CONSEQUENCES THAT TEACH AND RESTORE Developed by Steven Vitto, 2006

Understanding behavior (cont’d) 2 kinds of behavior. Respondent – involves involuntary or unlearned behaviors e.g., breathing, blinking, reflexes

Understanding behavior (cont’d) Operant – voluntary or learned behavior. These are the behaviors that can be programmed to be increased or decreased within a school setting. (e.g. Raising hand, sitting at desk, not running in the hall.)

Understanding behavior (cont’d) Antecedent (A) – what happens immediately before the behavior. Behavior (B) – the actual behavior (act) displayed. Consequence (C) – the result of the behavior.

Understanding behavior (cont’d) The law of Consequences  Behavior  Positive  Increase in ConsequencesBehavior Behavior  Negative  Decrease in ConsequencesBehavior 

Consequences should ultimately minimize the efficiency of a target behavior while establishing conditions for learning replacement skills. Consequences may fall into the following categories:  Ownership (i.e., to successfully process, the child needs to assume some ownership)  Processing the event (i.e., what happened, how could it have avoided, etc.)  Problem solving (i.e., finding a solution, choosing a better way, resolving conflict with a peer or staff)  Restoration (i.e., making things right with the victim, the community, and the environment)  Letting go and moving forward (i.e., diffusing, de-escalating and getting back under control)  Making a commitment for change (i.e., making a promise to try to choose a different path) eceiving support and forgiveness from the teacher and peers Punishment-loss of privileges,detention, suspension, response cost p

CCONSEQUENCES THAT TEACH When behaviors occur staff will consider the motivation, and provide a consequence which minimizes the efficiency of the target behavior, and suggest or train a replacement skill.  Attention Seeking – provide the child with strategies to obtain attention in an appropriate manner (i.e., raising his/her hand, leading an activity)  Power and Control – provide the child with opportunities to make choices and indicate preferences using appropriate strategies  Escape Avoidance – teach the child ways to take leave appropriately, increase the child’s tolerance for non-preferred or challenging tasks  Tangible – teach the child how to obtain desired items and activities using appropriate strategies (i.e., requesting, waiting his/her turn, “saving up”, delaying gratification)  Anger/Frustration – teach the child anger management skills such as verbal de- escalation, conflict resolution, muscle relaxation, reminders, reducers, peaceful imagery, body language, personal space)  Status/Acceptance – provide opportunities for the child to gain status through appropriate or desired behavior Sensory – provide the child with the means to integrate or modulate sensory input in a more acceptable manner (i.e., sensory balls, adaptive seats, weighted items, heavy work

Effective Consequences Decrease the efficiency of the target behavior while maintaining dignity and an atmosphere of caring Never degrade or humiliate Logically relate to the target behavior Do not cause more of a problem than the problem they are addressing Establish conditions for learning alternative skills Decrease the frequency, duration, and/or intensity of the target behavior

Less Helpful Strategies: Have a negative effect on learning Model inappropriate behavior Tend to make the brain shift to a survival mode not conducive to learning Tend to elicit out judgment and anger from staff Meet the needs of the care provider not the child The consequence has no relationship to the behavior Are inconsistently applied Are almost always quicker to apply Often lead to resentment, defiance, or violence and consequently result in the need for more intrusive measures by staff Meet the staff’s needs, not the child’s

De-Escalation Techniques Ignore the behavior Redirect View misbehavior as an opportunity to find someone behaving and comment on it Humor Do the “unexpected” Eye contact Physical proximity

Punishment Punishment is any event or stimulus that decreases the probability of a behavior re- occurring. e.g. Sarcasm, fines, speeding tickets, time-out. When punishment procedures are being used it is important to keep records so that you can ensure that the procedure is decreasing the targeted behavior.

Time out Rationale For Use of Time-Out Time-out is a strategy that is used to reduce inappropriate or undesirable behaviors. This strategy is used as part of a comprehensive program designed to teach appropriate behaviors and reduce inappropriate behaviors.

Definition of Time Out Time-out is defined as the withdrawal of the opportunity for a child to earn positive reinforcement or the loss of access to positive reinforcers for a a certain period of time.