Literature Review - ABA

Target Behavior and Outcome Criteria Definition

Slow Pez

University

Behavior Analytic Intervention

Dow Jones

October 25, 2018

Case Study Description

The client for this case study is a 7-year-old male with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). From his history, the client did not achieve much of his developmental goals as a child. His parents were advised to continue observing him as some children experience delayed development which is normal. It was at the age of three, when the client was officially diagnosed with ASD by a certified physician. After this diagnosis, efforts have been made to help the client live comfortably despite his condition. This diagnosis also helped the parents to better understand their child and handle them when they exhibit certain behaviors. When he started schooling, his teachers were informed about his ASD and were advised to handle him appropriately. Now at seven years, the client is in grade 2. The parents, teachers, and his caregivers have worked collaboratively to observe his behavior and provide advice where possible to ensure that the client is comfortable and achieve maximum learning and growth.

Target Behavior Definition

The client’s teacher has been working hard towards ensuring that the client learns and can perform tasks as independently as possible. In the teaching activities, she observed that this client makes a screeching noise in classroom whenever he was asked to work on some assignment or book exercise. Screeching is defined as to a harsh screaming/squealing sound (Schoen et al., 2011) which has not been initiated by any other student or the teacher and it is often ends without the client producing any tears or telling out his fears. The screeching often lasts for between 30-60 seconds. The screeching happens suddenly without any provocation; either from the teacher or student.

An example is that during a lesson, the client concentrates when the teacher is teaching. However, when asked to read or spell out a word alone, he screeches and this scares the other students. Screeching is not when the client reads out words and phrases loudly in unison with other students once instructed by the teacher. Another example of screeching is when the teacher instructs the client to try and sing a verse to the rest of the class and he screams instead of doing what was instructed. Screeching is not when the client sings in unison with other students then hums a verse because he has not mastered the words clearly. Screeching is not the screaming that the client engages in while playing outside with his friends. This type of screeching only happens when the client is being instructed to do a certain work by the teacher.

Social Significance

As identified, screeching will be the target behavior for this client. Behavioral analytical researchers have reported that children with ASD often screech due to various reasons. This includes the need of trying to get attention from those around them. For instance, if an ASD child wants to have channels changed or wants to play outside, their first resolve will be to scream/screech as this will get the attention of adults around who will then help them achieve a certain goal. Screeching can also be experienced when the child does not want to engage in certain activities. Instead of refusing to participate in a respectable manner, their body tells them that screeching will allow them to escape the said task as the other party will stop giving them instructions. Based on the definition and observations, the client’s function of the target behavior seems to be escape and avoidance of non-preferred tasks. Screeching might also be experienced in events where the ASD child is stressed and wants to release these emotions (Preece & Jordan, 2010).

Screeching in individuals with ASD is of social significance because when focused on, one can understand the triggers that push ASD individuals to screech. It is also important to focus on this behavior because it provides a way of training ASD individuals on how to handle several events in their lives. Screeching, to them, is a way of communication, just like how normal human beings can talk in order to be understood. As explained by May Institute (2020), understanding this behavior will allow teachers and parents to teach them replacement behaviors that will still allow ASD children to express themselves and other people will understand them.

An example of a replacement behavior is teaching an ASD individual to signal or say no politely when they want to decline something. This will reduce instances of screeching. Another example is teaching them to raise their hand or tap someone when they want help with something. This will reduce screeching instances due to their need of seeking attention. It is important to understand the teaching of such replacement behaviors require a lot of patience and training (May Institute, 2020). An ASD individual will not master the alternate behavior quickly. It also requires one to understand the triggers behind the screeching behavior as this will provide them with an opportunity to timely teach the replacement behavior. In this case study, it is already understood that the client screeches in class when instructed to do work. Therefore, teaching them a replacement behavior will be more appropriate during this time.

Not targeting this behavior in the ASD community will mean that ASD children will not have a platform to learn how to express themselves in the correct manner. This will lead to problems in the future when they interact with people who do not understand their condition. For instance, people might get scared due to the screeching and avoid helping them, and this might lead to worse conditions. At a young age ASD children might fail to make friends because of their screeching sound. This is because the screeching will scare other children away. This kind of seclusion and lack of friends will further affect the behavior and well-being of ASD individuals. Therefore, it is advisable to target this behavior and address it appropriately as this will encourage learning and also allow individuals with ASD to comfortably coexist with other people who might not understand them (Preece & Jordan, 2010).

