Using the Competing Behavior Model in Teacher Education

Changnam Lee, Ph.D.

Kennesaw State University

Georgia Positive Behavior Support Conference

E-mail: clee723@gmail.com

A Decision-Making Flowchart

Functional Behavioral Assessment

PROBLEM ANALYSIS

Place information from reports and observations in the columns below

What happens immediately before and after the problem behavior?

Antecedents Behavior Consequences

Teacher working with student

Teacher moving about classroom

Teacher working at board

Independent reading time in the library

Humming

Yawning, hitting pencil against paper

Pounding on desk

Yells across the library

Teacher attends to Eric and then answers question

Teacher attends to Eric and helps him

with task

Teacher attends to Eric and then grants

request

Library teacher attends to Eric and answers question

Summary Statements

• Predictor (Antecedent): “When the teacher gives an assignment,”

• Behavior: “Travis crumples the worksheet”

• Function: “in order to avoid doing the task.”

Behavior Support Planning

A Competing Behavior Model

Principles for Designing a Behavior Intervention Plan (Crone & Horner, 2003)

1. Make the problem behavior irrelevant: Alter the antecedents and setting events.

2. Make the problem behavior inefficient: Provide reinforcement for the replacement or alternative behavior; the replacement performance should be easier for the child than the problem behavior.

3. Make the problem behavior ineffective: Stop providing reinforcement for the problem behavior.

Mary Cries…

One day, after dinner, four-year-old Mary watched a scary movie on TV. About an hour later when the mother turned off the light in her room and said, “Good night,” Mary cried loudly. When she cried, her mother came back to her room and stayed until after Mary fell asleep. After this incident, she cried every night and her mother had to stay with her every night.

Watching a scary movie

The light turned off, the mother not around

Mary crying

Mother comes and stays.

This is an analysis of the present condition

Setting EventSetting Event AntecedentAntecedent Problem BehaviorProblem Behavior ConsequenceConsequence

Mother does something…• The mother was so annoyed by her crying

that she decided to quit coming to Mary even when she cried.

• What will Mary do when the mother does not come any more?

• If the mother persists not coming to Mary, what will Mary do?

• What is the mother’s strategy called?• Which of the three principles is the mother

using?

Mother invents another strategy…

Since some neighbors in the apartment complex complained about Mary’s crying, the mother told Mary to come to her room and knock on the door. When Mary did this, the mother came to Mary and stayed with her until after she slept.•By doing this new behavior, is Mary getting the same consequence?•Which principle is the mother using?

Watching a scary movie

The light turned off, the mother not around

Mary crying

Mother comes and stays.

Knocks on the mother’s door

Mother does one more thing…

The mother made another change on her own behavior. She decided to stay with Mary until Mary fell asleep before she turned off the light and said, “Good night.”

•Which variable is the mother changing?

•Which principle is the mother using?

Mother plans ahead…

The mother thought that she could not do the strategies forever. She wanted Mary to sleep without crying independently. Therefore, the mother designed a token system for Mary’s independent sleeping. Every time Mary sleeps without crying, the mother gives a token next morning. When Mary gets three tokens, the mother brings her to the store and buys a small item.

Watching a scary movie

The light turned off, the mother not around

Mary crying

Mother comes and stays.

Knocks on the mother’s door

Mary sleeps independently.

Token—favored item

INED 7720by Tara Kociencki

Behavior Support Project

Daisy

• 10 years old

• Receives services under the category of Autism

• 4 segments of small group (Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies)

• 1 segment of inclusion (Reading)

• Specials and homeroom general education setting

Target Behavior

Problem behavior: Refusal to answer questions verbally

Alternate or replacement behavior: She will respond verbally during reading class.

The ultimate desired behavior is for Daisy to respond verbally in ALL settings.

Functional Behavior Assessment

• The FAST form indicated that Daisy’s potential source of reinforcement was social escape.

• Summary of behavior from FACTS Part A &B– When asked a question, Daisy refuses to talk

to escape attention from adults and peers.

FBA cont.

Results from ABC Analysis• The immediate antecedent: Daisy was asked a question

or a few times, she was given instruction or prompt to work.

• The behavior that was observed each time was refusal to talk to answer questions.

• There were 3 instances where she did respond verbally and these times were during non-academic times.

• The consequences were – wait time, staff did nothing, attention or response block, and 0 points on her point sheet for not participating.

Findings…

• Findings

• Implications