Behavior Modification Cases

Applying Extinction To use extinction, Mr. Shoney must first conduct a functional assessment to identify the consequence that is reinforcing Harvey problem behavior (tantrum behavior). Mr. Honey identified, Harvey engaged tantrum behavior for 20 to 30 minutes before he stopped working and gave him what he wanted. Harvey behavior might be reinforced by ice-cream, playing a game, going to the park and his fathers’ attention. When Harvey tantrum behavior occur before 20 to 30 minutes before his father stop, extent his working for a few minutes more and ignore him by not paying attention to his behavior. Because the behavior is no longer reinforced, it will stop. Mr. Shoney also, do not try to buy him an ice-cream, playing a game and go to the park. This extinction behavior should be consistent everyday until the tantrum behavior eliminated. Harvey might escalate in his behavior when his father started using extinction. His tantrum might become louder or longer. Mr. Shoney should be ready for his extinction burst and continue to ignore this behavior. In conjunction with his extinction procedure, Mr. Shoney must reinforce Harvey with provides praise as soon as he started to stop tantrum and pay attention to him. So that, this problem could increase as his problem behavior decreased. In summary, to use extinction procedures properly Mr. Shoney should identify the particular reinforcer for the problem behavior and determine that the change agents can control the reinforcer (Mr. Shoney is only as a change agent). He also has to determine that it is safe to use extinction. For example if Harvey would be extremely harmful himself, in this case, therefore, extinction is not safe procedure and cannot be used.

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Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA) Andi Mamat is 7 year old boy in first grade and he exhibited the desirable behavior to completing school work at least sometimes during the day. The undesirable behavior (climbing, hitting his desk, rocking his chair) was negatively reinforced. Sometimes he cries and and pleads to go back home when teachers ask him to do his school work. Therefore, I decided to use Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA) to increase the desirable behavior of completing school work and decrease the undesirable behavior of climbing, slamming his desk, rocking chair and crying. Because escape from school work was the reinforcer for the out bursts, I decided to use it also as a reinforcer for doing school work. The first step is to provide the reinforcer every time Andi Mamat completed a workbook problem. This meant letting him get up and sit in the chair in the back of the classroom by himself for a few minutes. Initially, I will ask Andi Mamat to complete only easy workbook problems. At the same time when Andi Mamat had an outburst, I will use extinction. Because escape from his school work was renforcing his outbursts, I should did not him let him escape. Andi Mamat could not get out of his seat and sit in the back of the classroom when he has an outburst. Instead, he has to stay in his chair and, when he calm down, he still has to do the workbook. In this way, doing his workbook resulted in reinforcement and having outbursts did not result in reinforcement. Once if Andi Mamat was completing workbook problems consistently and not engaging in undesirable behavior, the final steps in using differential reinforcement we to switch to an intermittent reinforcement schedule and to program for generalization. Initially, Andi Mamat got to sit in the back of the classroom after every workbook he completed. After completing consistently (both easy ones and hard ones) and was no longer having outbursts, the teacher started to provide the reinforcer after every two problems he completed. Eventually, Andi Mamat will complete three problems before getting the reinforcer, then four and five. It will satisfy to let Andi Mamat sit by himself if every five problems he complete. It will not too disruptive to the class and certainly less disruptive than having outbursts many times everyday. 2

Using Punishment: Time-Out In Hillary cases, the parents should use exclusionary time-out procedure to decrease her tantrum behavior. Contingent on the problem behavior Hillary must be remove from the room where she was playing with toys and her siblings (the reinforcing environment) where the problem behavior took place. Exclusionary time-out could be implemented by having her sit in another room where these reinforcers were not available. The exclusion of Hillary from the room is for a few minutes each time she engaged in the tantrum. Time-out duration is typically 1 to 10 minutes. However, if Hillary is engaging in tantrum in the time-out area at the end of the time-out period, time-out is extended for a brief time (typically 10 second to 1 minutes) until she is no longer engaging in tantrum. Tell her not to complain and tantrum when her siblings playing her toys, she must play together and appropriately. The absence of the problem behavior is required at the end of time-out, so that the termination of time-out does not negatively reinforce the problem behavior. This extension of time-out is called a contingent delay. Hillary parents must be implemented time-out with calmly and without any emotion response. Reprimands, explanations or any other form of attention must be avoided during time-out. If Hillary increase and tantrums more loudly and plead to get out of the room or promises to be good, the parent should stand nearby and ignore the child until the time-out interval is up. If Hillary resists going to the time-out room, the parent must not scold or try to talk to her into complying. After the time-out, Hillary changes her behavior, the parent should praise her for playing appropriately together with her siblings and no matter with her own toys could be playing by others. Using exclusionary time-out with Hillary should be greatly reduced their noncompliant behavior if her parent preserve the considerations.

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