BTT Cohort

Behavioral excess

when a behavior occurs too often

Behavioral deficit

when a behavior does not occur often enough

Diagnostic domains of autism spectrum disorder

1) Social Communication & Interaction; 2) Restricted. Repetitive Patterns of Behavior

Stereotypy

persistent repetition of a behavior; self-stimulatory behavior (e.g., rocking, hand flapping, jumping)

Self-Injurious behavior (SIB)

engaging in behavior that deliberately harms one's own body

Evidence based practice

an intervention or practice that has been proven effective by scientific research

Operational Definitions

A clear, shared definition with observable and measurable behavior characteristics to avoid ambiguity.

Behavior

movement of an organism through space and time, essentially anything a person does

Dead Man's Test

if a dead man can do it, it isn't behavior

Behavior is lawful

behavior can be defined, observed, predicted, and managed

Positive Reinforcement

addition of something to the environment that increases the future frequency of the behavior

Negative Reinforcement

removal of something from the environment that increases the future frequency of the behavior

Positive Punishment

addition of something to the environment that decreases the future frequency of the behavior

Negative Punishment

removal of something from the environment that decreases the future frequency of the behavior

Three term contingency

Antecedent (Discriminative Stimulus), Behavior (Response),Consequence (Reinforcement/Punishment)

discrete trial teaching

A teaching method that breaks skills into smaller parts and reinforces correct responses (Sd-Response-Reinforcer/Punisher).

Natural Environment Teaching (NET)

teaching from the child's natural environment and mainly focuses on the child's immediate interests and activities as a guide for instruction.

discriminitive stimulus

Indicates reinforcement availability for a behavior, starting the discrete trial (e.g., direction/request/instruction).

Preference Assessment

A tool to identify what will motivate an individual at a given time, helping to select reinforcers that increase future behavior probability.

Multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) Preference Assessment

The therapist presents an array of items (toys or edibles) for the child to choose from. After use, the item is removed, and the array is presented again.

Multiple Stimulus with replacement (MSW) Preference Assessment

The therapist presents an array of items (toys or edibles) for the child to choose from. After the child uses an item, the therapist replaces it in the array and swaps out the unselected items for new ones.

Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment

The therapist presents two items (toys or edibles) for the child to choose from. After the child uses one, another pair of items is presented until all items have been paired.

Single Stimulus Preference Assessment

The therapist presents a single item to the child, recording their behavioral response and the duration of engagement with the item.

Free Operant Preference Assessment

The child is observed for a time and the items the child approaches and the amount of time they remain engaged are recorded.

Differential reinforcement

reinforcing a specific behavior while withholding reinforcement for another behavior

premack principle

premise that an individual will engage in a non-preferred activity in order to gain access to a preferred activity

shaping

differential reinforcement of successive approximations of a behavior

schedule of reinforcement

how often you reinforce a behavior; based on number of responses or time

Continuous reinforcement (CFR)

provide reinforcement on each occurrence of the target behavior

Fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement

Reinforcement is given after a set number of responses (e.g., 2, 4, 6, 8).

Variable ratio schedule of reinforcement

Reinforcement is given after an unpredictable number of responses (e.g., 1, 4, 5, 9).

Fixed interval schedule of reinforcement

Reinforcement is given at set time intervals (e.g., after 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes).

Variable interval schedule of reinforcement

Reinforcement is given at random time intervals (e.g., after 5, 7, 10, 20 minutes).

frequency

the number of times a student engages in a behavior (think tally marks)

rate

frequency expressed in a ratio of time. Calculated by dividing # of responses by total observation time

duration

measure of how long an individual engages in a behavior (e.g., how long a behavior lasts)

latency

length of time between instruction to perform the behavior and the occurrence of the behavior

Topography

the physical form or shape of a behavior, the description of what the behavior looks like

partial interval recording

data collection period is divided into equal time intervals. If the behavior occurs at all during the interval a (+) is recorded

whole interval recording

data collection period is divided into equal time intervals. If the behavior occurs for the whole interval a (+) is recorded

time sampling

data collection period is divided into equal time intervals. Behavior is recorded at the end of the time interval only

baseline data

present level of performance of behavior before intervention. Allows for comparison once program/intervention is implemented

horizontal (x) axis

1. represents time (e.g., days, sessions, etc.)

Vertical (y) axis

behavior of interest

graphing

Important because it allows us to visually summarize, interpret, and make programming decisions

interrponse time

The amount of time that elapses between two consecutive instances of a behavior. Also, measured from the end of the first response to the beginning of the second response (and so forth if there are more than two responses).

permanent product

real or concrete object or outcomes that result from a behavior (e.g., completed worksheet, art assignment)

Stimulus

anything that can trigger a physical or behavioral change

Stimulus Control

a specific behavior is more likely to occur when a certain stimulus is present, and less likely when it’s absent

Prompt

an artificial stimulus that currently controls the behavior. It can be referred to as providing assistance or cues to encourage the use of a specific skill

Most to Least Prompting

Prompting level refers to how invasive a prompt is. The prompting level begins with the most invasive prompt possible.

