Extinction effects during the assessment of multiple problem behaviors

Area of Science:

• Behavioral science
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
• Functional analysis

Background:

• Problem behaviors in children can be challenging to manage.
• Functional analysis is a key method for identifying behavior-maintaining consequences.
• Assessing multiple behaviors simultaneously can be complex.

Observation:

• A multiple baseline across behaviors design was used with two boys.
• Extinction was applied sequentially to target problem behaviors.
• New problem behaviors emerged as extinction was implemented.

Findings:

• The sequential introduction of extinction effectively identified multiple problem behaviors.
• Emergent behaviors occurred as extinction was applied across behaviors.
• This method efficiently assessed behaviors maintained by the same consequence.

Implications:

• This strategy offers an efficient way to assess multiple problem behaviors.
• Understanding emergent behaviors is crucial for comprehensive treatment planning.
• Applied Behavior Analysis can benefit from this streamlined assessment approach.