Outcome Criteria Definition

The dictionary defines outcome criteria as any measurable changes in the behavior of an individual that results from the implementation of a specific intervention. This definition is also adopted in behavioral studies as it refers to the output realized after certain measures and interventions are implemented to address a certain problem. Outcome criteria is needed in addressing target behaviors as it provides guidance on what to expect from the interventions. It is also needed to ensure that the appropriate interventions are devised and implemented to address the said behavior. For instance, there are various interventions available to address a specific target behavior. However, not all these interventions can be implemented at the same time. Therefore, it will require one to have an outcome criterion that will allow him/her to settle on the best intervention strategy that will be effective and realize best results. This will also promote the realignment of goals properly to address the target behavior (Michie et al., 2018).

Client’s Current Respond

Currently, the client engages in the screeching behavior only when the teacher instructs him to do some work. The screeching behavior lasts for a period of between 30-60 seconds. This was assessed using an observation method by the teacher. The teacher made first noted the screeching behavior and raised the issue with the parents and the school administration. It was then decided that the teacher should observe the client and make notes on the durations when he screeched. Every time the client screeched, the teacher noted this on a notebook and the event that had taken place prior to the behavior being expressed. The observations were done both in the classroom and in the field areas to ensure that no important information goes missing. After three weeks of collecting this observational data, it was concluded that the client screeched when instructed to do some work by the teacher.

Preventive Strategies

The first preventive strategy will be to have the teacher give work instructions to the whole class as a group. This will prevent the client from screeching due to receiving instructions as an individual. Another preventive strategy will be having the students work on assignments as a group. This will encourage the client to also participate in the group discussion without taking personal instructions from the teacher; meaning that minimal screeching will be observed. Another preventive strategy is to use friendly teaching methods while instructing the client to handle some work. For instance, instead of telling him that the work assignment will determine his grades, the teacher will first start by telling the client that there is a candy reward for the work he is about to be given. This will create a positive environment and the client might be more willing to take up the work and not screech. The final preventive strategy will be having the teacher teach the client on how to politely react to the work instructions given. This will include saying no or signaling that they are not comfortable with the work or the instructions given.

Proposed Outcome Criteria for 6 Months

At the end of 6 months, it is predicted that the instances of screeching will reduce to a few lessons per week. It is also predicted that no screeching will happen when work instructions are given to the whole class or a group that the client belongs. This is because the interventions will provide minimal chances for the client to screech. It will also allow the client to learn replacement behaviors that will eventually reduce the screeching behavior. After 6 months, the teacher will also have a better understanding on how to handle the client and reduce/avoid the screeching instances.

Proposed Outcome Criteria for 1 Year

At the end of one year, it is expected that the client will not exhibit any screeching behavior when receiving work instructions from the teacher. This is because they will have learnt the appropriate replacement behavior that will replace screeching. It is also expected that the client will correct themselves instead of screeching. For instance, when the teacher provides them with work and they screech, the client will notice that this is not supposed to happen. He will then correct this behavior and signal the teacher by using the replacement behavior he had been taught. This will be considered a great milestone in addressing the target behavior of screeching.

Conclusion

The goal of a behavior intervention plan is to address behaviors that are essential for the daily living activities of our clients. Targeting behaviors of social significance plays an important role on our client’s lives and allows them to be more independent and self-sufficient as they engage with others.

References

May Institute (2020). Reduce Problem Behaviors by Teaching Replacement Behaviors.

https://www.mayinstitute.org/news/acl/applied-behavior-analysis/reduce-problem-behaviors-by-teaching-replacement-behaviors/

Michie, S., West, R., Sheals, K., & Godinho, C. A. (2018). Evaluating the effectiveness of behavior change techniques in health-related behavior: a scoping review of methods used. Translational behavioral medicine, 8(2), 212–224.

Preece, D. & Jordan, R. (2010). Obtaining the views of children and young people with autism spectrum disorders about their experience of daily life and social care support. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38: 10-20. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3156.2009.00548.x

Schoen, E., Paul, R., & Chawarska, K. (2011). Phonology and Vocal Behavior in Toddlers with

Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism research: official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 4(3), 177–188.