This document discusses autism spectrum disorder and strategies for addressing challenging behaviors. It begins by defining autism as a neurological condition affecting communication, social skills, and restricted or repetitive behaviors. It then describes common characteristics in different domains for people with autism, including difficulties with communication, social skills, sensory processing, cognition and theory of mind. The document outlines the antecedent-behavior-consequence model for understanding behaviors and their functions. It emphasizes using positive interventions like reinforcement and visual supports to teach replacement behaviors rather than punishment, which typically decreases behaviors only temporarily.

1. What , Why , of a behaviour and strategies to
pre-empt and change challenging Behaviours

2.  Autism Spectrum disorder is a life long
neurological condition typically appearing in
the first three years of life that affects a
person”s
 1. Communication skills
 2. Social / interpersonal skills
 3. Accompanied with restricted, repetitive
pattern of behaviour, interest or activities
 May or may not be accompanied by
intellectual impairment

3.  Little or no communication --- Need based--
--Reptetive ---Difficulty adapting to listener

4.  Aloof----Passive----Active but odd----
Oversocial and overformal----Difficulty with
friends

5.  Restrictive / repetitive interest and
behaviours
 Non- functional rituals and routines
 Unusual attachment to particular objects,
activities, topics and things for no apparent
purpose
 Need for sameness, resistance to change,
rigidities
 Differences in play

6.  Visual (sight)
 Auditory (Hearing )
 Olfactory (Smell)
 Gustatory (Taste)
 Tactile (Touch )
 Vestibular (Body balance, speed of movement )
 Proprioceptive (Pressure, force to be applied )
 Causing unusual responses to sensory stimuli

7.  Diffrences in thinking( cognitive) styles

8.  Ability to “ mind read ‘ infer other people”s
mental states – such as their thoughts ,
beliefs , desires, intentions , based on
external behaviour .
 Ability to put oneself in other person ‘s shoes
 .
 People with autism often have difficulties with
Theory of Mind , are said to be “Mind blind
‘m. This may lead to ....

9.  Impact on Motivation
 (a) May not socially motivated
 (b) May not respond to typical reinforcer
 Inability to anticipate what others might think
of one”s actions .
 Difficulty in understanding emotions- their
own and those of others- perceived as a lack
of empathy

10.  Difficulty understanding pretend and
differentiating fact from fiction
 Inability to understand unwritten rules
(Concrete rules work , but abstract terms like
‘this is right to do” may not)
 May take things in a very literal manner

11.  Behaviour is anything we do or say
 1. Behaviour is observable
 2. Behaviour is specific
 3. Behaviour is measurable

12. antecedent Behaviour Consequence

13. Teacher
says “give
glass”
Sunny
gives
glass
Teacher
hugs
Sunny

14.  Behaviour is the result of a person” s history
and his current environment
 If a behaviour is happening , there must be a
reason for it
 The person exhibiting the behaviour is trying
to communicate something

16.  People with autism may not be socially
motivated
 Motivation may be reduced because of lack of
predictability and anxiety
 Constant “failure” may also reduce motivation
levels.
 No learning can happen consistently without
motivation

17.  The A-B_C Behavioural learning
Antecedent Behaviour Consequences

19.  The consequence that
 Strengthens a behaviour
 Increases the future rate of behaviours

20.  Immediacy : give the reinforcer immediately
after the behaviour occurs
 Contingency: give the reinforcer immediately
only if behaviour occurs
 Characteristics of consequence : Reinforcers
vary across people . Pleasant consequence
from the perspective of the recipient
 Establishing Operations

21.  An event or a circumstance that temporarily
changes the value of a reinforcer
 The value of or the desire for a reinforcer
changes within individuals depending on
certain events or circumstances .

22.  If a person has not got access to a particular
reinforcer for a while (been deprived ) the
reinforcer is likely to be more powerful at that
time .

23.  If a person has recently had a large amount of
access to a particular reinforcer, the
reinforcer is likely to be less powerful at that
point of time .

24.  Teach new behaviours
 Increase existing behaviours
 Maintain existing behaviours

25.  Edibles
 Drinks
 Toys
 The things /objects of interest to the child
 Social Praise

26.  The reinforcer is not reinforcing
 Reinforcement is not consistent

27.  Is a system of organising the environment ,
time and activities that helps people with
autism understand
 What to expect
 What is expected from them
 By using visual cues to help focus on relevent
details
 Every aspect of Structured Teaching has a
visual component to it

28.  Speech / Spoken words
 Can be abstract
 Differ in meaning
 Transient

29.  Concrete
 Static
 Permanent

30.  Using anything that we can ‘see’ that give
information , help us ‘remember’ , say
focused.
 Do WE use visual supports in our daily lives ?

