The 4 Functions of Behavior series: Access to Tangibles

Parents often struggle with how to handle their kids at home as they don’t understand why their kids engage in challenging behaviors like self-biting, headbanging, throwing into tantrums, breaking things, and more. At times, it can start from simple tantrums to a potentially full-blown outburst.

Challenging behaviors are behaviors of such intensity, frequency or duration that the physical safety of the person or others is placed in serious jeopardy, or behaviors which likely to seriously limit or deny access to the use of ordinary community facilities.

As we’ve already discussed before, there are four functions of challenging behaviors. Please refer to our previous blog. This time, we will focus on access to tangibles as a function of challenging behaviors. Access to tangibles is a form of positive socially mediated reinforcement. Tangibles are anything that we can touch/feel (e.g., toys, food, hugs, tickles, heat, playground, etc.). Oftentimes, challenging behaviors result in the individual getting something from another. What are some strategies that you can implement at home to address this problem?

Functional Communication Training (FCT)

Teaching the child to verbalize as a replacement behavior for challenging behaviors is the main key. Most of these children don’t have the skillset on how to approach people and ask for what they want. For non-verbal kids, we can teach them to use sign language, use pictures to communicate via Picture exchange Communication System (PECS), or use an assistive device (iPad) as well. Collaborate with your therapy team on what is the best way for your child to communicate with others that would fit his/her needs.

Contriving teaching situations at home

Create teaching situations at home that would set an opportunity for your child to ask for the items/ activity that he/she wants. The misconception that usually parents do at home is to have the child access to everything to avoid the challenging behaviors. In doing so, you are not teaching your child skills to communicate with you and it would be hard for you to know what he/she wants when you are in a different environment or in the community.

 Just like addressing attention, try to schedule 10-15 minutes of your time contriving of teaching moments for the child to ask for the preferred toys/ activity at home. This time, engage with the child (e.g., play with him, help him complete a puzzle, play together with an iPad, etc.). I will use the iPad as an example as a highly preferred item. Most children nowadays love this gadget to watch videos and play games.

 Let’s say that the child wants to listen and watch nursery songs on the iPad. As you listen to the song, try to pause and play the song. When the song is paused, verbally prompt the child to say ‘Play it.’ Praise the child heavily ‘Great saying play it.’ and immediately play the song. This is just an example. You can prompt your child to request based on their needs and level of language skills. Then gradually fade the prompt.

 Please take note that delivering the reinforcement within 0-3 seconds and labeling what you are reinforcing for (e.g, Great saying ‘Play it.’) are crucial for the child to clearly understand that he/she just needs to use his words to gain access to the activity/item. You also need to vary the tone of your voice and your facial expressions in providing reinforcement. When the child uses his/her words, praise him/her as if you won a lottery. Exaggerations of your tone and facial expressions will help the child distinguish which is the right response to emit.

 Another way to teach them to request for items at home is by keeping all the preferred ones out of reach but still visible. This will drive the child to request those items as you verbally prompt them. Again, gradually fade the prompt and reinforce heavily every independent and appropriate request.

During the occurrence of challenging behaviors

 When the behavior already occurred (e.g., full-blown tantrum) in spite of your efforts to contrive teaching situations, disengage with the child (e.g., pause the song and remove the iPad). Don’t let the child have access to the item. Still keep the preferred item visible but out of reach. Remain calm and don’t attend to the child (e.g., don’t talk to the child or try to calm him/her down) but just stay close enough to keep the child safe. You can also ask someone to be with you in the room and pretend to be talking about something or pretend to be working.

Clear the room by removing all the toys or other things that could probably harm you and the child. Wait for the child to calm down. Once the child calms down, allow a few minutes (e.g., 1- 5 minutes) before you prompt the child to request for the item again. The few minutes interval between the end of challenging behavior and the start of your prompt is important. This will allow the child to totally calm down and to make sure that the child will not resort back to engaging in challenging behaviors again. This will ensure getting successful positive responses as well.

While dealing with challenging behaviors at home, remember to be consistent and always require your children to use their words or teach them to use gestures (e.g., point / touch the item) to indicate what they want. Have the other family members learn to handle the child as well to promote consistency in dealing with the behavior of the child.

The 4 Functions of Behavior series: Gaining Attention

Most children diagnosed with Autism have difficulty in expressing their needs. Some are verbal but still don't know how to efficiently use their language to communicate with others. They often engage in challenging behaviors as their way of communication.

 In ABA, we learned that finding out the function of the inappropriate behavior rather than focusing on the behavior itself, is the key to help understand these children. The function of the behavior is important to identify for several reasons, including behavior prevention, choosing socially appropriate replacement behaviors and the creation of Behavior Plans.

 As parents, it is helpful to observe your child and try to find out why he/she is acting out. It is crucial to find out first the function of the inappropriate behavior then it will be easier for you to help them. There are four functions of behavior (attention, access to tangibles, escape and Automatic/sensory), but let’s just focus on attention for now.

 Attention is a form of positive socially mediated reinforcement. The attention itself may appear positive (e.g., a child looking at you and says ‘hug’, or tapping your shoulder, etc.); or negative (e.g., biting, crying, hand flapping, tantrums, etc.).

Children with autism who have difficulty in communicating may resort to different forms of challenging behaviors just to get your attention because they don’t know how to. How do we overcome these types of situations at home? How do we teach our children to gain our attention in a more appropriate way? Let me give you simple ways that you can use effectively and practice at home and that will help you and your child cope.

Functional Communication Training (FCT)

In our practice, we utilize functional communication training (FCT) as a replacement behavior to any challenging behaviors. Teach the child to verbalize to gain your attention in replacement for inappropriate behaviors. We can also teach a non-verbal child to tap your shoulder, walk to you, pull your hands or use an assistive device (e.g., iPad) if any, in getting your attention.

