Increase an Incompatible Pro-social Replacement Behavior 

If the intervention can teach &/or increase a pro social behavior which is incompatible with the challenging behavior, the challenging behavior can be reduced &/or eliminated. To accomplish the dual goals of decreasing challenging behavior and increasing pro-social behavior, we need to focus on what a student should do, as well as what they shouldn't do. The following chart and examples can provide guidance in this endeavor:

Chart to identify challenging and pro-social incompatible behaviors
Student's Name

Challenging behavior to be decreased or eliminated

Pro social replacement behavior to be increased

Off task behavior –

The student engages in the following off task behavior, with corresponding abbreviations:

1. Off-task motor (OTM) - Instead of working on assigned task, the student is out of seat, constant and noticeable fidgeting, playing with objects (e.g. pencil, toys, etc.) and/or other children, making inappropriate gestures, acting silly, hitting, biting, or throwing things, fighting with others, etc. 

2. Off-task verbal (OTV) - Instead of working on assigned task, the student is calling out, talking to someone when prohibited, making noises, etc. and

3. Off-task passive (OTP) - Instead of working on assigned task, the student is looking around, daydreaming, looking out window, skipping school, coming to class late, delaying starting assigned task, etc.

On task behavioral goals –

 

The student will increase the frequency of the following on task behaviors, with corresponding abbreviations:

 

1. Looking at teacher when giving lesson, directions and/or instructions (L);

 

2. Participating in class discussion (P);

 

3. Working on seat work (S);

 

4. Working cooperatively on cooperative project (C).  

 

 

 

Aggressive &/or defiant behavior

 

The student engages in the following aggressive &/or defiant behavior, with corresponding abbreviations:

1. Aggressive Physically (AP) - Making vulgar gestures, hitting, biting, or throwing things, fighting with others, etc. 

2. Verbally Aggressive (VA) - Verbally threatens &/or curses others, verbally refuses to perform requested action, etc. 

3. Passively Aggressive (PA) - Instead of working on or completing assigned task, the student skips school, comes to class late, delays starting assigned task, etc.

Replacement behavioral goal - Pro social interpersonal interactions and reactions to frustrations

 

The student will increase the frequency of the following pro social behaviors, with corresponding abbreviations:

 

 

1. When asked to do something for which the student doesn't have the necessary skills, he/she will verbally express his/her inability

2. Faced with frustrating social situations, the student will request assistance

3. Working cooperatively on cooperative project (C).  

 

 

Additional Considerations in the Selection of the Pro Social Replacement Behaviors:

Ideally, the replacement behavior should:

1. Serve the same or similar function (s) as the challenging behavior (s). In this way, the replacement behavior will satisfy the student's needs and be more likely to be acceptable.

2. Be elicited and reinforced in the natural environment. 

3. Address the setting events, functions, or skills deficits that seem to maintain the problem behavior.

 

Teach &/or Reinforce the Pro Social Replacement Behavior

Once the pro social replacement behavior is selected, the BIP (PBS) needs to decide if the student has the knowledge/skills and/or motivation to perform the replacement behavior. For example, if the student engages in the challenging behavior to avoid/escape a particular situation because he/she doesn’t have the needed skills, or lacks appropriate alternative skills, then the PBS needs to include skills training. Systematic instruction in specific academic, cognitive, behavioral, and/or social skills may be necessary.  

For example, an angry and aggressive student may need to be taught anger management &/or conflict resolution. In some cases, a task analysis may be required to break the skill down into its component parts that can then be taught. An angry and aggressive student needs to recognize that they are angry, be aware of the triggers or situations that get them angry, and know and be able to use alternative pro-social ways to cope with the situation that made them angry, ways to avoid the situations that make them angry, more adaptive ways of expressing anger, etc.

Teaching and learning is intrinsically connected with students’ behavior. Consequently, a traditional lesson plan can be developed to teach classroom procedures and rules, as well as a variety of pro-social behavior to replace challenging behaviors and in a variety of groups.

