Behavior Analysis and Autism Spectrum Disorder

When developing a behavioral intervention plan for an eight-year-old with ASD for use in the classroom, we must first determine what triggers both his problem and appropriate alternative behaviors. Once they have been identified, a plan can be developed and drawn up.

To begin with, we would need to implement what is known as behavioral ABCs. The ABCs of behavior involve observing the Antecedent, Behavior and Consequences of an action. The letter A refers to what may have caused the behavior. The letter B is the actual behavior itself, and the letter C is the consequence of that behavior. Understanding these ABCs is the foundation of behavior modification. According to behaviorists like BF Skinner, almost all behavior can be broken down into ABC components (Labrador, 2004). It was his professed belief that “it would be unethical NOT to try to improve human behavior (Tavris & Wade, p. 315, 2012)”. To that end, he designed and tested several studies that demonstrate his theories.

Today, the term used by ABA professionals to define the act of reinforcing behaviors is differential reinforcement. There are three methods of differential reinforcement, DRA (Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behaviors), DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other Behaviors) and DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behaviors).

When using the DRA method, a desired behavior is given reinforcement rather than inappropriate behavior in response to a given situation. For example, a child who spits out his food because he does not want to eat it may have dessert taken away when such behavior is expressed and returned as a reward when he has modified his behavior in a way acceptable to the parents (i.e., they eat their dinner ).

The DRO method differs from the DRA method in that reinforcement occurs when the unwanted behavior is absent for a specified time. For example, if the child does not interrupt or make a scene for 10 minutes, then the teacher would give that child a star to put on a chart. Once the child has accumulated 10 openings, they will receive a reward.

The third method is the DRI, or method of differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviors. With this method, the goal is to reduce the problem or the target behavior. Reinforcement is given for behavior that is topographically incompatible with the target behavior of abatement (for example, sitting in the seat rather than getting up and out of the seat while in class), and is retained after instances of problem behavior ( for example, out-of-seat behavior).

When a stimulus lessens or even stops an unwanted behavior, it is called punishment. An example of this type of conditioning would be removing a favorite movie or device, such as a cell phone or tablet, as a way to reduce unwanted behavior.

Extinction is stopping a behavior by removing the reinforcer. Let’s say a child doesn’t go to bed and go to sleep at the allotted time, but keeps calling Mom and Dad to come back to the bedroom because “they just remembered something they forgot to tell you.” By not returning to the bedroom when called, parents can extinguish the unwanted behavior and the child will give up and go to sleep.

On the other hand, the child may decide to escalate the behavior and simply get out of bed and out of the bedroom.

The tendency to respond to a stimulus that resembles one involved in the original conditioning is called stimulus generalization. Because children with ASD often have trouble generalizing social skills, so that they can interact successfully in social situations with their peers, instruction and planning is often needed to help them use their skills correctly. According to Mayer, Sulzer-Azaroff, and Wallace (2012), many times the easiest way to promote generalization in these situations is to simply ask for it.

Stimulus discrimination is the tendency to respond differently to two or more similar stimuli. This occurs when a person responds to the original stimulus but not to another. A well-known example of stimulus discrimination is Pavlov’s dog. Ivan Pavlov noticed during his experiment that dogs began to salivate when the person who normally fed them entered the room, rather than just when food was presented to them.

A reinforcement program in which a particular response is always reinforced is also known as continuous reinforcement. In this type of conditioning, each time the subject reacts appropriately, he is rewarded. Think of the rat that is rewarded with a food pellet every time it rings a bell or pushes a button. The rat can continue to perform the act until it becomes saturated (that is, filled).

Intermittent reinforcement, on the other hand, is a reinforcement program in which a particular response is sometimes, but not always, reinforced. This type of reinforcement is similar to continuous reinforcement, although instead of rewarding the subject each time the answer is given, they can be made to wait 5, 10 or more times before the reward is given. This leads to what is known as “resistance to extinction”: the subject learns that waiting (perseverance) is worth it in the long run.

Shaping is the process of providing reinforcement of small steps to gradually change unwanted behavior and adapt to positive behavior. Modeling is often used in rehabilitation centers to help people walk again by using the parallel bar to simulate gait with a walker (Miltenberger, R., 2012).

To develop a behavior plan that will help the classroom teacher and his / her assistant help this child, you would have to go back and decide which of the differential reinforcement methods would work best in each unique situation. You would need to gather a complete history of the child’s behavior and disruptive influences and then assign a solution to each problem. For example, if the child becomes disruptive and vocal during class time, the teacher or aide will be more successful in using the stimulus generalization method. By teaching them how to interact with others in a correct and appropriate way, they can learn to comply with the teacher’s requests.

On the other hand, if the child becomes aggressive towards himself or others, the teacher or assistant may need to physically restrain the child to protect him from harm. To help calm him down, the person restraining him would have to tell him that “this is for your own good, so you don’t hurt yourself.” By telling him why he is being held, you make him feel more comfortable with the situation (Levy, 2007).

To interact with the child, the use of electronic devices such as tablets or a computer will be implemented. Today’s children have an almost innate ability to interact with the technology around us. Many autistic children have been helped by implementing these devices in their daily activities, allowing them to focus more, and giving them a sense of pride when they are able to complete assigned tasks.

There will be little to no actual punishment used in this situation. The child is simply acting as he knows how in response to the situations in which he finds himself. There is no intentional malice involved in their behavior. Therefore, using this plan as designed will be a cornerstone of your future educational needs.

References

Labrador, F. (2004). Skinner and the rise of behavior modification and behavioral therapy. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 7 (2), 178-187.

Levy, Jonathan. (2007). What you can do right now to help your child with autism. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc.

Mayer, R., Sulzer-Azaroff, B. and Wallace, M. (2012). Behavior Analysis for Lasting Change (2nd ed.). Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York: Sloan Publishing.

Miltenberger, R. (2012). Modification of behavior, principles and procedures. (5th ed.). Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Tavris, C. and Wade, C. (2012). Invitation to Psychology (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Publishing

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