Contriving teaching situations at home

Let say that you’ve identified the function, which is attention, and you know how to teach the child to gain your attention more appropriately. Spend at least 10-15 minutes of contriving teaching situations at home. Set up situations where your child will have lots of opportunities to practice using his/her words in gaining your attention (e.g., ‘mommy, come or help me.’). It might be beneficial to set up any situation where you pretend to be work in close proximity to the child (e.g., 3-5 feet away) while the child is completing a simple inset puzzle, playing with toys or playing with his/her iPad. I would say pretend to be working because your focus right that moment is catching every opportunity in prompting your child and reinforcing communication. Working near the child will also provide easy access for the child to get your attention (e.g., asking for help, asking you to look at his work, etc.).

 The first thing that you need to do is to verbally prompt the child or use a full physical prompt (e.g., physically guide him/her in tapping your shoulder) then gradually fade the prompt until the child learns how to gain you attention independently. It is also important to know the verbal skill level of your child. If the child can only say one word, then just teach him/her to just use one word (e.g., ‘Help’, come, etc.). If the child can already utter simple phrases or sentences, then teach phrases or full sentences in gaining your attention whether verbally or using an assistive device.

During the occurrence of challenging behaviors

 You can only teach them the replacement behaviors when they are calm and not when they are engaging in those other behaviors (e.g., crying, kicking, hand flapping, tantrums, etc.). We don’t want them to learn the pattern of displaying inappropriate behaviors first then using their words. Most children with autism can quickly learn that way.

 When the child is engaging in challenging behaviors to gain your attention, try your best to not attend to it (e.g., don’t try to talk to him or calm him down). This can be done by just calmly being there but at the same time making sure that the child is safe from hurting themselves or hurting others. Clear the room by removing all the toys or things that can hurt them or hurt you or other family members. Ask the other family members to just stay outside the room and let you handle the situation not unless you need help. Wait for the child to calm down which can take a few minutes to an hour or so. Don’t be alarmed and just make sure that the child and everyone else is safe. Once the child totally calms down, set another opportunity to prompt him/her to gain your attention and praise the communication heavily. It is important to always end any situations at home with the child responding calmly and appropriately.

In teaching children with autism, consistency in dealing with the behavior across people and the environment is crucial to your child’s success. Attention must be sufficient to meet the individual preferences of the child. Implementing proper behavioral strategies at home will help your child learn socially appropriate ways to have his or her wants and needs met. It will help decrease problem behaviors and help your child to be independent.

The Four Functions of Behaviour

Why Do People Do What They Do?

Have you ever wondered why a person does something? You aren’t alone and there are many approaches to understanding why people do the things they do. In the field of ABA, when we want to find out why a behaviour is happening, a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) performs a Functional Assessment (FA’s or FBA’s), which can be composed of interviews, observations, and clinical conditions. At all stages, data is taken on specific behaviours of concern and the scientific process is used to determine what function is “behind the behaviour”. Behaviour Analysts reference what they call the “Four Functions of Behaviour” which are supported by scientific research, they are:

Escape: The behaviour gets the person out of an undesirable situation or avoids the situation entirely. An example would be a student who acts out in maths class and is sent to the Principal’s office. If the effect is that the child did not do their maths work, they are more likely to act out before maths class again. 

Access to Attention: The behaviour gets the person attention or a reaction from others. An example would be a child climbing onto a counter and their mother telling them to stop, finally picking the child up  and saying “Now you stop that!” when they do not listen. If the effect is that the child got satisfaction out of being picked up and yelled at, they are more likely to climb on the counter and refuse to listen again.

Access to Tangibles: The behaviour gets the person access to something, an item or an activity. An example of this would  be a child whining and pleading when told to get off of the iPad, and a caregiver giving them more time with the iPad. If the effect is that the child gets more time with the iPad, they are more likely to  whine and plead again when told to get off the iPad.

Sensory Stimulation: The behaviour grants the person access to something that is automatically rewarding.  Examples include itching an itch, eating food, and movements (tapping your foot, spinning in circles, clicking a pen, twirling hair, etc.) . If the effect is that the behaviour itself is rewarding, the person is more likely to do it again.

Once we have some understanding of what function the child’s behaviour is serving, we have a better idea of how to shape the child’s environment to positively impact their behaviour. 

Why is the Function of a Behaviour Important?

The field of ABA has years of research that indicate just how important it is to identify the function of a behaviour before planning and implementing an intervention, but why is it so important? When we have some understanding of what function the child’s behaviour is serving, we have a better idea of how to shape the child’s environment to positively impact their behaviour. In the field of ABA we help teach and shape behaviour through many means, including prevention, teaching appropriate replacement behaviours , and assisting in the creation of specific plans that describe how to respond to specific behaviours. In order to be effective and ethical, we can’t do that until we know why the behaviour is happening, what those in the field of ABA often call the “function of a behaviour”.

Putting it Together, Function and Intervention

As a general example if an ABA practitioner sees that a child climbing on the counter frequently results in their mother interacting with them (scolding, teasing, laughing, etc.), they would suspect an attention function for “climbing on the counter” behaviour. With that knowledge, we can then make sure that, instead of being talked to and interacted with for climbing on the counter, they are talked to and interacted with for desired behaviour instead. 

Let’s look at the same behaviour another way.

If the child climbing on the counter frequently results in them getting a favourite food item, instead of having their mother interact with them, then providing attention for desired behaviour may have no effect on reducing climbing. We would instead help teach the child ways to ask for the favourite food item and ensure that the child never gets the food after climbing on the counter.