Presentation on Functional Behavior Assessments and Differential Reinforcement Strategies that Integrates Functional Contextualism as an Epistemological Framework

1. Introduction to Functional Behavior Assessment Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP Psychologist Board Certified in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy of Greater Columbus, Inc 4624 Sawmill Rd., Columbus, OH 43220 614 459-4490 ccbtcolumbus@yahoo.com Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

2. Basic Concepts Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

3. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Assessment of the Student’s Contexts Definition of Context Emphasis: The learning history of the student, the student’s sensory systems, and the current environments, constitute three equally important data sets into which one must place observed behaviors, and through which one should interpret the factors that could help to enhance, modify, reduce, or develop behaviors.

4. Functional Contexualism Importance of seeing the student as a whole, integrated student with behaviors which function to meet motivations within an external and internal context Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

5. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Contexts as an Essential Construct1. Context is the basis of the meaning of any behavior2. Functional contextualism is identification of factors that can be identified and affected3. Targets for contextual assessment will be those things that lend to greater understanding of the behaviors’ meaning, and greater potential to modify or manage behaviors.

6. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved History and the Learning ContextLearning history and early experiences creating lasting associational learned patterns that reveal themselves in present behavior patterns. Association Learned Patterns affect the “p” of behavioral emissionBoth observed behaviors and internal reactions are a product, in part, of learning from historical experiences. Factors include medical issues in the student’s history, and family medical history.

7. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Medical History As ContextEnvironmental factors resulting from medical treatments or settingsInternal factors that might affect learningFamily medical history that could suggest genetically transmitted difficultiesAssessment will benefit from: •Access to medical records •Access to medical information through informant interviews •Identify interaction between developmental issues and timing of medical events

8. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Environment As Context Specific aspects of the student’s current environment become important in later assessment strategies because of both their stimulus properties and their reward potentials. Assessment will benefit from •Limiting assessment to main environment--school •Use of direct observation of environmental factors in the school •Identify physical characteristics with categories of structural, noise, lighting, tactile, and footing •Use detailed descriptions of the characteristics

9. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Assessment of the Demands Demandsanalysis—the assessment benefits from •identification of the environments in which the student typically is placed •identification of the domains and sub-environments in of the demands are made •identification of the beginning point of the student’s behaviors

10. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved •identification of the marker that a student has met the demand, such as being in one’s seat (terminal objective)•identification of the steps involved in completing the actions necessary to begin and successfully complete the behaviors

11. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Behavioral observations of the student in the environment allow for a determination of •the capacity of the student to complete each step from the demands analysis •the capacity of the student to complete each step in the correct sequence without being prompted

12. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Observe student perform or not perform each step in the demands analysis • Is the behavior exhibited in the natural environment—doesthe skill exist?Identify the chained associations of each skill within the sequence • Determine if the skills have been combined into a behavioral sequence. • Are prompts are inserted? • If prompts are inserted, contrive situations so that the chaining can be assessed without the prompts.

13. Functional Behavior Assessment Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

14. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Introduction to FBA Differentiation between historically defined functional behavior assessment vs. assessment of behavioral functions to acquire rewards or avoid punishers (analog) •What is the behavior a function of; what is the function of the behavior •A-B-C analysis is designed to identify the stimuli and contingencies operating on a behavior in a particular context. •Functional Behavior Assessment is designed to determine the purpose of a behavior based on contingencies for obtaining rewards or escaping negative consequences.

15. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved A-B-C analysis •create options for modifying environmental factors or reward and punishment delivery. Functional Behavior Assessment •identify potential new behaviors •to serve same purposes as those targeted to modification •manage or modify behaviors through manipulation of stimuli and contingencies Pragmatic assumption •behavioral assessment and recommendations should be consistent with the goals of the student’s program

16. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Determination of Target Behaviors Determination of behaviors (or lack of behaviors) must include •observable descriptions Conduct interview protocol to identify the behaviors that should be targeted for observation and assessment. Ensure that behaviors are defined in observable terms by answer the questions of What, When, How Often, How Long, Where, and To Whom.

17. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved A-B-C Analysis Observation •Direct observation of the events immediately •Preceding and following the target behaviors •Thorough description of each behavioral manifestation •Contextualized within •discrete environments. Factors that influence •Inferinternal factors inferred from other sources (e.g., medical records) that might affect behavior.

18. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Antecedents •events or internal factors that immediately, or are hypothesized to immediately, precede the exhibition of the behavior •limit the assumptions about the “causes” of the behavior-either those things observed prior to the behavior, or those things reasonably hypothesizedfrom other sources but not observable (e.g., medical conditions). Consequences •subsequentbehaviors or emotional expressions (e.g., laughing, relaxation of previously tensed muscles) •immediate reactions of the environment experienced by the student.

19. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved •Consequences can occur during the behavior’s emission, but only after its initiation. Limitation on Assessor •The observer should manage his/her assumptions so that inferences about rewards or punishers are not made during the “C” observations.

20. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Contingency-Driven Assessment: Functional Behavior Assessment Hypotheses about the function of the behavior •Durand’s four functions/motivators: escape a punisher obtain or acquire tangible objects obtain attention sensory stimulation Theoretical Underpinnings •Behaviors operate to obtain positive rewards escape negative events (negative rewards).

21. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved Context includes both A-B-C assessment of the environment, and Historical learned contingencies residing within the student’s internal learned behavior patterns Known history reports from interviews, and results of A-B- C analysis provide underpinning for interpretations. Time-efficient experiments Assess the validity of hypotheses regarding behavioral functions. Experiments design possible interventions into assessment to create recommendations Use of varied factors and types of behavioral data points

22. Example of Functional Behavior Assessment Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

23. Use of A-B-C Data on Student John Observations consistently showed the following: Antecedents to aggressive behaviors included chaotic and noisy environments, refusal to provide an object, and prompts to comply Behaviors included destruction of property, elopement, and verbal requests for isolation Consequences included social attention, increased physical proximity, and verbal punishment Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

24. Additionally, A-B-C found that when task was well organized, environment focused, and skills were present or taught, the likelihood of elopement, aggression, or requests for isolation did not occur. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

25. Design of Experiments Hypothesized Motivators: Attention Escape Tangible Object Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

26. Experiment 1: Satiation of Attention Adult provided periods throughout day in which continuous attention versus no attention were applied Experiment 2: Attention to Aggression Verbal attention was provided systematically to some aggressive behaviors, and at other times not Experiment 3: Escape Two methods of escape were offered vs. not offered in noisy environments Experiment 4: Tangible Objects Provision or non-provision of requests Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

27. Results of FBA When attention was paid to aggression, was roughly 700 times longer in seconds than the no attention condition When his requests for objects was fulfilled, he had 0 elopements, compared to 2 elopements when denied the object In noisy environments, if offered escape he had 0 requests or actions to leave, while when no offer was presented, he made 2 requests for escape When continuous attention was provided, no aggressive behaviors were exhibited; when no attention was paid to John, he had 1 aggressive behavioral emission. Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

28. Conclusions Aggressive behaviors were motivated to obtain attention and are sustained by it after the aggressive behaviors begin When an object is requested, denials should be eliminated, and delayed provision strategies implemented with verbal explanations when necessary When environments are loud and disorganized, John will benefit from the option to exit the environment and training in the use of requesting behaviors for the escapes; or provision of environmental modifications to reduce the noise and confusion Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

29. Basic Intervention Strategies Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

30. Key Concepts/Strategies Define Reinforcer Anything that increases behaviors Anything that the student appears to like Positive Punishment Delivery of a consequence to decrease or eliminate a behavior Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

31. Skills Deficits Consider that student has not learned, or not learned in sequence, the behavior expected Typical deficits include tasks skills, chained sequence of skills (e.g., domino), or communication skills Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

32. Strategies for Positive Punishment Differential Rewards Attention, Escape, Self-Stimulation, Objects Differential implies systematic use of rewards to reduce target behaviors Can be used to develop skills in conjunction with modeling Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

33. Skills Development Rules No skill: Model Minimal skill: Contingency Contract Increase skill: Non-contingent Rewards Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

34. Differential Strategies Differential Rewards for Other Behaviors Differential Rewards for Incompatible Behaviors Differential Rewards for Alternative Behaviors (Skills Development) Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

35. Time Out: Environmental Control Time out is the removal of the student from an environment For the purpose of breaking a stimulus-response-reward cycle Care must be taken to have very limited periods for time out Time out should not be within an inherently rewarding environment Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved

36. Time out should not include attention while time out is in effect Assess duration of behaviors when first using time out to determine maximum length of time out Begin reducing time as length decreases Provide positive rewards through attention for behavioral cessation Use empowering language such as “I see you gained control over your body.” Allow for face-saving re-entry Kevin D. Arnold, Ph.D., ABPP, 2011, all rights reserved