Behavioral Intervention Strategies
You are playing the role of a behavior analyst who has been working in the field for 25 years. You have been asked to speak to college students who will be graduating with their Bachelor’s in Psychology in Applied Behavior Analysis in less than a month. You want your message to be meaningful to these students and you want to engender pride in the work done by behavior analysts and inspire these students to obtain their Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) certifications. You want to establish your credibility as a speaker for the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) by presenting some background information about your education and expertise in the field, as well as a brief overview of the science of ABA.
You believe that describing a day in the life of a behavior analyst might be the best way to get your message across. Sharing an early experience you had speaking to a group of parents will be an effective approach. You recount an experience you had speaking to a group of new parents who had many questions about behaviors being demonstrated by their children. Read the scenarios presented by three different parents during that discussion.
Parent #1: “Lori is in 3rd grade and was recently diagnosed with autism. It is a struggle for us to get out of the door in the morning because when we try and get her to dress herself or pack her things, she has a lot of behaviors. We will say, “Lori, get your shoes and put them on,” and she will yell “no, I don’t want to!” and kick, sometimes even throw them. We have to leave and are usually running late so this is really difficult for our family. She likes going to school and once we get there, she walks in with no problem. It might be related to the fact that she wants to keep playing with her iPad as she also hates transitioning away from that.
Parent #2: My son, Sam, is the class clown. He enjoys making others laugh, even when he is being silly or inappropriate. His teacher has told us that he will shout things like, “Poo poo car!” and other kids will laugh. This is very disruptive for the classroom setting and we really want to work on this “potty talk.” When he shouts things like this, his teacher always has to reprimand him and say, “Please use nice words, do not say those things.” It doesn’t seem to be working. She has always tried putting him in timeout in the back of the classroom but no success.
Parent #3: Sarah is four and has a hard time sharing with her younger sister and friends. We went on a road trip to Florida and the car ride was very difficult. Sarah kept snatching things out of her younger sister’s car seat and not giving them back. It is hard to block and we can barely reach back to manage the situation. At school, her teacher reported that she has difficulty sharing the kitchen station. She hoards the food items and won′t let other kids come near them. She has even gone as far as to bite them and scratch on the arms.
This behavior is making it difficult for us to have playdates and go anywhere where she might need to share. Write a 3-5 page narrative essay in which you include the following: Introduce yourself and describe the education and experience requirements the students would need in order to sit for the BCaBA exam. Then provide a brief overview of the science of ABA. Summarize each parent’s dilemma and provide explanations of the contingencies at work maintaining the target behaviors, i.e., reinforcement, punishment, and motivating operations. Include your behavior intervention plan for modifying the behaviors in each case, along with your process and rationale for each case. Discuss mock future communications you received from each of these three parents regarding the successes they encountered when implementing your suggestions.
Behavioral Interventions
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Behavioral Interventions
Hello, graduating students of Applied Behavior Analysis! Dr Emily Turner is my name, and I have been a behaviour analyst for the last 25 years. As you prepare to become Board-Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBA), it is a pleasure to share my experiences and ideas with you (Waasdorp, 2012). I have seen firsthand during my career the enormous influence behaviour analyzers can have on people with various needs. I hope to motivate you to keep improving the lives of those you will help.
Educational and Experience Requirements for the BCaBA Exam
Before we delve into the scenarios, let us briefly discuss the educational and experience requirements to sit for the BCaBA exam. Aspiring behaviour analysts like you must earn a Bachelor's degree in Psychology or a related field, complete relevant coursework in Applied Behavior Analysis, and gain supervised practical experience (Waasdorp, 2012). This degree includes 1,000 hours of supervised experience, during which you will work closely with clients under the guidance of a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). The BCaBA certification is a stepping stone toward becoming a fully certified BCBA, and it marks the beginning of a fulfilling career in ABA.
The Science of Applied Behavior Analysis
Applied Behavior Analysis is a scientific approach to understanding and changing behaviour. It is rooted in the principles of behaviourism and focuses on identifying the environmental variables that influence behaviour (Waasdorp, 2012). ABA seeks to increase desired behaviours through reinforcement and decrease unwanted behaviours through punishment while also considering the role of motivating operations that affect the effectiveness of reinforcers or punishers.
Parents’ Dilemma and Explanations of the Contingencies at Work Maintaining the Target Behaviors
Now, let us explore three scenarios from different parents presented during my discussion with them.
Scenario 1: Lori's Morning Struggles
Lori, a 3rd-grade student recently diagnosed with autism, exhibits challenging behaviours in the morning while getting ready for school. These behaviours include refusing to wear her shoes and engaging in physical outbursts. Lori's aversion to transitioning away from her iPad might contribute to the problem.
Explanation
The target behaviour of not getting ready for school is likely maintained by negative reinforcement. By yelling and kicking, Lori successfully avoids putting on her shoes and leaving the iPad, which removes the aversive demand of getting ready for school.
Behavior Intervention Plan
Firstly, create a visual schedule with pictures or icons to represent each step of the morning routine. This visual aid will help Lori understand what is expected of her and reduce anxiety. Secondly, implement a token economy system where Lori earns tokens for completing each step of the morning routine (Miller, 2022). These tokens can be exchanged for preferred items or activities, like extra iPad time. Thirdly, use positive reinforcement, such as praise and rewards, to encourage Lori when she complies with each routine step. Lastly, teach Lori alternative ways to express her feelings, such as using a visual "break card" to request a short break when feeling overwhelmed.
Scenario 2: Sam's "Potty Talk" in the classroom
Sam, a class clown, engages in disruptive behaviour by using inappropriate language in the classroom, resulting in laughter from his peers. The teacher's attempts at reprimands and timeouts could have been more effective.
Explanation
Sam's disruptive behaviour is maintained by positive reinforcement, as he receives social attention (laughter) from his peers when using inappropriate language.
Behavior Intervention Plan
Firstly, implement a differential reinforcement of alternative behaviours (DRA) procedure. Teach Sam appropriate and humorous jokes or acceptable comments in the classroom (Miller, 2022). Praise and reinforce him when using alternative behaviours instead of inappropriate language. Secondly, use a token economy system to reinforce appropriate behaviour consistently. Sam can earn tokens u...