Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Positive Behavior Support Plan (PBS) are necessary in order to change behavioral patterns when working with children with autism. It is important to identify the challenging behavior of such students as they can lead to learning and communication difficulties. For example, Armaan, who was the subject of my planning, could not express his feelings and emotions properly, which led to undesirable outcomes. However, it is hard to introduce correct behavioral patterns to children with autism. Therefore, careful observation and strategic planning are crucial in order to give such students instruments to cope with their emotions. In the long-term perspective, the introduction of correct behavioral patterns can lead to the formation of skills and competencies necessary for effective stress-coping strategies.
It was crucial to observe how Armaan engages in the learning process and interacts with other students in class. Functional assessment allows for observation and measures challenging behaviors “under test and control conditions in which some environmental variable is manipulated” (Bawazeer et al., 2019). It helped to identify triggers and sources of challenging behaviors that Armaan had. Such antecedents as TTOC in the room, medication wearing off, missing his mom, transition, as well as struggles to share building blocks would result in screaming, yelling, and crying. Armaan would also try to scratch the hands and arms of his peers, which caused discomfort to them and resulted in crying and leaving Armaan alone. All these factors for this led to poor interpersonal communication in the classroom and disorganization.
FBA allowed defining challenging behaviors that Armaan exercises and their causes. Based on the information obtained, the behavior replacement strategy was developed later. The focus was put on giving Armaan alternatives and the opportunity to express his frustration in order to cope with undesirable emotions. It was important to teach Armaan to use a break for calming and relaxation when he feels stressed. Color zones were also used to support his ability to identify and express his emotional state (Kuypers, n.d). Visual supports and zones were also introduced in order to help Armaan to adapt. Many movement breaks were introduced to help Armaan to relax and reduce the level of stress and mental pressure. When Armaan showed the desired behavior, he got positive reinforcement in the form of stickers, music, an iPad, and blocks. The outcome of the strategic intervention was a change in behavioral patterns. Armaan could learn how to express his frustration or stress verbally and how to ask for a break when it is needed.
The development of PBS allowed me to implement all the steps of the strategic behavioral planning process. It is hard to assess the effectiveness of the plan introduced as behavioral change takes a long time. However, observation of the progress made may help to implement necessary changes in order to support the efficiency of the strategy. This experience was meaningful for me as part of my learning journey as it allowed me to gain practical knowledge of the instruments. Additionally, the choice of appropriate tools and strategies required a thorough analysis and research. This helped me to develop my analytical and planning skills, as well as to think carefully about every outcome that I aim to achieve. The development of the PBS plan was a challenging task as it required the identification of all the important triggers and determining the best options to mitigate them. I hope that in the future, I will be able to master this tool in order to create efficient behavior change strategies and help students learn and communicate better.
References
Bawazeer, A. S., Alhammadi, M. A., & Kelly, M. P. (Eds.) (2019). Functional behavior assessment for challenging behavior in individuals with autism. 4th International Conference on Educational Neuroscience. Frontier. Web.
Kuypers, L. (n.d). A social emotional learning framework and pathway to regulation. The Zones of Regulation. Web.