Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Replacement Behavior
Since we all know that all behavior is a form of communication, it is absolutely important that we recognize that our job is not to “stop bad behavior,” but rather to teach the person a socially acceptable “replacement behavior.” If you just stop the “bad behavior,” then how does the person tell you what they need?
Once we identify and define a behavior that needs refining (such as someone hitting you when they need to use the restroom), the next step is to come up with a “replacement behavior.” What can the person do instead of hitting you to let you know that they need to use the restroom?
Always keep in mind that the replacement behavior is not what we want the person to stop doing, but what, specifically, do we want them to do instead? At our facility, an ISP Objective that states, “Bob will stop hitting when he needs to use the restroom,” will draw fire from several quarters. Even “Bob will communicate his needs in a non-aggressive manner” is not good enough. Drooling is non-aggressive. Do we want Bob to drool every time he needs to use the restroom? Be specific. “Bob will be able to use the ASL sign for “restroom” to communicate his need to use the restroom.” Signing is much more socially acceptable than hitting, and it still gives them a way to communicate their need.
Then, of course, the big question is how do we teach Bob the replacement behavior? Check the Learning Skills Assessment you filled out for the consumer. Check their Training Preference Assessment. Look at their Reinforcer Assessment. (Don’t have those forms? We would be happy to share a copy of ours. jmeyers@hcar.us)
Use the SNAP Curriculum. There are segments for “How Do I Tell People What I Want?”, “How Do I Tell People What I Don’t Want?”, “Basic ASL”, and more. One good thing about the SNAP Curriculum is that it gives consistency of the message from all staff. The consumer is not getting mixed signals about how to approach learning the new skill.
Consistent message, consistent opportunities to practice, and consistent reinforcement are the keys to learning new skills. A replacement behavior is a new skill. Just remember – we are not trying to stop “bad behavior.” Give them a way to communicate.
Once we identify and define a behavior that needs refining (such as someone hitting you when they need to use the restroom), the next step is to come up with a “replacement behavior.” What can the person do instead of hitting you to let you know that they need to use the restroom?
Always keep in mind that the replacement behavior is not what we want the person to stop doing, but what, specifically, do we want them to do instead? At our facility, an ISP Objective that states, “Bob will stop hitting when he needs to use the restroom,” will draw fire from several quarters. Even “Bob will communicate his needs in a non-aggressive manner” is not good enough. Drooling is non-aggressive. Do we want Bob to drool every time he needs to use the restroom? Be specific. “Bob will be able to use the ASL sign for “restroom” to communicate his need to use the restroom.” Signing is much more socially acceptable than hitting, and it still gives them a way to communicate their need.
Then, of course, the big question is how do we teach Bob the replacement behavior? Check the Learning Skills Assessment you filled out for the consumer. Check their Training Preference Assessment. Look at their Reinforcer Assessment. (Don’t have those forms? We would be happy to share a copy of ours. jmeyers@hcar.us)
Use the SNAP Curriculum. There are segments for “How Do I Tell People What I Want?”, “How Do I Tell People What I Don’t Want?”, “Basic ASL”, and more. One good thing about the SNAP Curriculum is that it gives consistency of the message from all staff. The consumer is not getting mixed signals about how to approach learning the new skill.
Consistent message, consistent opportunities to practice, and consistent reinforcement are the keys to learning new skills. A replacement behavior is a new skill. Just remember – we are not trying to stop “bad behavior.” Give them a way to communicate.
