Behavior Technician

Training Basics

Keith E Lyons, RBT, MSW 2016

Overview

◻ Principles of Behavior◻ Behavior Assessment &

Intervention◻ Antecedent Interventions◻ Consequence Interventions◻ Teaching New Behavior◻ Discrete Trial Instruction

(DTT)◻ Naturalistic Teaching (NaTS)◻ Intensive Trial Teaching (ITT)◻ Recording & Analyzing

Behavior

◻ Motor Imitation◻ Verbal Behavior◻ Verbal Imitation & Echoics◻ Instructional Control◻ Requests & Mands◻ Receptive Language◻ Expressive Language◻ Core Ethical Principles◻ Responsibilities of Bx Analyst◻ Useful Acronyms

Principles of Behavior◻ Motivating Operations (MO)⬜ A reinforcer may only be reinforcing in given moments⬜ Variables of reinforcer effectiveness (DISC)

■ Deprivation – Immediacy – Size – Contingency◻ Schedules of Reinforcement⬜ Continuous schedule – Use to learn new behaviors⬜ Intermittent schedule – Fixed and variable ratio⬜ Interval schedule – Based on passage of time

◻ Extinction and Punishment⬜ Extinction: Bx will decrease and eventually cease when bx no

longer receives reinforcement■ Extinction Burst■ Spontaneous Recovery

◻ Punishment⬜ An event that occurs after a Bx and decreases that Bx

■ Positive & Negative : Response Cost & Time Out

Behavior Assessment & Intervention

◻ Collection of procedures to get information on antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to determine factors that maintain behaviors.

◻ STEPS:⬜ Identify target behaviors⬜ Create behavior definitions⬜ Gather information and data⬜ Analysis

◻ Identify target behaviors◻ Identify setting events &

antecedents◻ Identify functions of

behaviors◻ Identify antecedent

interventions◻ Identify replacement

behaviors◻ Create consequence

interventions◻ Specify how to measure

progress with interventions implemented

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)

Antecedent Interventions◻ Discriminative Stimulus (SD)

⬜ Stimuli in environment that signal Bx and are associated with reinforcement

◻ Stimulus Control⬜ A Bx is emitted more often in presence of an SD and less without SD

◻ Setting Events⬜ Medication - Sleep - Diet - Schedule Changes - Environmental

Stimuli◻ Motivating Operations (MO)

⬜ Understand what situations are MOs for the problem behavior■ Does the child need stimulation? To escape? Attention? Access to something?

◻ Reduce/Avoid Behaviors⬜ Sensory⬜ Escape⬜ Attention Seeking⬜ Tangibles Access

Consequence Interventions◻ Extinction⬜ Withholding reinforcement from a previously reinforced Bx

■ Escape - Tangible - Social or Attention - Sensory⬜ Extinction Burst⬜ Spontaneous Recovery

◻ Differential Reinforcement⬜ Alternate Behaviors (DRA)⬜ Incompatible Behaviors (DRI)⬜ Other Behaviors (DRO)

◻ Punishment⬜ Positive Punishment⬜ Negative Punishment

■ Time Out ■ Response Cost

Teaching New Behavior◻ Prompting Procedures⬜ Physical - Verbal - Visual - Gestural - Positional

◻ Prompt Fading⬜ Time Delay⬜ Prompt Fading⬜ Stimulus Prompt Fading

◻ Shaping⬜ Reinforce successive approximations of target behavior⬜ Task Analysis

◻ Chaining⬜ Forward⬜ Backward ⬜ Total Task

◻ Discrimination Training

Discrete Trial Instruction (DTI)

◻ Working one on one with individual, breaking skills into small steps and teaching one sub skill at a time until mastery.

◻ Called “discrete” because instruction has clear beginning, middle, & end.⬜ Instruction: Present clear task demand (SD), no extra words, do not

repeat – prompt.⬜ Response: allow up to 3 secs. to respond, adjust reinforcement based on

quality⬜ Feedback (SR): Correct + or incorrect -, correction procedure, inter-trial

interval◻ Prompting Procedures◻ Errorless Learning◻ Steps of Acquisition⬜ Mass trial⬜ Intro a distractor⬜ 2nd item Mass trial⬜ Intro a distractor⬜ Random rotate

Naturalistic Teaching Strategies

◻ Reinforcer/target is always related to the material being taught◻ Basics⬜ Behavior should be taught in environment it will be used⬜ Learner’s items and activities should set occasion for teaching⬜ Sessions should be across a variety of settings, materials, and types of

responses⬜ Focus should be on functional language and skills

◻ Preference Assessment⬜ Free operant: See what learner chooses to engage in open environment⬜ Forced choice: Give learner choice of pre-selected items to see what

he/she likes⬜ Maintain motivation

◻ Stimulus Control⬜When a learner responds one way in the presence of a given

stimulus and another way in the absence of the same stimulus■ Generalization■ Multiple exemplar training

Intensive Trial Teaching (ITT)

◻ Same as DTT except ITT incorporates verbal behavior⬜ (1) Present SD – (2) Response – (3) Reinforcement or

correction⬜Vary the SD (i.e. “Point to”, “Where is”, “Give me”)

◻ Mix known/mastered targets(80%) with harder/newer(20%) targets

◻ Pace of Instruction⬜Aim for 16-25 trials per minute⬜ Inter-trial intervals should be ½ to 1 second

◻ Cold Probe⬜ Probe targets to see if student already knows some

◻ Balance between ITT and NaTS techniques and settings

Recording & Analyzing Bx◻ Behavioral/Operational Definitions⬜ Define behavior clearly and select measurement technique⬜ Definition needs to be objective and not ambiguous ⬜ Use physical, observable definitions not internal processes or

emotions⬜ Write definition in a way that even a novice could clearly

understand◻ Recording Data⬜ Indirect Measurement

■ Interviews and surveys■ Basic information but not a reliable measure for frequency or

intensity⬜ Direct Measurement

■ Event Recording■ Frequency, Rate, Intensity

■ Duration or Latency■ Interval Recording■ Momentary Time -Sampling

Motor Imitation & Mimetics◻Many children with ASD and related

disorders have a core deficit in imitation behaviors

◻Motor Imitation⬜Toy/Object⬜Gross Motor⬜Fine Motor⬜Oral Imitation

◻Verbal Imitation⬜Echoics

Verbal Behavior

◻Expressive Language⬜Echoic: Hear something, repeat⬜Mand: Want something, use word(s) to ask

for it⬜Tact: Sense something and say it verbally⬜Intraverbal: Word(s) in response to

another’s word(s)◻Receptive Language (Listener Response)⬜Ask listener to do something and they

respond⬜Response is not verbal

Verbal Im. & Echoics◻Motor Imitation and Verbal Imitation (Echoic)◻Stimulus-Stimulus Training (SSP)⬜Repeatedly pair a neutral stimulus with a

reinforcing stimulus until neutral stimulus becomes conditioned

◻Echoic Training⬜Teacher models a target sound⬜Target presented up to 3 times⬜If student attempts to echo then reinforcer is

delivered immediately⬜If no effort to echo after 3 tries then reinforcer

is given◻Choose appropriate targets for learner’s

ability

Instructional Control◻Pairing⬜Condition yourself to be reinforcing before all

else◻Maintain motivation⬜Change reinforcers, make fun, provide breaks

◻Reinforcer Effectiveness⬜Value of reinforcer ⬜Effort of response⬜Rate of reinforcement⬜Magnitude of reinforcement⬜Immediacy of reinforcement

PAIRING

Requests & Mands◻Mands are requests⬜Typically the first operant to develop⬜The more a child can mand the less likely he or

she will resort to problem behaviors to communicate⬜Mands provide functional communication

◻Features of Mands⬜Receives immediate reinforcement⬜Directly benefits the speaker⬜Controlled by motivation

■You can contrive environments to create deprivation and increase motivating operations by limiting access

Requests & Mands cont.

◻Modes of communication can vary⬜Verbal – Sign language – PECS – Choice boards⬜Avoid generalized words at first (i.e. drink, toy)⬜Avoid carrier phrases (I want, can I have)

◻Teaching Novel Mands⬜Bring attention to item to see if there is interest⬜Begin to pair word of item/activity with desired

mand⬜Prompt learner to mand for item⬜Systematically fade prompts until learner can

mand for the reinforcer⬜Goal is to teach “pure mand”: Learner mands

due to motivation (MO) not prompt

Receptive Language

◻ Listener Responding refers to the behavior of responding non-verbally to the verbal behaviors of others⬜ Follow multiple step instructions⬜ Touch object or picture when named

◻ Receptive Programs⬜Receptive Instructions⬜Receptive Identification of common objects

◻ Teach intermediate and advanced skills⬜ Intro 2-step instructions⬜Conditional directions⬜Responding by Feature, Function, Class

Expressive Language◻ Tacts are a type of expressive language used to label,

identify, or describe an object, action, or characteristic

◻ Process of Tacts⬜ Individual sees, smells, tastes, hears, or touches something⬜ Individual labels that something verbally⬜ Individual is reinforced w/ anything other than the

something⬜ There is no MO like Mands

◻ Teaching Tacts⬜ Strong echoic ability is needed to begin teaching⬜ Present image or object w/ echoic prompt, fade using

transfer trials⬜Begin introducing adjectives and other words to chain

◻ Promote generalization

Core Ethical Principles◻Do no harm◻Respect autonomy (Independence)◻Benefit others◻Be just◻Be truthful◻Treat clients with dignity◻Treat others with care and compassion◻Pursuit of excellence◻Accept responsibility

Responsibilities of a Bx Analyst

◻ Use science to make decisions◻ Maintain awareness of current evidence-based

interventions◻ Be truthful and honest, refrain from making

commitments you cannot keep◻ Conform to moral and legal codes◻ Use language that is easy to understand for the

client(s) and those involved◻ Recognize personal circumstances and health, do not

deliver services if not fully capable◻ Do not engage in sexual relationships with clients or

supervisees/supervisors, and do not barter.