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Promoting Behaviours

Behavioural Interventions are highly useful for disability groups and probably one of the less well-propagated interventions in the field of psychology locally. They involve the processes of systematically assessing the functions of various behaviours and using a variety of strategies based on behavioural principles to produce specific improvements in behaviour. They are useful in different types of therapeutic interventions, and especially useful for working with individuals who are unable to express themselves in words.

The fourth competency unit that will help you succeed in doing behavioural interventions is Promoting Behaviours.

When dealing with client’s behavioral challenges, reducing undesirable behaviors and encouraging desirable behaviors are equally important. When client spend more time on appropriate behaviours, there will be less time and opportunity for them to engage in other interfering behaviours. There are various strategies that can be used to promote desired behaviors using behavioural approaches. Psychologists are expected to:

  • Learn and apply behavioural strategies such as prompting, imitation, chaining, shaping, incidental teaching, pivotal response training, and social scripting etc for the promotion of new behaviours.

Here are some ideas and resources to spark your learning and thinking: 

imitation

Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2007) – Chapter 18: Imitation

This chapter describes imitation training, its procedures including probing for imitative behavior, and guidelines for imitation training.

Here is a PowerPoint slideshow of the key points from the chapter

Shaping

Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2007) – Chapter 19: Shaping

This chapter covers the following objectives: (1) Define and provide examples of shaping; (2) Explain the process of shaping in terms of the behavioral contingencies used; (3) Differentiate between shaping across different and within the same response topographies; (4) Explain ways in which the efficiency of shaping can be increased; and (5) State the guidelines for implementing shaping effectively.

Here is a PowerPoint slideshow of the key points from the chapter.

chaining

Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2007) – Chapter 20: Chaining

This chapter provides definitions and gives examples of different behavior chains and their procedures. It also introduces task analysis which is conducted prior to teaching a behavior chain and talks about assessment methods for evaluating performance on task analysis.

Here is a PowerPoint slideshow of the key points from the chapter.

Online moduleS

  1. AFIRM module: Prompting

    This module from AFIRM guides the learner to learn basic knowledge about prompting and apply it in activity based scenarios. You need to sign up an free account in order to access to the module.

  2. AFIRM module: Scripting

    This module from AFIRM guides the learner to learn basic knowledge about scripting and apply it in activity based scenarios. You need to sign up an free account in order to access to the module.

  3. VCU Autism Center for Excellence: How To Video Series

    This webpage contains short videos on how to implement evidence based interventions for students. Videos that are relevant for promoting behaviours are a series of videos on how to use prompting.

Incidental teaching

Introduction to Incidental Teaching from Special Learning, Inc.

This webpage talks about incidental teaching in a nutshell – telling its brief background and how it can be exercised.

Quiz

Short Quiz on Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2007) – Chapter 20: Chaining

https://quizlet.com/5947399/test

Pivotal response training

Evidence-Based Practice Brief: Pivotal Response Training

This 51-page document provides an overview of pivotal response training, steps for implementation,

Imitation

ABA Program - Non-Verbal Imitation with Contextual Material

This short clip displays imitation training involving materials that give clues to the student as to what action to perform.

"Non-Verbal Imitation with Contextual Material" is an essential Learning How to Learn program for students with ASD to understand the skills of copying. This program teaches students to imitate actions involving materials that give clues for student what action to perform. There are total 3 phases to this program.

Shaping

When Do we Use Shaping to Teach?

This short clip clearly explains when and how shaping is used.

Like Autism Live on Facebook at http://facebook.com/autismlive Dr. Adel Najdowski explains shaping, a teaching technique that rewards successive approximations as the learner moves closer to a target behavior. This is a technique that is particularly successful with complex or difficult skills as it gives the learning motivation to improve because they are rewarded for progress made.

Chaining

Autism Training Solutions: Chaining and Task Analysis

This short clip introduces task analysis and backward chaining. It provides examples of how these concepts are used together.

Using training videos to teach the foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis. Autism Training Solutions partners with organizations to train front-line staff online and improve efficiency of new-hire training.

Or explore other competency units that will help you succeed in doing behavioural interventions: