How Does an Interfering Behavior Develop



How Does an Interfering Behavior Develop?

Slide 1: How does an interfering behavior develop?

Dawn Hendricks, Ph.D.

Director of Training

Slide 2: Introduction

• Determine the function of the interfering behavior.

• The behavior chain event:

o Setting event

o Antecedent

o Consequence

• In this presentation we will discuss the following:

o Setting events

o Antecedents

o Consequences

Transcript:

As we have discussed, to effectively support the student with ASD we must determine the function of the interfering behavior. Once it is determined why the behavior occurs, we can then develop a plan that is positive and will result in reducing the interfering behavior.

To address interfering behavior, there are other things we must know and understand. Behavior does not occur within a vacuum. This means that there are events that set up, set off, and maintain the occurrence of behavior in a variety of settings. In this presentation, we are going to examine what is called the behavior chain. It is made up of the following:

The event that sets up a behavior is referred to as a setting event.

The event that sets off a behavior is referred to as an antecedent.

The event that maintains a behavior is referred to as a consequence.

Each works together to develop or impact interfering behavior. For us to understand how to implement an effective intervention we must be aware of what these are, how they impact the student, and how they may be modified to reduce or stop the behavior.

In this presentation, we will discuss the following:

• What are setting events?

• What are antecedents?

• What are consequences?

Slide 3: The behavior chain

• Problem behavior: Snapping at my children

• Set up behavior: Hitting traffic and being delayed by 20 minutes

• Set off behavior: My children running and screaming through the hall.

• Maintained behavior: My children running to the other room leaving me with a quiet room.

Transcript:

Before we move forward, let’s look at a personal example of how something may set up, set off, or maintain a behavior. Here you can see a table. In the left hand column, you will see my problem behavior. In the second column, you can see what set up the behavior, or the setting event. In the third column, you can see what set off the behavior, or the antecedent. Finally, in the right hand column, you can see what maintained the behavior, or the consequence.

On Friday, on my way home from work, I hit terrible traffic. I was anxious to get home as I was expecting friends for dinner. I sat in traffic on the highway for over 20 minutes. Typically, when I arrive home my son greets me at the door. I give him a hug and some tickles and we talk briefly about the day. On Friday, however, when I arrived home, my son and daughter both ran screaming through the hall as I opened the front door. Still frustrated from the delay caused by traffic, I snapped, “Go play!” Both my children in turn ran away as quickly as they could, leaving me alone in a quiet hallway.

Let’s now look at the chart with this example of a behavior chain. The problem behavior I mentioned was snapping at my children.

As you can see moving from left to right on the chart, the event that set up the behavior was hitting traffic and being delayed by 20 minutes. The event that set off the behavior was my children running and screaming through the hall. The event that maintained the behavior was my children running to the other room leaving me with a quiet room. All three of these events worked together to create the problem behavior. In the future, I may be likely to snap again when I want some peace and quiet. In the upcoming slides, we will explore each of these terms so you have a clear understanding of how they work together.

Slide 4: What is a setting event?

• Setting event: Woke up late, missed the bus

• Antecedent: Math assignment

• Behavior: Laid head on desk

Transcript:

Let’s look at a visual of this behavior chain.

Setting events are known as slow triggers. Slow triggers happen a period of time before the interfering behavior. These are conditions that set up the possibility that a behavior may occur, but do not set off the behavior at that very moment. Let’s look at the chart with an example of this. On the left of the chart is the setting event, the antecedent is in the middle, and the behavior is on the right. Starting on the left with a setting event, Vivienne woke up late one morning before school and had to rush to get ready. She barely got to eat any breakfast and didn’t get to watch her favorite television show before leaving for the bus stop. The bus was early and she had missed it when she arrived at the bus stop so her mom had to drive her to school. During her math class, which is her second class of the day and her favorite, Vivienne refused to complete the class assignment and instead laid her head down on her desk. The teacher in this case may think that the presentation of the math assignment was the cause of Vivienne’s refusal to do the work, when in actuality she was feeling overwhelmed by her morning and needed a break. The morning events were the setting events that set up Vivienne’s behavior during her math class.

Slide 5: Examples: Setting events

1. Setting event: Physical- Owen is over stimulated by the cafeteria.

Behavior: After lunch he goes to history class. Owen fidgets with a string in his pocket and walks around the room.

2. Setting event: Social - Jaquan got in a fight on the playground.

Behavior: During science he was angry and unable to focus.

3. Setting event: Biological- Katherine has a cold.

Behavior: Throughout the entire day, Katherine puts her head on her desk and cries during reading.

