Applied Behavior Analysis and Postive Behavior Supports

There is a rift between these two fields. I'm posting this NOT to attempt to mend the rift, nor to debate it, but rather, from an application perspective to teachers and professionals, how can both work together for a good program that addresses all necessary aspects of interfering behavior to promote success. Here is a BRIEF description/definition of each (not meant to be comprehensive).

Applied Behavior Analysis - The science in which procedures derived from the principles of behavior are systematically applied to improve socially significant behavior to a meaningful degree and to demonstrate experimentally that the procedures employed were responsible for the improvement of behavior. (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007) There are assumptions that are made in ABA:
- Behavior is learned (if you can learn an inappropriate behavior, you can learn a replacement)
- Behavior is multiply determined (usually not just one reason for a interfering behavior)
- Principles that can be used to effect behavior change include reinforcement, punishment, extinction, antecedent control, modeling, shaping and chaining.

A brief discussion of punishment (as it is a topic of significant debate)
While punishment and the effect on punishment on behavior is evident, it is NOT necessarily a part of a program that follows the principles of ABA. Additionally, there are many forms of punishment, and degrees of punishment programs that are implemented. Punishment defined is simply something that is either added or subtracted from the environment in order to DECREASE the future probability of a behavior occurring. Let me clarify, that as I provide examples, I am not advocating for the use of punishment; rather explaining. Examples:

- A dirty look given contingent upon talking while Mom is on the phone (adding something).
- Taking away recess from a class that is yelling (taking something away to decrease yelling).
- Adding a painful stimulus to a child contingent upon self-injury (I DO NOT ADVOCATE)
- Assigning "I will not hit my friends in class" to be written one hundred times.

There are many concerns with punishment and side-effects that will be discussed in a future post.

Positive Behavior Supports - Focuses on changing the environment in order to decrease interfering behavior and promote success in life goals that include learning, accessing friends, accessing employment, and participating in the community. PBS is invested in understanding that each individual has strengths, and to shape these strengths to create and promote adaptive behaviors in order to function as independently as possible, while making interfering behaviors irrelevant, inefficient, and ineffective.

The focus of PBS is on antecedent-based procedures. In other words, pro-actively rendering the interfering behavior unnecessary in order to prevent the behavior from EVER occurring.

Functional Behavior Assessment comes out of PBS (Carr and Durand). This is a key assessment tool that is used to identify why a behavior occurs. While it stems from PBS, it is used by behavior analysts with vigor.

The majority of PBS folks do NOT EVER advocate the use of any punishment procedure, while many ABA folks will use forms of punishment punishment(e.g. response cost - losing something contingent upon a problem behavior). (although I do not have data on the figures, so will not claim majority)

How do these two areas work together? and what is the difference? This is an area of debate that I am not willing to get involved in. But what does PBS and ABA mean to the parent and to the classroom teacher?

To bottom line it, behavior principles change behavior. There is overwhelming evidence that all the principles of behavior can effect both positive and negative change in behavior. So, we have all these principles that are outlined in ABA. How they are applied to change behavior, and to create plans to promote higher quality of life is interpreted differently. In my perspective as a teacher, and as a staunch behaviorist, Positive Behavior Supports, and the guidelines of PBS guide the application of these principles to create positive environments and educational plans that will promote success for individuals that exhibit interfering behavior.

Below is an application. While ABA and PBS are used in parentheses to show with which orientation the strategy aligns more, it is not exclusively with that group. Rather, the focus is more a part of ABA or more a part of PBS, but not necessarily exclusive. For example, praise is used in both ABA and PBS oriented programs, but consequence-based procedures are more the focus of ABA. None of the strategies below are exclusive to one orientation.

The application below is meant to be a BROAD description of a program and strategies, not to address a debate of ABA and PBS.

Application:
A child in a class is exhibiting interfering behavior of hitting peers in his pre-school class. This behavior is preventing him from learning, developing friendships with peers, and prevents him from accessing community resources (concerns that guide ABA and PBS).

The teacher is not sure why the child is engaging in this behavior, so she wants to figure it out. She completes a functional behavior assessment (from PBS, but used in ABA).

Based on this FBA, it appears that the hitting behavior functions for attention (every time he engages in the behavior, he gets some kind of attention). Based on this function, a behavior support plan will be generated (this is more from PBS but not exclusively. Many ABA folks may say that a token system will decrease the behavior. I am an ABA folk, but I would create a plan based on the FBA).

As the major component of this BSP, antecedent strategies would be outlined that address attention. Some ideas might be 1) greet him early in the morning(PBS) and praise any positive behavior (ABA) evident. Provide opportunity at this time for one-one attention (PBS), a chance to talk about what he wants (PBS) 2) create a small group with one peer that can be monitored in order to promote positive social interactions (PBS). 3) Teach the child a replacement behavior of how to access attention through appropriate means (raising hand, asking for attention, showing teacher work completed to get attention) (PBS). 4) A star chart communication with home can be implement to reward a day with appropriate attention getting behavior (ABA). 5) Should the behavior occur, attention is not provided. Rather the child is redirected back to task and the hitting behavior is extinguished (more ABA). Treatment integrity and effect of plan is monitored by anecdotal and frequency data (ABA and PBS).

The breakdown in the above example might not be agreed upon by both sides of the debate, however as a teacher, and teacher of teachers, it is the application, and not the debate that is of interest. Hope this helps. Comments are welcome.