BCAT Practice

Consequence

. A consequence is anything immediately following a behavior in which we are interested. Often, the consequence makes the behavior more or less likely to happen in the future. Consequences occur frequently without intention or planning.

Curriculum Modification

. An essential part of an individualized, comprehensive and developmentally appropriate program is ongoing modifications to the program curricula.

Tact Training

. Commenting ("I see airplane", "Mommy's sleeping"), labeling; It's a _

Deprivation

. If you withhold a reinforcer for a period of time, it will increase the strength of that reinforcer. E.g., If you deprive someone of food, they will be more motivated to work for edible reinforcers.

Positive Punishment

A Contingency wherein particular stimulus (consequence) is PRESENTED following the demonstration of a target behavior leads to a DECREASE in that behavior. As with positive reinforcement, the event can only be labeled a "positive" punisher if the student's behavior decreases after presentation of the stimulus. E.g., A child picks his nose during class and the teacher reprimands him in front of his classmates. The target behavior is nose picking decreases. ● Verbal reprimand = adding something (Positive) to the environment ● Picking noses decreases = Punisher

Positive Reinforcement

A contingency wherein a particular stimulus (event) is PRESENTED following the demonstration of a target behavior and leads to an INCREASE in the likelihood that the target behavior will occur again in the presence of that particular stimulus. "Positive" reinforcement is not determined by the teacher but is only defined as Reinforcement, if the stimulus actually increases the future probability of the target behavior. E.g., A child receives a token when he expressively identifies a horse. Expressively identifying a horse increase (Reinforcement) ● Token = adding something + ● Increase= Reinforcement

Generalization

A newly acquired skill is often present only under very specific conditions (e.g., following a certain Sd). In order for the skill to be of use to the child, he/she must exhibit this skill under multiple conditions Generalization happens across people, materials and settings.

Discriminative Stimulus/SD

A specific environmental event or condition to which a child is expected to exhibit a particular behavior. E.g., Adult says "Hi". The child says "Hi". The Adult saying, "Hi" was the Sd

Reinforcement

A stimulus (event), immediately following a target behavior that INCREASES or maintains the strength of the target behavior. Reinforcement has more long-term effects than punishment. E.g., a child points to his nose when asked, the tutor tickles them- in the future, if pointing to nose when asked increases in future, then this is a Reinforcer.

Unconditioned Reinforcer

A stimulus that leads to an increase in a target behavior without any training/previous exposure. They are innately reinforcing! Also referred to as Primary Reinforcers (e.g., food, water, sleep, oxygen)

Pacing

ABA programs should maintain a steady pace of teaching wherein more challenging tasks are alternated with simpler tasks and multiple short breaks occur throughout.

Time Delay Prompt

After the child responds correctly when given immediate prompts, the prompts are then presented with a brief (1-2 second) delay. If the child responds before the prompt, it is further delayed and then eliminated.

Escape Function

Behavior for the purpose of terminating or avoiding an undesired activity E.g. Child cries to get out of going to bed at bedtime.

Response Generalization:

Broadening the responses elicited by a stimulus is response generalization

Stimulus Generalization:

Broadening the stimuli that occasions a targeted behavior is termed stimulus generalization.

Alternative and augmentative communication (AAC)

Different ways to communicate other than vocal language. Including methods such as speech generated devices, switches, sign language, gestures, Picture Communication Systems (PECs) etc.

Stimulus

Events in the environment that affect the behavior of an individual.

Motor Skills

Fine Motor: Releasing & Grasping objects, holding crayons/markers, picking up small objects. b. Gross Motor: climbing stairs, sliding, jumping, maneuvering around obstacles, stooping, balancing.

Fixed Ratio:

Fixed number of target responses occur before reinforcement

Teaching Adaptive and Safety Skills

Following safety commands, feeding, undressing & dressing, hygiene, hand holding.

Teaching Joint Attention

Joint attention is an early-developing social-communicative skill in which two people (usually a young child and an adult) use gestures and gaze to share attention with respect to interesting objects or events. E.g., There is a ball out of reach of a child. The child will look at the ball, look at the parent, look back at the ball (and possibly ask for the ball). This is by the child to draw their parents attention to the ball. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOLGF25cy08

Training Intraverbals behavior

Language that involves explaining, discussing, or describing an item or situation that is not present, or not currently happening E.g. Adult: What does a cat say? - Child: Meow

Least to Most prompting

Most subtle prompt is used first. If unsuccessful, the prompts are systematically increased in intrusiveness. Typically used during skill generalization. Gestural, verbal, physical

Errorless Learning

Prompting early and immediate prompting of the target, so that student response is sure to be correct. Decreases frustration and discouragement while teaching a new skill.

