Handling Behavior Problems in the

Home and in the Community

by
Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA
and
Cindy A. Sundberg
 Common Behavior Problems for
Children with Autism
• Looking away, non-responding, non-compliance
• Self-stim (rocking, mouthing objects, etc.)
• Falling to the floor
• Running from adults
• Climbing on tables, counters, bookcases, etc.
• Screaming, yelling, loud noises, etc.
• Crying
• Tantrums (combination of behaviors)
• Property destruction
• Hitting, pushing, biting, etc.
• Self-injurious behaviors
Behavioral Psychology can be a powerful tool
to understand and change problem behaviors

• The three-term contingency (An ABC analysis)

Antecedent Behavior Consequence

Stimulus (SD) Behavior (all kinds) Reinforcement
 What is Reinforcement?
• Reinforcement is anything that increases a behavior
• Reinforcement can be getting good things (e.g., attention, toys, food)
• Reprimands and negative attention can sometimes be reinforcers for kids
• Reinforcement can be getting rid of bad things (e.g., demands, bedtime, shoes)
• Reinforcement increases good and bad behavior
• Most reinforcement occurs unplanned or naturally
• Understanding how reinforcement works is essential to solving behavior
problems
What Causes Negative Behaviors?

• There are many possible causes of negative behaviors

• The first task to identify what is causing the specific behavior
• Use the three-term contingency to identify the cause of a behavior
• Step one: Define the behavior (start small--1-2 behaviors)
• Step two: Identify the antecedents (events before the behavior)
• Step three: Identify the consequences (what happened after the beh.)

• Antecedent Behavior Consequence

Both good and bad
behaviors are
strengthened by
reinforcement
 What Causes Negative Behaviors?
• Many negative behaviors are caused by inadvertent
reinforcement
• Negative behaviors may get attention, reaction, reprimands...
• Negative behaviors may get access to reinforcers
• Negative behavior may allow one to avoid undesirable
activities
• Negative behavior may allow one to escape undesirable
activities
• Negative behavior may be fun (Stim, destruction, climbing)
• Positive behaviors don’t have the same effect as above
• No alternative skills to achieve the same reinforcer (language)
How to Change Problem Behaviors

• Identify the cause and frequency

• Reinforcers are your behavior change tools: Identify
and control them
• Three parts to the intervention
• Teach and reinforce (positive) replacement behaviors
• Change the consequence after the problem behavior (reduce)
• Prevention (antecedent intervention)
 Attention Seeking:
Minor Negative Behaviors
• Behavior: Loud voice, knocking things off the table, taking other’s
toys for attention, noisy, fidgeting, whining, mild tantrums,
pouting, sulking, etc.
• Cause: Seeking attention (high motivation for attention)
• Intervention:
• Extinction: Ignore minor negative behaviors
• Reinforcement: Deliver reinforcement for appropriate behavior,
on a consistent basis (e.g., 10-30 times per hour)
• Prevention: Identify high probability settings and time for problem
behaviors and increase reinforcement, re-schedule competing
activities (e.g., phone calls, bill paying), plan child activities, etc.
 How to use Reinforcement
to Reduce Negative Behaviors
• Make sure you really have a reinforcer
• Deliver the reinforcer immediately after good behavior
• Set up lots of opportunities for good/correct behavior (Don’t just wait for them)
• Use a variety of reinforcers
• Deliver some reinforcers free (pairing)
• Smile, be sincere, laugh, goof around, have fun with your child
• Some kids will require lots of reinforcers per hour (30-50)
• Engagement usually is reinforcing!
• Lack of reinforcement for positive behavior can increase negative behavior
Examples of Reinforcers that
Many Children Like
• Social/physical reinforcers: attention, smiles, hugs, praise,
funny faces, high fives, tickling, rough housing, chasing
clapping hands, praise, a good laugh together, thumbs up,
pats on the back, etc.
• Activity reinforcers: playing a game, going to the park,
reading a book together, pushes on a swing, riding a bike,
wagon rides, swimming, adventures, put up a tent in the
yard, watching a DVD, helping cook, etc.
• Material reinforcers: food, drink, toys, bubbles, balloons,
crayons, musical toys, playdough, cars, sand play,etc.
 Ignoring Bad Behavior:
Extinction
• Be prepared for an extinction burst
• Eye contact is often attention (reinforcement)
• Don’t show facial reactions.
• Don’t argue, scold or talk (attention)
• Don’t show anger (attention)
• Act absorbed in some other activity, walk away
• Give your child lots of attention shortly after the bad
behavior stops
 More Serious Behaviors and
Noncompliance
• Behavior: Tantrum, hitting, throwing, scratching, falling to the floor, etc.
• Causes: Parental demand (e.g., go to bed, eat at the table, put on your shoes)
• Remove/denial of reinforcers (turn off TV, Come inside, turn off game
boy, can’t have desired toy in the store)
• Intervention: Teach positive behavior, weaken negative behavior, prevention
• Part 1) Strengthen compliance repertoires

• Begin to establish a new working history with the child (may take a while)
• Obtain the most powerful reinforcers for that child
• Carefully control and deliver those reinforcers on your terms (compliance)
• However, periodically deliver free reinforcers (pairing)
• Provide lots of opportunities for the child to comply/be successful
• Create a hierarchy of demands beginning with the simplest tasks
 More Serious Behaviors and
Noncompliance
• Part 1) Teaching compliance

• Initially avoid demands that compete with powerful motivators

• Gradually increase the demand (VR2, VR3, VR4)
• Work in short sets of trials throughout the day (this is 24/7)
• Work in all environments
• Transfer control to other new adults (generalization)
• Gradually begin to include high problem area demands (e.g., giving up
reinforcers)
• Occasionally give back the reinforcer when given up
• Always end the session on the adult’s terms, and on a positive note
 More Serious Behaviors and
Noncompliance
• Intervention: Part 2) Weaken the negative behavior

• Extinction: Do not remove the demand

• Follow through with the demand
• Be prepared for an extinction burst
• Make your expectations clear
• Caution: Removing the demand will make the problem worse
• Make sure negative behavior DOES NOT get reinforced in any way
• Do not promise reinforcers for stopping
• Do not show reinforcers when engaging in negative behaviors
• Do not try and “talk a child down” (reinforcement)
• Be very non-emotional about it all
 More Serious Behaviors and
Noncompliance
• Intervention: Part 3: Prevention

• Prevention: Identify high probability problem areas

• Verbally prepare the child if possible
• Use “if-then” contingency for more verbal children
• Take activities and reinforcers to Dr.s office, store, friends houses, etc.
• Ask for the same behavior under less “high probability” times, and reinforce
• Break demand into small steps and reinforce each step
• Make your expectations clear, and be consistent
• Reinforce approximations
• Establish time limits for reinforcers.
• Use extra time as reinforcers for no tantrums
 Be Organized and Plan
Ahead to be More Effective
• Anticipate your child’s needs before his bad
behavior forces you to meet his needs
• Avoid situations that you think might make the
child irritable (e.g., staying out past their bedtime,
shopping for a long time)
• Teach others in the home what you have learned
today
• Always be a good role model
 Summary
• Use the three-term contingency to identify what causes the behavior
• Identify a wide variety of reinforcers and frequently deliver them for
good behavior. You get “paired” with these reinforcers.
• Negative behavior often gets reinforced more often than positive
behavior.
• Don’t reinforce the problem behavior
• Ignore minor negative behavior
• Prevent behavior problems (Change the task or demand levels,
increase prompts, increase reinforcers for approximations)
• Directly teach replacement behaviors
• Have lots and lots of fun time with the kids (pairing)