Behavioral Consultation Case

1
Behavioral Consultation Case

• S. Freeman
• PSYCH 636
• Fall 2006

2
Demographics

• Name Robby
• Grade 4th grade
• Age 10
• Sex Male
• Primary Language English
• Diagnosis receives SPED services
• School An Elementary School
• Teacher Mrs. Smith
• Dates of Case Sept. 7th Dec. 14th, 2006

3
Description of the Problem
4
Problem Identification Interview

• Becomes easily upset when he gets stuck on a
  school work assignment
• Doesnt turn in his homework or finish his class
  work
• Becomes overwhelmed very easily
• Is anxious when he feels as though he is under
  pressure to complete a task
• Very dependent upon other people
• Has a hard time socializing with others
• Becomes angry when things dont go his way
• Has a hard time during written language
  assignments

5
Opperationalizng the Problem
6
(No Transcript)
7
Target Behavior

• Work Completion
• Increase Currently, it is deficient
• Independently Stay on Task
• Increase Currently, it is deficient
• Decrease (eventually) Eliminate Teachers
  prompts to keep Tyler on task during written
  language assignments

8
Data Collection
9
Time Period of Data CollectionWritten Language
(945-1015am)

• Teacher sees behavior problems arise during
  written language assignments
• Often times he is unable to complete his work, or
  only completes a small percentage
• Teacher would like to see him increase the
  percentage of work completion in this area
• This is an area in which Robby struggles, so we
  wanted to provide him with a successful
  experience with written language

10
Type of Data Collection

• Percentage of Work Completed during Written
  Language ( of sentences written)
• Type of Data Frequency Count
• Rationale To document the current work
  completion rate in order to implement an
  intervention plan that will gradually increase
  the work completion
• Intended Procedure Shaping Procedure for
  increasing of work completed
• Number of Teacher prompts during Written Language
  (how many times teacher has to tell him to stay
  on task)
• Type of Data Frequency Count
• Rationale To allow the teacher to recognize how
  often she prompts Robby to stay on task. To
  fade the teachers behavior, as a product of
  trying to increase Robbys on-task behavior
  independently
• Intended Procedure Shaping procedure for
  independently working fading (gradually
  extinguishing) teachers prompts to stay on task

11
Data Collection Procedure Baseline
Intervention Data

• Indicate how many sentences Robby was able to
  finish within the ½ hr. time period.
• (EX.) if he did 5 out 10 problems, write 5/10 and
  then 50 for that day.
• Indicate the number of prompts that Robby is
  given in order to help him stay on task and
  complete his work.
• (EX.) Do this by tallying the number of prompts
  below.
• Teacher is reinforced through thank you notes,
  candy apple as a token of appreciation, me
  offering to help her decorate her room

12
Data Collection Sheet
13
Example of Data Collection Sheet
14
Baseline Data
15
Baseline Data Charted of Work Completed
Median completed
33
16
Baseline Data Charted of Prompts Needed to
Stay On-task
8
Median of prompts
17
Problem Analysis

• Hypothesis about the Behavior

18
Behind the Behavior

• Robby receives special services for
  classification under ________
• Robby has a difficult home life, where he does
  not receive a lot of attention from his mother
• Robby seeks attention from whomever will pay
  attention at school
• He often asks if he is being good
• He will often walk up to adults and give them
  hugs
• The attention he receives from the teacher when
  he has to stay in during recess and finish his
  written language assignment is very reinforcing
  for him
• Robby has difficulty regulating his own emotions
  and problem solving effective strategies for when
  he becomes frustrated
• This impedes upon his ability to engage in
  positive interactions with peers
• Robby has trouble generating ideas on tasks
  involving written language
• His frustration becomes overwhelming for him and
  he is unable to formulate a plan to get through
  the task independently
• Again, the teachers prompts and attention during
  this time is highly reinforcing for him

19
Behavior Intervention Planning
20
Current Reinforcement System

• Candy bars for completing work on time and
  returning homework (R)
• Is immediate, contingent upon behavior
• Threatens satiation, is not natural or intrinsic
  to the child
• Extra Library, P.E. Or computer time for when he
  finishes his work on time (R)
• Is highly desirable
• Threatens satiation, is not natural or intrinsic
  to the child, often times is not immediate when
  Robby has to wait for the computer at the end of
  the day
• No recess if he doesn't finish (RC)
• Has to stay in either during recess or after
  school to finish his work (RC possibly R)
• In general, it is important to try and avoid
  response cost and punishment because it is not as
  effective in increasing the frequency of the
  desired behavior

21
Choosing Reinforcers Questions Asked

• What is he lacking? individual attention,
  stable home life, self-control over frustration,
  ability to talk himself through situations
• What are his interests? pokemon, hand-held
  electronic games, drawing, fishing, reading
  stories
• What is he looking for? hes looking for
  individual attention
• What is it that he cant do? he cant calm
  himself down when he starts to become frustrated,
  he cant work independently without prompts from
  the teacher