Transcript:

Setting events can be physical, social, or biological. Here are some examples. On this slide, you will see a table with setting events on the left and behaviors on the right. An example of a physical setting event might be, Owen is overstimulated by the cafeteria. The behavior as shown on the right, would be: After lunch, he goes to history class. During the first 20 minutes of class, Owen fidgets with a string he has in his pocket and walks around the room. An example of a social setting event might be, Jaquan got in a fight on the playground. The behavior, as shown on the right might be: During science he was really angry and was unable to focus and do his work. An example of a biological setting event might be, Katherine has a head cold. The behavior, as shown on the right might be: Throughout the entire day, Katherine is frequently observed putting her head on her desk and began crying during reading.

It is helpful to know when a setting event is occurring in order to effectively intervene. However, it is important to note, there will not always be a setting event when there is an interfering behavior.

Slide 6: What is an antecedent?

• Antecedent events happen right before the behavior occurs.

• Antecedents are fast triggers.

• Setting event - Antecedent: Grammer assignment, Behavior: Crumpled paper

Transcript:

The next item in the behavior chain is the antecedent. These events happen right before the behavior occurs. It is considered to be a fast trigger. That is, interfering behaviors follow them immediately. Let’s look at another chart. The setting event is on the left, the antecedent is in the middle and the behavior is on the right. The setting even is not known here, but the antecedent appears when Becca is presented with a grammar worksheet in English class she crumples the paper and throws it to the floor. The antecedent or fast trigger in this situation is the presentation of the worksheet. The behavior of crumpling the worksheet happened immediately after its presentation.

Antecedents are powerful and should be addressed anytime there is interfering behavior. As with functions of behavior, the antecedent and/or setting event are not always easily identified and will require observation and assessment.

Slide 7: Examples: Antecedents

1. Antecedent: Clay walks into PE class where children are cheering loudly.

Behavior: Clay begins crying and runs out of the gym.

2. Antecedent: Antoine is asked a question by the teacher about the history lesson.

Behavior: Antoine begins playing with the lace on his shoe.

3. Antecedent: Patty’s classmate starts talking to her.

Behavior: Patty walks away from her classmate.

4. Antecedent: The principal tells the students to be quiet in the hallway.

Behavior: Ebony begins to cry.

Transcript:

Here is a chart with some examples of antecedents. As you can see in the chart, the antecedent is on the left and the behavior is on the right. In the first example, the antecedent is Clay walks into PE class where children are cheering loudly. The behavior is Clay begins crying and runs out of the gym. In the next example, the antecedent occurs when Antoine is asked a question by the teacher about the history lesson. The behavior is when Antoine begins playing with the lace on his shoe. In the next example, the antecedent occurs when Patty’s classmate starts talking to her. The behavior is when Patty walks away from her classmate. In the last example, the antecedent occurs when the principal tells the students to be quiet in the hallway. The behavior is when Ebony begins to cry.

Slide 8: What is a consequence?

• The consequence occurs after the behavior.

o Setting event - Test on the following day

o Antecedent - Asked to go out by a friend

o Behavior - Stayed home to study

o Consequence - Good grade on test

Transcript:

The last part of the behavior chain is the consequence which occurs after the behavior. Consequences act as reinforcers or punishers to the behavior. Remember that reinforcers increase the likelihood that the behavior will occur in the future. Behavior that is reinforced is made stronger. Consequences maintain the behavior and make the behavior “work” for the student with ASD. When Emmaline throws her learning materials and is allowed a 5-minute break while the supplies are cleaned up she is more likely to do the same behavior the next time work is given to her. The consequence, which was a 5-minute break, “worked” for her. It gave her something she desired.

When supporting a person with ASD, we must understand what happens after the behavior and what is reinforcing the behavior because consequences compete! What does this mean? Have you ever had a situation when you were torn about what to do and you had to consider the consequences of your actions? Let’s look at an example and the corresponding chart on the slide. The setting event is on the far left followed by the antecedent, then the behavior and finally, the consequence is on the right. Now, think about when you were in school. Was there ever a time when you had a test to take and the night before the test you had to decide whether to stay home and study or whether to go out with your friends? If you chose to stay home and study, the consequence was likely a good grade. If you decided to go out with your friends, then perhaps you received a poor grade or failed the test all together. These consequences compete! If studying was the choice, you gained access to good grades. If going out with friends was the choice, you escaped work. Which consequence did you like and what behavior would you more likely exhibit in the future?

Slide 9: Examples: Consequences

1. Behavior: Aiden poked his classmate in the shoulder over and over.

Consequence: The classmate walked away.

2. Behavior: Jenna got into a physical fight with another student.

Consequence: Jenna was suspended.

3. Behavior: Peter didn’t do his homework.

Consequence: Peter got a an “F.”

4. Behavior: Dana ran out of the loud cafeteria.

Consequence: Dana’s teacher took her to the class so she could eat lunch alone.

5. Behavior: Raoul hit another student.

Consequence: Allen had to miss recess.

