Looking to Decrease Problem Behavior? How Teaching Flexibility and Exploration Can Help
Scenario: You have a learner who is really motivated for screen time…let’s say the iPad specifically. And, like so many kiddos, they get pretty agitated when they can't get it. Naturally, this can lead to tantrums, property destruction, or aggression.
So what do you do?
The Problem: Limited Reinforcers
Sometimes kids engage in this behavior because they can’t indicate to us that they want the reinforcer. This is where teaching functional communication comes in. But…what if they have the words to tell us they want the iPad? And what if the iPad is simply off limits and unavailable? And what if the tantrum continues in grand fashion?
Often, we find that—despite the ability to communicate what they want—kids who have these strong reactions may have very few preferences. That means when their highly preferred iPad is removed, their world comes crashing down around them. For example, they might be focused on just an iPad and only the iPad. Or a stuffed animal. Or maybe they are heavily dependent on trains or a certain way of playing with trains. This limited range of interests can make transitions difficult.
Think about it.
Think about all of the reinforcers that you value—people, places, things, food, you name it. There are quite a few, aren’t there? Like tons. Now, imagine someone taking away a third of those reinforcers? You’d be a little distressed wouldn’t you?
The Solution: Preference Expansion
One approach to address this challenge is to expand the child's reinforcement repertoire. When kids have few things that they enjoy, naturally they may become more upset when those things are not available. Teaching them the behavior of pivoting away from their favorite thing to something different might help them manage when they can't have their all time favorite preferred item.
Teaching them to Pivot
Instead of just removing the iPad and hoping the child learns to somehow miraculously manage their own behavior, we want to teach an alternative behavior. Where many of us allow the child to tantrum in order to teach them that the tantruming behavior won't get the item back, we might not always follow up with teaching them what they should do instead.
Again, the first behavior we want to teach AND reinforce is one where they briefly engage in “explorational” behavior—where they engage with another item or activity that isn’t the preferred one. Just for a few seconds.
Start with Similar Items: Begin by substituting the iPad with a similar item, like a smartphone playing the same video. The goal is to start with a high-value item and gradually move to a lower-value items…even if that lower value item is just slightly lower in value.
Gradual Changes: Gradually make small changes to the item or activity, such as holding the device (as opposed to the child holding it) or asking the child to watch an entire video instead of skipping to another one before the original is over.
Increase the Challenge: Continue making the substitute item less similar to the original, encouraging the child to explore new items or activities.
Reinforce Exploration: Reward the child for exploring other moderate value or novel items or activities with that high value item or activity they might be crazy about. Once they engage in any behavior with these lesser preferred items that indicate interest, make the highly preferred item available to them again. For example, if you turn your learner loose in the playroom and they begin to engage with a pop-up toy, put the iPad on the ground next to them to indicate that it’s available. It’s important to note that you don’t want to rip away the item they are engaging with to give them the other high value item.
Examples of Reinforcing Exploration
For example, if the child loves watching "Bluey" on the iPad, you might start by showing "Bluey" on a different device, then gradually transition to toys or other activities. As the learner engages in actions with novel toys, “Bluey” and the iPad is returned to them. The key is to make the other items in the environment avenues to getting “Bluey” back.
Reinforce Functional Behavior
Teach the child functional behaviors, like using a communication device to ask for their favorite item, and reinforce other actions they can take when they can't have what they want.
Improving Quality of Life
The goal is to help the child learn to pivot and explore new things, which can improve their quality of life. People who can find reinforcement in a variety of situations tend to have a higher quality of life, and we want to help our kids develop that ability, too.
Martin Myers is a BCBA with a passion for helping improve the field of ABA. He is the creator of BxMastery, with over 4,000 goal ideas, sequenced, to inspire your programming. With 10+ years of experience in the field, he’s dedicated to empowering others and fostering positive change through effective leadership and communication. Connect with Martin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more insights and updates.