2. OVERVIEW
• Definition of Behavioral Modification
• Who Benefits From Behavioral Modification Programs
• Guiding Principles
• Why It Works
• How to Use It
• Functional Behavioral Analysis
• ABC Analysis
3. DEFINITION OF BEHAVIORAL MODIFICATION
• “Behavior modification is a treatment approach, based on the principles of operant
conditioning, that replaces undesirable behaviors with more desirable ones through
positive or negative reinforcement” (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2016)
• “Positive reinforcement, which encourages certain behaviors through a system of rewards”
(Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2016)
• “Negative reinforcement is a method of training that uses a negative reinforcer. A negative
reinforcer is an event or behavior whose reinforcing properties are associated with its
removal” (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2016)
4. WHO BENEFITS FROM BEHAVIORAL MODIFICATION
PROGRAMS
• Children with ADHD (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2016)
• Students with Anxiety Disorders (OCD, phobias, general anxiety, etc)
(Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2016)
• Students with Conduct and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (Turnbull, Turnbull, Weymeyer, &
Shogren, 2013)
• Students with Autism (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2016)
• All Students (with and without disabilities)
5. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
• General Principles for Behavioral Modification
• The problem must be defined (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• (do not generalize, be specific in the behavior you want to change)
• Ex. the student is naughty in class (not specific)
• Ex. the student interrupts others when they talk (specific)
• Design a way to change the behavior (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• Positive or Negative reinforcement
• Identify an effective reinforce (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• Ex. Student likes art: Give him extra art time when he does not interrupt (positive); make him pull
his card and take away 5 minutes from art time every time he interrupts a fellow student
(negative)
• Apply the reinforcer consistently to shape or change behavior. (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
6. GUIDING PRINCIPLES CONT…
• Positive Reinforcement Guiding Principles:
• Follow immediately after good behavior (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• Be specific & continuous at first, then move to an intermittent schedule (Mather &
Goldstein, 2001)
• Use Reinforcers:
• Material reinforcers: something tangible (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• Ex. (sticker chart, prize boxes, etc.)
• Social reinforcers: words of encouragement (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• Ex (“good job”, “star student”, “I am proud of you”, etc.)
*even if material reinforcers are used, a kind word from the teacher should always accompany them*
(Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• Positive Reinforcement is best used to increase behaviors, not decrease behaviors(Mather &
Goldstein, 2001)
7. GUIDING PRINCIPLES CONT…
• Negative Reinforcement Guiding Principles
• Reinforcement always follows target behavior immediately (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• Reinforcement fits the target behavior (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• Must be meaningful to the child (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
• Ex. if student does not care about playing outside, but likes art time, take away minutes from
art, not recess
• Use multiple reinforcers (likely more effective than single reinforcers) (Mather & Goldstein,
2001)
• Ex. have student pull behavior card AND have student sit out certain amount of time at
recess
8. WHY IT WORKS!!!
• It seeks to permanently modify unwanted behaviors
• It seeks to permanently instill wanted behaviors
• It is a consistent way to ensure that students understand consequences (positive and
negative)
• It is goal based, student understands the goal behavior and works toward reaching
the goal
• Reinforcements can be multiple different things and are based on the interests of the
child (flexibile)
• If it does not work, “they are either applied inefficiently or inconsistently, which leads
to less than desired change” (Mather & Goldstein, 2001)
9. HOW TO USE IT
• Identify behavior that needs to be modified
• Identify if you want the student to increase or decrease the behavior
• Identify if you need to use positive or negative reinforcement, or a combination
of both based on step 1&2
• Identify what the student’s likes and dislikes are, their interests and their
preferences
• Come up with a goal behavior (frequency, duration, etc)
• Include student in on the goal and consequences (positive and negative)
• Stay consistant
10. HOW TO USE IT CONT…
• Jimmy enjoys art time, but he does not like to listen to the teacher when she asks
Jimmy to put his things away for Math. Jimmy constantly throws tantrums when asked
to put his things away, how can we modify Jimmy’s behavior?
• Q. What behavior do we want to modify? (must be specific)
• A. Jimmy’s tantrums after art is over
• Q. What do we want to do to that behavior? (increase or decrease)
• A. Decrease: we want to stop the tantrums after art
• Q. What type of reinforcement do we use?
• A. Negative (because we want to stop the behavior, not increase the behavior)
• What can we do to reinforce the technique?
• A. Jimmy like’s art time, but throws a tantrum when it is over. We can decrease the behavior by
using negative reinforcement. We must use a combination of reinforcements (1) make him pull his
card when he throws a tantrum, (2) tell him that tomorrow he will have 5 minutes taken away from
his art time (3) Follow through
11. HOW TO USE IT CONT…
• Q. How to do we implement the modification?
• A. We must notify Jimmy of the goal to stop his tantrums after art time is over. We notify
him of what the consequences will be should he choose to throw a tantrum. When Jimmy
does throw a tantrum, we will follow through with the consequences
• Q. How could you use positive reinforcement?
• A. Jimmy likes art. When Jimmy does not throw a tantrum, we can give him a sticker to put
on a chart. We also tell him what a good boy he is for not throwing a tantrum. When Jimmy
fills the chart at the end of the week, he gets a new art supply to use the following week (i.e.
construction paper, markers, clay, etc)
12. FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT
AND ABC ANALYSIS
• Functional Behavioral Assessment
• Focuses on identifying significant, pupil-specific social, affective, cognitive, and/or environmental factors
associated with the occurrence/non-occurrence of specific behaviors. (CECP, 2001)
• offers a better understanding of the function or purpose behind student behavior. (CECP, 2001)
• Behavioral intervention plans based on an understanding of "why" a student misbehaves are extremely useful
in addressing a wide range of problem behaviors. (CECP, 2001)
• ABC (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence) Analysis
• Antecedent is something that comes before a behavior, trigger that behavior (Outreach Services of Indiana, 2016)
• Behavior is anything an individual does (Outreach Services of Indiana, 2016)
• Consequence is something that follows the behavior. (Outreach Services of Indiana, 2016)
• ABC data sheets provides a brief ‘snapshot’ of what is going on when an individual engages in a particular
behavior (Outreach Services of Indiana, 2016)
• Enables educators to see what is going on in the environment before the behavior that might trigger it
(Outreach Services of Indiana, 2016)
• Enables educators to know what happens after the behavior that might maintain it (Outreach Services of Indiana,
2016)
13. REVIEW
• Definition of Behavioral Modification
• Who Benefits From Behavioral Modification Programs
• Guiding Principles
• Why It Works
• How to Use It
• Functional Behavioral Analysis
• ABC Analysis
14. REFERENCES
• CECP. (2001). Functional Behavioral Assessment. Retrieved from Center For Effective
Collaboration and Practice (CECP): http://cecp.air.org/fba/
• Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. (2016). Behavior Modification. Retrieved from
Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders: http://www.minddisorders.com/A-Br/Behavior-
modification.html
• Mather, N., & Goldstein, S. (2001). Behavior Modification in the Classroom. Retrieved
from LD Online:
http://www.ldonline.org/article/Behavior_Modification_in_the_Classroom?theme=print
• Outreach Services of Indiana. (2016). Assistive Supports and Therapies. Retrieved from
Beureau of Quality Improvement Services: Outreach Services of Indiana:
http://www.in.gov/fssa/files/ABC.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Turnbull, R., Weymeyer, M. L., & Shogren, K. A. (2013). Exceptional Lives:
Special Education in Today's Schools. Upper Saddle Creek: Pearson Education Inc.
