This document discusses antecedent interventions for addressing problem behaviors. It defines antecedents as stimuli that occur before a behavior and explains that antecedent interventions aim to reduce problem behaviors by eliminating, modifying, or changing how antecedents are presented. Some evidence-based antecedent interventions discussed include noncontingent reinforcement, high-probability request sequences, and functional communication training. The document advises that antecedent interventions should be identified through a functional behavioral assessment and can involve modifying tasks, changing task difficulty, or breaking tasks into smaller parts. Parents are told some children may already have antecedent interventions and given suggestions if their child is struggling with a procedure.

1. ANTECEDENT BEHAVIOR
INTERVENTIONS
PSY 3570: Practicum with Special Populations

2. Antecedents
 Antecedents are stimuli, events, or conditions
that are present before a behavior occurs
 Discriminative stimuli (SDs)
 Motivating operations
 People
 Time of day
 Physical environment
 Absence of stimuli

3. Why Use Antecedent
Interventions?
 Antecedent interventions reduce the
probability that problem behavior will occur
 Antecedent interventions decrease or
eliminate problem behavior by
Eliminating the antecedent event
Modifying the antecedent event
Changing how antecedent events are presented

4. Identifying Antecedent
Interventions
 Identified through
functional behavioral
assessment
 Results suggest or
identify
environmental
variables that are
associated with the
occurrence or
absence of problem
behavior

5. Antecedent Interventions
 Antecedent Interventions with empirical
support include
Noncontingent Reinforcement
High-Probability Request Sequence
Functional Communication Training

6. Noncontingent Reinforcement
 Presenting known reinforcing stimuli on a
fixed-time or variable-time schedule,
independent of behavior
Makes the reinforcer maintaining the behavior
freely and frequently available
Utilizes positive, negative, and automatic
reinforcement

7. High-Probability Request
Sequence
 Involves pairing two to five short tasks which
with the student has a history of compliance
with a task which with the student does not
have a history of compliance
May also be referred to as “behavioral
momentum”
Related to the Premack Principle

8. Functional Communication Training
 Establishes appropriate communication in
place of problem behaviors
Develops alternate behaviors that are sensitive to
motivating operations
Communication type and response dependent on
behavior

9. Other strategies
 Other antecedent strategies include
 Modifying the task to include student interests
 Changing task difficulty
 Breaking one large task into several smaller tasks
 Creating bridging activities

10. What does this mean for your
child?
 Some children at WE may have some of these
interventions already in place
 If your child is having difficulty with a
procedure, you can always try to use high-
probability request
Do two FUNCTIONAL ELO’s, then a procedure
trial
 If you are having major difficulty, talk to the
child’s support coordinator