Assessment Flashcards
4 Phases of Intervention
APIE Assessment Planning Implementation Evaluation
Assessment
A systematic method for obtaining information about the FUNCTION of challenging behaviors serve for an individual
Involves methods of direct observation, interviews, checklists, and tests to identify target behaviors
Ethically Preparation for an Assessment
Choosing the right behaviors
Being skilled in conducting
Shape of an assessment
Funnel
Broad scope that narrows focus as you conduct the assessment process
5 Phases of Assessment
Screening and general deposition
Defining and quantifying problems or desired achievement criteria
Pinpointing target behaviors to be treated
Monitoring progress
Follow up
Pre-Assessment Considerations
Can’t perform assessment without authority, permission, resources, and skills
Indirect Measures of Assessment
Data obtained from recollections, reconstructions, or subjective ratings of events
Interviews
Checklists
Not reliable as direct
Should only be used to supplement other methods
Direct Measures of Assessment
Provides info about a persons behavior as it occurs
Tests
Direct Observation
4 Ways to Acquire Information for Assessment
COIT Checklists Observation Interviews Tests
Checklists
Likert scales
Alone or with interview and rating scales
Observation
Direct and repeated in the natural environment
ABC recording
Interviews
List of behaviors from individual or significant others
Tests
Many published standardized tests exist
Must have consistent administration
BCBA’s may not administer tests due to licensing
Consider Biological/ Medical Variables
Rule out medical causes
Refer client to undergo medical eval
There may be no need for behavior services if behavior is due to medical or bio variables
Intervention Strategies Considerations
Consider what resources are before creating an intervention
Ecological Assessment
A great deal of information about individual and various settings
Costly in time and money
Reactivity
Effects of process on behavior
Reactivity occurs when are obtrusive
Repeat observations until reactive effects subside
Habilitation
Assess meaningfulness of change
Is the change really useful to the client?
Normalization
The belief that people with disabilities should be physically and socially integrated into mainstream society regardless of the degree or type of disability
Behavior Cusps
Opens a persons world to new contingencies
Exposes repertoire to new environments
Has sudden and dramatic consequences that extend well beyond the change itself
Pivotal Behavior
A behavior that once learned produces modifications and variations in other adaptive behaviors
Generative learning
Enhancing comprehension of new material due to previous learning
AKA for Generative Learning
Derived Relations
Prioritizing target behavior
Threat to health or safety of client or others
Frequency
Longevity of problem
Potential for higher rates of reinforcement
Reduction of negative attention from others
Cost benefit ratio
4 Functions of Problem Behavior
SEAT Sensory Escape Attention Tangible
Default Technologies
Coercive punishment based interventions often selected arbitrarily
Conduction FBAs decreases reliance on default for technologies
FBA Methods Pyramid
Analog Assessment/ Functional Analysis
Descriptive Direct Assessment
Indirect Assessment
Functional Analysis
Only FBA method that allows us to confirm hypotheses regarding functional relations between behaviors and environment events
Antecedents and consequences are arranged so that their separate effects on behavior can be observed
2 Types of Functional Analyses
Extended Functional Analysis
Brief Functional Analysis
4 Typical Original Conditions of Functional Analysis
Contingent Attention
Contingent Escape
Alone
Control
Interpreting Attention Function
Contingent attention tests for positive reinforcement
Client is given attention then isn’t
If the problem behavior occurs a mild reprimand
is given
If rates of problem behavior increased attention is the reinforcer
Interpreting Escape Function
Contingent Escape tests for negative reinforcement
The client is given non-preferred demands repeatedly to establish MO
If the client makes no response to the demand or emits an incorrect response you prompt a correct response
If problem behavior occurs the demands are removed
If rates of problem behavior are higher, escape is the maintaining reinforcer
Interpreting Automatic Reinforcement
Alone Condition tests for automatic reinforcement
The client remains in a room without demands and with no social interaction
No consequence is given if challenging behavior occurs
If behavior occurs in absence of social consequences automatic reinforcement is the maintaining reinforcer
Interpreting Undifferentiated Pattern