Lesson for Teaching Expected Behavior

Skill Name or Knowledge to be Taught: “List” or “Name”

Rationale for Teaching the Skill:

Provide students with the reason for the teaching and learning the skill or knowledge.

Teach the Skill: After a task analysis of the component skills necessary to correctly perform the desired behavior, the skill or knowledge will be taught. The teacher or facilitator can utilize an array of strategies, including teacher directed lessons and modeling. For example, the teacher or facilitator will show the students the correct and incorrect ways to perform the desired skill:

1.      Based on the targeted behavior, the students need to be taught what, when, how, and where they should perform a certain behavior.

2.      Correct demonstration - Students should then collectively, or individually, demonstrate the correct components of the knowledge or skill. 

3.      Incorrect demonstration - Students should then collectively, or individually, demonstrate the incorrect components of the knowledge or skill.

Practice the Skill with Various Activities:

1.      Play correct-the-teacher (leader) – After instruction, teacher, facilitator, or student performs examples of correct and incorrect behaviors for the group. Students use thumbs up and down signals to evaluate the behavior. If students signal thumbs down, one of the students tell the correct expectation and demonstrates it for the group.

2.      Play the correct behavior game. The class, or group, practices the correct behavior. Every time they perform correctly, the group gets a point. If the group doesn’t perform perfectly, the teacher gets the point and the class practices the missed step again. Play until the class gets 3 points in a row.

Follow up Activities After the Lesson –

1.      Cues, reminders, or pre corrections that should be utilized before challenging behavior occurs. Have a student and eventually all students verbalize the expectations, including all behavioral steps, before performance is expected.

2.      Give specific praise to students who performed correctly.

3.      When a student is behaving incorrectly, remind him or her how to do it right and have the student show you the right way to do it.

4.      Play the “Correct Behavior Game” at every opportunity. Keep score on the board. Once the class reaches a predetermined goal, they earn a celebration (preferred activity, extra minute of recess, sticker, etc.) 

 

New Jersey's Core Curriculum Content Standards (CCCS) - Although very flexible, the above lesson is not a panacea to teach pro social replacement behaviors. New Jersey's CCCS and corresponding cumulative progress indicators (CPIs), framework activities, and vignettes can all be utilized to teach skills related to social and emotional concerns and can be accessed with this CCCS social & emotional hyperlink.

Performance Deficits - If the student has the skill to behave appropriately, but doesn't do so, then it's a performance deficit. If the challenging behavior is more desirable to the student than the expected pro social behavior, then the PBS needs to address motivations. The PBS needs to:

1. Arrange circumstances to make challenging behavior less reinforcing

2. Modify the circumstances that elicit the challenging behavior. Sometimes the intervention has to:

a. make the desired behavior more relevant to the child,

b. reinforce the desired behaviors with some type of extrinsic rewards (i.e., free time, tokens, toys, etc.), at least initially, 

c. provide the supports necessary for the child to engage in pro social replacement behavior

d. address the challenging behavior differently, if it's a habit.  If the student does not realize that he/she is engaging in the challenging behavior, it may be a habit. Therefore, the PBS needs to first teach the student to recognize the of task behavior (s), its consequences, and causes. To assist in the process, we may have to cue the child when he/she is so engaged and possibly change the antecedent event (s) that trigger the habit, &/or change any consequence (s) that reinforce the habit.

3. Utilize techniques to make pro social replacement behavior more desirable

4. Modify the factors that seem to inhibit the occurrence of pro social replacement behavior. 

 

References

Solomon, D., Watson, M.S., Delucchi, K.L., Schaps, E., and Battistich, V. “Enhancing Children’s Prosocial Behavior in the Classroom.” American Education Research Journal 25, no. 4 (Winter 1988): 527-554.

 

Schloss, P.J., “The Prosocial Response Formation Technique.” The Elementary School Journal 83, no. 3 (Jan 1983): 220-229.