in the
morning, he puts away his coat an bag and then
goes to a learning center to play for about 10
minutes. When instructed to get his reading
folder and go to his seat, Arnie screams and
begins to run around the classroom.
Access to Tangibles
Escape from Demands
15Increasing Compliance with Following Instructions
- Extinction
- Access to tangibles Does not gain access to the
toys while engaging in problem behavior - To prevent a learned chain, student does not gain
access to toys immediately after the problem
behavior stops - Escape from demands Must complete the
instruction before the demand is lifted - To prevent a learned chain, student must complete
the original instruction and at least one
additional instruction without problem behavior
before the demands are lifted
16Increasing Compliance with Following Instructions
- Shaping compliance
- Tolerating no or removal
- Accepting that he cant have the item now
- Waiting
- Tolerating a delay in getting the toys
- Shaping difficulty of demands/instructions
- Shaping duration of completing instructions
- If child engages in problem behavior on any of
the steps, use extinction - If child continues to have difficulty with
current step, go back to the previous step or
make a modification
17Increasing Compliance with Following Instructions
- Improving communication
- Functional communication training
- How to request for more time with items
- Complaining appropriately
- Complaining about having to leave to toys or
having to do work in a socially acceptable way
18- Pete engages in problem behavior in the form of
hitting his closed fist to his head or banging
his head against the desk or furniture. A
functional assessment indicated that he does this
when instructed to transition to a less preferred
activity, when denied access to items or
activities that he wants, and when the instructor
is talking to others or not giving Pete her
undivided attention.
Access to Tangibles
Gain Attention
19Pete Program Goals
- Shaping compliance
- To tolerate transition to less preferred activity
- Accepting no without engaging in problem
behavior - Improving communication
- Functional communication training using
spontaneous commenting to get attention from
others
20Program To tolerate transition to less preferred
activity Baseline Completes 1 to 3 simple
instructions Step 1 Completes 1 to 3 simple
instructions with pre-instruction reinforcer
choice Step 2 Participate in less preferred
activity for 30 seconds with pre-instruction
reinforcer choice
Baseline
Step 1
Step 2
of transitions without problem behavior
Pete
1 2
3 4
5 6
7 8 9
21Program Accepting no without engaging in
problem behavior Step 1 You cant have __, but
you can have __. Step 2 No, you cant have
__, but you can have __. Step 3 No, you can
have __ later.
of trials without problem behavior
Pete
1 2 3 4
5 6 7
8 9 10 11
12 13 14
22Program Spontaneous commenting Step 1 Comments
with gestural cue Step 2 Comments without a
gestural cue
Step 1
Step 2
Frequency of tacts in 15 minute interval
Pete
23Reducing hitting by matching intervention to
function
Tolerate transition program
Hitting after demands (frequency)
Hitting after delayed Sr (frequency)
Accepting no program
Pete
Commenting program
Hitting after attention removed (frequency)
24- Namon has difficulty remaining in his seat. He
also engages in inappropriate vocalizations and
bites his hand. Namon frequently engages in
these behaviors when given instructions to
complete a nonpreferred task, when a preferred
item or activity is removed or terminated, and
when denied access to a preferred item or
activity.
Access to Tangibles
Escape from Demands
25Namon Program Goals
- Shaping compliance
- Increasing compliance to instructions
- Tolerating removal of a preferred item or
activity - Accepting no without engaging in problem
behavior
26Program Increasing compliance to
instructions Baseline Complete 1 to 3 simple
instructions while accessing preferred
items/activities Step 1 Completes 1 to 3 simple
instructions, remove preferred item/activity
before giving instruction Step 2 Modification
add pre-instruction reinforcer choice Step 3
Participate in less preferred activity for 30
seconds with pre- instruction reinforcer choice
Baseline
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
of trials without problem behavior
Namon
27Program Tolerating removal of a preferred
item/activity Step 1 Removal of preferred
item/activity (1 sec) Step 2 Removal of
preferred item/activity (3 sec) Step 3 Removal
of preferred item/activity (5 sec) Step 4
Removal of preferred item/activity (10 sec) Step
5 Removal of preferred item/activity (25
sec) Step 6 Removal of preferred item/activity
(30 sec)
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
of transitions without problem behavior
Namon
28Program Accepting no without engaging in
problem behavior Step 1 You cant have __, but
you can have __. Step 2 No, you cant have
__, but you can have __. Step 3 No, you can
have it later. Step 4. No, not now. Step 5.
No, not now. Adult continues to manipulate item.
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 2
Step 1
of trials without problem behavior
Namon
29Reducing problem behavior by matching
intervention to function
Increasing compliance program
Inappropriate vocals (frequency)
Tolerate removal of item
Biting (frequency)
Namon
Accepting no program
Out of seat (frequency)
30Considerations
- Remember to refrain from providing access to the
item or activity immediately after the behavior
stops (even if the child mands appropriately).
This can create chain! - Bowman, L. G., Fisher, W. W., Thompson, R. H.,
Piazza, C.C. (1997). On the relation of mands
and the function of destructive behavior. Journal
of Applied Behavior Analysis, 30, 251-256.
31Considerations
- Types of instructions that interrupt a preferred
activity (do versus dont requests) can
influence compliance. - Say sit up instead of dont lay on the floor.
- Adelinis, J. D., Hagopian, L. P. (1999.) The
use of symmetrical do and dont requests to
interrupt ongoing activities. Journal of Applied
Behavior Analysis, 32, 519-523.
32Considerations
- Parents have been shown to be effective
implementers of programs designed to shape
compliance for completing instructions with
gradually increasing difficulty level - Important to create a hierarchy of levels to use,
from least to most difficult for the child - Important to change steps/add steps if change in
difficulty level is too much - Ducharme, J. M., Drain, T. L. (2004). Errorless
academic compliance training Improving
generalized cooperation with parental requests in
children with autism. Journal of the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43,
163-171.
33Considerations
- What to do when the behavior occurs for sensory
stimulation? - Compliance programs are not likely to decrease
these behaviors - Need to utilize other methods of behavior
reduction, such as differential reinforcement of
incompatible behavior, interruption and
redirection etc. - Falcomata, T. S., Roane, H. S., Hovanetz, A. N.,
Kettering, T. L. (2004). An evaluation of
response cost in the treatment of inappropriate
vocalizations maintained by automatic
reinforcement. Journal of Applied Behavior
Analysis, 37, 83-87.
34Considerations
- What to do when SIB occurs to improve biological
conditions? - Compliance programs are not likely to decrease
these behaviors - Communication training - How to indicate
biological conditions (e.g., pain) - May need to utilize other methods of behavior
reduction, such as differential reinforcement of
alternative behavior, protective equipment, etc. - Moore, J. W., Fisher, W. W., Pennington, A.
(2004). Systematic application and removal of
protective equipment in the assessment of
multiple topographies of self-injury. Journal of
Applied Behavior Analysis, 37, 73-77. - OReilly, M. F., Murray, N., Lancioni, G. E.,
Sigafoos, J., Lacey, C. (2003). Â Functional
analysis and intervention to reduce
self-injurious and agitated behavior when
removing protective equipment for brief time
periods. Behavior Modification, 27, 538-559 - Thompson, R. H., Iwata, R. A., Conners, J.,
Roscoe, E. M. (1999). Effects of reinforcement
for alternative behavior during punishment of
self-injury, Journal of Applied Behavior
Analysis, 32, 317-328.