Transcript:

On this slide, you will see a chart with some examples of behaviors and consequences, with behaviors on the left and consequences on the right. Starting with the first example, the behavior occurred when Aiden poked his classmate in the shoulder over and over. The consequence was when the classmate walked away. In the next example, the behavior occurred when Jenna got into a physical fight with another student. The consequence was when Jenna was suspended. In the next example, the behavior occurred when Peter didn’t do his homework. The consequence was when Peter got an “F.” In the last example, the behavior occurred when Dana ran out of the loud cafeteria. The consequence was when Dana’s teacher took her to the class so she could eat lunch alone.

As you can see, the consequences happened after the behavior.

Slide 10: Example: Positive consequence

• Jamal enjoys listening to books on the computer.

• He has difficulty getting his work done in a timely manner.

• Jamal learns that when he completes his work in a timely fashion that he has time to listen to the book.

• Gaining access to the computer increases the likelihood that Jamal completes his work in a timely manner.

Transcript:

Consequences don’t just reinforce or maintain interfering behavior, but consequences also maintain positive and good behaviors too. Let’s look at an example.

Jamal is a fifth grade student with autism. He thoroughly enjoys listening to books on the computer in the classroom. Jamal has had difficulty in getting his work done in a timely manner. His teacher decides to work on this problem behavior. On the occasion that Jamal finishes his work on time, the teacher allows him access to the computer to listen to a book before moving to the next task. Jamal is learning that when he completes his work in a timely fashion that he has time to listen to the book on the computer. The consequence of gaining access to the computer increases the likelihood that Jamal will complete his work in a timely manner the next time.

Slide 11: Think About It!

• Find the Think About It! document titled: Behavior; Mikiah’s Story.

• Mikiah is a third grade student with autism. He attends the general education setting for Math which immediately follows gym class. When he needs help he finds the teacher. The teacher reprimands him then proceeds to ask what he needs.

Transcript:

Now it’s your turn. Let’s take a few minutes and look at the case study of Mikiah. In your documents find the Think About It! document titled: Behavior. Now find the question titled: Mikiah’s Story.

Listen to the case study and see if you can pick out the behavior chain including the:

Behavior

Function

Setting Event

Antecedent

Consequence

Mikiah is a third grade student with autism. He attends the general education setting for Math since Math is a strong area for him and he seems to enjoy it. Math class is his second class of the day and immediately follows gym class. Lately Mikiah has been having difficulty staying focused in math and is becoming increasingly distracting to the class. When Mikiah needs the teacher’s help he will get up and find her regardless of what else she may be doing, including helping another student. The teacher always reprimands Mikiah and tells him he has to raise his hand to get her attention then she proceeds to ask him what he needs.

Slide 12: Thoughts!

• Behavior: out of seat behavior

• Function: attention seeking

• Setting event: gym class before math class

• Antecedent: presentation of a task or assignment

• Consequence: gains teacher attention

Transcript:

First, let’s identify what the behavior is that Mikiah is demonstrating. If you thought it was out of seat behavior you are correct.

What function do you think the behavior is serving for Mikiah? Mikiah’s out of seat behavior is probably attention seeking since he is seeking out help from the teacher.

Can you identify a setting event in this case study? The setting event could possibly be that Mikiah has gym right before math class. As we all know gym tends to be arousing because of all the movement that is involved. This might put Mikiah into an overaroused state which makes it difficult for him to stay seated and focus on the task at hand in math class.

Next, is there a fast trigger or antecedent to Mikiah’s behavior? The antecedent in this case would be the presentation of a task or assignment. This prompts his out of seat behavior.

What is the consequence for his out of seat behavior? First, the teacher provides him attention in the form of a reprimand but she also continues to give him attention by asking him what he needs help with. The attention seeking behavior is reinforced and maintained because Mikiah gets what he is seeking.

Slide 13: How to determine the pieces of the behavior chain

• The setting event, antecedent, and consequence are part of the behavior chain.

• This information identified in a Functional Behavior Assessment.

• Your input helps to determine the pieces of the behavior chain.

• Frequently communicate with the supervisory teacher anytime problem behavior occurs.

Transcript:

As previously noted, it is ultimately the responsibility of the supervisory teacher and IEP team to determine the function and identify the pieces of the behavior chain. This includes determining the setting event if there is one, the antecedent, and the consequence. This information can be identified when conducting what is called a Functional Behavior Assessment. This is a process where the educational team gathers data about a problem behavior so they can determine what to do about it. Information from a functional behavior assessment will help the teacher to develop a plan to address the problem behavior. However, as a part of the student’s team, your input will be helpful to determine the pieces of the behavior chain. It is critical for you to frequently communicate with the supervisory teacher anytime problem behavior occurs so you can figure out why it is happening and what to do about it.

Slide 14: Summary

• Interfering behavior can present many challenges in the school setting.

• Break down the behavior chain to develop interventions.

Transcript:

Interfering behavior can present many challenges in the school setting. The events that happen before, during, and after a behavior are especially important in figuring out why the behavior occurs. When examining behavior it is always important to break down the behavior chain in order to develop interventions.

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