Positive Behavior Support, Part 3: Replacement Behaviors

In this, the third episode in the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) series, the importance of teaching a socially appropriate behavior to replace a maladaptive one a child has been using is discussed.

As described in the initial PBS episode, there is a linear sequence to teaching a child what is acceptable behavior in social environments, of which replacement behaviors fill a central role.

However, the idea of making behavior interventions more sensitive to the underlying needs many children have for using their seemingly maladaptive behaviors is becoming more evident.

Autistic adults who were involved with ABA/PBS interventions as students are speaking out about what is appropriate behavior and who determines what it is?

The behavior field will continue to evolve along with the social mores that influence it.

Related Information:

People should be allowed to do what they like’: Autistic adults’ views and experiences of stimming (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30818970/)

 “Replacing” Problem Behavior/ An Analysis of Tactical Alternatives (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2223178/)

Thanks to soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/) 

Transcript

Determining a Replacement Behavior

A note: I would recommend listening to episodes 1 (PBS Basics) and 2 (Function of Behavior) to fully understand the content here.

PBS/ABA principles tell us that every behavior expresses a need and that the need will come out regardless of outside interventions.  The idea of a replacement behavior is to teach the child a behavior that meets the same need as the problem behavior but is socially acceptable.

Let’s check back in with John from our first two episodes.  If you remember, he is the child who has difficulty raising his hand in class and instead calls out.   

All things being equal, and if the data concurs, the obvious replacement skill is for John to learn to raise his hand in an appropriate manner, which should be what is appropriate for a typical 3rd grader.  In a future podcast I will discuss the phenomenon of children with disabilities being held to a higher level of behavioral expectations than their typical peers, but keep in mind this should be age and grade appropriate.

As a part of determining a replacement behavior we need to develop a teaching strategy to make sure we are not leaving John alone to teach himself.  

In this case, the teaching could look like the teacher and behaviorist or school psychologist sitting with John to explain the behavior plan.  In my experience, the more students are involved in their special education or 504 programs, the more successful they will be when they exit the system. 

John knowing what his plan is, the expectations that he is meant to fulfill can give him the power to “control his own destiny”.  He is taken in as a partner, which could satisfy another need, power and control.

Kids with disabilities often don’t have much power in their lives.  They may be in a smaller environment in school with more adults around, they may have after school medical or therapy appointments, maybe a more rigid behavior system at home, so it’s natural for John to want to have a say.

A factor to think about, however, is a consideration as to the child’s ability to successfully learn the new behavior.  If we believe the child can’t learn a behavior that is fully socially appropriate, we look back at the ABC (antecedent, behavior, consequence) data we collected to assist us.

An example of this could be a child with Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes a person to have an insatiable appetite.  Somone with Prader-Willi would not be able to learn a behavior that involves avoiding food, so we look at teaching a set of coping and stress reduction skills.  A child learning how to cope better with their disorder and to self-de-stress will be our goal in a case like this (I discuss coping skills in a later episode). 

As we go along, the ideas like replacement behaviors, as with all of the core ideas in this series will be referred to often.

Now that I have convinced you of the necessity of teaching replacement behaviors when trying to reduce maladaptive behaviors, there is some research that suggests this is not always necessary and may even be harmful. (1) (2)

As with anything with a science still in its infancy (the early 60s really) there have been changes in the behavior field, sometimes pretty radical changes.  We’ll talk about this more in the future, but the basis is that society has gone from a place where it was considered appropriate to apply punishment strategies for maladaptive behaviors.  Those times have changed.  As we have become a society more focused on human dignity and rights, PBS/ABA has tried to catch up.

Let’s talk about one replacement behavior that is part of the controversy.  There is evidence that some replacement behaviors may do more harm than good.  As an example, a common issue with children with autism is Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, also known as “stimming”. 

Post ABA/PBS adults many times feel that their repetitive motor movements are not harmful to anyone, and that they have a right to use methods to calm themselves or provide needed self-support.

As you have seen with all of the aspects of PBS/ABA, blindly implementing a strategy and not looking at just having to do something because you are told to do so.  You have a responsibility to speak up when you are uncomfortable with strategies BIP.  You are a member of the child’s team, and your input is valuable. 

Please join us for the next PBS program about reinforcement, another building block in your journey to understanding PBS/ABA.