Interventions Including Providing Choices to Decrease Problem Behaviors of Adolescents with Disabilities
Melissa Cruz
Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation
College: College of Education
Major: Applied Behavior Analysis
Faculty Research Mentor: Daphna El Roy
Abstract:
Challenging behaviors such as aggression, noncompliance, self-injury, and stereotypy are common in school-age children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Without appropriate intervention, challenging behaviors tend to persist in people with ASD and related developmental disabilities (Machalicek et al., 2007). Providing choice-making interventions has various potential benefits. The benefits may include to motivate students to stay on task, engage in appropriate behavior during academic instruction, improve communication skills, reduce resistance, and greater independence (White et al., 2023). An anonymous Google Forms survey was developed and sent to professionals employed by a public school providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services in a self-contained or inclusion classroom for individuals with autism. Sixteen professionals took the survey. Most (93.78%) of the participants had worked with children ages 2-4. Procedural questions focused on whether each evidence-based intervention from the literature had been used by the professionals surveyed, and if so, how effective they rated it to be. The intervention used by all participants involved offering a break or a preferred item when a student exhibited challenging behaviors (e.g., aggression, screaming, elopement, self-injurious behavior) during independent work, aiming to reduce aggressive behaviors such as hitting or biting others. None of the participants who reportedly used this strategy rated it as ineffective.