The How to ABA Podcast

What Drives Challenging Behaviors? The Role of Antecedents, Triggers, and Functions

Shira Karpel & Shayna Gaunt Episode 204

When it comes to successful interventions, knowing the “why” behind behaviors is key. As practitioners, we may have learned in school that there are four functions of behavior: escape, attention, tangible, and sensory. However, in practice, things aren’t always so cut and dry. Here, we dive into the roles of antecedents, triggers, and functions so we can better understand what drives challenging behavior.

In this conversation, we discuss setting events and how what comes right before a behavior helps us understand a learner’s missing skills. We look at how to best determine the function of a behavior and how to teach appropriate replacement skills. We also discuss synthesized reinforcement, the importance of conducting a functional behavior assessment, and reinforcement strategies.

What’s Inside:

  • How setting events help us uncover missing skills
  • How to determine the function of a behavior
  • Examples of reinforcement strategies

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