PRINCIPLES OF INTERVENTION PLANNING Chapter Three PRINCIPLES OF INTERVENTION PLANNING

OBJECTIVES Describe six principles of applied behavior analysis and give examples from school situations. Describe professional, legal, and ethical guidelines affecting the use of behavioral interventions. Locate and use information systems and Internet services that provide resources for intervention planning. Identify appropriate and inappropriate intervention alternatives for given behaviors and circumstances and provide a rationale for each decision.

Let’s review each of the Behavioral Principles together. For each one, give an example of how this principle might be observed in a classroom.

Principle I

For example. . . What you do after a student engages in rule following or rule violation is what will control his or her behavior. If you post the rules and forget about them, you are not following this basic principle.

Principle II

An example If you want students to follow classroom rules and routines, you have to reinforce them when they do. On the other hand, students may act out just to “get the teacher.” If students are trying to upset you, then repeatedly fussing at them or getting upset (though it seems negative to you) may function as positive reinforcement.

Principle III

Ooops. . .I forgot Let’s say your students enjoy your attention and are doing rather well. You gradually forget to acknowledge them when they follow classroom rules and routines. Inadvertently, you may extinguish or weaken their cooperative behaviors. In other words, don’t take their rule-following for granted!

Extinction: Remember that behavior gets worse before it gets better.

Principle IV

Two classes of punishment presenting an aversive consequence immediately after a response has occurred (e.g., a verbal reprimand). removing a positive reinforcer following a response (e.g., taking away a minute of recess time or a point for making noises).

Use it sparingly! Students who violate the rules need either an (a) aversive consequence (e.g., a short, clear reprimand) or (b) removal of a positive reinforcer (e.g., loss of a privilege). These procedures are much more effective when used sparingly. Remember that the first strategy for addressing a behavioral error is error correction.

Principle V

Be alert! Teachers who are organized and clear in their expectations can spot students who are cooperative or challenging. They handle situations more effectively and promptly than those who are disorganized and not paying attention to their students.

Principle VI

Walk the talk. If you resort primarily to negative disciplinary approaches, you can expect yelling, arguing, and power struggles in return. As you model calm and respectful interactions, you encourage students to treat one another and you courteously.

Behavioral Enhancement Procedures (accelerate behavior) Self-regulation Social reinforcement Contracting Activity reinforcement Token reinforcement Tangible reinforcement Edible reinforcement Tactile and sensory reinforcement

Behavior Reduction Procedures (decelerate behavior) Differential reinforcement Precorrection Verbal aversives Response cost Timeout Overcorrection Physical aversives Extinction

Legal, Professional, and Ethical Guidelines Questions to Ask Regarding the Acceptability of an Intervention 1. Is it suitable for general education classrooms? 2. Does it present unnecessary risks to pupils? 3. Does it require too much teacher time? 4. Does it have negative side effects on other pupils? 5. Does the teacher have the skill to implement it (Witt & Martens, 1983)?