In order to identify the function of the problem behavior, look out for what is taking place in the child’s environment right before the behavior occurs. Common antecedents are: being told “no”, interruption from preferred activity, transitions, being ignored (low attention), and aversive tasks.  The function of problem behavior is typically parental attention, access to preferred items/activities, access to preferred foods, and escape from aversive tasks.

The following three procedures either used alone or combined, target the various functions of problem behavior.

Planned Ignoring (Extinction):  Problem behavior is reduced by withholding reinforcement specific to the motivating operation (i.e. child is not allowed access to the item or activity they want) (Iwata et al, 1994). To implement this procedure, block access to all reinforcers and minimize your attention towards the child (no eye contact, talking, or unnecessary touching). When the behavior has stopped for 3 seconds, give the child some attention and redirect them to a different item or activity.

Count & Mand:  This procedure is to be used when a reinforcer is available. With this procedure, you are teaching appropriate asking for an item/activity as opposed to the child exhibiting problem behavior. This procedure includes telling the child for example, “no hitting”, and then prompt them to keep their hands down and begin counting to 5 verbally and with your fingers. If the child does not exhibit problem behavior for the full 5 seconds, prompt an appropriate mand and reinforce their response. If the child does emit inappropriate behavior during those 5 seconds, restart the wait interval. If you do not receive an appropriate response and have done the wait interval many times, withdraw the reinforcer without saying anything (the opportunity to receive the reinforcer has ended). (Procedure is derived from Dr. Vincent Carbone).

Transition:  The purpose of this procedure is to transition your child away from a preferred activity without problem behavior. The procedure begins with offering a transition reinforcer for leaving the activity without inappropriate behavior. If a child exhibits problem behavior, remove the transition reinforcer and block access to other reinforcers while minimizing attention. Continue to place the demand of transitioning to the next activity and provide praise when your child begins to transition. Once the transition is complete and they have begun the next activity, provide additional reinforcement. Alternatively, if your child transitions without problem behavior, deliver the transition reinforcer as soon as the transition is complete. (McCord, Thomson, & Iwata, 2001).

Remember, it may take some time to become used to the protocols, but research has shown that the consistent use of the problem reduction procedures will decrease problem behavior. Do not become frustrated if your child’s behavior becomes worse, before it gets better. We call this an “extinction burst”, which means the child is trying everything they can to receive an item, get your attention, etc. and the problem behavior will decrease once they are no longer being reinforced for their inappropriate behavior.

References

Carbone, V. J., Morgenstern, B., Zecchin-Tirri, G., Kolberg, L. (2010).  The role of the reflexive-

            conditioned motivating operation (CMO-R) during discrete trial instruction of children

            with autism.  Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 25, 110 – 124.         

McCord, B. E., Thomson, R. J., & Iwata, B. A. (2001). Functional analysis and treatment of self-

            injury associated with transitions. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 34, 195-210.

Iwata, B.A., Pace, G.M., Cowdery, G.E.,  Miltenberger, R.G., (1994).  What makes Extinction

            work: an analysis of procedural form & function.  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,

            27(1), 131 – 144.

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Autism is a developmental brain disorder that affects normal brain functions. This neurological condition affects a person’s reasoning, social skills and communication skills. The condition becomes apparent during the first 3 years of a child’s life. Because areas of the brain have difficulties working together, children with autism will have challenges in relating and communicating with others. Those afflicted with the disorder may still be able to reach their full potential with an early diagnosis and effective treatment.

The post What is Autism appeared first on Reaching Milestones.

It can be a challenge for parents who have a child with autism to hire a babysitter. For many of these parents, a simple trip to the grocery store, post office, or dinner at a restaurant can be overwhelming. With a little research and planning, you might find yourself out and about with fewer worries.

Choosing a babysitter for your special needs child goes beyond a typical babysitter search.  Parents need to develop their own list of questions that pertain to the child, on top of checking resumes and references (Katherine, 2011). In doing so, babysitters will not be surprised by any behaviors that may occur and you will feel more comfortable that they are capable of handling various situations (Katherine, 2011). During an interview, give potential babysitters real scenarios and ask them what their response would be. Also, be sure to explain your family’s current procedures for particular behaviors, for example: tantrums, aggression, or elopement (Katherine, 2011).

It is important that you give potential babysitters a rundown of your child’s preferences, for instance, if your child does not like to be touched or guided physically, show them how to successfully guide them (“10 Tips for Babysitters”, n.d.). Another example may be that certain words or tones tend to offset your child, so explain to the potential sitter what this looks like (“10 Tips for Babysitters”, n.d.).

After you have narrowed your search, make sure your child meets their potential babysitter. This will give you insight into how your child responds to the sitter and vice versa.

Before you leave…

Have the sitter come early to spend time with you and your child, so you can help if any problems arise as your child adjusts to the babysitter (“10 Tips for Babysitters”, n.d.).  Be sure to break the evening/day down, so the routine remains the same as much as possible (“10 Tips for Babysitters”, n.d.).  Also, have the sitter “pair” (lots of free reinforcement to help increase your child’s compliance) with your child.  Leave contact information for your sitter, including: cell phone number, restaurant name/number, secondary emergency contact, and pediatrician’s number (“10 Tips for Babysitters”, n.d.).

Checking in?

Encourage the babysitter to call/text you throughout the evening, this will reassure both of you that everything is running smoothly (“10 Tips for Babysitters”, n.d.).  If a problem does arise, you will be able to give suggestions to deescalate problem situations (“10 Tips for Babysitters”, n.d.).  Remember, you know your child best, so give the babysitter any tips that you know will work in order to help the evening run smoothly (“10 Tips for Babysitters”, n.d.).

Katherine, 2012 suggests using the following interview questions:

-Does the babysitter have any formal education that pertains to autism? If she does not have any, what does she know about it? What are her expectations? It is important that the babysitter you hire has some knowledge about autism, so that she will know how to take care of your child.

-What is her experience with autistic children? Has she worked with them before, or is this going to be her first time? If she has worked with autistic children before, what was her scope of work and what can she say about her experience? Did she like it? Did she have any difficulty? You may also ask if she is able to provide references.

-How is she going to address certain situations? Provide some real or hypothetical situations and see how she would handle the issue. What would she do to prevent issues from coming up? In the event that your child wishes to do something which is against the households or something which will hurt your child, how would she handle it? Are you comfortable with the way she answered?

References

Katherine. (2011, June 1). Finding a Babysitter for your autistic child. Retrieved from http://www.autismunited.org/blog/finding-a-babysitter-for-your-autistic-child-80323.html

Katherine. (2012, February 17). What to look for when interviewing a babysitter for your autistic child. Retrieved from http://www.autismunited.org/blog/what-to-look-for-when-interviewing-a-babysitter-for-your-autistic-child-80792.html

10 tips for babysitters caring for autistic children. Retrieved from http://www.babysitters.net/babysitting-for-autistic-children/

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