Science of Behavior
Erin K. McNerney, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Autism Spectrum Therapies
714-641-1120
www.autismtherapies.com
Functions of Behavior
• Behavior = Communication
• All behaviors have a function – that is
they occur for a reason – there is
something the individual gets out of the
behavior.
• Develop a hypothesis of the function by
analyzing the A-B-C’s
Functions of Behavior
• Attention - Gain access to the attention of a
peer/adult
• Tangible - Gain access to desired item/activity
• Escape/Avoid - A difficult or aversive demand,
task, or activity is removed or avoided
• Automatic- Provide one self with stimulation that
is pleasurable.
Function of Challenging Behavior
Developing Hypotheses
Function
Communicative Intent
– To gain access to social
experiences
– “Pay attention to me.”
– “Look what I’m doing.”
– To gain access to desired
activities or items
– “I want to keep playing
with this.”
– “Can I have a turn with
that?”
– To escape or avoid
unpleasant situations
– “I don’t want to do this.”
– “It is too hard for me.”
– “This feels good.”
– To gain access to
sensory experiences
What is ABA?
• Applied Behavior Analysis is a field of study devoted to
producing socially significant change in the behavior of
animals and humans.
• Focuses on objectively defined, observable behaviors of social
significance
• ABA is the process of systematically applying
interventions based upon the principles of learning to
improve behavior.
• Seeks to improve the behavior under study while demonstrating
a reliable relationship between the procedures employed and the
behavior improvement.
What is ABA?
• Applied: Addresses socially significant behaviors
• Behavior: Precise measurement of observable behavior
• Analytic: Demonstrated control over the occurrence and
non-occurrence of the behavior
Baer, Wolfe, & Risley (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior
analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, (1), 91-97.
A-B-C’s of Behavior
• Antecedent: A stimulus that precedes a behavior and
may exert discriminative control over that behavior.
• Behavior: Any directly measurable thing an organism
does.
• Consequence: A consequence is what follows a
behavior. A consequence has to be contingent upon a
particular response. The response must be emitted
before the consequence.
General PrinciplesReinforcement
•
A consequence which increases
behavior is called reinforcement.
•
In ABA, reinforcement is managed.
•
Reinforcement procedures are
systematically applied for the purpose of
strengthening existing and teaching new
behaviors.
Reinforcers
• Reinforcing stimuli are events/items
delivered contingent upon a specific
behavior and as a result increase or
maintain that behavior.
• Reinforcers increase or maintain the
behavior of the specific person
involved.
Reinforcement
• Positive Reinforcement – A behavior
increases/maintains when a stimulus is
applied
• Negative Reinforcement – A behavior
increases/maintains when a stimulus is
removed
Reinforcement & Punishment
Reinforcement
Punishment
Stimulus
Presented
Positive
Reinforcement
Positive
Punishment
Stimulus
Removed
Negative
Reinforcement
Negative
Punishment
What is Positive Behavior
Support (PBS)?
 PBS is an empirically validated technology of
intervention that is applied on behalf of students whose
behavior is regarded as challenging or problematic.
 Its purpose is to produce “socially important and durable
behavior change”.
 Its focus extends beyond the student and includes
systems change activities, environmental alterations,
skill instruction activities, and behavioral consequence
activities.
(Sugai et al., 1999)
Systems Change Includes:
• Provide with strategies to reinforce
behaviors
• Provide with strategies to reduce
undesired behaviors
• Teach peers/adults how to elicit desired
behaviors
Positive Behavior Support
Hughes's Bill - Assembly Bill 2586
• Safe healthy environment for all children
regardless of physical, mental, emotional
conditions.
• Teachers of children with special needs require
training and guidance in positive ways for
working with the children
• Procedures for the elimination of maladaptive
behaviors shall not be those deemed
unacceptable (i.e.: causing pain or trauma)
Causes of Autism?
• A number of other possible causes have
been suspected, but NOT proven. They
involve digestive tract changes, diet,
mercury poisoning, vaccine sensitivity, and
the body's inefficient use of vitamins and
minerals.
Vaccines?
• 1999 British Medical Journal
– Autism rates continued to climb in areas where
vaccinations were not increasing
• 2008 – Archives of Disease in Childhood
– Looked at 98 children with autism, 90 typical children
and 52 children with special needs but no autism.
– No association between those who received vaccine
vs. those who had not
• 2001 - Institute of Medicine expert panel
reviewed 14 epidemiological studies, all
demonstrating an absence of relationship
between MMR vaccine and autism
Vaccines?
• 2005 Japan (Honda)
– Between 1988 and 1996 MMR vaccines
dropped but autism rates rose
• 2002 Denmark
– Study of 537,000 children between 1991 and
1998 found same autism rate in vaccinated
and unvaccinated children
Educational & Behavioral
Interventions
•
•
•
•
Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT)
Pivotal Response Training (PRT)
Positive Behavior Support (PBS)
Picture Exchange Communication System
(PECS)
• Speech Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
Non-empirically validated
Interventions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Gluten/Casin free diet
Auditory Integration Training
Vitamins
Miller Method
Facilitated Communication
Sauna therapy
Son-Rise Program
Chelation Therapy
Sensory Integration
Floor Time
Hyperbaric Chamber
Die Off - yeast
Resources
• Companies with good
Social Skills Materials
–
–
–
–
–
Lingui-systems
Pro-ed
Super Duper
Child’s Play/ Child’s Work
Different Roads to Learning
• Social Language Books
–
–
–
–
–
Meer 1 / Meer 2
Help
Teach Me Language
Skillstreaming
Teaching friendship skills
www.sopriswest.com
• Therapeutic Games
– Talking, Feeling, Doing
– Kids on Stage
– Choose
– In Control
– The Anger Solution Game
– Furious Fred
– Stop, Relax, Think
• Books
– See other resource
handouts
– Visual Strategies to
Improve Communication
– Visual Strategies to
Improve Behavior
AUTISM SPECTRUM THERAPIES
Orange County
Long Beach
Los Angeles
San Gabriel Vally
San Fernando Valley
San Diego
Contact Information
Erin K. McNerney, Ph.D., BCBA-D
1526 Brookhollow Dr. Ste 76
Santa Ana, CA 92705
714-641-1120
www.autismtherapies.com