Topic 9 Controlling Undesirable Behavior

Behavioral momentum

(follow frequent behavior with desired behavior and quickly reinforce it)

Indirect response reduction strategy

Differential reinforcement Behavioral momentum Surprising stimulus presentation

Communicative Behaviors

Disorders of language: gesturing, inappropriate language production/use Articulation and phonological disorders: misarticulations Voice disorders: breathiness, hoarseness, etc. Fluency: dysfluencies, rate of speech, muscular tension, etc.

Strategies Decreasing Undesirable Behaviors

Extinction Punishment (corrective feedback)

General Behaviors

Inattention Crying, fussing, etc. Uncooperative behaviors (out of seat) Absenteeism Unresponsivity Self-injurious or self-stimulatory Distracting verbal behaviors ("are we done yet?")

Maintaining Undesirable Behaviors

Not always possible to determine. Try manipulating potential maintaining variables. Inappropriate language/speech usually due to lack of skills and will decrease as skills improve. Positive reinforcement - usually attention. Can be reduced with extinction (withholding attention). Try withholding attention and check frequency, but be careful, behaviors usually get worse before extinction. Negative reinforcement - undesirable behavior causes difficult tasks to be terminated. To avoid it, maintain demand. At times it may be appropriate to simplify task. Automatic reinforcement - neural or sensory consequences. May be due to lack of stimulation, increasing activity level may help.

Direct response reduction strategy

Stimulus presentation immediately follows (e.g., "no") Stimulus withdrawal (e.g., take a token away/response cost) Time-out - exclusion or nonexclusion (beware of negative and positive reinforcement)

Surprising stimulus presentation

e.g., pull out a toy BEFORE undesirable behavior occurs)

Automatic reinforcement

neural or sensory consequences. May be due to lack of stimulation, increasing activity level may help.

Differential reinforcement

of other behaviors (refrain from undesirable behavior) of incompatible behaviors of alternative behaviors

Negative reinforcement

undesirable behavior causes difficult tasks to be terminated. To avoid it, maintain demand. At times it may be appropriate to simplify task.

Positive reinforcement

usually attention. Can be reduced with extinction (withholding attention). Try withholding attention and check frequency, but be careful, behaviors usually get worse before extinction.