When it comes to challenging behaviors, there are a lot of questions that come up. Why do they occur? What can be done to address them? How successful can we be in reducing them? In this blog post, we will be answering all of those questions and more. We will go through some of the reasons WHY challenging behaviors occur, and then discuss some things we can do to successfully address and reduce them. Specifically, we will review the difference between appropriate vs. inappropriate or challenging behavior, discuss the 4 primary causes or functions of behavior, and explain how teaching functionally-equivalent replacement behaviors can effectively address and reduce challenging behavior.
One of the first things we need to do when it comes to addressing challenging behavior is understanding the difference between appropriate and inappropriate or challenging behavior. When we say a behavior is appropriate, we mean that engaging in it is helping us be more engaged or successful in our environment. Conversely, when we say a behavior is inappropriate or challenging, we mean that engaging in the behavior is negatively affecting our ability to learn, engage, or be successful in our environment. With that being said, it’s important to note that what is considered appropriate or inappropriate behavior can vary depending on the culture, community, and family values.
If a challenging behavior occurs with some regularity, that means it is being reinforced and getting the individual something they want for engaging in the behavior. It is also important to keep in mind that challenging behavior can often be a very effective way for individuals to communicate their wants and needs- especially if they do not have the language abilities to do so. Once we’ve established that a challenging behavior is taking place, the next step is to figure out why it’s happening to know how to effectively address it. In other words, we need to determine the cause or the function of the challenging behavior. To do this, we complete a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) which involves analyzing the context in which the challenging behavior occurs and looking at what happens immediately before and after the challenging behavior.
Research has also shown that most behavior occurs due to fairly straightforward contingencies. Specifically, research has shown that the majority of behaviors occur due to the individual gaining attention from another person, avoiding or escaping something aversive, gaining a tangible item or activity they like, or contacting some automatic reinforcement:
- Attention-maintained behavior occurs when an individual wants or needs attention from other adults or peers. This could be positive attention, such as praise or approval, or negative attention, such as scolding or punishment.
- Escape/avoidance-maintained behavior occurs when an individual wants to avoid or escape from a certain situation or task. This could be because the individual finds the task too difficult, finds the task or situation aversive, or would simply rather be doing something different.
- Tangible-maintained behavior occurs when an individual wants to obtain or have access to a certain object or activity or wants to continue being able to access the object or activity.
- Automatically-maintained behavior occurs when engaging in the challenging behavior in and of itself is reinforcing to the individual.
Once we have identified the function of a challenging behavior, the best treatment for that challenging behavior is often to teach a functionally-equivalent replacement behavior. Functionally-equivalent replacement behaviors are new behaviors that serve the same purpose or function as the challenging behavior. For example:
- If an individual is engaging in challenging behavior to gain attention from an adult, a functionally-equivalent replacement behavior could be raising their hand, saying the adult’s name, tapping the adult on their shoulder, or calling out “excuse me.”
- If an individual is engaging in challenging behavior to escape a non-preferred academic task, a functionally-equivalent replacement behavior could be asking for a break or asking for help from a teacher.
- If an individual is engaging in challenging behavior to get access to their iPad, a functionally-equivalent replacement behavior could be asking to play with the iPad or asking when they can play with the iPad.
- If an individual is engaging in challenging behavior, such as screaming, because they like how it sounds in different environments, a functionally-equivalent replacement behavior could be providing the individual with an iPod and headphones and allow them to pick and listen to different sounds or songs.
Teaching functionally-equivalent replacement behaviors can be an effective way to address and reduce challenging behavior because it allows the individual to still get their needs met, but in a more socially acceptable way. It is important to note that it may take some time and practice for the individual to learn the new behaviors and be able to use them consistently. However, with patience and support, it is possible for individuals to successfully learn and use functionally-equivalent replacement behaviors to express their wants and needs rather than engage in challenging behavior.
To learn more about KGH Autism Services, visit kghautismservices.com/our-services.
