Course: Therapeutic

Intervention (Child)

Course Instructor: Dr.

Ayesha Aziz
Assistant Professor
Consultant Clinical
Psychologist
Prevalence
Famous people with learning disabilities
Contents

Introduction to behavior and its characteristics

Behavioral terms
Behavior therapy and its characteristics
Behavior modification and its characteristics
Historical figures in behavior modification
Areas of application
Why do we behave the way we do
ABC model
Behavioral assessment: observing and recording behavior
 Behavior
.Behavior is what people do and say

Characteristics
Behavior involves a person’s actions (what people do or say); it is described with
action verbs. For Example: Anger
Behaviors have dimensions (A dimension is a measurable aspect of the behavior)
that can be measured
Frequency of a behavior; that is, you can count the number of times a behavior
occurs (e.g., Shane bit his fingernails 12 times in the class period). Duration of a
stopsuntil it behavior, or the time from when an instance of the behavior starts
(e.g., Rita jogged for 25 minutes). Intensity of a behavior or the physical force
involved in the behavior (e.g., Garth bench pressed 220 pounds). The speed of
.behavior, or the latency from some event to the start of a behavior
 Characteristics

Behaviors can be observed, described, and recorded by

.others or by the person engaging in the behavior
Behaviors have an impact on the environment, including
.the physical or the social environment
Behavior is lawful; that is, its occurrence is systematically
.influenced by environmental events
.Behaviors may be overt or covert
An overt behavior is an action that can be observed and recorded by a
.person other than the one engaging in the behavior
.Covert behaviors, also called private events are not observable by others
There are three categories of covert behaviors: cognitions including
thinking, expecting, attributing, and imagining; emotions (feelings);
and physiological responses such as muscle tension, heart rate, blood
.pressure,and respiratory rate
 Behavioral Terms
Behavior Therapy: More respondent model,
dysfunctional behavior in clinical settings, generic
term ranging procedures from lobotomies to
.wilderness survival courses
Applied Behavior Analysis: More operant model in
non clinical setting with the functional assessment
Behavior Modification: Broader, applies to all,
refers to the procedures that change the
consequences of the behaviors such as
(reinforcement)
Behavior Therapy

Defining themes
Scientific: Precision and empirical
evaluation
Active: Homework assignments
Present focused
Learning focuses
characteristics

Individualized
Stepwise progression
Treatment packages
Brevity
Overt behaviors, cognitions, emotions, and
physiological responses constitute the four
modes of behavior that are assessed and
.treated in behavior therapy
Therapist-client
relationship:
Collaboration
 Behavior Modification

Behavior modification is the applied science and professional practice

.concerned with analyzing and modifying human behavior

Analyzing means identifying the functional relationship between

environmental events and a particular behavior to understand the
.person behaved as he or she didreasons for the behavior or to

Modifying means developing and implementing procedures to help

environmental events so as toIt involves alteringpeople change
.influence behavior. It help people change their behavior
 Characteristics of Behavior Modification
:Focus on behavior
Target behavior: behavioral excesses and deficits
Guided by the theory and philosophy of behaviorism
Based on behavioral principles
Emphasis on current environmental events
Precise description of procedures
Implemented by people in everyday life
Measurement of behavior change
De-emphasis on past events as causes of behavior
Rejection of hypothetical underlying causes of behavior
Historical figures in Behavior
modification

Ivan P. Pavlov
Edward L. Thorndike
B. F. Skinner
John B. Watson
Areas of application

Developmental disabilities
Mental illness
Education and special education
Rehabilitation
Community psychology
Clinical Psychology
Self-management
Prevention
Children behavior management
Sports performance
Health related behaviors
Gerontology
Why do we behave the way we do

According to the behavioral model, a person’s behaviors

are caused by present events that occur before and after the behaviors have
.been performed
 ABC model: Behavioral Model
Antecedents: Antecedents are events that occur or are
present before the person performs the behavior

Consequences: Consequences are events that occur

.after and as a result of the behavior

For example, feeling tired is an antecedent for sleeping, and

feeling rested the next day is a consequence of
sleeping
The ABC Model
The ABC model describes the temporal sequence 
of antecedents, behavior,
and consequences
 Maintaining conditions
The specific antecedents and consequences that cause an individual
.to perform a behavior are its maintaining conditions

Not all antecedents and consequences of a behavior are its

maintaining conditions. Only a relatively small number of
antecedents and consequences maintain (influence or cause) a
behavior, and we refer to these as maintaining antecedents and
maintaining consequences
 Categories of Maintaining Antecedents

There are two categories of maintaining antecedents—prerequisites and 

stimulus control—and both can occur naturally or can be introduced
intentionally to change a behavior

To engage in a behavior, you must first have the requisite knowledge, 

skills, and resources. For example, going to the movies requires knowing
where the theater is located and what time the movie starts, being able to get
.to the theater, and having enough money to pay for a ticket
Stimulus control involves cues or conditions that “set the stage” for behaviors to 
.occur

.There are two types of stimulus control: prompts and setting events 

Prompts are cues to perform a behavior, such as when a parent 

says, “Go wash your hands,” to a child before dinner. Setting events are
environmental conditions that elicit a behavior; they are broader and more
.complex than prompts
Setting events may include who is present and what 
they are doing, the time of day, and the physical arrangement of the environment.
For example, you are more likely to study for a test if you are in a
 Types
Prompts are cues to perform a behavior, such as when a 
parent says, “Go wash your hands,” to a child before
.dinner
Setting events are environmental conditions that elicit 
a behavior; they are broader and more
.complex than prompts
Who is present and what they are doing, the time of day,
.and the physical arrangement of the environment
.
 Maintaining Consequences

Whereas maintaining antecedents are responsible for a

behavior’s being performed in the first place, maintaining
.consequences determine whether the behavior will occur again

In general, when the consequences of performing a

behavior are favorable, the individual is more likely to repeat
.the behavior
Identifying maintaining antecedents and
consequences

In behavior therapy, the therapist and client

identify those antecedents and consequences
that are likely to be influencing
(causing) the problem behavior. It is these
probable maintaining conditions of a behavior
.that are changed to modify the problem behavior
Activity time
Participation exercise 3.4
Speiegler (page no 40)