Fixed Interval:

Reinforcement is delivered at a set TIME period AFTER the correct target response has occurred ○ Tip: interval = time

Shaping

Reinforcing successive approximations of a target behavior. b. When using shaping- you only RF something they have shown they can do, until you know they can do more. Once you know they can do more, you the Rf the next E.g., teaching a child to say ball. The child makes the /b/ sound she rolls himthe ball and praises him enthusiastically. If he says any other vocalizationother than /b/, she does not roll him the ball. After boy is able to successfullysay the sound to request the ball, she then increases the difficulty of the taskand teaches him to say, "ba" in order to request the ball. If the boy says, "ba"she will roll him the ball. If he gives any other vocalization (including the previous /b/) she does not roll him the ball.

Fluency-based Training

Teaching a skill to fluency (achieving accuracy plus speed as a requirement of mastery) achieves the following goals: Retention and Endurance (the ability of the skill to be performed at a particular level over time). E.g. If a child learns to answer questions correctly but only does so with adults, with 30 second of processing time, or only in the classroom, the skill has not reach fluency and will not aide him/her in reaching communicative competency.

Functional approaches to teaching language skills

Teaching language skills that service the same function as problem behavior. e.g. Child screams for a cookie, we teach them to give a picture of a cookie to request a cookie.

Contingency

The cause and effect relationship between 2 events; If I do this, then this will happen. Also referred to as the Premack Principle.

Premack Principle

The likelihood of a low probability behavior will increase when paired with a high probability behavior. This is a "First _, then _" contingency. E.g., "First you take a bite of applesauce (low probability bx), then you eat a popsicle (high probability bx)"

Most to least Prompting

The most intrusive (obvious) prompt is used in the initial trials then prompts are faded to more subtle prompts. Typically used in teaching a new skill. Physical, verbal, gestural E.g. Child is physically prompted to touch an object by placing your hand on his and guided him to the correct response and later only a slight position prompt cues the child to the correct response.

Prompt Fading

The process wherein prompts are systematically scaled back as the child demonstrates success at each level of prompting

Maintenance

The retention of a learned skill over time. This is often achieved by continuing to elicit the skill at regular intervals (weekly, rather than daily) to ensure that it is maintained. Also referred to as generalization across time.

Caregiver Training

The training of caregivers by providing step by step modeling to support caregivers in teaching their child to master daily tasks.

Mand Training

This is a Request ( saying "juice". when the child sees juice and wants to drink it)

Echoic Behavior Training

This is an imitative training used when the learned repeats what the teachers say. It is the first step to teach communication

Discrete trial

a. A 3 term contingency where skills are broken down into: i. Discriminative Stimulus (SD)- Response- Consequence contingency

Negative Punishment

a. A Contingency wherein the REMOVAL of a particular stimulus will DECREASE the future probability of the target behavior. The stimulus that will be deemed a negative punishment is not determined by the interventionist, but must be experienced as negative by the student and result in a decrease in the target behavior. e.g., Two preschoolers are fighting over a toy. The teacher removes the toy. The fighting over a toy decreases in the future. ● Removing toy= Negative ● Decrease= Punishment

Response Cost

a. A Form of Negative Punishment. Tokens are taken away from the individual for occurrences of undesirable behavior. E.g., Child begins the task with 4 tokens, each representing 2 minutes with his/her trains. Each time the child screams, a token is removed.

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)

a. A behavior that cannot occur simultaneously with the problem behavior is reinforced. E.g., Teaching a child to put a chewy in their mouth rather than chewing on non-edibles. The child cannot eat non-edibles when a chewy is in their mouth.

Spontaneous Recovery

a. A behavior that has been previously extinguished from an extinction procedure can spontaneously return (out of the blue). As long as the extinction procedure is consistently implemented, the behavior will decrease again.

. Prompts

a. A clue/hint immediately following a stimulus and before a response/behavior: i. A +(prompt)-B-C. Prompts increase the likelihood of the target behavior https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdYHH9oU8po

Replacement Behavior

a. A more appropriate behavior is taught that serves the same function as the maladaptive behavior. E.g. The child is taught to use the phrase "pick me up" to elicit being held by his parents rather than pulling on mom's shirt or crying to achieve the same action.

