challenging behaviour and applied behavioural analysis andy miller 26th february 2007

Challenging Behaviour and Applied Behavioural Analysis

Andy Miller

26th February 2007

Key text

Miller, A (2003) Teachers, Parents and Classroom Behaviour. A Psychosocial Approach. Maidenhead. Open University Press.

Definitions

What is challenging behaviour (in schools)?

… and

What is Applied Behaviour Analysis?

Questions, questions ….

Is it getting worse?


Is it getting worse? Is what exactly getting worse?


Is it getting worse? Is what getting worse? Is it certain types of kids?


Is it getting worse? Is what getting worse? Is it certain types of kids? Is it certain types of parents?


Is it getting worse? Is what getting worse? Is it certain types of kids? Is it certain types of parents? Is it certain types of schools?


Is it getting worse? Is what getting worse? Is it certain types of kids? Is it certain types of parents? Is it certain types of schools? Is there anything anybody can do?



…. and most importantly for us …..



…. and most importantly for us …..

What does psychology have to offer?

Nature and severity (… then)

“Few teachers in our survey reported physical aggression towards themselves. Most of these did not rate it as the most difficult behaviour with which they had to deal. Teachers in our survey were most concerned about the cumulative effects of disruption to their lessons caused by relatively trivial but persistent misbehaviour”

The Elton Report (1989)

Nature and severity (… and now)

“The most common forms of misbehaviour are incessant chatter, calling out, inattention and other forms of nuisance that irritate staff and interrupt learning.”

Ofsted, The Annual Report of HM’s Chief Inspector of Schools 2003/2004, (February

2005)

Forms of challenging behaviour

These large scale studies regularly identify ‘talking out of turn’ (TOOT) and ‘hindering other children’ (HOC) as the major concern of teachers.

But, of course, there are other lower incidence types of challenging behaviour: bullying, violence, self injury, mental health

problems, some autistic behaviour etc.

Identifying ‘problem behaviour’

standardised questionnaires completed by teachers and parents of over 2,000 children

proved extremely effective in screening out children with ‘psychiatric disorders’.

surprisingly little overlap between the two sources (teachers and parents)

only one child in every 6 or 7 in the ‘deviant group’ identified by both parties

Isle of Wight survey (Rutter et al 1970)

Identifying ‘problem behaviour’ (2)

Similar lack of overlap in London study of 343 7-8yr olds:

30% of those seen by teachers as a problem at school also identified by parents as a problem at home

34% of those identified by parents were similarly perceived as difficult by teachers

Tizard et al (1988)

Implications

Either

some forms of behaviour are context- specific (e.g. lack of concentration at school)

some are more likely to occur at home or at school

some have far more salience for teachers and others for parents

Rationale for Applied Behavioural Analysis in educational settings

First published study was carried out by Madsen et al in 1968 in the USA sought to demonstrate that:

behaviour is learned thus pupils can learn acceptable and productive

classroom behaviour changing the environment can create the conditions for

new behaviour to be learned

Studied the effects of praise; ignoring; clear statements of rules on inappropriate behaviour

Inappropriate behaviour of one problem child as a function of experimental conditions (from Madsen et al 1968)

Distinctive features of ABA approaches

concern with demonstrating the effects of alterations to antecedents and consequences upon behaviour

precise descriptions of ‘behaviour’

careful records in graphical form

record taken during baseline period

Basic types of strategy

Rewarding students for being ‘good’ (Differential reinforcement of Alternative Response - ALT R)

Rewarding students for not being ‘naughty’ (Differential Reinforcement of the Omission of a Response - DRO)

Rewarding students for being ‘naughty’ less and less often (Differential Reinforcement of Lower Rates of Responding - DRL)

DRO

The most effective technique for severe and challenging behaviour

Can appear ‘negative’ so should always be counter-balanced by a direct teaching programme that is teaching the child positive alternatives to problem behaviour

Problems with generalisation improved behaviour of child to other

settings?


settings? improved behaviour of child influences

other children?



other children? changed teacher behaviour extends

beyond the intervention?



other children? changed teacher behaviour extends

beyond the intervention? changed teacher behaviour extends to

other pupils?

Problems with generalisation improved behaviour of child to other settings? improved behaviour of child influences other

children? changed teacher behaviour extends beyond

the intervention? changed teacher behaviour extends to other

pupils? teacher influences the behaviour of teacher

colleagues?

A word about reinforcers …

‘The dangers of behavioural overkill’ (Wheldall 1981) - the use of very powerful reinforcers where a more ‘natural’ reinforcer would suffice:



intrinsic



intrinsic

social



intrinsic

social

activity



intrinsic

social

activity

token



intrinsic

social

activity

token

material



intrinsic

social

activity

token

material

(Goodwin & Coates 1976)

A word about punishment….. Research has shown ABA strategies can be successful

without the inclusion of punishments

People usually react badly to punishments (e.g. traffic warden) - can lead to ‘punishment-elicited aggression’

Society’s tolerance for the punishment of children is steadily decreasing (with some exceptions)

In an increasingly litigious society where there is research evidence that non-aversive approaches work, staff will become increasingly vulnerable if they advocate the use of punishments

