AppliedBehaviorAnalysis 101 : Everyday ABA

Transcription

1 AppliedBehaviorAnalysis 101 : Everyday ABA First Leap LLC Laura Alison Peroutka, M.Ed, BCBA 1 What is Applied Behavior Analysis? Applied: principles applied to socially significant behavior Behavioral: based on scientific principles of behavior Analysis: progress is measured and interventions modified Supernanny 2

2 History of ABA B.F. Skinner: When rats were taught to put a lever to get food, the pressed the lever quickly. When food was not given anymore, they pressed the lever even faster and then stopped. Operant Conditioning: A change (increase or decrease) in the strength of an operant behavior across subsequent presentations of the discriminative stimulus as a function of its historic consequences. ( glossary.html) 3 ABA... Simply Individual Skills are Taught Through Common Stimuli and Prompting in order to Access Reinforcement With a goal to... Strengthen the connection between desired behaviors and reinforcement (Reinforcement) Weaken the connection between undesired behaviors and reinforcement (Punishment) 4

3 Common Terms Antecedent: The stimulus that directly proceeds the behavior. It may include information about the environment, the individual s behavior, and the behavior of those around the individual. Consequence: The specific, immediate response/result from a behavior. In regards to the behavior, consequence does NOT have a negative connotation. i.e. Individual was asked to leave room, student laughed, parent hugged Differential Reinforcement: Different responses are given different value reinforcement in order to strengthen the most desired response. FCT: Functional Communication Training This is teaching a functional form of communication with which to replace behavior. 5 Pop Quiz Preview! A parent and child are at the store. While waiting in line to check-out, the child spots a toy and asks for it. When told No, the child begins to throw a temper tantrum. After a few minutes and many stares, the parents buys the toy. The child sits happily in the cart and plays. What reinforcement or punishment is taking place? What might happen at the store next time? What would be a proactive technique the parent could use? 6

4 Autism and ABA Lovaas, 1987: 90% of participants in a intensive ABA program showed substantial improvements. Almost half tested within normal range for IQ, social skills, and adaptive life skills at the end of the study. So WHY? The methodology compliments the way many individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder are thought to learn. They focus on details and do not naturally pick up skills through observation. ABA allows them to learn skills through explicitly teaching their individual components and creating reward systems based on the individuals interests. 7 ABA By Another Name DTT: Discrete Trial Trainin VB: Verbal Behavior NET: Environment Teaching PRT: Pivotal Response Training 8

5 Data! One of the key components of ABA is DATA! Data is used to set target goals, determine progress, and adjust teaching as needed. All target have mastery criteria Data may be done per trial, the first 1-10 trials of the session, by incident, or anecdotal. 9 ABA Programs Teaching Skills Language Imitation Academics/Pre-Academics Social Skills Self-Help Skills Behavior Management Attention Aggression Safety Social 10

6 Teaching with ABA Errorless Teaching: Prompt the correct response/behavior before the student has a chance to make an error. Be sure to fade prompts so the student doesn t become prompt dependent Imitation: Imitation is the natural way most children learn, so this is always an initial focus Focus on Communication: Through increasing communication, the child becomes more independent and typically any aggressive behaviors decrease Visual Supports: Children with autism are often highly visual; visual schedules and token systems help provide a more predictable schedule for them 11 Video Examples 12

7 Behavior Management We just look at the observable and measurable We remove words like, feel, thinks, seems We examine before and after the undesired behavior By having all this we can narrow behavior down to having Major Functions (of behavior) Obtain attention/tangible Escape attention/tangible/activity Self-Stimulatory 14

8 (New) Vocabulary Reinforcement: Increases the likelihood of a behavior Punishment: Decreases the likelihood of a behavior Positive: Individual obtains something Negative: Something is removed from individual 15 AntecedentBehaviorConsequence Antecedent (What Triggered the Behavior Behavior (What did the behavior look like, how long) Consequence (What was the response to the behavior/why did the individual stop Possible Function Mom is on the phone Child begins to throw things and yell Mom gets off the phone to talk to child Parent Attention Dad tells child it s time for bath Child says, Dad! Let s do a puzzle runs to the living room, and dumps a puzzle on the floor. Dad helps him put the puzzle away before bath Escaping bath or Parent Attention 16

9 Look for Patterns Are there similarities in the antecedents? Are there similarities in the consequences? 17 Absence of Undesired Look for when the student is NOT engaging in the undesired behavior When engaged in tasks? During play time? During structured or unstructured time? 18

10 If a Simple Fix Works... Antecedent Manipulations: altering some part of the environment or incidences that typically occur prior to a behavior 19 Teaching a Replacement Behavior Errorless Teaching: Prompt the correct response/behavior before the student has a chance to make an error. Be sure to fade prompts so the student doesn t become prompt dependent Always pair with differential reinforcement Differential Reinforcement: Desired behaviors are reinforcers at a higher and more valuable rate than other behaviors. 20

11 Extinction Textbook Definition:...Reduces the behavior by withholding or terminating the positive reinforcer that maintains an inappropriate target behavior (Alberto & Troutman, 2005) For extinction to work, you must tailor it to fit the function: Attention: Extinction would involve not providing attention when individual is engaging in behavior Escape: Extinction would involve not allowing the person to be removed from the situation Often, before the behavior decreases an extinction burst is seen. Because the behavior has a history of reinforcement, the person may engage in exaggerated problem behavior to try and gain the reinforcer. Do not be discouraged; once the extinction burst is finished the behavior typically declines quickly. Consistency is key. Spontaneous Recovery may also be seen if the original behavior accesses the reinforcer again 21 Responding Under Extinction 22

12 Pop Quiz! A parent and child are at the store. While waiting in line to check-out, the child spots a toy and asks for it. When told No, the child begins to throw a temper tantrum. After a few minutes and many stares, the parents buys the toy. The child sits happily in the cart and plays. What reinforcement or punishment is taking place? What might happen at the store next time? What would be a proactive technique the parent could use? 23 Positive Behavior Support This refers to using reinforcement strategies before using punishment strategies. Tell the child what you want them to do ( Walk ) instead of what you don t want ( Don t run) Research has shown children of all abilities tend ot learn faster when reinforced for desired behaviors instead of punished for undesired behaviors. 24

13 Using Token Systems Token systems can have as few or as many (max ~20) as needed Student can earn... one for each trial, one for each best response, one for each correct response, or on a variable schedule When starting, keep the token system moving quickly! 25 Get the Individual Involved Have them help monitor their behavior They can graph what they do (or don t do) Highlight where their goal is You can slowly move them into selfmonitoring 26

14 Kids are the best BEHAVIOR ANALYSTs! 27 Key Concepts All behavior regardless of our value judgement as to its quality is useful/functional for the individual The more experience one has at a specific behavior and getting their needs met the more likely they are to use that behavior People will match the rate of a behavior to the rate of reinforcement available Given two behaviors that serves the same function/purpose a person will use the one that is most effective and efficient Withholding delivery of a reinforcer for a behavior will 28

15 Questions? There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction. - Winston Churchill 29