Response Blocking

a. A positive punishment technique that is used to prevent a child from emitting the problem behavior. The means to which the response/behavior can be achieved is blocked. E.g., the most common example of this is placing a helmet on a child that attempts to bang his/her head.

Escape Extinction

a. A procedure where a behavior that is for the function of escape is no longer reinforced. Use if the function of the behavior is to escape/avoid a demand. The escape behavior is prevented and the antecedent continues to be delivered. E.g The child runs out of the classroom when an undesired task is presented. When implementing escape extinction, the child is prevented from leaving the non-preferred activity and reaching the door (the escape).

Extinction

a. A procedure wherein a previously reinforced behavior no longer receives reinforcement in the presence of that behavior. E.g., A child's tantrums are reinforced by the stimulus of picking him or her up upon presentation of this behavior. Utilizing an extinction procedure, the child is no longer picked up if he/she is engaging in tantrum behaviors

Response

a. A specific instance of a behavior. E.g., You are thirsty (SD) ---> get a drink of water (Response)

Antecedent/Stimulus (A)

a. A stimulus (event) that immediately proceeds a behavior. E.g: Child observes adult pushing a button to activate a pop up toy and then child imitates that action and activates that toy. The stimulus was the adult pressing the button

Punisher

a. A stimulus (event), immediately following a target behavior that DECREASES the strength of the target behavior. E.g., A child hits a sibling. Parents take away a toy. If the rate of hitting siblings decreases in the future then this is a Punisher. Additional resource: ● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKvWdXZiSy ● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8WWGwWwRlg

Conditioned Reinforcer

a. An initially neutral stimulus is presented in conjunction with (paired) a positive reinforcer. Over time the neutral stimulus functions as a positive reinforcer. Also known as Secondary Reinforcers E.g., Clapping (a neutral stimulus) is delivered alongside the presentation of a skittle (a positive reinforcer) each time the child demonstrates a target behavior. Over time the clapping, presented alone, increases the target behavior, hence is now a conditioned reinforcer.

Behavior

a. Anything a person says or does b. Behavior involves movement and has an impact on the environment c. Is influenced by environmental events d. Can be observed, described, and recorded e. Needs to pass the dead man test (teddy bear test) f. If a dead man or teddy bear can do it, then it IS NOT behavior!!!!

Access to Tangible function

a. Behavior for the purpose of accessing a tangible E.g. child wants go outside where he can throw rocks

Attention Function

a. Behavior for the purpose of gaining attention E.g. child has learned via consequences that when he bangs on doors his mother picks him up and cuddles him

Automatic Function

a. Behavior that is not controlled by the social environment b. Experience sensory input (self-stimulatory) E.g. child enjoys the vibration of the door as shakes

Overcorrection

a. Child is instructed (often with physical assistance) to correct the environmental impact of his/her behavior plus more. E.g, When a child throws food on floor, he/she is instructed to pick up the food AND the garbage on the floor

3-term contingency

a. Commonly known as A-B-C contingency. i. Antecedent- Behavior- Consequence contingency b. Discrete trial i. Discriminative Stimulus (SD)- Response- Consequence contingency A- Antecedent B- Behavior C- Consequence "Where is the cow?" Child points to cow Child receives a M&M

Operational Definition

a. Description of the behavior targeted for increase or decrease. Must be observable and measurable. E.g., Increasing Target behavior: when given a familiar 3 step task, Joe will not look away and wander from the table, E.g., Decreasing Target behavior: When given a familiar 3-step task, Joe will begin the task within 5 seconds and complete it without prompts from adults.

Discrete Trial Training

a. Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is a method of teaching in simplified and structured steps. Instead of teaching an entire skill, such as building a tower, the skill is broken down and "built-up" using discrete trials that teach each step one at a time (Smith, 2001) b. The discrete trial procedure is used to teach new skills where repeated practice (mass trails), frequent rewards and a high degree of structure is needed.

Satiation

a. If you overuse a certain reinforcer, it will lose its effectiveness. E.g., If you use skittles as a reinforcer for an entire session, the client will no longer want to work for skittles. Food is the most common reinforcement that reaches satiation.

