Antecedent-Based Interventions and Behavior Change

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Antecedent-Based Interventions and Behavior Change

• Lauralee Keach, MA, BCBA
• HowardCenter

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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

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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.

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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?

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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

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Unconditioned Motivating Operations (UMOs)
Temperature Changes
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Unconditioned EOs
EO Increases effectiveness of Evokes
Food deprivation
Water deprivation
Sleep deprivation
Activity deprivation
Oxygen deprivation
Becoming too warm
Becoming too cold
Increase in painful stimulation
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Unconditioned AOs
AO Decreases effectiveness of Abates
Food consumption
Water consumption
Sleeping
Being active
Breathing
Becoming cooler
Becoming warmer
Decrease in painful stimulation
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Conditioned Motivating Operations (CMOs)

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

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CMO Example
CMO Peanut butter and bread with no knife
Response knife
Reinforcer knife
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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?)

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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

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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).

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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
• - Attention
• - Tangible
• -Escape/Avoidance
• - Automatic

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Antecedent-Based Interventions

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

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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.

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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!

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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 shes
  quiet during math class.