Behavior occurring across all conditions or is variable
Inconclusive results or maintained automatic reinforcement
Play Condition
This condition tests for automatic reinforcement and serves as a control condition
Tangible Condition
Only use this when you hypothesize access to tangibles to be the function of the behavior
Client is given access to highly preferred items for a set amount of time and then is taken away
If problem behavior increases each time the tangible item is returned
If problem increases access to tangibles is the reinforcer
Brief Functional Analysis
Determines which variable is maintaining the behavior
Attention, Escape, Alone and Play
Each condition is run for 10 minutes
Each condition except for alone must include an MO and SD
You purposely trigger the problem behavior and reinforce it when it occurs to observe if it increases. If it is the function the behavior increases
Direct Descriptive FBA
Direct observation of problem behavior under natural conditions
Events are not arranged in a systematic manner
Involves baseline data collection
3 Data Collection Methods for Descriptive FBA’s
ABC Narrative Recording
ABC Continuous Recording
Scatter Plot
ABC Narrative Recording
Data are collected only when behaviors of interest are observed
Recording is open-ended
You can calculate conditional probability with this method too
Less time consuming
May yield false positives
ABC Continuous Recording
Record occurrences of targeted problem behavior and selected environmental events within the natural routine during a specified period of time
Must be recorded for a minimum of 20-30 minutes
Precise measures
Provides useful contextual info and correlations
Scatter Plot
Procedure for recording the extent to which a target behavior occurs more often at a particular time than others
Indirect FBA
Identifying potential events in the natural setting that correlate with the challenging behavior
Gathering info from others
Methods such as rating scales, checklists, structure interviews
Simple, contributes hypothesis development
Inaccurate info
Little research supports reliability
Functional Equivalence
Decreasing behavior means you must select acceptable alternative behavior
3 Characteristics of Good Operational Definitions
OCC
Objective
Clear
Complete
Social Validity
It’s a BCBA’s ethical responsibility to ensure your assessment and intervention has social validity, or life has been changed in a meaningful and positive way
2 Procedures for Identifying Effective Reinforcer
Stimulus Preference Assessment
Reinforcer Assessment
Stimulus Preference Assessment
Identifies stimuli that are likely to function as reinforcers
3 Basic Methods of Stimulus Preference Assessments
Asking about stimulus preferences
Free- Operant Observation
Trial- based methods
Asking about stimulus preferences
Ask the target person- “Which would you work for?”
Open ended
Ranking list
Pictures
Asking Significant Others
Offer a Pre-Task Choice- “What do you want to earn for doing this”
Discrepancies between what a person claims is reinforcing and item maintaining reinforcement power
Free- Operant Observation
Recording activities a person engages in for unrestricted time
Contrived- Person fills environment
Naturalistic- Conducted in learners environment
Trial- Based Methods
Stimuli presented to learner in series of trials and responses are measured
3 Types of Trial- Based Methods of Stimulus Preference Assessments
PMS
Paired Stim
Multiple Stim
Single Stim
Paired Stimulus
Presentation of 2 stimulu
Multiple Stimulus
Presentation of 3 or more stimuli
Multiple Stimuli with replacement
Multiple Stimuli without
Single Stimulus
Most basic
Presenting one at a time in random order
Reinforcer Assessment
A variety of direct, data based methods used to present one or more stimuli contingent on a target response and then measure the future effects on the rate of responding
Concurrent Schedule Reinforcer Assessment
Two or more contingencies of reinforcement operate independently and simultaneously for 2 or more behaviors
Pits two stimuli against each other
Shows relative effectiveness of high preference and low preference stimuli as reinforcers
Multiple Schedule Reinforcer Assessment
Consists of 2 or more components schedules of reinforcement for a single response with only one component schedule in effect
EX. Answering math facts with teacher and with tutor
Answers math facts in small group with teacher
There is an SD for each contingency (tutor/teacher, small group/individual) and different reinforcement
Progressive Ratio Schedule Reinforcer Assessment
Provides a framework for assessing the relative effectiveness of a stimulus as reinforcement as response requirements increase
Systematically overtime requirements inrease
