Behavioral Directions LogoOctober 2010

     Behavioral Directions, LLC Newsletter
In This Issue
Highlights from our recent seminar:  Reducing Challenging Behaviors in Children

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Reducing Challenging Behaviors in Children ~ Strategies for Success:

Christine Crowell, MA BCBA, Consultant with Behavioral Directions LLC gave a wonderfully informative talk on promoting good behavior in children on October 18th!

The seminar, sponsored by McLean Bible Church Access Ministry, was well received by the attendees.  Below are a few highlights from her talk!


1) Inappropriate behavior serves a purpose.

2) Determining the function of the problem behavior is key.  This is done by conducting functional assessments (direct, indirect, or experimental) that look to evaluate the antecedents that occasion behavior and the consequences that may maintain behavior.

3)  Treatments should seek to replace the function of the inappropriate behavior by teaching/reinforcing appropriate alternative responses.

4)  Some common functions (reasons) that inappropriate behavior occurs are escape from demands, access to adult/peer attention, access to preferred items/activities, and automatic reinforcement, that is the behavior provides its own reinforcement.

5)  Catch your child being good!

6)  Antecedent treatment modifications may include offering choices, reducing demands, providing more attention, eliminating environmental distractions, providing noncontingent reinforcement, and creating enriched environments.

7)  Reinforcement based interventions look to increase/teach functionally equivalent alternative behavior such as requesting attention, break, or an item, or teaching the child to wait.  Differential reinforcement procedures such as DRO, DRA, DRL can be extremely effective.

8)  Punishment based procedures should only be used after less intrusive procedures have alone proved ineffective, and the behavior warrants these additional measures.  Punishment such as the use of time-out should always be paired with reinforcement based procedures.

9)  Data should be collected on targeted behaviors and used as a method for evaluating treatment effectiveness.

10)  Behavior intervention programming should include baseline data collection on behaviors to be targeted, functional assessment, developing a function-based treatment plan, training all caregivers, an evaluation of effectiveness with objective data collection, and making needed adjustments.


 

Thank you Ms. Crowell for your contributions to our community!

 

About the speaker~ Ms. Crowell holds a Master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She received extensive training in the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.

 

Ms. Crowell was previously a behavior analyst for Matthew's Center for Visual Learning where she developed, directed and supervised behavior intervention plans and skill acquisition programming. She has participated in several data-based presentations at local and international conferences and parent/school groups.

 

Her professional interests include severe behavior disorders and communication in children with developmental disabilities.

About Us

BEHAVIORAL DIRECTIONS LLC is a consulting practice providing services to children, adolescents and adults with behavior, learning and developmental disorders.  Our providers are ALL Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs).  Please visit us at (www.BehavioralDirections.com ). 


New Referrals may contact Dana Goldstein at 703-855-4032.