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Functions of Behavior

The document explains the A-B-C model of behavior analysis, which includes antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to understand the function of behaviors in children. It emphasizes the importance of identifying patterns in behavior to determine the underlying reasons for actions, such as seeking attention or escaping tasks. By recognizing these functions, caregivers can implement appropriate replacement behaviors to encourage positive communication and reduce undesirable actions.

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sierra.peterson
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12 views15 pages

Functions of Behavior

The document explains the A-B-C model of behavior analysis, which includes antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to understand the function of behaviors in children. It emphasizes the importance of identifying patterns in behavior to determine the underlying reasons for actions, such as seeking attention or escaping tasks. By recognizing these functions, caregivers can implement appropriate replacement behaviors to encourage positive communication and reduce undesirable actions.

Uploaded by

sierra.peterson
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Functions of Behavior

Antecedent

• All the things that come right before the


behavior
• These are the things that set the
behavior off
Know your Behavior

A-B-Cs • Everything! If we do it, it’s behavior

Consequence

• Anything that happens right after the


behavior
• These are usually good (pleasurable) or
bad (aversive) consequences
Examples
Here are some common examples

Antecedent Behavior Consequence


1. Henry’s mom gets a Henry screams and Henry’s mom stops her
phone call and begins throws his toy across the conversation to come in
talking and walking into room and says “what do you
the other room want?”
2. Lucy is playing with Lucy hits her brother Her brother runs to tell
blocks when her younger their mom and Lucy is left
brother comes over and to play with her blocks
knocks them over alone again
3. Jeremiah’s mom asks Jeremiah runs into the Jeremiah’s mom brushes
him to come brush his other room to play with his his sister’s teeth first
teeth toys before asking him to
brush his teeth again
Let’s practice!
Provide three different examples of scenarios that might occur with
your child.
Antecedent Behavior Consequence
1.
2.
3.
Some tips and tricks to remember
when collecting ABC
► Focus on what you can see
► Don’t guess, just write what you see
► Don’t think too far back in the past when writing antecedents
► Meaning, an antecedent is “gave him homework”, not “he woke up cranky
and told me five times he didn’t want to do his homework today”
► When writing consequences, write exactly what happened, and by
whom
► It’s tempting to write what you think you should have done, or how
you should have responded to behavior, but just write what really
happened after the behavior
What do we do with that
information?
► We analyze the ABCs to help identify patterns in behavior
► These patterns help us to determine the function of the behavior
Function

• It’s why we do what we do


• You can understand this as the cause of behavior
• We can contrast function to form
• What’s the difference?
• Form (topography)
• Physical attributes to the behavior (what it sounds/looks/feels like)

• In ABA, we focus more on the “why” (or function) than we do on the


“what” (the form/topography)
The role of function

• Our children are often attempting to obtain cool things or get out of
some unpleasant things
• It’s our job to determine what it is they are wanting
• Whatever “that thing” is that they want …
• . . . That’s the function
• It’s a lot like the “cause” of behavior
• Sometimes its easy to figure out…. and sometimes its not!
Types of Function

► Escape
► Examples: Whining every time you ask them to brush their teeth or asking
to take a break from homework
► Could also mean delaying or avoiding an activity
► Attention
► Examples: Saying “look at me” or hitting a sibling to get you to come into
the room
► Access (Tangible)
► Examples: Pointing to a food they want in the cabinet or grabbing a toy out
of another child’s hands
► Automatic (Self Stimulatory)
► Body rocking, tapping hand against items, flapping hands, etc.
► No clear function other than self soothing or sensory related
Let’s think about your previous
examples…

► What were the functions for each? How do you know?


► 1.
► 2.
► 3.
► Were any patterns identified?
► Multi function!
► some behaviors serve multiple functions… so let’s talk about this for a few
minutes
Why is that important?

► Identifying the function of an undesirable behavior can help us


determine an appropriate replacement behavior that can serve the
same function
► For example, if your child screams every time he wanted a cracker (access
to tangible), we could teach him/her to point to the item, say the name of
that item, show you a picture of that item, etc.
► Over time, withholding the cracker when your child screams and only
giving the cracker following an appropriate request will help the screaming
behavior decrease
► This can be done with any behavior we want to increase or decrease
Let’s think about our previous
examples again…

► What were the functions again?


► 1.
► 2.
► 3.
► Now let’s come up with appropriate replacement
behaviors for each.
► 1.
► 2.
► 3.
Key Takeaways

Become objective and just watch what’s happening


• Try to look at everything as an antecedent, behavior, or consequence.
This will help you identify the function.
• Count things! It will help you see if things are increasing or decreasing
and help you identify patterns in the behavior
• If it’s increasing, you know your child is getting what he or she wants

• If it’s decreasing then they may not be getting what they want
Key Takeaways (continued)
• Once we understand what the challenging behavior looks like, when it
happens, and why…
► It’s time to reward them for doing something socially desirable (that’s up
to you in your home!)

► Be consistent and persevere . . . It may take some time to learn this new
behavior. They’ve spent a lot of time practicing the old, undesirable one!
► Because of this, don’t get discouraged if the behavior gets worse before it gets
better. This is called an extinction burst, and the best way to get through it is to
remain consistent with your approach.
Remember…
• Your number one priority is to figure out patterns
• What happens right before the behavior, what the behavior looks like,
what what it usually results in
• Once you determine these patterns, you can start to teach your child
new behavior that will result in the same thing!
• Remember, your child is telling us what they want!
• Now we have to make sure they get it through desirable behavior
• Once you’re able to understand causes of old behavior and teach
new behavior . . .
• . . . Your child will begin to become happier and will more easily
communicate their needs and wants

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