Chaining

a. Linking multiple simple behaviors together to elicit one complex behavior. b. When teaching a behavior using chaining, the first step is to complete a task analysis. Task analyses serve the purpose of identifying all of the smaller, teachable units of a behavior that make up a behavior chain. E.g., Think of breaking down all the steps to hand washing 1. turn on water 2. put hands under water 3. put soap onto hands 4. rub hands together 5. put hands under water

Academic skills

a. Math and reading skills i. Rote counting to 30 ii. 1:1 correspondence iii. Number and letter recognition iv. Sight words

Preference Assessment

a. Performing reinforcement sampling to see what items the child prefers i. Giving the child FREE ACCESS to a wide variety of reinforcement. Should provide a choice of 6 or more items/activities. Also observe what the child gravitates towards in his/her natural environment. ii. Give repeated access and take note of the items chosen two or more times. iii. Perform preference inventories periodically throughout the day or as you see response rate decrease iv. Items chosen for reinforcement are ALWAYS child-chosen

Motivating Operation

a. Refers to the child's level of motivation to exhibit the target behavior. b. MOs increase or decrease the effectiveness of a reinforcer or punisher. E.g., If a child is deprived of his/her ipad, they are more likely to exhibit target behaviors in order to access it. If a child is satiated with ipad (his caregiver has allowed free access to the ipad during downtime, including right before session), this is likely to decrease the effectiveness of the ipad as a reinforcer.

Intermittent Reinforcement

a. Reinforcement is delivered at intervals rather than every time the behavior is exhibited. This strengthens a behavior as the child has learned that if he/she demonstrates the behavior repeatedly, he/she will eventually receive the desired reinforcement. Used for maintaining already established behaviors. Produce behaviors with greater resistance to extinction than the resistance produced by a continuous reinforcement schedule. ● Variable Interval: Reinforcement is delivered approximately every set time period after the correct target response has occurred ● Variable Ratio: On average of a specific number of target responses occurs https://youtu.be/6Ofbt16AJgg

Differential Reinforcement of Other behavior (DRO)

a. Reinforcement is delivered contingent on the absence of the target behavior in a given period of time. Hint- Differential Reinforcement of ZERO Behavior. E.g., If you are targeting a spitting bx, the child can yell, cry or hit but get reinforced as long as spitting is occurring at ZERO during the time period, the child is reinforced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr8NBEtQPEQ

Continuous Reinforcement

a. Reinforcement is delivered each time a behavior occurs. This schedule of delivery creates a weak behavior that is difficult, when skill building, to generalize. Used when teaching new skills.

Non-contingent reinforcement

a. Reinforcement is delivered regardless of whether the target behavior is demonstrated. Learning is significantly hindered under these conditions. E.g., If in the example of the child that bangs on doors, it is determined that the function is attention, the non-contingent reinforcement could be to provide reinforcement (picking up the child more frequently and at random), then the banging may stop but no learning has occurred.

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)

a. Reinforcing a more appropriate behavior that serves the same function as the maladaptive behavior. E.g., Reinforcing the child for saying "I want cookie" instead of banging on the cabinet to gain access to the cookies.

Play Skills

a. Sensorimotor (swings in hammock, plays with rice) b. Functional/Conventional (puts balls down a ball maze, completes puzzles) c. Constructing (assembles Legos, builds block towers) d. Symbolic/Dramatic Play (plays restaurant, enacts "3 little pigs"

Teaching Social Skills

a. Social Participation with Peers (plays in close proximity with similar materials, works towards a common goal with a peer) b. Emotional Awareness (recognizes emotions of self and others and is able to control anger "when I get mad I can...") c. Social Awareness (recognizing other's perspectives, adhering to social norms "I will get dressed before I walk outside") d. Conversational Discourse (taking turns in conversations and clarifying information, "I said, I don't like pizza")

Negative Reinforcement

a. Spells relief. A contingency wherein the REMOVAL of a particular stimulus already present in the environment (consequence) will INCREASE the future probability of the target behavior. E.g., Person begins driving without a seatbelt on. The car buzzes, the person puts his seat belt on. The buzzing stops. ● Since the Buzzing was already present in the environment and is removed = Negative.

Antecedent Intervention

a. Stimuli (events) preceding a behavior are eliminated or modified to reduce the likelihood of triggering the behavior. i. Examples include but not limited to: 1. Removal of Stimuli 2. Choice 3. Prompting 4. Priming 5. High-probability sequence

Functional Communication Training (FCT)

a. Teaching basic communication skills such as requesting ("I want ___") and protesting/affirming (No/yes). E.g., a child screams when he wants a goldfish, you teach him to select from his PECS a pic of goldfish and hand it to an adult

. Natural Environment Training

a. Teaching occurs in the natural environment and teaching moments take place when naturally occurring opportunities present themselves. This helps the child generalize the skills they learned in a more structured setting.

