Part F- Behaviour Assessment
F-1: Review Records and Available Data (e.g., educational, medical, historical) at the outset of the case
4 Steps of ABA:
Assessment
Planning
Implementation
Evaluation
During the assessment phase, clinicians should conduct direct, indirect, and ecological assessments (i.e. find out more about the individual and the environments where they have history). Conducting an ecological assessment can help identify more information about their medical history, education, how they interact with others, etc., However, ecological assessments, may not always be necessary.
F-2: Determine the Need for Behaviour-Analytic Services
When identifying if there is a need for Behaviour-Analytic services, clinicians should ask the following 10 questions:
Would this behaviour produce reinforcement in the clients natural environment, after the intervention is complete?
Is this behaviour a necessary prerequisite for more complex or function skills?
Will this behaviour increase the individual’s access to new environments, where novel behaviours can be acquired and used?
Will changing this behaviour increase the likelihood others interacting with the individual in an appropriate, supportive, and meaningful way?
Is this a pivotal behaviour or behavioural cusp?
Pivotal Behaviour: A behaviour that will produce modification or co-variations in other adaptive untrained behaviours
Example: Teaching an individual with ASD problem solving in social situations can lead to the child having self-regulation skills in social situations
Behavioural Cusp: A behaviour that exposes the individual’s skill repertoire to new environment, beyond where it is learned
Example: Teaching an individual to make S.M.A.R.T Goals will be beneficial for them in different areas of their life
Is this behaviour age appropriate?
Is a replacement behaviour being taught while this behaviour is being reduced or eliminated from the client’s repertoire?
Does the behaviour represent the actual goal or is it indirectly related?
Is this the real behaviour of interest?
If the goal is more broadly defined, will this behaviour help to achieve it?
F-3: Identify and Prioritize Socially Significant Behaviour-Change Goals
When identifying a behaviour-change goal and determining if it’s socially significant, clinicians should ask the following 9 questions:
Does the behaviour cause self-harm or harm to others?
Will the individual have many opportunities to use this new behaviour?
How long has the skill deficit or challenging behaviour been occurring?
Will engaging in this kill increase rates of reinforcement for the individual?
Will this goal be of importance when learning future skills or independent functioning?
Will changing this behaviour reduce negative/unwanted attention from others?
How likely is the success in changing this behaviour?
How much will it cost?
Will changing this behaviour produce reinforcement for significant others?
F-4: Conduct Assessments of Relevant Skill Strengths and Deficits
Clinicians should conduct assessments of relevant skill strengths and deficits to individualize the behaviour planning for each individual. When we focus on creating goals, with our client’s strengths incorporated, it can lead to higher rates of success for the program. We can focus on programming for skill deficits, by incorporating what the client already enjoys and does well.
Example: A client has challenges with problem solving, however they are very good at playing a game such as Just Dance and can copy the moves really well. To teach problem solving, the clinician can use a video model to teach problem solving skills.
F-5: Conduct Preference Assessments
Stimulus Preference Assessments are used to determine what stimuli an individual prefers, the relative value of the preferred stimuli and the conditions under which the stimuli is preferred (e.g., EO, Schedules of reinforcement, satiation, deprivation)
Personal Interview includes open-ended questions, ranks, or choice format questionnaires which are typically completed verbally.
Caregiver Nomination is when a caregiver supports in identifying what the individual may prefer.
Pre-Task Choice is when only preferred items are presented to the individual.
Free Operant Observation has two types, naturalistic or contrived. In the naturalistic free-operant observation, the individual can engage in their typical environment, without restrains and the clinician gathers information about the individuals’ preferences. In the contrived free-operant observation, the clinician intentionally sets up various items to determine the individual’s preferences.
Systematic Preference Assessments (SPA) include 5 ways (see visual below) to methodologically determine the relative value of a stimuli.
F-6: Describe the Common Functions of Problem Behaviour
Function: The reason why the behaviour occurs (i.e., the individual engages in the behaviour to produce positive or negative reinforcement).
Topography: The form or shape of a behaviour
REMEMBER: Different topographies of challenging behaviour can have the same OR different function and similar topographies of challenging behaviour can also have the same OR different functions.
Common Functions of Behaviour
Positive Reinforcement
Attention: An individual engages in challenging behaviour to receive immediate attention from others (e.g. head turns, reprimands, attempts to soothe)
Tangible: An individual engages in challenging behaviour to receive access to preferred/reinforcing stimuli (e.g. stealing,)
Automatic Positive Reinforcement: An individual engages in challenging behaviour to gain access to their own reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement
Escape: An individual engages in challenging behaviour to terminate or postpone aversive events (e.g. tantrum behaviours before going to school)
Automatic Negative Reinforcement: An individual engages in challenging behaviour to terminate aversive stimuli (e.g. hitting head to relieve headache)
F-7: Conduct a Descriptive Assessment of Problem Behaviour
Descriptive Assessment: Observations made during naturally occurring conditions (i.e., direct observation of behaviour) See C2 for more information about direct assessments.
This is where clinicians collect data to identify when the challenging behaviour occurs and create hypothesis for the function of the behaviour. It’s helpful to conduct descriptive assessments prior to the Functional Analysis (FA) to gather more information, which will be useful in setting up the FA and creating safety plans to keep staff, caregivers, and the individual safe.
F-8: Conduct a Functional Analysis of Problem Behaviour
Functional Analysis (FA): Antecedents and consequences representing those in the person’s natural environment are arranged so their individual effects on challenging behaviour can be observed and measured
Preparing for an FA
Step 1: Obtain informed consent
Step 2: Identify the 3 operant components of FA conditions:
Step 3: Manage potential risks
Include safety measures (e.g. safety plan for staff, caregivers, and individual)
Gather information using an indirect assessment from those who spend the most time with and know the individual well
Identify criteria for termination
Consult with a physician before and after the FA
Include protective gear, if required
Step 4: Select target response
Determine whether to conduct FA of all topographies of challenging behaviour or specific topographies
Conducting an FA of all topographies of challenging behaviour can gather data in a timely and efficient manner, however it can be messy and have a higher likelihood of getting unclear results
Conducting an FA of specific topographies of challenging behaviour can gather clear results, however it’s less efficient and can be harmful to the supported person
Step 5: Decide on session duration
Typically, clinicians should begin with 5 minute sessions, with exposure to each condition for a minimum of 4 times. However if the results are unclear, increase the sessions to 10 minutes.
Example: Conduct a 5-minute session under the alone condition, followed by a 5-minute attention condition, then a 5-minute tangible condition, followed by a 5-minute demand conditions, and finally a 5-minute play condition. Ensure that the conditions are repeated at least four times, with variations introduced in each rotation.
Step 6: Select an experimental design
The most commonly used experimental design is a multi-element design.
Step 7: Conduct FA!
F-9: Interpret Functional Assessment Data
Graph all conditions of the FA, typically using a graph that shows all conditions, then conduct a visual Inspection! (i.e., trend, variability, and level-see C11)
Compare control condition to all other conditions and identify in which condition the challenging behaviour occurs
The graph above displays results of an Functional Analysis, with the challenging behaviour occurring most frequently in the demand condition.
The graph above displays results from an undifferentiated Functional Analysis data.
