Unit 8 Discussion Exceptional Needs Children

Implementing Extinction and Combining Reinforcement Read the scenario and choose an appropriate differential reinforcement procedure to implement. Pria engages in self-injurious behavior in the form of arm slapping about every 10 minutes. Generally, this behavior occurs after demands are placed. After reviewing the FBA data, you read that the function is hypothesized to be an escape from a demand. Unfortunately, this behavior occurs frequently and interferes with her learning, communication and well-being. What differential reinforcement procedure would be appropriate for this scenario? Justify your answer and describe how you plan on reinforcing the behavior, implementing extinction, and fading the reinforcement in the future. Complete your discussion this week by responding to multiple peer posts. Comment on your peer's discussion or differential reinforcement and whether it is appropriate for this scenario. Add thoughts related to whether or not they accurately described how they plan on reinforcing the behavior. Unit 8 Discussion Board Lecture Hi everyone and welcome to the Unit 8 Exceptional Needs Children lecture. Today we will be discussing the components of a behavior intervention plan. First, let's list the components of a behavior intervention plan. You have to include a target behavior, behavior function, strengths, antecedent strategies, replacement behaviors, reinforcement, consequence strategies, a crisis plan when needed, and a fading plan for generalization and maintenance of skills. We'll talk about each of these and provide examples. With the first and most important thing to include with the target behavior, we must include an operational definition. This is a description that is observable, clear, and concise, and describes the target behavior so that it can be replicated and measured. You will also describe the measurement that you will use to collect data on this behavior. This can take some time for brainstorming and figuring out how frequently it happens, describing the onset and offset of the behavior and non-examples and examples. So, whoever's implementing the plan can know exactly what to look for. Next is the behavior function. You will identify the function or hypothesized functions of the behavior based on the FBA data. This will help you develop a functionally equivalent replacement behavior, as we discussed in the last unit. You also want to include the strengths, any current strengths that the student has. It is important to focus on what the child can do, as well as what skills can be improved. Antecedent strategies make up a very important part of the behavior plan. We want to alter the environment to set the individual up for success in the ABC data that you're using. For observation, you want to look for patterns in the environment. Is there a specific time of day that the behavior is occurring? If so, let's see what supports we can put in place during that time of day—if it's always a consistent person or consistent lecture time or subject. Let's see if we can evaluate or visit what the issues are, triggers might be. How can we provide visuals to support the student? How can we move the environment around to prevent the behavior from occurring in the first place as a preventative approach and is essential in a behavior plan. Replacement behaviors—what are we going to teach the individual to do instead? We never want to target a behavior without teaching a replacement behavior. We always want to make sure that there are skills—either in the repertoire or skills that we're teaching—to replace the problem behaviors. And of course, making sure that it is functionally equivalent. Reinforcement. This must be included in the plan. Oftentimes you will include ways to assess motivation, like preference assessments. How will we reinforce? What schedules of reinforcement will be in place? Also, when the behavior does occur, what consequent strategies will be in place? So, consequence has a negative connotation in some areas, but in this case it's not, it's simply after consequences, simply after. So, we do everything we can to prevent the behavior from occurring. But when it does happen, we should be prepared. How will we respond when the behavior happens? Also, a fading plan for generalization and maintenance of skills. How will we plan for generalization and maintenance? How will we fade, prompting and fade reinforcement to the most naturalistic way possible? We always want our plans to be centered towards intrinsic motivation and socially mediated reinforcers. So, we want to fade those tangible items as much as possible. Thank you for viewing this lecture.