Discrimination Training

a. The child is taught to differentiate or discriminate one antecedent from another. E.g., Child learns that when he/she hears "shoe" he should touch the shoe and not the block.

Redirection

a. The interruption of one behavior while attempting to engage the child in another behavior (a more appropriate one). E.g, if the child begins crying when his mom leaves, the tutor tries to redirect the child by engaging in a fun activities such as bubbles.

Time-out from Reinforcement

a. The removal of opportunities to earn reinforcement.

Extinction Burst

a. The targeted behavior will initially increase immediately after an extinction procedure is implemented. The increase in behavior is due to the individual's history of reinforcement.

High-P/Behavioral Momentum

a. The use of a series of high-probability requests/demands to increase compliance with lower-probability requests/demands. E.g., Asking the child to identify body parts (an easier task) and then once they are consistently responding asking them to write their name (a harder task).

Teaching Executive Function Skills

a. These skills make it possible for the child with ASD to independently access his/her environment in a purposeful goal directed manner. Skills taught involve: i. organization ii. inhibiting impulses iii. attending & screening out stimuli iv. shifting attention v. planning and executing tasks.

Target Behavior

a. This is the behavior that is defined and being treated for change in the behavior support plan.

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)

a. This type of assessment is used to identify a target behavior (for increase or decrease), the purpose of the behavior and what factors maintain the behavior. An FBA includes data collected over several days/times/settings and persons in order to identify the FUNCTION of the behavior. ABC data is collected to discover this information.

Token Economy

a. Tokens or generalized reinforcement (those that only represent the reinforcement, such as smiley face stickers, that can be exchanged for candy) are delivered following a target behavior and are then exchanged later for the reinforcer.

Access to tangible extinction

a. Use this if the function of the behavior is to gain access to a desired tangible b. Tangibles are items you can touch and feel. E.g. The child kicks the pantry door to gain access to cookies. When implementing an access to tangible extinction, the cookies are removed from the pantry and the child no longer has access to them.

Attention Extinction

a. Use this if the function of the behavior is to gain attention. E.g. The child falls to the ground and cries in order to get picked up from his mother. When implementing attention extinction, the behavior is ignored and the child is no longer picked up when he/she falls to the ground and cries.

Positive Behavior Support Plan (PBSP)

a. Used to identify the target behavior, the function of the behavior, and outline the strategies determined to reduce the frequency of the behavior without the use of aversive techniques. A PBSP Contains: ● Description of the maladaptive behavior- operationally defined ● Function ● Baseline ● Goal - the target behavior ● Proactive strategies-physical and social environmental supports-Antecedent Interventions ● Reactive strategies

Teaching Cognitive Skills

a. Visual Reasoning- Visually matching and sorting materials b. Critical Thinking - understanding cause and effect, "I'm crying because I fell down" c. Problem solving- understanding how to fix scenarios independently and come up with solutions. "I need a towel to wipe up the water"

Visual Supports

a. Visual strategies assist a child in gaining information from his/her environment and functioning with greater independence. Visual supports include, but are not limited to signs, calendars, schedules, choice menus, picture choices.

Stimulus Control

a. When an organism behaves in one way in the presence of a given stimulus and another way in its absence. E.g., When instructed to "clean up" and presented with an empty bin, the child places the materials in the bin. This behavior does not occur when instructed to "clean up" w/o the bin present. E.g. You are normally very talkative during work gatherings. When your boss is present, you are less talkative during work gatherings. You are under stimulus control that when your boss is there you should talk less and thischanges your behavior.

Backward Chaining

all behaviors identified in the task analysis are initially completed by the tutor, except for the final behavior in the chain. When the learner performs the final behavior in the sequence at the predetermined criterion level, reinforcement is delivered.

Total Task Chaining

teach the complete behavior chain one step after another. The adult walks the child through each step, prompting only as necessary.

Forward chaining

the behavior is taught in its naturally occurring order. Each step of the sequence is taught and reinforced when completed correctly. After the learner completes step 1 with a predetermined criterion of accuracy the student is taught the next step of the sequence. E.g., For handwashing, the target behavior would be turning on the water. BT would provide assistance for all other steps

Functions of Behaviors - Everybody EATS

○ Escape ○ Attention ○ Tangible ○ Sensory (automatic) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G_4U_6IB1U