Behavior Management Training
Training presentation for behavior management with preschool-age children.
Presenters: Kayla Peterman M.A. BCBA, Louise Casey M.A. BCBA
Topics Covered
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
- Positive and Negative Reinforcement
- Positive and Negative Punishment
- Basic Functions of Behavior
- ABC’s of Behavior
- Extinction
- Noncontingent reinforcement
- Bribery vs Reinforcement
- Visual Supports
- Behavioral Strategies
What is ABA?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a field of psychology that applies a scientific approach to the study of behavior. Its roots are found in the early experimental research of B.F. Skinner who identified basic phenomena in our environment that affect behavior on a day to day basis.
There are certain things in your environment that play an integral role in promoting certain behaviors, while other things may serve to reduce the likelihood of other behaviors. It is through intentional alteration of these phenomena that changes in behavior can be brought about.
Behavior Analysts believe that behavior is not simply a result of innate genetic or biological factors—the environment plays a critical role in the emergence, maintenance, or reduction of behavior. The goal of ABA is to use the basic principles of behavior to bring about change to a socially relevant and meaningful degree.
Reinforcement
Positive Reinforcement
Something is ADDED after the behavior, resulting in the behavior occurring more often.
Negative Reinforcement
Something is REMOVED after the behavior, resulting in the behavior occurring more often.
Examples:
- Michael does the dishes (behavior) to stop his mother’s nagging (aversive stimulus removed)
- Pam can get up from the dinner table when she eats 2 bites of broccoli
- Dwight presses a button that turns off a loud alarm
- Angela takes Advil to remove her headache
- Kelly brings an umbrella to prevent getting wet
Punishment
Something that, when presented after the behavior, results in that behavior occurring less often in the future.
Common misconceptions: We think of punishment as aversive and harmful. Punishment is actually an important tool used for learning and immediate behavior change.
Positive Punishment
Something is ADDED immediately after behavior, resulting in the behavior occurring less often.
Examples:
- Child picks nose in class → teacher reprimands in front of classmates
- Child touches hot stove → feels pain
- Person eats spoiled food → bad taste
- Getting a speeding ticket
Negative Punishment
Something is REMOVED immediately after behavior, resulting in the behavior occurring less often.
Examples:
- Child kicks peer → removed from favorite activity
- Child yells out in class → loses token on token board
- Child fights with sibling → favorite toy taken away
Important: Reinforcement Before Punishment
When implementing punishment, also use reinforcement so the individual can increase appropriate behaviors while decreasing inappropriate behaviors.
Tips for Ethical Practice of Punishment:
- Consider using reinforcement FIRST
- If using punishment, provide reinforcement for desired behaviors
- Do not gradually increase the magnitude of the punisher
- Start with highest magnitude that is least restrictive, slowly decrease
- Deliver the punisher immediately
- Punish every instance of the behavior
- Consistently implement in all settings
ABC’s of Behavior (3-Term Contingency)
Total environmental breakdown of a behavior: What happens before, during, and after?
Antecedent
What happened right before the behavior occurred
Behavior
What was the behavior? What did it look like?
Consequence
What occurs in the environment immediately after the behavior of interest. How did others respond?
Functions of Behavior
The WHY of a behavior. All behavior occurs for a reason. Understanding WHY is necessary to select replacement behaviors and create effective, long-term plans.
EATS (or SEAT, EAST)
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| E - Escape | Behavior to get out of something they don’t want to do |
| A - Attention | Behavior to receive attention from others |
| T - Tangible | Behavior to get a preferred item or activity |
| S - Sensory/Automatic | Behavior for internal sensory input |
Attention-Seeking Behavior
The individual engages in behavior to receive attention from parents, teachers, siblings, or peers. Attention can take many forms: looking at the child, talking, giving help, laughing, or even using a firm voice.
Strategy: No eye contact, no verbal response. Ignore the behavior, not the individual.
- Use phrases like “Let me know when you’re ready”
- “I’ll wait for you to calm down first, then we can talk”
Escape/Avoidance Behavior
The individual engages in behavior to get out of doing something.
Can look like: Ignoring you, walking/running away, throwing activity, yelling “no”, tantrum, hitting
Strategy:
- Follow through on demands or don’t give them
- Ask ONE time only, then follow through
- Do NOT send to timeout or have them miss recess (this reinforces escape behavior!)
Tangible Access
The individual engages in behavior to get a preferred item or activity.
Examples: Food, toys, computer time, turn at a game
Automatic/Sensory
The individual engages in behavior for internal sensory input—relief, calming, or pleasing sensation.
Examples: Rocking, spinning, humming, cracking knuckles, biting nails, picking nose
These behaviors happen in isolation, are not socially mediated, and would happen if no one was watching.
Proactive Strategies
- Token boards
- First-then boards
- Choices
- Noncontingent reinforcement (free reinforcement)
- Daily visual schedule (shows structure and expectations)
- Activity visual schedules
- Rewards after transitions
- Prize box
- Surprise egg basket
- Differential reinforcement
- Class helper roles
- Environmental arrangements (calming corner with bean bag, pillow)
Reinforcement vs. Bribery
| Reinforcement | Bribery |
|---|---|
| Offered BEFORE problem behavior | Happens AFTER problem behavior |
| Prevents behavior from occurring | Tries to stop behavior |
Warning: Bribery can reinforce a problem behavior chain. Example: Kid has behavior, you try to reason with them or offer something if they stop—this reinforces the behavior.
Behavioral Strategies Summary
Three Key Approaches
-
No longer provide the reinforcer - Simply stop providing the maintaining consequence. Be prepared for a brief increase in behavior before reduction.
-
Provide the reinforcer for appropriate behavior - Teach a more appropriate behavior and only provide reinforcement for that. Example: Teach child to say “TV please” instead of tantrumming.
-
Provide a less desirable consequence - Used when behavior is extremely severe (harming self or others) and no other interventions have worked. Use time-out or other consequences the individual does not like.
A combination of all three strategies may be used for effective behavior management.