Functional Behavioral Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment, Third Edition by Ennio Cipani PhD

Author:Ennio Cipani, PhD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company, Inc.
Published: 2017-06-27T16:00:00+00:00

SME 4.3: Difficult Tasks, Chores, or Instruction. This diagnostic subcategory encompasses problem behaviors that terminate the task or chore, with such escape responding motivated by the difficulty of the task or chore. In the presence of difficult tasks, chores, or assignments, the target problem behavior occurs. It is maintained in its particular form by its ability to escape or avoid such relatively difficult tasks.

In school settings, the child’s engagement with the instructional task is aversive, primarily because the child is not capable of performing the task accurately or fluently. This lack of skill sets the stage for escape from or avoidance of those instructional situations and conditions. This function occurs frequently with children who are given academic tasks that are way above their current level. This is a sure prescription for developing an aversion to school work, that is, constantly expose the child to material with which the child has very little chance of succeeding. In these cases, the child may engage in the problem behaviors to avoid all school work because such work is often something at which he or she is unsuccessful.

The questions in Table 3.17 should be posed when considering this diagnostic subcategory.

Self-Injury Often Escapes Instruction. Very often, problem behaviors, such as self-abuse, can function to remove instructional tasks or materials because the teacher has to stop instruction to deal with the behavior. Imagine seeing a young girl hitting herself repeatedly when faced with a task demand. Contingent upon this flurry of hits, the teacher attempts to hold her hands, thereby preventing her from hitting her face. But one must note what stimulus change gets affected in addition to physical contact. Instruction stops! As a result of the ability of the child’s self-abuse to terminate an instructional demand, hitting her face becomes more probable in the future when she is presented with the same or similar tasks.4

What would be an analogue or in-vivo test to determine if difficulty of task is the controlling variable? In alternating fashion, the teacher would present one of two conditions. In half of the sessions, the student would receive easy material. Such easy tasks would be determined by previous student performance demonstrating mastery levels of performance. For example, if the student is currently reading at the third-grade level as identified by achievement tests, an easy assignment would be first- or possibly second-grade reading texts.

In the other half of the sessions, the student would receive a difficult task or assignment. This could probably be accomplished by assigning reading material from the everyday work she does (third-grade level). An analogue test would mimic the controlling variables. Therefore, in both conditions contingent on the exhibition of the problem behavior, the task would be terminated for a short period of time (e.g., 1 minute). An in-vivo test would involve the same two conditions, except the break would be contingent on completing the assignment in whatever condition at the time, that is, difficult versus easy. If difficulty is the factor, the data should show a differential result between the two conditions.

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