31.  Calendars ,planners , reminders
on phone , shopping lists
 Clocks/ Timers
 Signs/ signages
 Logos, Printed MRPs ,Labels ,
Menues
 Phone books , notepads on
mobile phones etc.
 Body language , facial expressions
, eye contact, gestures etc.

32.  Provides predictability
 Address challenging behaviours in a proactive
manner by creating an environment that
reduces stress , anxiety and frustration .
 Takes into account the unique learning style.
 Greatly increases a child’s independent
functioning
 Respects/ works with the autism instead of
‘fixing’ it.

33.  Visual structure / Structuring Activities
 Work System / To do list
 Visual Schedules
 Physical Structure

34.  The arrangement of furniture and materials to
add meaning and context to the environment
and hence;
 Provide clarity about what is to be done
WHERE
 Help the person to understand where each
area begins and ends with clear physical and
visual boundaries
 Minimise visual and auditory distractions

35.  Organising the furniture
 Providing visual and environmental cues
 Minimizing environmental distractions
 Appropriate seating

36.  Classrooms
 Playground
 Meal area
 Bedrooms
 Leisure area
 Kitchen / cafeteria
 Toilets

37.  An organised environment with defined areas
can assist an individual in predicting what will
happen in a particular setting and
anticipating the requirements of the setting .
 Providing an environment that minimizes
distractions and is free of extra clutter can
assist individual in attending to relevant
information
 Promotes independence

38.  A ‘visual’ time table
 Provides the framework for ‘what’ , ‘when’ ,
‘where’ of the day
 Visual cues which tell what activity will occur
and in what sequence
 Allows the person to predict what will
happen next
 Helps the person transition independently

39.  Address students difficulty with sequential
memory and organisation of time
 Aids in language comprehension problems to
understand what is expected of them
 Gives predictability to the individual’s day
 Tells the person what will happen and also
not happen in the day
 Brings down the anxiety levels
 Teaches flexibility and to accept change
without stress

40.  Prepare a schedule with two symbols
 Give the transition symbol to the child and
physically guide him from behind to his
schedule
 Prompt the child to match the transition
 Prompt the child to remove the symbol on the
schedule denoting the activity
 Guide the child to the relevant activity area
match the symbol in the activity area
 Once the activity is over go back to step 2 .

41.  Once the child is being to transition with
fewer prompts , increase the number of
symbols
 Always prompt physically from behind
keeping focus on the symbol not you ; Avoid
verbal prompts.
 We do not fade schedules from our students .
 They are a powerful tool for lifelong
independence.
 Instead we design schedules to grow with our
students.

42.  Systematic and organised presentation of
tasks /materials in order for students to learn
to work independently .
 Inform the student what to do and in which
sequence , after the schedule has got them to
right place.
 Supports transitions within activities
 Can be used with any type of tasks

43.  What is there to do ?
 How much is there to do ?
 When am i finished ?
 What happens next ?

44.  Difficulty in generalisation
 Sequencing
 Dependence on others
 Anxiety about finished

45.  Work to be presented in a visually clear
manner
 Left to right and top to bottom pattern of
work
 The layout should answer these questions for
the child ;
 What work ?
 How much work?
 How to do it ?
 When it will end ? What will happen next ?

46.  Tools that are used to increase:
 Understanding of language ,
 Understanding of social expectations and
 To provide structure and support


48. Pour Juice Drink Juice

56.  Internet ; Google images , clip Art
 Camera- take photographs
 Drawings
 Coupons
 Magazines
 Logos from containers
 Software programs

57.  Usually a first-person, present –tense story in
a visual format , used to provide the person
with as much information about a social
situation as possible , so he/she is better
prepared to face , and act appropriately in ,
that situation .
 A very effective technique to teach
appropriate behaviour.
 Developed by Carol Gray for persons with
Autism in 1991.

59.  When it interferes with learning process.
 When it causes injury or harm to self or
others.
 When it hinders the child’s functioning .
 When the behaviour causes stress and may
isolate the family.

60.  There are a lot of things that we need to
teach
 There may be a lot of behaviours that we
want to change
 We must remember to prioritise keeping the
child’s needs for now and the future in mind .

61.  When at a store with her mother, Neeta
touches a bag of chips.
 Rahul spits on his classmates during a math
class.
 Nitin throws his food on the floor and runs
away from the table during meal time.
 At bed time 14 years old Megha likes to sit in
her room alone and stroke her cheek with a
round pebble

62.  Deconstruct the behaviour
 SO we need to find out WHY a behaviour is
happening before we can decide what we can
do or how we can change or modify it
 We need to find out the FUNCTION of the
behaviour
 And give an appropriate alternative behaviour

63.  Helps us understand the Why?
 Is the first step in developing strategy to
reduce or increase or maintain a behaviour
 Identifies :
1. The event that takes place before the behaviour
and is responsible for evoking the behaviour
2. The situation that follows the behaviour due to
which the behaviour is being maintained or
increased or decreased.

