ASSIGNMENT 25

Behavioral theories help us to understand a child’s behavior, but the primary benefit of an accurate theory is the development of a successful intervention approach. In the past, behaviors were managed with the goal of eliminating the behaviors, often using punishment, and rewarding new behaviors. It was more of a “disciplinary approach”. However, more recent approaches focus on positive ways to intervene, starting with truly understanding the reason for the behaviors. Viewing all “behavior as communication” has become the standard for these newer approaches. In addition, there has also been increased attention to other reasons for behavioral differences. These include risk factors such as the child’s medical or neurological condition, any sensory impairment, and their social/emotional and attachment history. There are also consideration of environmental or contextual elements such as places and people that might serve as “triggers” for the behavior. Therefore, Discrete Trail training has been shown to help students with autism develop skills in labeling and requesting objects, asking questions, initiating and maintaining conversation, describing items, and making social greetings (Lovaas, 2002; Boutot,2017).

Discrete trials are regarded as an effective teaching method for children with autism because, according to Buron and Wolfberg (2014), children with autism often lack a desire to learn like their typical peers. That is, children with autism often have difficulty learning through observing others or exploring their environments; as well as difficulty engaging with, playing with or talking to others. Therefore, many persons opt to use motivation as a strategy to engage children with autism in a particular activity. It is alluded that early investigations of motivation in the experimental and applied analysis of behavior tended toward improving our understanding of the relationship between consequences that followed behavior (Michael, 1993; Boutot, 2017). In addition, they indicate that consequences indeed have substantial influence on behavior, but relying exclusively on consequence strategies to change the behavior of students with autism is commonplace. Commenting that such an approach is problematic for various reasons, but a main concern is that continuously searching for items or activities to entice compliance fails to account for factors related to motivation of noncompliant behavior (Boutot, 2017 p. 62).

This approach can be problematic because using compliance as a factor to motivate behavior will only work once the item has value, however once the item or activity loses value, compliance again decreases and the instructor begins searching for new reinforces that compel compliances. Such an approach is problematic for various reasons, but a main concern is that continuously searching for items or activities to entice compliance fails to account for factors related to motivation of noncompliant behavior (Boutot, 2017).

The environment can have a positive or negative effect on the appropriate or inappropriate behaviors, because if a child is taught how to behave then he or she will have commonsense psychology, a motivation that has something to do with whether a person will behave given that he already knows how to behave (Michael, 1993; Boutot 2017).Teachers are responsible for the environment. Nonetheless, If the goal is to modify behavior to meet social norms and improve quality of life, then educators must recognize that (a) the environment explains why contextually appropriate and inappropriate behavior happens, (b) they are responsible for the environment and therefore responsible for the behavior of their students, and (c) combining antecedent-based interventions with consequence-based strategies will yield better student outcomes (Boutot, 2017).

Antecedent-based intervention is an evidence-based practice that is derived from applied behavior analysis and are used to address both interfering (e.g., disruptive, repetitive, stereotypical) and on-task behaviors, it is also effective for positively reinforced behavior. (Boutot 2017). Also, in some cases the teacher may implement a consequence-based intervention. This involves adjusting the consequences that affect the problem behavior. Specifically, a teacher may provide reinforcement for the replacement behavior, or withholds the consequence that previously reinforced the problem behavior. However, although this is a consequence-based intervention, the teacher may still need to make adjustments to the antecedents so that the replacement behavior is more likely to occur. Deshawn can combine antecedent-based interventions with consequence based instruction by reinforcing the replacement behavior. Deshawn can provide positive reinforcement in the form of attention and verbal praise when the student is working quietly or Deshawn can incorporate using learner preferences such has incorporating technology. By incorporating technology, the team can prevent yelling and teach a more socially appropriate behavior for expressing his dissatisfaction (Boutot, 2017)