Behavior refers to the individual's behavior- what the individual is doing, what it looks like, how often the behavior occurs, the length of the behavior's occurrence, and the intensity of the behavior.
Determining the Need for Intervention
When conducting a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), observations of the individuals behavior are critical in the analysis of the FBA.
Notes taken regarding the individuals daily performance at various tasks and in different environments are used to document patterns across activities, environments, or time periods.
After patterns in behavior are documented and the purpose of the behavior is determined, the need for appropriate interventions can be discussed among those involved and implemented with the individual.
Choose Your Battles
Individuals may react to certain behaviors in a variety of ways. It is important to determine what behaviors are appropriate and what behaviors are inappropriate in a particular environment in order to plan for behavior and possibly prevent an overload.
For example, some individuals may perform better in certain situations when they are able to have a manipulative to squeeze in their hands, rather than sitting still with their hands on their lap. In the school setting, this may cause a problem for some teachers who feel the student should have the same rules and expectations as his/her classmates, therefore they would rather deal with the students anxious behavior from not having a manipulative to release the anxiety over allowing the student a manipulative and continuing with the lesson.
PEGASUS Table
By Andrews & Baird (2000)
The PEGASUS format comprises guidelines for leading communicative efforts. This can be used when working out consequences with an individual with higher cognitive functioning because both interactants can follow the sequence.
P = present desired outcomes for meetings and make the goal clear (For example: "Tommy, we are visiting today because you made some poor choices concerning playground behavior. Together, we are going to need to come up with some possible methods to avoid calling your classmates names if this situation comes up again.")
E = explain the evidence so that anyone can hear, see, or feel proof that the meeting has accomplished its goals (For example: "Tommy, we will know that we have accomplished this if we have figured out what caused you to call them names, discussed how you and your classmates may have felt about the situation, and we have a list of at least 3 possible alternatives to calling names for next time.")
G = gain aggreement from each person concerning the goal of the meeting (For example: "What do you think of this? Do you have any ideas that might make this work better?")
A = activate sensory acuity, be perceptive of others' nonverbal cues (For example: the parent, teacher, or professional might want to watch for increased stimming which might indicate overloading. It is possible that there might be some anxiety concerning the procedure on the part of the individual.)
S = summarize each decision after all decisions have been reached (This is used to make sure that everyone is in agreement as to what has actually been decided. It also assists with short-term and working memory.)
U = use a relevancy challenge - ensure that all points brought up during the meeting meet the agreed up objectives of the meeting (For example: "After visting today and realizing what is really going on, do you think that our ideas that we have listed will work as well as we want them to? Is there anything else we might want to consider that might work for solving the problem?")
S = summarize what was accomplished ("Tommy, I am so proud of you! Today we visited about calling names on the playground, we agreed that this particular behavior did not work so well, and we came up with some possible alternatives for name calling. I have one more request for you. Tommorrow, after recess, would you mind letting me know how our alternatives worked? I'm giving you a hall pass to come see me and let me know.")
References
Andrews, P. H. & Baird, J. E. Jr. (2000). Communication for Business and the Professions. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.
Consequences
What is a Consequence?
Consequences are the events that presently coincide with the appearance of an individual's behavior.
For example, if attention from others is given to an individual who exhibits certain behaviors, this is the result of the individual's attention seeking behavior.
All Behavior is Individual to the Person
Two individuals may exhibit the same behavior, but for very different reasons.
For example, one individual may show signs of anxiety or frustration when faced with a difficult task, while another individual may show similar signs of anxiety or frustration when they receive criticism from other individuals.
Each of these individuals is exhibiting the same behavior, but for different reasons.
It is important to keep this point in mind when determining the reason for specific behaviors and when determining appropriate consequences for behavior.
Consequences Must Be Meaningful
Natural Consequence : A naturally occurring result when no one intervenes in the process.
If you do not put gas in your car when the tank is almost empty the natural result will be that your car will run out of gas.
Logical Consequences : Used when natural consequences are inappropriate or unavailable to the individual. The individual applying the logical consequence must relate the consequence to the behavior.
If a child is talking loudly while his/her mother is attempting to concentrate on a book, the mother could explain that she is trying to read so the child either needs to talk in a soft voice or go to another room.
Positive Consequences
Positive Consequences offer something rewarding to an individual after the completion of an activity, event, or an action.
For example, some parents may offer their children free time to play at the park as soon as they finish their homework. Stating the reward which will occur after the activity is completed is a motivator for the children to complete their homework.
Negative Consequences
Negative consequences often do not help the individual learn desired behaviors, but penalize current behavior.
For example, a teacher may announce that if the class does not finish their assignment before the bell rings, the class will not be allowed to play at recess.
