Adolescents and Behavior
Problems
Depression
Stereotypy
Peer Interventions
Depression
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
Pervasive sadness/irritability
Biological disruptions


Psychological difficulties


appetite, insomnia, fatigue
low self esteem, poor
concentration,hopelessness
Results from multiple factors

Review S.Braaten’s “About Adolescents”
Interventions for Depression

Assessment of depressive factors


E.g., if social isolation: teach social
interaction skills
Cognitive restructuring
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
Attribution retraining
Thinking, changing, rearranging
Stereotypy

Repetitive behaviors: perseveration



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Self-stimulation
Self-injurious
Results from biological and reinforcement
factors
Rules for intervention


If self-injurious, treat
If interferes with education, treat
Interventions for Stereotypy



Functional Analysis and assessment
Social and interactive skills training
Establishment of appropriate
reinforcement and scheduling.
Behavior Interventions for
Adolescents

By Adults
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
Positive attention and approval
Social reinforcement
Contingency Contracting
Training procedures

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Building “backbone”
Cognitive Behavior Management
Building “backbone”

Effective teaching/schooling

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Intellectual stimulation
Relevance
Social values training and
incorporation
Development of social competence
Development of Social
Competence



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Prosocial behavior training or
reinforcement
Assertiveness training
Stress prevention
Refusal skills
Peer mediated Interventions


Use of peers as behavior managers
Teaching others leads to improved
learning and automaticity
Peer Intervention Strategies


Group goal setting and feedback
Group Contingencies
Group goal setting and
feedback


Groups discuss and decide individual
student goals
Specific goals (objectives) are best
Peer Monitoring
Group Contingencies



Dependent
Independent
Interdependent
Dependent Group
Contingencies

Individual performance of the target
student determines consequences to
the whole group.

Appropriate when target student is being
reinforced by his/her “audience” AND the
behavior of the whole group is generally
good.
Independent Group
Contingencies

Every individual instance of the target
behavior in a group is given the same
consequence

E.g., everyone who turns in a complete
homework assignment receives gym
instead of study hall
Interdependent Group
Contingencies

Each student in a group must achieve
a prescribed level of performance
before anyone in the group can get a
reinforcement

E.g., 100% attendance on Fridays for 4
weeks = 10 points for everybody on the
midterm
Self-mediated Interventions



Self-monitoring (self recording)
Self-evaluation
Self-instruction
Self-Monitoring

Keeping a record of one’s own
behaviors

Monitoring progress on self-chart
Self-Evaluation

Student assesses quality (correctness,
adequacy) of self-behavior
Self-Instruction

Planned “whispering”

Student whispers appropriate instructions
for a behavior to self
Guidelines for Use of SelfManagement




Determine student ability to self-manage
Engage student in determining accurate
recording or use of strategies
Assess fidelity of the procedure
Assess that adequate progress is being
made
Behavior-Related Issues for Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse Learners

Primary Considerations

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Language
Culture
Problem Behaviors vs. Cultural Differences