Behavior functions. What is it good for? 🎶 (Sorry, it didn’t work)
A student comes up to you crying. Do you show sympathy with a pat on the shoulder and a caring question? Or do you tell them that they need to get back to work?
It depends! Why is the student crying? What is the reason for their behavior? Every teacher instinctively knows what kind of response to give a student.
However sometimes, it’s not so simple. (Why was my student insisting on laying or sitting on top of the table today?) This is why we need to have a basic understanding of applied behavior analysis (ABA).
ABA is a science-based approach to understanding and changing behavior. It is used in a variety of settings, including schools, clinics, and homes, to help people with a variety of disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Functions of behavior
One of the first things you need to know about ABA is the four functions of behavior. In short, these functions are:
- Escape: Behavior that is used to avoid or escape an unpleasant situation or demand.
- Attention: Behavior that is used to gain attention from others.
- Access to tangibles: Behavior that is used to gain access to a desired object or activity.
- Automatic reinforcement: Behavior that is inherently reinforcing, such as rocking or twirling hair.
Understanding the function of a behavior is the first of the two essential steps you need to use to address challenging behavior. In this post I’ll go into these four functions in depth.
Escape
The other day, one of my students started screaming bloody murder for no apparent reason. I say no apparent reason because she had been happily playing with a toy and no one was asking her to do anything at the moment. Finally one of my paraprofessionals wondered out loud, “Maybe the construction noise is bothering her?” Suddenly I understood. I agreed that the construction noise in the room next door was particularly loud that day. Why screaming made it any better is beyond me, but at least I knew that she was communicating that that noise bothered her. I was able to offer her some noise canceling headphones.
In a nutshell, escape-motivated behaviors are those that are reinforced by avoiding or escaping an unpleasant situation or demand. Other examples are: a child may throw a tantrum to avoid doing their homework or going to bed. Or a student may disrupt class in order to be sent out of the room.
Attention
One of my current students communicates her need for attention by running around the room ripping things off the wall and pushing things off tables. Joy. As if I have a money tree to go and buy more things to replace those things.
Attention-maintained behaviors are those that are reinforced by attention from others. These behaviors are easy to spot when the student does an action then looks straight at you. Sometimes they are more subtle, however. They may not immediately look to see if you are paying attention.
Access to tangibles
The things I’ve seen kids do to access something…
- Race and jump up on a counter to get goldfish crackers in the upper cabinet (gluten free diet).
- Create a diversion by spilling someone’s drink on the floor; then nab the thing they want when I’m not looking!
- In the room across the hall from me, a student got the tip of his finger cut off in a door because he was trying to get the iPad in the closet.
These behaviors may be the easiest to spot because what they want is something tangible. It could be a toy, a food item, or even something you wouldn’t care about like a piece of paper towel that they want to eat.
Automatic reinforcement, or sensory reinforcement
Behaviors whose function is automatic (or sensory) reinforcement are those that are inherently reinforcing, such as rocking or twirling hair. Think of it like when you feel cold you will soon engage in the behavior of getting a sweater. Or if you feel hungry, I predict your behavior will include getting a snack. Other behaviors like jumping up and down, clapping, waving arms can feel just as necessary to students.
Deciding what function a behavior has
To decide what function a behavior has, you need to observe what the student does, or what happens, immediately before the behavior in question. You must also observe what happens immediately after their behavior. These are the two clues that help you understand the purpose or function of a behavior. More on this later!
Conclusion
Understanding the four functions of behavior is essential for developing effective interventions to reduce or eliminate problem behaviors and increase appropriate behaviors. By identifying the function of a behavior, teachers can develop interventions that target the specific factors that are maintaining the behavior.
For more great info on the functions of behavior, check out this blog post by the Autism Helper.
If you want to see how you’re doing with setting up your class for success, download my Classroom Audit. See how you score in ten different areas!