Developments in British practice from consequences to antecedents

Developments in British practice from consequences to antecedents from on-task behaviour to socially

useful outcomes


useful outcomes from primary-, to secondary-level

applications


useful outcomes from primary- to secondary level

applications from external control to self-control


useful outcomes from primary- to secondary level

applications from external control to self-control from individual pupils to whole-class

approaches

Developments in British practice from consequences to antecedents from on-task behaviour to socially useful

outcomes from primary- to secondary level

applications from external control to self-control from individual pupils to whole-class

approaches from reactive strategies to preventative

approaches

From consequences to antecedents

although Madsen et al (1968) gave prominence to classroom rules, many early subsequent studies(and popular perceptions) became bound up with rewards and punishments

don’t forget ‘the curriculum’ (Harrop & McNamara 1979)

‘rows or tables’- rows had the greatest effect on the children with low initial on-task behaviour ( Wheldall et al 1981; Hastings and Wood 2002)

From on-task behaviour to socially useful outcomes

“Be still, be quiet, be docile” (Winnet & Winkler 1972)

the need to teach skills instead - pupils who were likely to succeed academically more likely to receive ‘naturally occurring’ praise and encouragement

juggling and unicycles (Burland 1979)

from primary-, to secondary-level applications

Despite published account of successful work in primary and special schools, much harder in secondary schools

McNamara and Harrop (1979), after attempting to repeat workshops that were successful at primary level with secondary teachers concluded that lack of transfer might be due to either features of adolescence and-or secondary schools

from external control to self control

‘self-recording’ studies (e.g. Merrett & Blundell 1982) attempted to overcome coordination of a large number of teachers and to improve student’s self regulation

time sampling by teacher and student, later with rewarded tallies that agreed (only) increased on-task behaviour from 30% to more than 60%

from individual pupils to whole-class approaches

first British whole class strategy by Tsoi & Yule (1976) used extra break time as a reinforcer and found two types of strategy to be effective:

behaviour of a single child formed the basis for reinforcement

behaviour of whole class required to change

from reactive strategies to preventative approaches

becoming concerned with preventative measures, various educational psychologists developed teacher training materials

for example, Galvin et al (1990), in Building A Better Behaved School addressed:

individual pupil management techniques whole class strategies school-wide behaviour policies

all incorporating rules, praise and sanctions

The Staffordshire Pindown

Experience “The existence of the regime that eventually became

known as “Pindown” first became known to the outside world in 1989, when an adolescent girl was found to have been confined to a barely furnished room for long periods; required to wear night clothes during the day; deprived of contact, education and sensory stimulus; and prevented from communicating with other children or going out…. It eventually emerged that 132 children aged from 9 to 17 had been subjected to Pindown between 1983 and 1989”

from ‘Abuse of Children and Young People in

Residential Care” Scottish Parliament Information Centre Briefing. November 26th, 2004, page 9.

The official inquiry into Pindown

concluded that Pindown

“… is likely to have stemmed initially from an ill-digested understanding of behavioural psychology. The regime had no theoretical framework and no safeguards”

Levy, A and Kahan, B (1991), The Pindown Experience and the Protection of Children. Staffordshire County Council.

Other ABA applications in education

The Education of the Developmentally Young (EDY) Project. Hester Adrian Centre, Manchester University.

Lovaas. Work with children and young people with autism.

Ethics

British Psychological Society Code of Ethics and Conduct

3.1 Standard of General ResponsibilityPsychologists should:(i) Avoid harming clients, but take into account that the

interests of different clients may conflict. The psychologist will need to weigh these interests and the potential harm caused by alternative courses of action or inaction.

Educational Legislation and Guidance

Special Educational Needs Code of Practice Pastoral Support Programmes Home-School Agreements

Employ terms such as ‘plans’, ‘targets’, ‘rewards’, ‘sanctions’, ‘clear explicit rules’ etc

Also SMART (specific, measurable, achievable/attainable, realistic and time-related) targets

Current status of ABA?

Is it common sense (carrots and sticks etc) made overly complicated by psychologists?

Is it theoretically barren and ethically questionable?

Is it an ‘it’ (i.e. one set of commonly agreed techniques or a general term covering important variations?)

Have education professionals abandoned ABA and, if so, why?

Has ABA ‘seeped into the very fabric’ of government thinking about education?

References Evertson, C.M. & Weinstein, C.S. (Eds) (2006) Handbook

of Classroom Management. London. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (esp chptrs 2, 3, 9 & 42)

Lavigna, G (2000) Alternatives to Punishment (2000). Irvington Publishers Inc.,U.S.

Miller, A (1996) Pupil Behaviour and Teacher Culture. London. Cassell. (esp chptrs 3 & 4)

Miller, A (2003) Teachers, Parents and Classroom Behaviour. A Psychosocial Approach. Maidenhead. Open Univeristy Press. (esp chptrs 1 & 3)

Porter, L (2007) Behaviour in Schools. Theory and Practice for Teachers. Maidenhead. Open University Press.(esp chptrs 2 & 3)

challenging behaviour and applied behavioural analysis andy miller 26th february 2007

Documents

problem behaviour slide

inappropriate behaviour

certain types of parents

forms of behaviour

behaviour analysis

difficult behaviour

certain types of schools

certain types of kids