64. The ABC Format
 A-Antecedent-What happens before the
behaviour
 B-Behaviour-What the individual says or does
something observable, specific ,measurable
 C-Consequence-What happens after the
behaviour
All these are inter related ,if there is a change
in A and C then B also changes.

65.  Rishi’s 4 year old , in class he often hits his
teacher when she is talking to another child.
The teacher asks him to keep his hands quite.
Teacher
talking to
another
child
A
Rishi
hits
teacher
B
Teacher
asks him
to keep his
hands qute
C

66.  Tangible
 Intangible (attention and comfort)
 Escape and avoidance
 Sensory
 Medical reasons

67.  Identify behaviour to be modified
 Collect data on the ABC, preferably for every
time the behaviour occurs
 Determine the function/functions of the
behavioiur

68. Date/Time Antecedent Behaviour Consequence
When , Where the behaviour
occurred?
Who were the people
present during the
situation?
What were they doing?
What did people say or do
before the behaviour
occurred ?
Was there any other
behaviour that took place
before this specific
behaviour?
Frequency
Duration
Intensity
What followed on the
behaviour?
What did people in
the environment do
when the behaviour
occurred?
Did the child get
anything after the
behaviour occurred ?
Did the child get out
of or avoid anything
as a result of the
behaviour
Setting events
When where and with whom
the behaviour takes place
the least number of times

70.  Ascertain the function of the behaviour
 Modify : Antecedent or Consequences
 Teach appropriate replacement behaviours
using positive interventions

71. Structure and other visual supports

72.  Make areas/items accessible/inaccessible as
required
 Structure the physical environment for
success
 Provide clarity on what the child might expect
 Provide visual supports

74. Behaviour
Reinforcement
Punishment Decrease
Behaviour
Increase
Behaviour

75. Presentation or removal of something,
immediately following a behaviour that
increases the likelihood of that behaviour
occurring in future
Reinforcement always increases behaviour

76.  Not just a reward
 Not only about whether a consequence is
pleasurable
 Always defined by the effect that the
consequence has on future responses

77. Occurrence of
the behaviour
Immediate
consequence
Person more
likely to
engage in that
behaviour in
future

78.  Sunny takes bottle of water. He smiles and
throws the water on the floor. His mother
comes running ,Shouts at him, ask him why
he is being naughty and sometime spanks
him. Sunny keeps doing this every time he
gets a bottle of water.

79. What is Punishment ?
Examples of Punishment

80. Presentation or removal of something,
immediately following a behaviour that
decreases likelihood of that behaviour
occurring in future.
Punishment always decreases behaviour.

81. Sonia’s mother was talking on the phone. She
saw Sonia throwing her wrist watch out of the
window. Her mother scolded Sonia and shook
her hand .The next day when Sonia’s mother
was speaking on the phone ,she saw Sonia
throwing a vase out of the window

82. Arun joined a new school. He threaded 8
beads independently during work time. His
teacher was very happy seeing this skill. He
praised Arun loudly and gave him a tight hug.
She did thid over consecutive sessions. After
a week Arun stopped threading beads.

83.  An unfavourable/unpleasant consequence
 About retribution or retaliation
Always defined by the effect the
consequences has on future responses.(Have
the behaviours gone down?)

84. Punishment
Time-Out Response Cost Overcorrection

85. Behaviour Occurs Behaviour
decreases in future
A person removed
from more
reinforcing
environment to
less reinforcing
environment

86. In her favourite art class, Monal grabs most of
the paints from the teacher and refuses to
share with her classmates as a result The
teacher makes her stand in the corridor.
Monal stops grabbing paints.

87. In her favourite art class, Monal grabs most of
the paints from the teacher and refuses to
share with her classmates as a result The
teacher makes her stand in the corridor.
Monal now grabs paints from the teacher and
also from classmates

88. You return books late to the library ,you are
fined . Returning books late decreases
You return books late to the library ,you are
fined ,You continue returning books late.

89.  It is difficult to punish without paying
attention
 Punishing may serve more as a reinforce than
as a punishment

90. Behaviour Occurs Behaviour
decreases in futur
A person engages
in a fruitful
activity for more
time

91. At home in his free time Arun write on wall.
His mother makes him clean all the walls with
a wet cloth. Arun stops writing on the walls.
At home in his free time Arun write on wall.
His mother makes him clean all the walls with
a wet cloth. Arun stops writing on the walls.
After 2 days of contingently using the
punishment, Aruns mother found that he has
started writing more frequently on the walls.