Prompt Fading

Gradual removal of the prompt; transfer of stimulus control from the artificial stimulus (prompt) to the natural stimulus

Time delay

a period of time between one event and another, or the time a task waits to be executed

response weakening

When a prompt is faded too quickly, the client provides the response less consistently

visual prompt

picture or cue given to client which provides information about the correct answer

verbal prompt

directions, telling a client what to do, beginning sound of a word

gestural prompt

gesturing (pointing, nodding, looking) in order to provide information about the correct answer

modeling

demonstrating an action you want the client to do

partial physical prompt

some assistance provided such as touching client's elbow to get him to begin responding

full physical prompt

"hand over hand" to fully guide client in a response

generalization

learned target skill or behavior that continues to be demonstrated under various conditions - across settings, people, and behaviors

maintenance

learned- or "mastered-" behaviors that continue to be performed independently even after direct teaching has stopped over time

verbal operants

Verbal behavior consists of many operants including: mand, tact, echoic, and intraverbal

verbal behavior

Developed by BF Skinner, a method of teaching language that focuses on the idea that a meaning of words is found in their function

mand

a request or demand to get access to a desired item/activity/person/etc

tact

A label or description of something in the environment

echoic

Repetition of or imitation of the words or sounds spoken by another person. Ex) "say cookie" and client says "cookie"

intraverbal

Responding to another speaker conversationally

mastery criteria

typically range from 80% to 100% correct across multiple providers and across 2-3 days

Errorless teaching

a method where learners are guided to respond correctly from the start, minimizing errors and prompting efficient learning by using prompts and cues to ensure success

trial and error teaching

learning by trying different methods, observing the results, and then adjusting based on those outcomes until a solution is found

mass trials

solely working on one target until it is learned in isolation.

interspersed trials

practicing more than one skill at a time such as mixing difficult tasks with easy tasks or mixing in previously learned skills

Natural Environment Teaching (NET)/Incidental Teaching

type of teaching that follows similar learning principles as DTT occurs in a natural environment and the learning opportunity is initiated by the child's interest in an object or activity.

role-play

client rehearses performance of the target skill in pretend scenarios

chaining

breaking down complex skills into short, manageable steps (e.g., a task analysis)

task analysis

Breaks complex skills down into small units of behavior in the order they occur. Tasks within the sequence are prompted and reinforced as individual behaviors in a behavior chain.

forward chaining

Teaching the steps in a chain of behaviors in the order that they are performed

backward chaining

Teaching the last step of a chain of behaviors first

total task chaining

Teach all of the steps in the chain together, prompting only the steps in the chain that need prompting, regardless of sequence

shaping

Differential reinforcement of successive approximations of a target behavior

discrimination training

teaching someone to differentiate between two or more stimuli and respond appropriately to each

error correction

a procedure when the instructor corrects an incorrect response

setting events

An internal or external condition that influences the likelihood of a particular behavior occurring

motivating operations

change the value of a reinforcer, influencing behavior

establishing operation

increase the value of a reinforcer, making a behavior more likely (satiation)

abolishing operation

decrease the value of a reinforcer, making a behavior less likely (deprivation)

behavioral momentum

Asking a child to engage in a number of high-probability behaviors before asking the child to engage in a low-probability behavior.

pre-correct

reminder provided to a client of behavioral expectations before opportunity to engage in problem behavior occurs

non-contingent reinforcement (NCR)

providing a known reinforcer on a set schedule, regardless of someone’s behavior, essentially delivering the reward for free

differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO)

Reinforcing any behavior other than the problem behavior for a specific period. Ex. Reinforcing a child for every five minutes they remain quiet and focused on their work.

differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI)

Reinforcing a behavior that is physically incompatible with the problem behavior. Ex. Reinforcing a child for sitting quietly with hands folded instead of running around the classroom.

differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA)

Reinforcing a specific, desirable behavior that serves as a replacement for the problem behavior. Ex. Reinforcing a child for asking politely for a toy instead of grabbing it.

differential reinforcement of low rates of behavior (DRL)

Reinforcing when there has been a reduction in the frequency of an undesirable behavior. Ex. Reinforcing a child for calling out less frequently during circle time.

differential reinforcement of high rates of behavior

a procedure used to reinforce higher rates of a specific behaviorwhile withholding reinforcement for lower rates. This method encourages individuals to engage in the desired behavior more frequently.

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

Includes multiple ways to gather information about a target behavior including Indirect methods (interviews/questionnaires, etc.), direct/descriptive analysis (observe behavior in natural setting), and functional analysis (experimental testing)

Function of Behavior

contingencies that are maintaining the behavior, the reason the behavior is occurring.

four primary functions of behavior

attention, escape, access to tangible, sensory

function of behavior (attention)

refers to the focus, acknowledgment, or interaction that an individual seeks from others, including peers, siblings, or adults.

function of behavior (escape/avoidance)

Clients engage in behavior to evade or delay tasks or situations they find undesirable