22
Reinforcers

• Incorporate another type of writing activity that
  he likes immediately after finishing the sentence
  completion tasks (e.g., crossword puzzles, word
  searches)
• Highly desirable
• Provides successful experience so it is intrinsic
  and naturally reinforcing for Robby
• When given directly after sentence writing task,
  is contingent upon behavior and immediate
• One-on-one time with adult (helper time)
• Highly desirable
• Naturally reinforcing
• When given right after desirable behavior, it is
  immediate and consistent
• Avoids satiation (when activities during helper
  time varies)
• Positive statements when he finishes his work
• Highly desirable
• Naturally reinforcing
• When given right after desirable behavior, it is
  immediate and consistent
• Avoids satiation
• Also reinforcing for the teacher, when she is
  able to provide the positive reinforcing
  statement and sees the desirable behavior increase

23
Program Implementation
24
Description of Procedure

• Introduce sentence writing activity to Robby
  (give directions)
• Let him know that he is to write X complete
  sentence and then he can earn a crossword puzzle.
• If he completes assigned of sentences on his
  own, within the ½ hour time period (without any
  teacher prompts), continue on to direction 3.
• If he gets stuck completing X amount of
  sentences, then place the list of sentence ideas
  on his desk (based on what you came up with about
  his interests). Start off with x sentence
  structure ideas. If he completes X sentences
  this time, go on to direction 3.

25
Description of Procedure (Cont.)

• Upon completion of the written sentences, give
  him the crossword puzzle coupled with a verbal
  praise. Give him a crossword puzzle with x number
  of words on it.
• You did such a great job!
• You finished it all by yourself!
• Upon completion of the crossword puzzle, give him
  another verbal praise and let him know that he
  has earned 10 minutes of helper time
• The negotiated aimline was established at 6
  weeks of program implementation. Based on
  Baseline data, we decided to increase the number
  of sentences to one more every three days, after
  he successfully completes X number of
  sentences.

26
Progression of Procedure
27
(No Transcript)
28
Rationale for Procedure Use

• The reinforcements used are
• Intrinsic
• Natural to Robbys environment
• Avoid satiation
• Highly desirable for Robby
• Immediate
• Consistent
• Contingent upon behavior
• Provide reinforcement for the teacher as well
• The procedure allows for Robby to start below
  baseline data (at 10 work completion), to where
  he will start out successfully
• The time period of change (every three days)
  steadily follows the aim line (negotiated with
  the teacher) to reach the goal of 100 work
  completion at the 30 day mark
• The number of teacher prompts is an inverse
  relationship to Robbys independent work.
• The procedure accommodates for when Robby
  displays undesirable behavior.
• The implementation of the plan allows for a
  gradual fade out of some of the external
  reinforcement system
• Desired behavior can easily be maintained after
  program implementation

29
Results(so far)
30
Data Graphed of Work Completed
31
Data Graphed of Teacher Prompts
32
Interpretation of Intervention

• Program Evaluation

33
of Work Completion Results

• Baseline
• Mean 24
• Median 33
• Standard Deviation 16.77

• Intervention (so far)
• Mean 45.2
• Median 50
• Standard Deviation 22.93
• of Change 50
• Robby is expected to reach the goal of 100 work
  completion rate by Day 29 of the program (and
  maintain it for 3 days by day 31)

34
Teacher Prompt Results

• Baseline
• Mean 8.77
• Median 8
• Standard Deviation 2.99

• Intervention (so far)
• Mean .12
• Median 0
• Standard Deviation .44

35
Qualitative Data

• The teacher is very pleased with Robbys work
  completion rate and that he can do the work
  independently.
• The teacher no longer has to prompt Robby to stay
  on task. She only gives him the directions and
  any clarification needed (at the beginning of
  plan implementation).
• The teacher states that this has been a very
  successful piece for him.
• When Robby is finished, he says to the teacher
  Look how good Im doing!
• Robby has gotten into the habit of drawing a star
  next to his favorite sentence when he has
  completed the written language task.
• The teacher also, during helper time, has him
  write out sentences to hang up around the room.
• Ex. Im a Star! board which he will place his
  work on once he reaches the goal of 10 sentences
• Ex. Fall is here!

36
Room for Improvement

• Robbys desired behavior started to subside
  during a rough few days for him
• He was upset with his mother (family life)
• He was starting to get sick (cold)
• One day, his teacher was out sick and he had a
  substitute (whom he did not like)
• I believe that I could have sped up Robbys
  sentence completion rate
• I started way below baseline (started at 10 and
  baseline was 33)
• Robby was quickly able to complete his sentence
  rate and probably could have changed every day
  until 30 was reached, every 2 days until 60 was
  reached, and every 3 days until 100 was reached.

37
Plans for Maintenance of Behavior
38
Maintaining the Desired Behavior

• Gradual fading of external reinforcers (crossword
  puzzle) have been worked into the plan
  implementation
• Once 100 work completion is reached and
  maintained for 3 days, the occurrence of helper
  time will gradually thin
• Once every other day to once a week to once every
  2 weeks to every once in a while
• Verbal Reinforcement by the Teacher will still be
  kept in place
• Once helper time has faded, gradually thin out
  verbal reinforcement (once at the end of the
  written language period, once every two days,
  once every three days, etc.)
• Eventually use intermittent reinforcement of
  verbal praise

39
Expansion Procedures

• Build upon his written language skills
• Have Robby start forming stories with his
  sentences
• Work with teacher to start forming stories
  together
• Storyboard game
• Gradually fade amount of time teacher works with
  Tyler to make up stories
• Have Robby read story he wrote out loud to a
  partner
• Increases positive social interaction time with
  peers
• Individual attention with another person is a
  strong reinforcer for Robby

40
Thank You!