92.  Physical assistance may be required to
engage the person in an effortfull activity
after the behaviour.
 If physical contact is reinforcing
overcorrection will not work
 Risk of injury

93.  Immediacy
 Contingency
 Deprivation/Satiation Balance

94. Easy to use??
More effective??
More appealing???

95. Punishment is a tool of WEAK teacher
B F Skinner

96.  Children acquire many behaviour by
observing individuals around them.
 If a child has been exposed to hitting ,
slapping and other forms of personal violence
, there is a higher probability that they will
use those behaviour in future
 Teaches children that venting frustration is a
solution to problems

97. What is Extinction???

98. Anupam’s office is a half an hour walk from
his house.However he took a shortcut passing
through a dog kenel, he can reach in 10
minutes so everyday Anupam would open the
gates of the kenel and take the shortcut and
reach office in 10 mins.

99.  What is the behaviour??
Opening the gate of the kennel, taking the
shortcut
 What us reinforcing the behaviour??
Reaching office in 10 minutes.

100. But Anupam would often forget to close the
gates of the kennel and the dogs would run
out.
Fed up of having to retrieve the run away
dogs the owner of the kennel locked the gate
one morning.

101. Like always Anupam tried to open the gate .
He could not open the gate.
When he could not open the gate Anupam
pushed the gate hard , rattled the lock,
kicked the gate , swore at the owner but yet
the gate did not open. So Anupam was late
for work.

102. After a few days of trying to take the shortcut
and finding the gate to be locked always.....
Anupam stopped taking the shortcut, left
home earlier and took the longer route to
work

103.  When a previously reinforced behaviour is
consistently no longer reinforced, the
behaviour stops occurring.
 With holding reinforcement for a previously
reinforced behaviour which decreases the
future probability of that behaviour

104. Antecedent Behaviour Reinforcer
Person
does not
engage
in that
behaviou
r in
future

105. When a behaviour is put on extinction (no
longer reinforced)
Initially
 The behaviour may briefly increase in
frequency, duration or intensity
 Novel behaviours may occur
 Emotional responses may occur

106.  Your roommate always opens the door, when
you leave your keys in the apartment. Today
again you leave your keys in your apartment,
but your roommate is asleep. Your ring the
doorbell and knock but he does not come
.Your ring the doorbell over and over. You
start pounding on the door.

107. Like always Anupam tries to open the gate.
He could not open the gate .
When he could not open the gate Anupam
pushed the gate hard , rattled the lock,
kicked the gate , swore at the owner but yet
the gate did not open.

108.  The reoccurrence of the behaviour even after
it has not occurred for sometime.
 IF the extinction process is still in place when
spontaneous recovery happens that is there is
no reinforcement the behaviour will not
continue for a long time.

110.  Lets go back to the definition of extinction
 When a previously reinforced behaviour is
consistently no longer reinforced the
behaviour stops occurring.
 What is reinforcing the behaviour?
 What is the function of the behaviour
?

111. Extinction (removal of the reinforcer) will
depend on the function
 Tangible gain: No gain
 Attention: No attention
 Escape: No escape
 Sensory/automatic reinforcement: Removal of
the particular reinforcing sensation

112.  Collect data to identify the reinforcer and the
function of the behaviour
 Eliminate the reinforcer after each instance of
the target behaviour
◦ Can you elimate the reinforcer?
◦ Is extinction safe to use?
◦ Can extinction burst be tolerated ?
◦ Can consistency be maintained?

113.  Teach and Reinforce an alternative behaviour
that serve the same function as the behaviour
that has been put on extinction
 Promote generalisation and maintenance by
implementing whenever the behaviour occurs
and in the event of spontaneous recovery.

114.  Reinforcement-Strengthens or increases the
behaviour
 Punishment- Weakens or decreases the
behaviour
 Extinction- Decrease or stop the behaviour
Modifying or changing behaviours cannot be
based on mechanical use of reinforcement or
punishment;
It must be founded on an understanding of the
ways autism manifests in the indiviual

115.  Understand Autism
 Understand what the person is trying to communicate
 Use structure
 Catch the child being good
 Stay calm
 Try to understand why
 Acknowledge child's feelings
 Don’t impose discipline/correct/explain when child upsets.
 Don’t battle, met halfway
 Use visuals
 Provide clarity
 Provide choices
 Create good routines
 Have rules: Respect them and help them your child respect them
too.
 Be consistent

116. Accept the child for who she/he is!!
 Comfort
 Consistency
 Fun
Is a global approach to managing behaviour